The Political Minefield Of Stormwind

While ‘political roleplay’ didn’t rate high on my ‘top taboo’ list in my previous post, I’d argue that it has forever been a controversial matter in the roleplay world. This week, I’m examining Stormwind political roleplay, the history, where it’s been and why we might love or hate it.

So… why are certain roleplayers drawn to political roleplay?

The underhanded and shadowy intrigue of politics can be awesome for spurning great plots and stories. Political roleplay offers a huge podium for lawful villains, affluent snobs and benevolent councillors wishing to whats best for the people. With great shows like House of Cards and Game of Thrones (which provide a great insight into how political stories can be churned) has inspired people more than ever before. Politics is all about alliances and relationships – the latter which drives roleplay. I’d argue that by roleplaying a politician, you open yourself up for plot after plot, story after story.

“Varian and Joffrey got nothin’ on me.” – Frank Underwood, Never.

…However there are issues with political roleplay but before I go delving into that massive crux, I’d firstly like to offer a brief synopsis on how Stormwind’s political scene has worked in the past:

Stormwind’s political system is a monarchy with Varian Wrynn at the top – no brainer, right? Well it’s worth remembering that under him, we have the organisation of the House of Nobles:

The House of Nobles is comprised of some of Stormwind’s most powerful aristocratic bloodlines and positions in this governing body are typically inherited Presumably, they serve a legislative role as they are able to lobby for legislative issues and serve as the judiciary branch for the kingdom as they are able to overrule regional elected officials on matters of law.

Wowpedia – http://wowpedia.org/House_of_Nobles

Over the years, roleplayers have created player-run councils filled with nobles, officials, councillors, judges and diplomats. While the structures of these councils have only been slightly varied, they often follow a similar principle: members of the council get together and discuss any matter relevant to the political sphere of Stormwind or the Alliance. Within these organisations, we sometimes see different races (diplomats, envoys and race representatives), lords and ladies, heads of judical bodies and state organisations (guards or the military) and other state bodies such as Church of the Holy Light. On paper, political roleplay looks as if it can provide thousands of opportunities to all who get involved…

..But in practice? BIG, HUGE, ENORMOUS issues!

World of Warcraft roleplay is an unmoderated medium. Everyone, on an OOC level, is equal. No player is greater than the rest. Because of this unmoderated status, it’s very easy for me to declare that I am the Lord of Northshire…

And for Pete to claim the title.

And John.

And Roger.

…And even Pennywhistle the Dancing Gnome.

Artist’s rendition of ‘the ease of becoming a Lord.’

Because it is so easy to roleplay whatever the hell we want, there have been hundred of players claiming to be Stormwind nobles. According to the lore, these nobles are, in some way, part of the organisation of the House of Nobles. In the past, the player-run councils were led by usually one person and he (or she) had the power to control who could and couldn’t be a member. What if I, Lord of Northshire, was refused entry? Surely that would make no sense…

…But that’s just scratching at the surface. These self-elected nobles have effectively seized false ‘authority’ by the touch of a button (or the decision to make their character a noble.) What if Pete decided his character was a blacksmith? Realistically, he would be beneath me, Lord of Northshire, and my decisions as a politician might affect his roleplay greatly, especially if my policies or decisions started to impact on his enjoyment.

And yes, while roleplay is an act of give and take (or compromise), there is no effective way to moderate and control the political roleplayers when they just go too far. Political roleplayers must be careful. They should ensure that what they do affects only those in their circle. After all, the authority they hold is purely ceremonial (and not readily accepted by everybody else.) They have no real power to affect the community – and nor should they!

But does it ever work? Has ‘political roleplay’ ever been successful?

I’d argue that it has, but largely outside of Stormwind. The problem with the Alliance hub of Stormwind is that there are too many random people to form a coherent, working system that the complex political sphere requires.

There have been ‘citizen councils’ that any roleplayer can join. Members are often from all sorts of backgrounds: commoners, tradesmen, nobles, soldiers (just about anyone.) Each member, if they wanted it, had a chance to shine, bring issues to the table and affect the community. I’m all for organisations that bring people together to form and orchestrate events that bring players together. I’ve found that authoritative political roleplaying groups usually alienate, exclude or mire those who don’t conform to ‘their’ rules.

But even then, those decisions only affect those involved – and agree to it OOCly, which, leads me to my point on the matter: political roleplay does work within small communities, where each member accepts and moderates the ‘system.’ Player-run towns (and guilds) are a good example of this. Providing there are opportunities for any player to (realistically) climb the political ladder and get involved – and are provided with an audience (community) who readily accepts them, then I believe that this is something that can work.

Political roleplay, in Stormwind, encroaches on people’s freedom. It’s so simple to become a politician and the ‘false’ power that comes with it can never truly be moderated or respected by everyone. It is not uncommon to hear stories of how political roleplayers have abused OOC rights to further their seize of ‘false’ power… but perhaps that’s a whole other topic in itself.

Should we steer clear of political roleplay? For the most part, yes.

But don’t forget the success of citizen councils and township politics. Smaller groups (often townships within the kingdom) have worked.

That said, if a group of friends are all roleplaying nobles, engaging in debates and aren’t directly affecting anyone else, then there is surely no foul? However, forcing, or expecting, people to see you as their overlord is not something many will so readily accept and is often the greatest error committed by political roleplayers.

I’d like to delve more into other areas of political roleplay within the Horde and Alliance. Has Orc politics ever occurred and if so, what have been your experiences with it? What about Night Elves? I want to know, so share your experiences with me 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!