To start off this is not a complaint, i'm merely perplexed at why there is such a difference.So recently I've been playing on my NA server characters (The Ebon Hawk) that I made when the population blip happened and everyone fled to one single server. And Im really confused at the massive gap there seems to be with RP on this server and RP on the NA servers.

For example on the NA servers:

The Fleet - There are usually quite a few guilds and even random people RPing on the fleet 24/7, in a matter of all varieties. Usually at the bars and in the sitting areas. Now I have never, ever seen anyone from this server even attempting to RP on the Fleet. Its almost like we are embarrassed to do so.

RP is everywhere - I mean literally everywhere, places like Voss and even Balmorra I have seen quite a few folks doing stuff like military ops. Again I have never seen RP out "in the wild" while doing quests on characters unless I venture into a cantina.

Starter Planets - These places are crammed with RP, on here we do have a few guilds RPing I agree but the numbers don't compare.

Friendly faces - I seem to be able to walk up to most people in RP and join in without any issues. I cannot count how many times I've got rather unsavory comments when I try to RP with others here.

Not just guilds - As stated before a lot of random people RP together, from different guilds or folks without guilds. There seems to be a requirement to be a guild member to RP on the Progenitor.

Guild advertising - There are tones and tones of RP ads in general chat on the fleet and the first couple of planets.

So why is there such a massive gap between people RPing here and over there. Why does it seem so rare and desolate to find RP on this server unless i'm in some bar with people who don't really want to involve me. Why is it when I try to apply to a guild its like trying to apply for a job. I understand that there are quite large gaps in population between servers but it shouldn't discourage people! RP is why I remain in Swtor, and it saddens me that people seem so stiff about it on this server.

Being a roleplayer on Progenitor since launch, I still find the server filled with people and groups, and more RP than I'll find myself able to pay attention to. People are spread out here, and that's it.

Still look at it like this, there's a english, german and french RP server in Europe. Population numbers differs, languages differs, cultural mindsets differs, and in all honesty, many people are LAZY. Rather than stick and start up RP, operations or pvp teams themselves, people are prone to change to another server where someone else will do it for them.

Different communities would be the short answer. Diversity is good for those that wants it

Being a roleplayer on Progenitor since launch, I still find the server filled with people and groups, and more RP than I'll find myself able to pay attention to. People are spread out here, and that's it.

 

Still look at it like this, there's a english, german and french RP server in Europe. Population numbers differs, languages differs, cultural mindsets differs, and in all honesty, many people are LAZY. Rather than stick and start up RP, operations or pvp teams themselves, people are prone to change to another server where someone else will do it for them.

 

Different communities would be the short answer. Diversity is good for those that wants it

Sorry to see the OP brushed off in an all to familiar way, and that the problem of almost non existing open and random RP on the Prog not is taken seriously by a major Guild like the Lost Praxeum. It is safe to say that when it comes to RP on the Repside on the Prog, the Lost Praxeum and the Conclave guilds leads the paradigm of RP and atm it seems that their policy is isolation.

The RP you speak of is undeniable always 'in-guild' or 'cross guild'. The ever presence of the Conclave guild as soon as there is a criticism against the lack of open and random RP and the fast way to in which the debate almost always is silenced in a post claiming the opposite, is troubling. This steady act on disclaiming every try to get a discussion going often function as a seal of approval of do and don't is the world of RP on the Prog and on who makes it or break it. I don't think this is a mischievous act, but more a failure of insight and ability to see the RP out of any perspective then their own and with that comes a severe element of 'group think'. Now I recognize that the Conclave Guilds didn't ask to be the paradigm leaders or even the ones that leave a seal of approval, but how ever, the sum of the Conlcave's acts and in this regard answers on trouble thought presented concerning the RP has had severe consequences for the RP on the server as that the Prog nowadays is in the hands of the PvE and PvP crowd.

Now I realize that this isn't an evil scheme on the part of the conclave guilds, I would call it a naive lack of insight on how the the community reacts on what has become the sum of all actions from those guilds that undeniably are the most organised, the most skill full and in the end the ones who end up with the silent consensus of who is running things.

And we have all been great full for the Jedish atmosphere you guys have created with your Tython lectures. But it's time that you guys starts, as the rest of us has done, to ask your self; Why on an RP server in a Star Wars game is there no official hubs for random Jedi RP? Why isn't there reoccurring events that promote and support random and open Jedi RP? Why start with the demand of chat bubbles, when there is freakishly amount of Aanakinh Shywalkers and Xxslayer69xX running lose on an RP server???? Why not start with the basics!?

There is something very wrong with the RP on the Progenitor!

I have to agree with the OP. There's no RP on this server that I can really see. The only place I know of that has occasional RP is the Nar Shadda cantina, and that's always between people who know each other well, talking about their current guild or party storylines, and which isn't accessible or available to anyone else.

I don't have any RP experience, so I wouldn't be welcome in an RP guild, and I like to do end-game PvE, but all RP-mix guilds are RP-PvP, so I can't even "come for DF/DP, get some RP free" anywhere. Likewise, because I have no RP experience, I can't slid my way into the cantina stuff.

Now, I understand that drop-in RP isn't exactly the height of skill, and that you often open yourself up to massive trolling by RP'ing outside of instances, but don't say that the server is filled to the brim with RP'ers RP'ing when you have to find them in hedgerows.

Huh. I have to say that I see RP quite often. Not necessarily RP that I would qualify as *good* per se, but I tend to stumble over it on a regular basis. Be it on Korriban, in Kaas City, inside the Jedi Temple on Tython... hell, I even managed to accidentally disturb a bunch of Roleplayers on Alderaan, while questing through an imperial listening Post thingie there. Not saying that it's everywhere, but trust me, in the eight years I'm roleplaying in MMOs now I encountered Servers where the situation was far, faaaar worse.

I don't have any RP experience, so I wouldn't be welcome in an RP guild,

[...]

Likewise, because I have no RP experience, I can't slid my way into the cantina stuff.

Many of the RP guilds I saw recruiting aren't really asking for lots of experience. Combined with your comment about being unable to take part in the cantina RP because you're inexperienced I'm thinking that your problem might be that you're placing yourself under a lot of pressure. Let me put it like this - you won't get RP experience by not roleplaying, because you're afraid of your own inexperience.

Cantina RP isn't exactly the highest form of Roleplay anyway, so you don't need all that much experience to participate. Think about a background for your character (I'd advise not using a too complicated one, for starters), give him or her a personality (what does he like? What does he dislike? Does he have personal quirks?) and just start a conversation.

Lastly, if you have questions regarding roleplay, feel free to drop me a PM here (since that's far more likely to reach me than whispering one of my characters, considering that I'm not really having a 'main' right now). I wouldn't say I'm the greatest roleplayer, but with eight years of experience I'd say I'm confident enough in my abilities to dish out some advice.

"Never, ever seen anybody even attempting to RP on the Fleet"? You should take the Interfleet Transport over from Carrick Station to Gav Daragon; First Expeditionary Fleet is usually roleplaying there pretty much every evening, and always happy to have random new people to interact with. Usually it will be in Instance 2, however, for the same reason that most people don't want to RP on Carrick Station itself: the amount of OOC crowds that will start trying to grief and interrupt our RP when they come across it is at best shocking, at worst horrifying. For an RP server, there are a LOT of players on this server who will literally drop everything else they are doing if they come across a bunch of RPers to grief, and they will dedicate hours in some cases to keep finding ways of doing it. As a result, those of us who do RP often feel pressurised into quieter and more isolated game areas to avoid the unwanted attention. Sad, but there you go.

However, I think any respectable RP guild worth its salt (of which there are many on Progenitor) will still make an effort to be open and welcoming towards people who come across their RP, respect it, and want to join in -- regardless of how much experience they may or may not have at RP. The couple of notorious people who jump in every thread here and on SWTOR-RP.com to fling paranoid insults at these guilds about being engaged in some ludicrous conspiracy to deny RP to everybody else are simply bitter ex-members who can't handle the fact they were kicked out of these guilds because they had horrible attitudes as players Out-of-Character, and created endless drama and arguments with everybody else all the time. And they're still trying. It's fairly pathetic, especially when they claim to have left the game altogether but still keep going (you know who you are -- yes you).

I would simply like to ask those who are criticising the Lost Praxeum to look at this screenshot:

Random stuff happening.

While it might be taking place at a rather out of the way location, I see here a group of people consisting of the Lost Praxeum, the First Expeditionary Fleet and two random, guildless roleplayers who are engaging in an interesting debate on the nature of Free Will and the Force. It's unplanned, welcoming to everyone and openminded.

All I wanted to say.

EDIT: I took this screenie when I read this thread. So it's not even as if I had to DRAG something up from the ***-end of nowhere.

Not you ^_^ Someone after you. I myself am not in the Praxeum, actually. I've just had the pleasure of roleplaying with them for a while.

If you want some guidelines, have a look at these posts:

Progenitor 101 Helpful Information Links for all Players.

And to find RP:

Welcome to new players!

Guild Status.

Hope these can help you along!

I'm also pretty sure that there are tons of guilds who would lovingly welcome those new to RP!

Sorry, I wasn't criticising Lost Praxeum, I wasn't even aware that you guys had so much RP going on as a guild. You don't have an Imperial equivalent though, do you? I tried the Progenitor fan-site, but it seems kind of sparsely updated and cliquey.

Mh, from my experience RP is much more dense on empire side, than it is on Republic side (pay no attention to my signature, I have an equal amount of imps and reps in my character list). It's also quite often a tad more silly and centered around strong, independent Sith, who don't need no man, but... eh.

An obvious spot to find RP would be Korriban, there's almost always at least one of the Sith I mentioned earlier hanging around. If you are looking for RP of the less... 'silly' variety I'd suggest keeping your eyes open in General chat. There are RP Guilds recruiting quite frequently and occasionally you even find one that sounds like talking to them might be worth your time.

Other RP Spots I noticed so far would be the Cantina on Kaas City and the one on the Nar Shaddaa promenade. And lastly, my offer still stands, if you have questions or need helping with roleplay, drop me a message.

I would simply like to ask those who are criticising the Lost Praxeum to look at this screenshot:

 

Random stuff happening.

 

While it might be taking place at a rather out of the way location, I see here a group of people consisting of the Lost Praxeum, the First Expeditionary Fleet and two random, guildless roleplayers who are engaging in an interesting debate on the nature of Free Will and the Force. It's unplanned, welcoming to everyone and openminded.

 

All I wanted to say.

 

EDIT: I took this screenie when I read this thread. So it's not even as if I had to DRAG something up from the ***-end of nowhere.

Who is criticizing `The Lost Praxeum` ?

Who is criticizing `The Lost Praxeum` ?

As you can see, they are a bit 'touchy' when you talk about them.

Regardless, (as a bit of an update to this forum topic) things are starting to look up actually. I've walked around Tython a few days ago and there was a lot of random RP happening of good quality and being done by new guilds which seemed to have a lot of numbers. I could see at least 20-25 people RPing all night so that's a huge positive development. It seems that with the 'fall of the old elite', new guilds are taking the top spot and these guilds appear to be much more open and welcoming to new players.

It seems that with the 'fall of the old elite', new guilds are taking the top spot and these guilds appear to be much more open and welcoming to new players.

Care to expand upon what you mean with this?

Care to expand upon what you mean with this?

What I mean is..my character has a relatively uncommon character concept, though trust me, I'm well-versed enough in the Star Wars lore to know what is possible and what is not. In the past, when I tried to walk up to some of the RP that was being done on Tython by some of the 'old big names', I was sort of ignored. People did see me, and interacted 'somewhat', but in a very disinterested way. I've RPed long enough to know that RP'ers tend to give very short replies if they don't particularly enjoy RPing with another character.

Nowadays I can actually walk around Tython and have some genuinely entertaining RP without being given the cold shoulder. The guilds who I've encounter and who are a bit more open are guilds like the Vodo Baas Academy (I hope I got that name right. ), Library of Ossus and The Jedi Path. But I also ran into Brimlock during some RP on Ord Mantell which was quite enjoyable.

So why is there such a massive gap between people RPing here and over there. Why does it seem so rare and desolate to find RP on this server unless i'm in some bar with people who don't really want to involve me. Why is it when I try to apply to a guild its like trying to apply for a job. I understand that there are quite large gaps in population between servers but it shouldn't discourage people! RP is why I remain in Swtor, and it saddens me that people seem so stiff about it on this server.

Yet again I would like to stress the concern raised by the OP. 2 and a half years have gone since launch. I have been on regularly the last 2 years and I must agree with the general concern that the OP addresses and would like the debate to take place with out a defensive stance and an eagerness to claim otherwise. Can there be a genuine discussion on how we can make the RP grow on the Progenitor and become the undeniable major activity met with respect ?

For an RP server, there are a LOT of players on this server who will literally drop everything else they are doing if they come across a bunch of RPers to grief, and they will dedicate hours in some cases to keep finding ways of doing it. As a result, those of us who do RP often feel pressurised into quieter and more isolated game areas to avoid the unwanted attention. Sad, but there you go.

and I share this concern as well and recognizes it as a equally serious matter as the on OP brings up!! As I have noticed that the official shoutbox for these people the alternate Theprogenitor.com doesn't seem to be in use. Which present a opportunity for the RP interest of the server to take a, if not leap so, a step forward on the server if there is some one willing to make the effort and see past old conflicts and such?!!

The couple of notorious people who jump in every thread here and one SWTOR-RP.com to fling paranoid insults at these guilds about being engaged in some ludicrous conspiracy to deny RP to everybody else are simply bitter ex-members who can't handle the fact they were kicked out of these guilds because they had horrible attitudes as players Out-of-Character, and created endless drama and arguments with everybody else all the time. And they're still trying. It's fairly pathetic, especially when they claim to have left the game altogether but still keep going (you know who you are -- yes you).

Which brings me to this, and, as I never been near any of these conflicts and disagreements, to my knowledge, I do recognize the tone in which way certain criticism is delivered and this certainly becomes a concern as well. IF every effort by the community is constantly poisoned by calculated ill will, though the "...some ludicrous conspiracy ..." defense theory by now does seem to swing both ways as it is a reoccurring theme when ever a concern/topic as the one OP addresses emerge. Then the genuine feeling I get is that we literally is walking through knee high mud, when ever the evolution and openness of the RP on the server is questioned!!

So is there a way passed all this?

Is there a way to make RP, in all of it's forms, tastes and variations, to expand, grow and be a concern of the major part of the servers population and make the Progenitor 'The' RP server to be on!??

Just do things, that's my advice. There's no magic solution or way to motivate people to do things for you, just do them yourself. It's easy to waste too much energy on trying to organise grand alliances or co-operative works. Cart before the horse, I say. Do things and advertise them and inspire people to do their things and don't get discouraged or bitter and keep doing things, and build things up bit by bit.

There's still a fair bit of stuff happening, and people making them happen. Follow in that example.

A few tips on event running:

- Keep it short. You don't want to rush people. Players having fun with their characters is the whole point! But there are things you can do to make your event only as long as it needs to be.

 

Set a time for the event to begin, but also start prepping everything beforehand. Give people notice of the event and plenty of time to gather. Work out time estimates on how long things will take, and then assume they'll end up being underestimates, because they usually are. Don't be afraid to consider breaking an event into two or more parts. Think on what points in your events would be good times to call a break, and keep an eye on the clock so you know when to do that. No-one has unlimited free time. Your players will thank you for being considerate!

 

***

 

- Keep it simple. As simple as it can be. The larger an event, the more is happening. The more that's happening, the harder it becomes for people to focus attention.

 

Use simple language to describe settings and events. Rein in your natural poet. Players will usually create the atmosphere you want with their actions, if they're able to understand what you say. Not everyone is a native English speaker, so bear that in mind. You can use party and ops chat to announce significant information, or in-game abilities to draw players' eyes to important events. And if you're running an event with a story, then the larger the event, the more straightforward the story ought to be. Sudden plot twists and lots of exposition have their place, but that's often not with a crowd.

 

Lastly, be sure to make it crystal clear what people should expect from your event, and what you expect from them. You can usually do that with a good advertisement post.

 

***

 

- Keep it moving. In later articles we'll talk about suggestions for specific events, but getting a good start, keeping the pace up and bringing things to a definite end is important. You don't want people confused at any point.

 

Knowing what pace and atmosphere you want to set is important. Fast-paced action? Something more casual, with plenty of chances to talk? Make it clear when things have begun and ended, with a briefing and debriefing, a welcoming and farewell, or anything else appropriate. Have a clear idea in your head of what you intend to happen, and think on what might happen too. With that, you can stay on the ball, able to think ahead. Type up lengthy speeches or large emotes in a word processor, ready to cut and paste into your in-game text field, to avoid awkward typing pauses.

 

Something often forgotten: if people have to move places during the event, include a way for them to know where they're going!

 

***

 

- Keep it fun. The question you have to ask yourself is: why would people want to be a part of my event? Will they have a chance to be involved, or will they find themselves with nothing much to do besides stand silent? This is probably the most common trap for first-time event-runners, and it leads to frustration as attention wavers and players get bored.

 

What do you think people enjoy? What do you enjoy? Build an event around that! What situations will you have characters face? What challenges are in their way? What opportunities to show their character's personality or abilities will they have? What freedom will they have to direct the event's outcomes? In short: will they have a chance to play their character?

Just do things, that's my advice. There's no magic solution or way to motivate people to do things for you, just do them yourself. It's easy to waste too much energy on trying to organise grand alliances or co-operative works. Cart before the horse, I say. Do things and advertise them and inspire people to do their things and don't get discouraged or bitter and keep doing things, and build things up bit by bit.

 

There's still a fair bit of stuff happening, and people making them happen. Follow in that example.

 

A few tips on event running:

Well, thanks for the tips, but what your also are saying is that anyone having a opinion correlating with the OP or any one who happens to agree, in reality, is to lazy to get something going on their own!? That's a opinion good as any I would guess, one could even argue that it could be partly true, and very much an logical reasoning.

HOWEVER, - people in general tend to do things were there's positive feed back and a solid support and most of all an allowing attitude towards failure and an honest, but not so well executed effort, and even an understanding of the existence of a learning curve, if, however, there's a lack of this insight and only a harsh judgement to be greeted with people tend to not even considering RP yet along creating an event.

And no one have contested the fact that there are things happening, the general feeling seems to be; what ever is happening are secluded and exclusive.

I gonna try something different here so bare with me;

Any one who have thrown a stone or an object into water know that there will be ripples after the object plunges in to the water. Now if you throw in a big and heavy object the ripples will be significant and travel a long distance, a small object will also create a plunge but not a very large impact and the ripples wont travel as far. And, IF the water is limited to a restricted surface it wont matter how big or small of an object you throw in, the ripples will not travel beyond the restricted surface.

Considering the general feeling of the RP on our RP server; I would describe it as we're throwing stones, big and small, into a very restricted area/surface. The question here isn't only IF and how much RP there is on our RP server, but rather why the general feeling is that what ever happening, is happening secluded and exclusive ?!

And now, to get back to the 'throw a stone in the water - analogy', as you all may know if there are lots and lots of stones thrown in the water, big and small, eventually will the ripples of those plunges meet and cross path.

I would like to say that the general wish for the RP on our RP server is for the RP to grow and that many more want to get involved in RP. BUT, that will only happen in a fertile environment and for that to happen those guilds leading the paradigm eventually will need to throw them self's into bigger waters, no matter past experiences!!

Well, thanks for the tips, but what your also are saying is that anyone having a opinion correlating with the OP or any one who happens to agree, in reality, is to lazy to get something going on their own!?

No, not too LAZY. Just either:

- unaware that running stuff can, in theory, done by anyone

- have their energies directed elsewhere

- are too nervous to try

- haven't got an idea they like yet

... but yeah, in the end: getting something going on your own is the key. If folk wait around for things to get better, or float about hoping for someone else to push something forward so you can join it... if EVERYONE did that, then nothing would ever happen, so I agree with the stone analogy.

An example: back when I played World of Warcraft, I was an average not-really-doing-much player, until I sort-of snapped after nearing a long, long complaint about nothing ever happening in Stormwind General chat. My reaction was - okay, this can't be hard, let's do something.

So I planned a jousting event using the arenas in the Argent Tournament on Northrend. Spent a couple of months advertising it, got together some prizes, and acted as the announcer. I got 9 participants, a small crowd of people, folk were entertained for a few hours and it inspired a few people to make their own joust-themed events. I never did anything else on WoW, but it contributed.

It might not have been much, but as you say, I threw a stone into the water. If twenty, thirty, fifty people on a server with a population of thousands all did the same, then bam, you have a lot of happenings! From there, people meet people, little connections are formed, and it all starts to add up. That feeling of the 'small surface' will start to feel bigger.

But if you start from the opposite angle, think 'ok, how can we do something big to fix this' and try to do it all at once, I don't think that ever works. You have to start from the bottom, and focus on what you can do yourself, alone, first. If you can't do that, then you'll never be able to do anything bigger. Communities don't just appear, they need to grow.

***

So I say, don't worry about the big picture. It's too big to be handled, without a massive amount of planning and investment, which is time that things still aren't happening. Focus on what you want to do, and see what you can do. Just try to entertain people, and make them happy.