Through The Looking Glass Of Evil: An Insight Into Criminal Roleplay – Part 1

What comes to mind when you think of criminal or villainous roleplay?

Do you think of the men in long coats or urchins shuffled in corners?

Or do you think of the rich, tidy niches where corruption commonly thrives?

Perhaps – more unsavouribly perhaps – you consider villainous roleplay heedless, causeless and sometimes just cringe-worthy actions enacted by multitudes. It is a common misconception that all ‘good’ criminal roleplay is hard to find, absent even.

It is simply not the case; it isn’t that good criminal roleplay is absent, it’s that everyone has their own varying standards to how a criminal should be played. I’ve found that many will try to force their actions upon you, and that others, perhaps similar to myself follow the mantra of “consensual roleplay” as opposed to spontaneous and in some cases, “unconsensual roleplay.”

Both forms are valid as far as all roleplayers are concerned and while it is true that roleplay is mostly a consensual process, I can also see the appeal of enacting it spontaneously, it adds a certain thrill! A thrill, I will admit, I often seek out. But as a criminal roleplayer of varying standards, I’ve often found other criminal roleplayers not to my liking. This could be because they use different methods or entirely different concepts, some of which I might not agree with.

An example? Master Assassins.

It is, I would argue, common consensus that ‘Master Assassins’ are played badly. While on the whole this may be considered true, there are very well a select few who can and do the role well and the reason because they do a good job is because…

…assassins are sneaky; I don’t think you could be one without this on your CV or resumé. It’s all about subtlety.

Subtlety in villain or criminal roleplay is the key to success, especially when you roleplay cultists, assassins, murderers, and any other sinister and secretive cliché you can contemplate. Unfortunately, if you’re so subtle, it becomes invariably hard to achieve criminality in your roleplay… due to the fact that nobody knows you’re a criminal! You’ve become so ensconced in the fact that as an assassin you must always hide behind a veil and never creep out. That’s a pit. And I hate pits. Having a cultist character, I’ve fallen into many of these traps and it is only through planning and co-ordination with others villains do I manage to clamber out. (Yep. There are other villains out there!)

EVERYONE (mostly) LOVES A PLOT-TWIST!

Indeed! It is fun to find that Jimmy the Gravedigger was bad all along, it makes it all the more thrilling, which is where I think the idea of spontaneous RP holds best. It’s great to have Jimmy as a bad guy when nobody expects it… even greater for everyone thought it would have been Tom the Slave-Driver. Nobody sees it coming! One person, whom will remain anonymous, did this so well that he built bridges for a year before finally outing himself as a villainous cultist in line with EVIL, and it surprised everyone!

At present we have all seen a resurgence of criminal roleplay; mostly in the guise of urchin criminality, pretty low-brow. But this is good, it’s a thriving basis. Places like Westfall and Old Town are prime areas lorewise for themes such as these. The urchins, or homeless, participate in as many interesting and fun things as they can, which in turn more and more criminal behaviour – bad… but good! For example, there’s a new project operating in Westfall that is attempting to catpure the essence of ‘Western roleplay’, with all the nitty-gritty, lawless parts thrown in. For criminal roleplayers, this concept offers a whole new perspective on what they might traditionally try to play.

So where in this rambling, incoherent, string of letters and vague words do I actually construct a valid argument? Well! Villain, or criminal, roleplay is of varying standards – some you might like, some you might not. There is, ultimately, no ‘wrong’ way to do it. Due to this standards, however, I find that the most thrilling and alluring villain is secretive, subtle and sometimes, the last person you would ever suspect. For all spectrums of villain/criminal roleplay, it is also a vital to find the balance between consent and spontaneous continuity for the sake of enjoyment from criminal and justice-seeking parties.

There is a great deal of potential concepts out there, those both tried and tested, while others only being unearthed now: cultist/murderer/assassin/thug/urchin/warlock/politician (Although, really… politicians… that’d require a whole new bloody topic!)

What do you think about criminal roleplay? Have you had positive or negative experiences? Let me know below!

The Cathedral Square – ‘The Throne of Roleplay?’

The Cathedral Square, located in Stormwind, serves as the headquarters for Alliance roleplay on Argent Dawn EU. It is one of the main points of interest for roleplayers today and a good place for a beginner roleplayer to learn the ropes before heading out to the real world.

…Waaaaait, wait! Real world? Why would anyone leave the safety of the city of Stormwind?

What if I can’t find any roleplay outside the city? Eh, I’ll just go back to the Cathedral Square. Good ol’ reliable Cathedral Square.

This thought occurred to me more than once whenever I wanted to head out and look for some exciting roleplay outside of Stormwind. The Cathedral Square is a safe bet: there’s always roleplay to be found. Always. You don’t even have to work hard! All you have to do is walk over and a crowd of characters will appear before you; some of them simply standing around, and some taking a more active role.

How did that happen? What makes the Cathedral Square the point of interest it is today?

Ereina, former leader of the Eclipse Vanguard, took the time to explain: “The psychological association built from guilds recruiting there. It’s a population center, and there will always be somebody there at any given point. They [roleplayers] are attracted there because that’s where the guilds recruit.”

I then asked Huolang, from Argent Dawn, what lures the recruiters over to the Cathedral Square: “There’s many idle people in the Cathedral Square,” she explains. “Some are guildless. Guild recruiters see that those people can strengthen their number.”

There are many idle people in the Square, some say it is because of recruiters, while others say recruiters are drawn there because of the idle people lingering in the area.

What came first, the Recruiter or the Roleplayer?

Taking to the streets once more, I posed the simple question: what came first?

Baroness Sinthe Beylocke (Sinthe) of The Crown Ministry: “I think roleplayers [came first]. The Square has little significance when it comes to the PVE and PVP aspects of Warcraft, so it appeared as the obvious place to centre RP.”

Rupert Cirandor (Cirandor): “I believe roleplayers [did]. If only Blizzard would create a Military Quarter, I think the recruiters would move there, leaving the other roleplayers there [in the Cathedral District] to roleplay without being spammed by recruiters!”

Ganfu Stillbarrel (Ganfu): “I’d say roleplayers [came first]. In the Cathedral Square, there’s a higher chance of encountering another roleplayer, in my opinion. The place has almost everything: benches, trees, fountain, a nearby pond and whatnot.”

3:0 – a decisive victory for the Roleplayers!

So with that being said, what’s in it for the roleplayers who dwell in the Square? What are the positive things about this roleplay hub?

A steady environment where other roleplayers can always be found. Like, literally always. Unlike its Horde counterpart, to me the Cathedral Square feels like a place where I will always find other like-minded players who are up for some spontaneous roleplay. It’s inside Stormwind, which is always bustling with life and adds to the feeling of a safe and steady heaven.

The Cathedral Square looks good. Especially after that post-Cataclysm make-over (adding the pretty gazebo and the huge cemetery.) The textures and environment are up to date, and that is, in my humble opinion, a very good reason to go there for a nice walk!

It’s accessible. The Cathedral Square in the middle of Stormwind, the capital of the Alliance! Why go as far as any other place when you have a grandiose square in the middle of a huge city? It can be accessed from the Park (R.I.P. Curse you Deathwing!), the Trade District, the Harbor, and the Dwarven Sqaure. Basically, it can be accessed from anywhere within Stormwind. That’s most definitely a plus.

The Cathedral of Light, the headquarters of the Church of the Holy Light, is here. It’s the most striking monument to be found and one of the most important structures of anyone who calls themselves a follower of the Holy Light. Where else would those faithful believers linger if not in the Cathedral Square?

These are, in my opinion, the positive things about the Cathedral Square which make it a valid roleplay hub. But this coin has two sides, and there are various negative things about the Cathedral being a roleplay hub:

The Cathedral Square made us all lazy. Let’s face it: roleplay can be found in the Cathedral Square most of the time. The steady amount of roleplayers and simple accessibility makes the Cathedral Square the perfect place to go to in favour of somewhere else far away.

It’s 22:00 PM, I’m tired and generally lazy and I want my share of RP, too. Should I gather some players and go on a fishing trip in Booty Bay, or reclaim Lordaeron for the Alliance? Naaah. I’ll stay here in the city where there’s roleplay.

Standing around isn’t exciting and this is exactly what happens in the Cathedral Square. People stand around. Or they walk around. Either way, there is nothing exciting really happening here. Stormwind is a good place to reflect a calm day in your character’s life. But roleplaying in that square every day, all the time? Surely it is too calm or too boring.

The rest of Azeroth withers while we remain standing around the Cathedral Square. As the voiceover in the Mists of Pandaria trailer says:

We were there when a world of limitless adventure opened up before us. We rose defiantly against all those who would threaten the peace of our kingdoms. We ventured to a new alien world and cast the lords of shadows and flame back into the abyss. It was we who held the line as death itself rose like a tied to swallow everything we held dear. We have endured the breaking of the world…

…to sit here, in the Cathedral District, and ignore the entirety of this world ‘we’ worked so hard to protect is a bit deflating, no?

We can see how the Cathedral Square is attractive to both recruiters and roleplayers for various reasons. Despite these reasons, I think that players shouldn’t limit themselves to the Square or even Stormwind.

Great zones that serve as perfect spots for roleplay are out there and are, unfortunately, left empty by players. I’d say: use them. Start new initiatives that will take your character as well as others outside the gates of Stormwind. Breathe life into those great but dead zones!

Ultimately, the Cathedral Square is indeed a great place for roleplay. It really does have almost everything. Though, in my humble opinion, roleplayers shouldn’t be bound to the walls of that district. There’s a huge world out there and it has much more than a few benches and trees! Buckle up and explore! You can always come back to the Cathedral at the end of the day, sit on a bench and relax.

What do you think? Share your comments below!

By the Light! Why keeping Blood Elf Roleplay stuck in “The Burning Crusade” really is a thing of the past.

‘Anar’alah Belore!’ 

For all those who are accustomed to Blood Elf roleplay, this phrase is a common sight and holds a great importance to each and every Blood Elf. It means ‘By the Light of the Sun(well)’ and can either be used as a positive expression, when excited, or as a negative expression: when shocked or terrified. However, throughout most of the Warcraft series, this phrase has been associated with cataclysmic events, such as the Scourge pillage of Quel’thalas. Yet, this phrase is more than just an expression of emotion, it is a symbol of the nation.

If you’ve grinded Sunwell Plateau as many times as I have, you’ll know that the Sunwell’s power is tremendous and has been used multiple times as a gateway or a means to restore life. Initially, the Sunwell flowed with Arcane energy and worked as a ‘font’ of power for the High Elves who had been exiled by their Night Elf cousins. But this source of power was taken from them when the Scourge invaded. From this point on, the Blood Elves were born. They relied on Fel energies for their power… and in time, this corrupted them. However, with the turn of the Burning Crusade expansion… we see the Sunwell restored.

Interesting chap!

When the events of the Sunwell Plateau unfold, Velen reignites the Sunwell with the last essence of Mur’u. In this final gesture, the Sunwell is reborn and paves a new era for the Sin’dorei; a new start.

“My brothers and sisters, words cannot describe what I felt upon seeing the Sunwell rekindled. In that moment, the Light revealed to me the truth of the terrible things I had done. Our people had walked a dark path and mine was among the darkest of them all. But the Light showed me that I was not lost. It helped me to find the strength to survive in spite of all that had happened and all the evil I had wrought. It is a strength that we sin’dorei all share. It is a strength we will need to free ourselves of the addiction ravaging our people. It will be the most difficult battle we have ever faced, but our resolve and the power of the Sunwell will sustain us until we have been restored to our greatness.”

– Lady Liadrin, said during the Quel’delar questline in Wrath of the Lich King.

With histories aside, I’m going to take a look at the issues of the present day Blood Elf nation and society. One of the major issues is the fact that Blizzard have yet to update Silvermoon. Giant Fel crystals, which linger in major rooms around the city, would be removed completely and perhaps be replaced by either: focusing irises (what strengthen the renewed Sunwell’s energies) or Arcane crystals. Ultimately, the rebirth of the Sunwell has created a rift in Thalassian roleplay.

After years of sucking magical essence from Fel crystals and draining mana from living creatures, an era of redemption has been born for the Sin’dorei. But what does this mean for Blood Elf roleplayers? There’s a few bits of conjecture that need some clearing up.

So, now that the Sunwell is partly made of Light from Mur’u’s essence, does that mean it’s going to be the Church of Light 2.0?

Most definitely not! The ‘actual’ Light abandoned the Elves of Quel’thalas when they chose to abuse Fel consumption to fit their needs. There’s a lot of roleplayers nowadays who prefer to keep Blood Elf roleplay in this ‘grimdark’ environment where almost all hope is lost and are forced to drain from dangerous sources to continue their existence. 

The powers of the new Sunwell take away the Blood Elves’ need for Fel, and instead, are now able to act as they did in the past, using the powers of the Light and Arcane. Their lust is sustained; Fel is a thing of the past!

(Speculation also insists that this holy font of power is to aid with Velen’s Army of Light in the future battle against the Burning Legion)

Alright, with this change I can assume that the eyes of the Blood Elves will revert back to their blue colour then?

Nope, not at all. While I implore there should be a change in motivation and a change in mindset for the Blood Elf nation (with the restoration of the Sunwell) there have been blue posts detailing how the colour of their eyes will remain green and that most of the corruption, however slight it may be, is long lasting:

The situation regarding blood elf eyes is, in fact, extremely similar to that of the green skin of orcs: just being around heavy use of fel magic turned the eyes of the blood elves green. You could be the most pious of priests or most outdoorsy of Farstriders, chances are, if you were a high elf in Quel’Thalas or Outland following the Third War, you were around fel energies, and your eyes would turn green. Like the orcs’ skin color, such an effect would take a very long time to wear off. Fel magic works a bit like radiation in this sense; it permeates the area and seeps into anything in the vicinity. Anything near a source of fel magic shows signs of slight corruption, it just so happens that high elves and orcs manifest it in a very visual way.

A stain forever upon the Blood Elf people; a memory as dear as the blood of their people spilt; a tragic reminder of their past.

So, because they don’t change that means I can continue to roleplay my Fel-loving Sin’dorei who loves to be malicious?

Technically, you can roleplay whatever you like – but from what the Lore seems to suggest, the Sunwell’s revitalised energies completely remove such need for an alternative source of magical consumption. However, this doesn’t cross out the possibility that your Blood Elf is still heavily addicted to consuming Fel magic. Be wary though, there’s a slight chance that those who consume Fel energies will eventually succumb to the powerful corruption that entails with using it. If that’s a character plot and decision you wish to make, then by all means go for it!

“You see, there are ancient, powerful relics found throughout this world that I plan to use to free my people from their addiction and unify them again as the proud, indomitable race we once were. Magic is something to be embraced and, I assure you, a force that can be utilized free of corruption with proper teaching.”

The above is a quote from High Examiner Tae’thelan Bloodwatcher, head of the Reliquary. His words are important, revealing to us the progression of the Blood Elf state. It shows the move away from Fel-consumption (and betrayal of the people by Kalel’thas.)

And while some would argue that if the Blood Elves had not drained demonic magic, then they’d have crumbled entirely. Despite being true in the general sense, it doesn’t legitimise continued exposure.

Well, I’ll just write a letter of complaint to the Regent-Lord! I want to continue my Fel magic consumption!

Hold your horses there, that’s not such a great idea. Remember that little group of protestors in the Bazaar? They got ‘re-educated’ (a nice little term that basically defines the Blood Elves’ abilities at dealing with any form of dissention or traitorous action). The Regent-Lord’s police state keeps the peace and anything revolutionary, at least that doesn’t fit the agenda of his people, is put down mercilessly.

Happiness is mandatory, Citizen.

In essence, with the vital information concluding the changes from the old Burning Crusade lifestyle, it’s definately a must that Blood Elf roleplay should move on from Fel-tinged darkness of the past and into the Sunwell-blessed future. There is a danger that Silvermoon, if not updated by Blizzard, will be forever stuck in a timewarp, where nothing has changed. It is up to us roleplayers to progress the story that Blizzard has intended, to reenact the great rebirth of the Blood Elves.

Progression is key, ladies and gentlemen, and moving away from a state oppressed by one’s addiction to a a flourishing Blood Elven Empire is actually far more reputable than trying to cling to whatever’s left.

Do your agree, or disagree? Share your opinion beneath. Stay majestic, readers!

Double Announcement, Yeah!

We’re proud to announce that we have a new member to the team: The Majestic Magister! 

He joins us as our second Horde correspondent and has a new desk inside the Horde department of the Hozen Throne. It will be interesting to see how he gets on with the Grumbling Grunt, whom up until recently, was top dog! Will distant races become friends or can we expect a tense stalemate of pencil-throwing and computer-smashing?

As part of our double announcement, we’d like to give a HUGE thank you to Moosemouse (http://moosemouse.deviantart.com/) for drawing our ‘Hozen logo’ up in the top-left corner. Go check out their Deviantart page! Doooo it!

It would be cruel to leave a Hozen unnamed; here at the Hozen Throne we don’t believe in cruelty, not one bit! So because of that, we’re asking for suggestions from the community for the Hozen’s name. Comment below if you have a suggestion!

Taboos! Get your taboos here!

On a server (Earthern Ring) a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time ago I started up a small series of reocurring mini-events, which whirled up a storm of contesting views. To set the scene, I was playing an immoral crook who would sell his mother if offered a bundle of coin! He was also a bully and cared little for those around him. Anyway, this character made a gambling scheme to make money (and of course, to promote criminal roleplay). One of these schemes was, to describe in in the simplest of forms: ‘underground dog-fighting.’ It was based on bloodsports found throughout the history of the real world. But once I made the event post, I realised that there were very conflicting views of whether or not this event was necessary. On one side of this OOC debate, some argued that cruelty to animals is vile (which it is) and should not be reenacted in a game or through roleplay; while others argued that this was just another, if extreme, way of storytelling or roleplaying, reflecting that the ‘hero’ of Warcraft often commits mass genocide through Blizzard’s many quests. Each side gave some substantial evidence to why the event should be praised or demonised…

…And it made me think: What is everyone’s taboo when it comes to the World of Warcraft world?  I wanted to see if I could identify a running trend of that which was generally unaccepted by the community of roleplayers. My quest to identify the Top 3 Taboos began!

Firstly, I made my own predictions of what I thought would appear (these are not what I find taboo, I’d like to add):

Lore-bending – Nobody likes it when you stand up and announce that you’re the younger brother or bastard child of Thrall. Bending the lore to your will and making it suit your conditions is something that I figured would be the top taboo for roleplayers alike!

Erotic Roleplay – We’ve all been to, passed through or heard of Goldshire. What happens in Goldshire, stays in Goldshire. Sure, whatever you say! The crusade against erotic roleplay has been wages for as long as I can remember. In the early days, screenshots of prominent roleplayers were leaked on forums,  but with more and more admitting they take part, that trend has died down. Regardless, I believe that many see erotic roleplay as a taboo.

Demonic Roleplay – Run! Quickly! Grab your pitchfork! There’s a demon just over by the mill! Demonic roleplay has always, in my eyes, been a bit of a gray area. There are those who can superbly play a conniving and manipulative demon-in-disguise… then there others who parade around Stormwind as Abakazzar, the mightiest of all Dreadlords! See the difference?

Upon making my predictions,  I took to the streets of Orgrimmar and Stormwind, tracking down any Horde and Alliance roleplayer I could find to pose the question: What do you find to be the top 3 taboos in the roleplay world?

Disclaimer: I tried to make sure that responses could fit into certain categories, and if they didn’t, they became their own. Below you can see the spread of responses (surprisingly, animal cruelty didn’t appear):

To my surprise, erotic roleplay didn’t appear as high on the list as I expected it to. My predictions for the other two responses were accurate… well, I suppose they don’t call me the Courteous Charlatan for nothing!

Below are the top three taboo responses:

The blurring of the lines between IC and OOC is the taboo that respondents replied with the most; thinking about it now, I can see why. I (and probably you too!) have experienced when things stop being IC and turn OOC; when this happens, relationships sour and fights occur. Most respondents said that breaking the OOC and IC lines are both bad etiquette and a form of ‘cheating.’ Some respondents believe that, when roleplaying, we must detach ourselves from the person playing and instead focus on the character itself.  The breaking between OOC and IC causes a huge amount of conflict… so justifiable that most people rate it pretty high!

Sorry Robin, you’re not needed for this… ‘blurred lines!’

Lore contesting/bending roleplay and the roleplaying of unique races (not solely limited to demons) were the second and third highest taboos. Given my early and brief analysis, we might understand why these things are detrimental to the sanctity of roleplay:

By bending lore we force players to see Blizzard’s world in their way, when really it should be about us seeing Blizzard’s world in… Blizzard’s way!

Roleplaying unique races, if done correctly, can be rewarding… however, respondents stated that, most of the time, they have had bad experiences with those roleplaying unique, villainous or custom races. Druid cats are on the prowl, be warned respondents!

I’m really interested to know what you think about the results, how you might agree or disagree and your own reasoning as to why certain responses were more popular than others.