This is part of a series of weekly discussions inviting community feedback for the next version of the pinned starter guide. This discussion will be linked and referenced in the final version.

This is the most commonly asked question by anyone new to WoW RP. "Where do people RP" is a separate question. this is specifically about realm choice.

I especially need feedback from the Horde and Classic-era members of the community.

The following is how this question is in the current guide. Any feedback about this, or other advice about selecting a realm, is appreciated.

What servers do most people use for RP?

RP realms and their official forums:
Moon Guard - US (Alliance-leaning)
Wyrmrest Accord - US (Horde-leaning)
Argent Dawn - EU (Alliance and Horde)

Although these realms have the population label "Full", this doesn't affect your ability to make characters or log in except during expansion launches, when there may be a queue.

Generally, Alliance RP has more of a walk-up culture while Horde activity has globally moved toward guild-centric activities.

Although MG is historically favored Alliance RP and WrA Horde, this has fluctuated in recent years. Reports as of Midnight suggest North American Horde RP has diminished and is almost exclusively guild-based. The non-dominant faction tends to have guild-centered RP.

AD-EU is the main European RP server for both factions with a majority Alliance population and a small, guild-centric Horde community. There is no known Horde-dominated EU RP server (let me know if you know one). AD realm events and guilds are often posted in the fan-made site, Argent Archives AD-EU also has a community discord and a twitter.

I advise someone who is new to RP to try one of these servers first, since they have sprawling, dedicated communities. Use a fresh character to scope out the RP scene at your usual playtime hours to check the activity before committing any real-life time and money to transfers.

Servers other than the most popular ones are generally regarded as "dead" due to their low population and a lack of walk-up RP. This includes Emerald Dream, which was once known for RP-PVP. Some older low-population servers such as Sisters of Elune still have a small, tight-knit community.

This is part of a series of discussions inviting community feedback for the next version of the pinned starter guide.

What are some absolutely necessary terms to know that you see in discussions or profiles? To be added to the following list or otherwise referenced to this post:

Terminology

RP - Role-Play. The exercise of playing the game in such a way that the actions of the avatar reflect the traits and beliefs of a fictional character of the player’s design. It can be a solitary activity or collaborative.

RP Realm- designated by "RP" or "RP-PVP" under "server/realm type". They are identical to PvE/PvP servers except that they are mostly exempt from sharding and the addition of moderation rules against interrupting/griefing RP events. It is populated by people who usually want to RP in some fashion. RP realms do not use sharding outside of the latest expansion's content.

IC - In Character. Refers to when your posts reflect what your character would do.

OOC - Out Of Character. Refers to when your posts/chat is you, the player, is talking. Usually designated by some form of brackets ((like this)) [[or this]].

Walk-ups - When one character approaches another character without prior OOC planning.

Profile - A profile created using an addon (See below) that is an essential part of walk-up RP.

d20 or d100 - refers to rolling dice with 20 or 100 sides respectively. You can do this in WoW using the /roll command.

/s or /e - AKA /say or /em, /emote. Refers to the chat channels that by default appear in white and orange respectively. In RP, these represent what your character says and does(emotes).

Hello all,

I think it's time for the guide to get another makeover, since its been a few years. I want to involve the community as much as I can in this.

The current plan is to go over each question that's already there and once a week invite community advice/comments for it. Keep in mind that the guide's general advice is written to help WoW RPers of ALL kinds and "quality", but nevertheless focuses on giving advice for general public rp.

I expect this feedback will be gathered over the course of the year, culminating in a new guide with links to the discussions and all credit due.

TO KICK THINGS OFF:

1. What format is best?
   Current guide is long. New one will also be long. I don't like forcing people to click external links when possible, and reddit is generally a reliable host. BUT... maybe it could be better? Haven't touched the site wiki much at all. gimme thoughts

2. What would make the guide more visible/accessible?
   Recently added an automation that directs new people to the guide which generally helps, but maybe it could be better?

Any other feedback about "meta" stuff like this for this week is welcome.