About Jim Moreno

Jim Moreno is a freelance writer who has been writing about computer games since 2004, but playing them since 1977. His game reviews and previews have mainly been published on Epinions, The Wargamer, Armchair General, and The WarCry Network websites. The RoleCraft column moved to the Frogpants Network in September 2010, and is glad to have its' home here.

RP Character Life Spans

In two days, yours truly will level up once again, hitting the ripe age of forty-one. While contemplating my own age over the past week, I got to also thinking about the ages of all the MMORPG characters I roleplay. There are tons of races to roleplay across my whole roleplaying collective, and to think of all their life spans matching that of the human race seems folly to me. So, let us take a closer look at the life spans of the WoW races, and better position your own characters in their in game timeline.

Thankfully, we don’t have to go very far to find a respectable chart of life spans for WoW. When WoW fails to provide a wealth of info regarding a specific topic, as in this case, then it’s time to turn to the WoW RPG. Continue reading

Roleplaying Your Role

Just about every time I peruse an RP-focused forum, I see at least one post from someone new to MMORPG roleplaying, asking for advice on how to get started. Since it’s such a basic and fundamental question, I like to revisit it every now and then, trying to look at it from new angles, and maybe discovering something I’ve not thought of.

That’s the case with this week’s edition of RoleCraft. Once again, thanks to Dungeons & Dragons (and my players!) for helping me to see this question in a new light, at least for me. This has lead me to how roleplayers may start their RP characters in a very simple way: by roleplaying their roles. Continue reading

TavernWatch – Looking for Roleplay

Greetings, roleplayers! Back again with another TavernWatch edition, where I warily delve into that vast expanse of scorn and detritus known as the WoW Forums in order to bring to you the shining bits of posted RP gold that may be found within. This edition covers some very worthy Looking for Roleplayers posts, not all of them residing in the World’s End Tavern section.

I have a few RP characters that have been resting comfortably on their realms, waiting for me to pick up and continue their stories. Two of them I’m ready to get back into playing, one on Moon Guard (Alliance), and the other on The Venture Company (Horde). So I got to looking for roleplayers and RP guilds on the forums, making a list of those that looked most interesting. I now share that list with you. Hopefully this saves you the time and hassle of finding some quality RP for your characters, as well. Continue reading

Love, Warcraft Style

Love is in the air! Love is everywhere! All you need is love! Yes, it’s that time of the year, when lovers and ERPers abound in WoW. During the Love Is In the Air festival is also a time I generally stay far away from the populated areas of Azeroth. I currently don’t have any WoW characters roleplaying the part of a significant other, and can honestly say I never have. So, my RP knowledge about such is rather blank.

Not to say I’m against Love, oh no. I think it should be celebrated at all times, and in true form. However, all I can muster for you roleplayers today is to share some WoW machina that honors Love and shows how it can be portrayed in game. So, let me step out of the way and direct your attention to these videos!

[WoW Music Video]- Love Story

World of Warcraft- Here Without You

Code Monkey

You Belong To Me: A World of Warcraft Love Story

Lady Marmalade ( World of Warcraft )

World of Warcraft – A Hero’s Love

The Guild – Do You Wanna Date My Avatar (WoW Music Video)

Feel free to share your amorous RP ideas with RoleCraft readers! Send them to the RoleCraft on Twitter feed or on the official RoleCraft Facebook group page. Until next week, role on!

UI for Roleplayers

WoW’s user interface is a well-crafted piece of work, no doubt. Without any modifications, everything a player needs to be aware of to relate to the game world is right there in the heads-up display. The built in options allow for the HUD to be personalized to a great degree, so players can manipulate what interface items show to their liking. Continue reading

Undersea RP

The Cataclysm has destroyed much of the face of Azeroth, but for us roleplayers, it’s seen as more of a blessing in disguise. The old lands and many of the ways we can roleplay in them have been renewed. Beyond that, the Cataclysm also brought us a new area to explore; Vashj’ir, a region almost entirely underwater. Let’s dive in and ponder the roleplaying that can be found and made here! Continue reading

Lunar Festival Roleplay

The yearly Lunar Festival began yesterday (Jan 23), and will last until Feb 12. The Festival opens a wide variety of roleplaying opportunities, along with perhaps the most peaceful area in all of Azeroth to RP at. Here are some ideas on how to make the best use of the Lunar Festival and Moonglade for some outstanding RP sessions.

Players with druid characters, and characters with strong ties to the Cenarion Circle, are most likely to be in the RP spotlight during the Festival’s three week run. The Cenarion Circle uses this festival to send characters all over Azeroth to extend due honor to the elders of all races. For druids and other like-minded classes, paying homage to their elders is a sign and show of respect, and of great importance to their order. Continue reading

Crafty Roleplaying

Crafting has been on my mind a lot lately, particularly while gaming in Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons. I’ve been doing some comparisons of those two games to WoW’s crafting professions, and have come up with some ideas for WoW roleplayers regarding titles.

Looking at the in game Achievements menu in WoW, I noticed there are not that many titles to be granted for stellar crafting performances. LOTRO has an abundance of these, along with a much better crafting system overall, in my opinion. WoW also is lacking when it comes to rewarding players with fame and notoriety based solely off their work in professions and skills. Taking some inspiration from LOTRO’s crafting titles, I want to share some ways for WoW roleplayers to improvise and adapt the available professions in a better RP fashion.

Continue reading

2011: The Year of the Roleplayer

Yes, roleplayers, many, many years from now, you’ll look back on this article and proudly proclaim, “I saw it here first.” RoleCraft has declared 2011 to be the Year of the Roleplayer!

Why the declaration? Because I am noticing an overall resurgence in the art of roleplaying, and not only amongst the MMORPG genre. I follow much of the news and media concerning MMORPGs, and there I am seeing a refreshing trend towards making games with a great story, as they should all be made, that I think will naturally lead to more roleplayers and roleplaying. Lastly, I see old and new roleplayers alike who are dedicated to fostering the trade in their favorite games, very often in the face of non-roleplayers’ animosity. Continue reading