So...is this a Roleplaying server?!

[Thaelis]

Hi,

I'm new so only logged in once or twice so far (login: Apostate Angel).

Nice to meet you all!

In my brief time so far I've bumped into 2 other players, both of who completely ignored my presence and simply ran back and forth between starter dungeons killing mobs.

I thought perhaps they didn't notice me so I sent a PM...no response. So, my question is this. Are there any players on BGTSCC who actually log in to RP? I can see from the forum posts that there are are least a handful. Roughly what percentage of the player base are Roleplayers vs Non-Roleplayers (by non-RP'ers I mean those who only RP during events or when a DM is watching).

Honestly your PW looks extremely well made (Kudos!) but if 50% or even 25% or the players I meet are not even going to emote something like *stoically ignores you* that's really a deal breaker for me.

Thanks for reading!!!

[Ithilan]

Hello there!

First of all, welcome to the server.

I am sorry to hear you had this slightly demotivating experience during your first sessions on the server, but it is really not the truth of what this server is. A vast majority that play here regularly, are very keen on role playing and login with that motivation, from my experiences. I would urge you to be a bit patient at first though, as other newcomers to the server might not be inclined towards this initially but are perhaps exploring he module or the game itself.

We also have a lot of diversity in nationality and though its extremely rare from my experiences, some times we may see a handful of players that cant communicate in english and are merely experiencing the game and modules mechanical aspects. These most often stop playing after a while though, as (in my humble opinion) the true meaningful interactions is spawned through RP and community interaction.

I hope your next experience on the server will be better and id urge you to visit the city of Baldurs Gate and its in- and exterior areas, that is usually an in game hub for RPers of many creeds. If you struggle to find players in general, there is a scry tool that will allow you to view where some players presently are (if not hidden) that can perhaps help to locate some RP at your leisure.

Good luck and dont lose hope! We are many RPers on here.

[Maecius]

I'd say that most of our players are pretty dedicated roleplayers, albeit with varying levels of experience (some pretty new to roleplaying, some having done it for decades now). A minority may be playing for other reasons (they enjoy the module, they like the dungeons, they treat the server as a D&D MMO), but even these players are required to at least make an effort at roleplaying, particularly when they're engaged by other characters.

"Out of character" (OOC) statements have to be clearly marked, and everyone is expected to stay "in character" (IC) most of the time.

I say "most of the time" because things like quests and dungeon grinding can be undertaken for mostly OOC reasons. That is, you don't have to justify your character's reason for doing it if you just want to go run a dungeon or kill some monsters -- though if another character asks you why you're there, be prepared to come up with a reason (or at least to indicate to them in character that it's none of their business). You can also currently re-run a number of quests -- for now, anyway; this is one thing I'd like to change in the future by adding new quests and making most existing quests one-time quests -- even if your character has already completed the quest in the past. In either scenario, though, if you run into another player while you're in the process of exploring a dungeon or moving through an area map, you are expected to roleplay your character (though not necessarily to actively engage with everyone you meet unless your character is extremely gregarious). But even ignoring someone should be emoted in some capacity to indicate that it's an in character action, not an out of character one (e.g., *The elf regards the warrior hailing her for a moment, eyes narrowing, before she runs off into the undergrowth*).

Just shoot the DMs the names of any individuals who consistently fail to roleplay, I suppose, so that they can talk to them about it. They won't get into trouble or anything, so it's not like you're tattle-telling; we'd just want to figure out why they're ignoring you (whether it's because of language barriers, etc., as Ithilan suggested, or something else). In either case, we certainly don't want people flat-out refusing to RP here!

My hope is that you just had an unlucky start to your play time with us! I've found nearly everyone here is willing to RP if you engage them, and I hope that will be more your experience as well moving forward. But let us know if you have any questions as a new player, and just about everyone here will be happy to give you some answers or some pointers.

[Thaelis]

Got it!

I will stick it out then, thanks for the advice.

I'm used to being patient anyway since I came from Sundren, which usually had server pop in the single digits

[Maecius]

Sundren was a fun server. BG:TSCC has a different flavor than Sundren, but the focus is still on roleplaying (and collaborative storytelling), so I think you will still have fun here if you give it a chance. I hope so anyway!

[Steve]

Hello and welcome!

I've been gaming on the BGTSCC for years, but nearly every year I start a new PC/RP concept, and starting at Level 1, so I keep myself familiar with the newbs and the low level Areas (which I enjoy tremendously and are some of the best designed Areas of the entire Server, imho).

What I have noticed is a general thought among new AND OLD Players on BGTSCC is the concept that "higher Level equals greater role-play and options" on BGTSCC. Whether it is this concept or another, it does very often translate to a "speed-run-kill-ignore" mentality in the early Levels, this the Areas in which to Level can become Grind Zones over RP Zones.

But don't be discouraged because it is NOT always this way! And essentially, just "hold your ground" and hold your interest in RP firmly, and you'll eventually "run into" the "right" Players and PCs.

Just as an example: my current Crusader PC Henryk Urde was only Level 5 when I "inserted" him in an open call DM Event, and now that he is only Level 13, I consider the RP I have invested in ACTUALLY contributing to the story building and outcome of the Event (Tymount and Hamlets Refugee Crisis storyline). And considering the majority of the other PCs involved are years old and Epic Levels, I'm having just as much enjoyment.

That said, the BGTSCC experience is fullest when you combine some Forum-based RP with a majority of IG RP. Forum RP allows your Character "to live" when you the Player cannot be online.

Lastly, if you have a solid idea of what you wish to play/RP, do consider making a Biography on the Forum for your PC, and also don't hesitate to reach out OOC to other Players and Guilds if you're interested in joining RP that is already ongoing.

Cheers.

[Invoker]

What I have noticed is a general thought among new AND OLD Players on BGTSCC is the concept that "higher Level equals greater role-play and options" on BGTSCC.

This is true.

a "speed-run-kill-ignore" mentality in the early Levels, this the Areas in which to Level can become Grind Zones over RP Zones.

This is also true.

Whether it is this concept or another, it does very often translate to

This is reductive, and baseless. Here since 2011, never seen any correlation between the two. If anything, a lot of opposite examples.

[chad878262]

Hi Thaelis,

What times have you logged in GMT? I can tell you that in my experience when you log in is nearly as important as where you are traveling in game. Many players seem to focus on RP during "peak" hours and if they are in game during hours when population is low they mostly focus on XP or loot grinding to build up their characters XP and/or gear. This is, of course a bit unnecessary since RP XP is roughly equivalent to what you might gain grinding mobs, especially once you hit about level 20. In addition, roleplaying with other players will often find you rewarded with better gear faster due to creating friendships and those IC friends wanting to help your character survive on their adventures!

I will also say that I joined over four years ago and had similar experiences over my first 3-4 weeks, but then Invoker (the guy who posted above) found my PC and the RP was fantastic, thus getting me hooked and sticking around ever sense (with a few short breaks here and there, depending on work!)

So I definitely recommend you just keep roleplaying your character. Others will find you and you'll find the 'place' where you fit in to the server and most enjoy spending your time.

[electric mayhem]

Aye! Agree with most of what's written above.

One note. You and your character not going to gell with EVERY character (and player) you do / do-not meet. Your character is not meant to! The server is full of good, bad, indifferent, evil, suspicious, shy, insane, energetic, cloistered, smelly, OCD, gnomes, vocally repugnant, snobby and a whole host of other pigeon hole categories.

Trick is to take it slow, easy, explore, meet who you can organically, let it flow naturally, and you'll find your character (and you) gravitate to specific characters and/ players. Like tends to attract Like.

[Thaelis]

Just to give an update, I've met a lot of great roleplayers on here so far. I really feel at home already!

There are quite a few players like myself who don't mind taking their time and not worrying too much about loot/xp and just RPing their way through dungeons

I also really like the systems on this server, especially:
- you can use Survival to interact with a lot of plants. While most of them aren't very useful, it is very cool for adding flavor and also making your skill feel significant
- players get their own individual loot, instead of having to share out loot (what do you do if there are 1-2 pieces of loot and 6 in your party?). Whilst this detracts a little from realism, it is much fairer than other servers, where you always have 'that' guy who runs straight for the loot chest and keeps everything, even if he's a LG Paladin
- spawns scale with level, but not in a super-obvious "HEY, YOU ARE IN A VIDEO GAME!" kind of way. It's very organic, and it never seems to scale so high that it endangers lowbies (at least compared to other servers)
- monsters and quests still give XP when they're much lower level than you. I like this because it allows you to level up even if you made a terrible-at-combat RP build and not a min-maxed Paladin/Monk/Assassin
- XP for talking
- Resting is restricted but not overbearingly so
- Summons lasting longer
- All the custom stuff like feats and Lore skill, and even fishing! Very cool

Alright, I think that is all for now.

Cheers!

[DivinityDelayed]

Dungeons and murdering monsters in their homes and stealing their stuff is great and all, but there's also an RP mechanic that you earn XP by roleplaying. I know, right? I can honestly say that taking my main character to max level took years, and I did a mix of 'loot runs' and a great heap of RP along the way. Even getting xp for roleplaying in the delves and dark places with your party gets you extra xp.

*swirls the ale in her mug and looks across the table*
"You have gained Roleplay XP."

I've kinda always been in it for the storytelling and rp though... I make terrible characters mechanically because they typically organically grow and don't follow a 'build'. While I've tried a handful of other servers in nwn2, and been on a number in nwn1, I can say that this community is the best I've found. We have a wide variety of playstyles and characters about. Some are more social than others. Consider that not recognizing someone who is talking to them is quite rude. I deal with such things in-character. Some may even be unaware that they snubbed someone else. Either knowing or unknowing, it could have social consequences later (in-game).

[Tsidkenu]

I enjoyed our 4 hr crawl through hilltop ruins. Pity I ran out of time!

See you around