Grim Roleplay
The Grim considers itself a heavy RP guild. What that means to us is that we try to RP as much as possible as we play WoW. If a Grim is online, that Grim is in character for the time they are logged in. Anything that can be said or done IC, will be said and done IC.
OOC is only to be used for general non-game related chatting and for game mechanics that are just too difficult to describe IC. OOC is also used in cases where time is of the essence; voice chat is OOC and used for giving directions during raids and PVP events.
The information below is intended to give everyone an understanding of what the general feel of Grim roleplay is, to help make people more comfortable RPing within the guild, and to create a baseline of expectations in effort to avoid disagreements.
In The Grim, we strive to promote RP for all players. We give each other the benefit of the doubt when it comes to mistakes or slipups. IC, we may bicker and squabble, but OOC, we strive for cooperation and camaraderie with each other.
If you have any questions about anything, ask! Send a whisper to the person you’re RPing with, ask an officer, a veteran Grim, post on the forums, or ask in the in-game OOC channel.
Lore
We try to RP within the lore, but we are not all lore experts, nor do we expect our players to be. If a Grim character or storyline seems reasonable within the WoW universe, we’ll roll with it. Even if something is not probable in the WoW world, if it is very well-played, we might still roll with it, although we may treat that character as insane! Characters can talk about history (lore) as much as they want. If they are wrong about something, we roll with it IC–either by playing that our characters are ignorant of the mistake, or correcting them IC. OOC discussions are also acceptable.
General Public Knowledge
The Grim is one of the larger and older organizations within the Horde. As such, it has long ago discovered the value and obtained the resources for a network of spies and informants. All those who seek entry into The Grim will be thoroughly investigated. If insufficient information can be found about an applicant, that applicant will not become Grim.
Any information found on the Armory, on the in game roster, or on guild membership tracking websites is considered by The Grim general public knowledge, and may or may not be used in RP by anyone, as each individual players chooses.
Our characters may communicate with each other beyond the scope of the game. Minions, directly serving or assisting primary characters, may become knowledgeable to certain individuals, actions, or events at the player’s choosing. Information spreads through word-of-mouth, and those who have already proven themselves within The Grim are considered far more trustworthy than those outside of the organization.
Guild Chat
Guild Chat is always IC. By default, a Grim’s hearthstone is tuned into the special guild frequency by advanced goblin technology. However, some Grim characters, particularly those who are talented in engineering, may use other devices to communicate.
Also by default, guild chat is audio only, not visual. Again, some Grims may have specialized communication devices that can transmit or receive visual images.
Some Grim characters play that their communication tool is attuned to all Grims. It might show all the Grims who have their device turned on (all characters logged in at the time), or who is speaking, or when someone turns their device on and off (logs in/out). Many also play that the device shows them where someone is, as the roster shows the zone a player is in.
In other words, guild chat is a tool we all use for our characters to communicate, but the specific details of how a character accesses it, is up to the player.
Achievements
Achievements are often referred to as bragging rights. It is up to each individual player whether they acknowledge guild achievement spam as IC announcements. Many do, as a way to congratulate each other on obtaining achievements.
PVP Flag
Years ago, Thrall worked with the Alliance to try to attain peace. As a result of those efforts, Horde members can choose to shield themselves from Alliance attacks in certain locations. Grims scoff at such peace attempts, and refuse to hide behind such shields.
In short, Grims are always flagged for PVP. If you get tired of turning the flag back on all the time, there is an addon called PVPermanent that will automatically turn your flag on when it gets turned off.
RP Addons
RP addons are not required in The Grim. If there is something special about a character that does not show on the screen where the other players can see it, it is that player’s responsibility to make it clear through RP. Some people have trouble remembering odd character traits, so if a slip-up occurs a gentle reminder in whispers, or better yet an IC correction, should be used to set things straight. The more often such a trait is mentioned in RP, the more likely it is that other players will remember it.
IC/OOC Separation
IC knowledge and OOC knowledge should be kept separate as much as possible, but slip-ups do happen. When they happen, there are many ways to handle it IC–treat the character like they heard bad information or they’re crazy, or pretend your character didn’t hear it. Whenever possible, use it as an RP opportunity and keep the RP flowing, especially if it’s in guild chat or there are multiple people involved. If it is a major slip-up, or one you can’t RP around, you can whisper the other player about it and try to find a resolution.
Character & Player Gender
The character gender does not need to match the player’s gender. If we see a female character, we’ll refer to the player as female for the sake of convenience until we learn otherwise, but we really don’t care if a male is playing a female, or a female is playing a male. It’s all good, as long as someone isn’t being deliberately deceptive OOC for questionable reasons.
Death
Death is handled many different ways. Some refer to the spirit healer and resurrections. Others say someone was defeated or knocked out. For bosses, they have obviously been killed many many times.
The way we handle death is, everything goes! However a player and their character refer to death, we roll with it.
For more information, see Defeat vs Death, written by Qabian, a former Grim officer.
Chat
/guild, /say, /yell are always IC, never OOC – no exceptions, not even for typo corrections.
The guild OOC chat channel is always OOC. This channel is optional; not everyone is in it. Anything that can be said IC should be said in guild chat–looking for a group, asking if anyone can do a particular trade skill, etc. Be considerate of other members in the channel. The topics of politics and religion are off limits. Your non-Grim alts are permitted in the channel; please identify yourself if asked who you are. Do not invite non-Grims to the channel.
/party, /raid, /instance are always IC if it is a Grim group. If it is a PUG, use your judgment.
/rp and /horde are the servers OOC chat channels for RP
Vocabulary
The Grim has it’s own terms for things that don’t sound very in character.
attune – invite (to a party or raid)
fist – party
vanguard – tank
guild hall – forums
the mad – non-RPers
blue badges – honor kills
bragging rights – achievements
as heroes – heroic raid/dungeon/scenario
tasks – quests
missions – scenarios
menders = healers (“healers” is also acceptable)
killers = dps
For more insight on how The Grim roleplays, see this post from a former Grim GM: http://wow-tng.org/showthread.php?5083- … -Ninja-RP-