How to find RP on TESO - A guide for the perplexed

duchessofkvetchb14_ESO

I don't know how much "traction" these official forums get. But for the person who's a roleplayer (experienced or wannabee), who's stumbling around in the dark wondering where all the other rpers are, this post is for you.

First off, we're not going to discuss *how* to roleplay in an MMO - there's hundreds of articles/videos/posts on just this subject already out there. Nor are we going to go into a debate on ESO server mechanics and its pros/con regarding how "rp-friendly" it is. That also has been discussed ad infinitum elsewhere.


Join an RP website or find RP-related forums.

There’s several stricly RP themed sites out there, with TESO-RP.com being the most prominent. On these you can post your character bio, fan fic, chat with other rpers, see what events are happening, and engage in thoughtful debate on subjects such as lore, roleplay techniques, crafting, and even gameplay mechanics (since most of us -also- enjoy playing the core game!).

On more general TESO websites, you’ll have to dig a little deeper to find RP content and information on guilds/events/characters, but it’s usually there in subforums.

duchessofkvetchb14_ESO

Start networking.

Join several of the OOC RP "guilds" out there. This is, arguably, the most important step, and here's why: the mega-server phasing “assigns” your character to a “phase” based on the current population in that area. You have no control over this, at the moment; nor is there a way to automatically increase the chance of phasing with guild members or friends. You will -have- to take the initiative, by utilizing the tools available, to overcome this obstacle.

Fortunately, this is easily done by by teleporting to other players that you *know* are rpers. When you're in a guild, you can right-click on any online member and select the "Travel to Player" option, which teleports you to the nearest Wayshrine in their phase. That’s it. You’re now phase-sync’ed. You can go find them, and if they’re currently rp’ing, initiate contact. Generally, you can get a good guess that people are rp’ing if there’s a bunch grouped in a certain town, or they’re discussing it in guild chat. Most of the time, someone just asks, or announces where they will be themselves.

To join an OOC guild, either sign up on their forum thread, or contact a member in game. There’s a sizable overlap in membership among these groups, but due to how people naturally divide along ideological lines, it’s a good idea to join as many as are relevant to you. The main issue is that you have only 5 available guild slots (and you may want to save 1 for a genuine RP guild), so you have to choose carefully.

[NA Server]

NA Roleplayers (NARP) - cross-faction (signup thread)

OOC - cross-faction

Vampire Roleplayers - cross-faction, vampires & hunters

The Covenant Collective (TCC) - Daggerfall Covenant faction

The Pride of the Covenant (PotC) - Daggerfall Covenant faction, RP-PVP oriented

The Dominion Accord - Aldmeri Dominion faction

Ebonhart Roleplay - Ebonhart faction

Looking for Roleplay - Ebonhart faction

Storytellers - Ebonhart faction


[EU Server]

The European Roleplay Collective - cross-faction (signup thread)

Cyrodiil - cross-faction (uses PVP zone to remove phasing issues)

Stormhaven RP - Daggerfall Covenant faction, city-based


I realize that a lot of people dislike joining guilds in general; but these OOC collectives are more akin to custom RP chat channels, with the added networking benefit of being able to phase-sync to other rpers. And as for the chat-spam, you can simply hide the chat window for the OOC guild(s) until you're looking to RP, and then observe if anyone's mentioned where activity is going down.

duchessofkvetchb14_ESO

Join at least one IC RP guild.

Every RP guild has their own way of doing things, including vastly different ways of handling guild events, member advancement, and their expectations of RP experience/skill. You'll want to find a guild that has a lot of overlap with your own preferred style of play and online availability. Some guilds, for example, are primarily social and "free form"; others have scheduled events, and/or their own custom systems for developing unique player skills, rewarding members, and negotiating RP combat/PVP.

[NA] Guilds:
http://www.teso-rp.com/forum/viewforum/3887185/m/9324623

[EU] Guilds:
http://www.teso-rp.com/forum/m/9324623/viewforum/1957135


Keep alert.

Make a separate chat tab for RP. Many of you have likely already done this, but it's an oft-overlooked early step. Only add /say, /emote, and /yell (optional) to it - and possibly party, whisper, and relevant guild channels, if they're used in an IC manner. Hang out in common rp hotspots, such as taverns, guild halls, and keeps, during after-dinner "prime time" - generally 7pm to midnight EST (or the equivalent on the EU server). This is a more chancey option than direct networking, due to the phasing issues, but you -can- run into random rpers if your phase happens to match theirs during a time they're in the same spot.

Well-known hubs tend to be the Cloudy Dregs tavern for NA Daggerfall Covenant, x for Ebonhart [NA server]. But these hubs tend to shift regularly based on word of mouth.


Befriend other roleplayers who share your values.

This may be difficult for shyer folks, I understand. But you can find others by reading forum threads, hanging out in chat rooms to see who you get along with, etc. Send them a friend request on the forums first, perhaps; then see if you can obtain their @handle and add them in game. You can teleport to a friend's phase same as you can for a guild mate. Remember that most -all- of us are shy to some degree, and welcome more chances to meet others.


Attend and put on public RP events.

Keep an eye on the RP events posted on the TESO-RP.com Event calendar, and in the Events forum for your server. Not all events get posted in both places, so it's a good idea to cover both bases. Also, many times an event occurs fairly spontaneously, or is discussed only via word-of-mouth - another reason the keeping an eye on the OOC guild chat is useful.

Host your OWN event! This is easier than it sounds. Oftimes simply posting it on the calendar with a time/place/theme will draw out a throng of rpers, including new rpers you don't know, who just happened to read the calendar that day. There's also not much work or actual cat-herding involved with regard to casual events, though promoting it on the OOC guild chat certainly helps. You'll likely want it to be tailored to your preferred style of RP, whether it be a cooperative PVE endeavor, a trip into Cyrodiil, or simply a social get together/celebration.

Stay in the same general area, and keep an ear open for requests from those wishing to teleport to your phase. Nobody ever seems to show up on time, just like real parties. ;-)

duchessofkvetchb14_ESO

Utilize mods.

There are not currently any social mods such as MyRoleplay, FlagRSP, etc., due to limitations in the add-on API. However, if you’re in one of the OOC RP guilds, you can leverage certain mods to better alert you to the presence of other rpers.

TESO Instant Messenger - This chat logging add-on allows you to save content from your various guild channels, -and- can be setup to write out a keyword to a specific log. I use it to save references to “rp”, “roleplay”, and “event” so I can lazily look over to see where people are playing.

RP Reticle - changes color when you mouse over other players, if they’re in your guild, partied with you, or on your friend list. This is my own tweaked version of “Rainbow Retcile”, modified to also shows guild notes. It works as a sort of “mini bio” I can read for other rpers in my guilds and/or friend list.

Thurisaz Guild Info - adds a column to Guild rosters so that you can see character names.

X4D Chat - lets you see character names alongside @handle names in your chat windows. The original mod is broken, but you can get a fixed version here.

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Feel free to offer up any of your own suggestions below, so I can incorporate them into the main article. If you run an OOC RP guild, please contact me as well so I can list you; however, I strongly encourage that you consider merging with similar existing OOC guilds so that players can keep more of their guild slots open.


TLDR: Sign up with both an IC and OOC RP guild (via TESO-RP.com) to get around the phasing issues and lack of an RP server or flag. See links above to get started!

duchessofkvetchb14_ESO

Added a link to the Pride of the Covenant, a new pvp-rp collective for the Daggerfall faction!

duchessofkvetchb14_ESO

Added updated links for the Dominion Accord and Ebonhart Roleplay guilds.

TheHumanFloyd

Thanks for adding Ebonheart Roleplay! Blood for the Pact!

duchessofkvetchb14_ESO

Updated mod links.