Creativity in RP!

....bleh... nothing's happening around the campfire... I am boooooored...
Happens to all of us. You feel a bit uninspired, people are just sitting around looking at the campfire/painting/table/sea and no one says anything. People are semi-afk doing funnier things and it all just starts to feel like shit. Maybe you're starting to have doubts about RP... missing that hardcore raiding guild a little, even? Well, don't! Figure something out!
Did you think RP would just happen? Did you think others would serve you fun on a golden platter? Did you think fighting or events is what RP is all about? Re-think, re-do - you could not be more wrong.


Giving your character depth.
Okay, I already brought this up in my other guide "Giving your character Depth!" but it is so important for enjoyable RP that I just have to mention it again! A flat character might be fun for a few days or even a few weeks if you are lucky, but no one is interested in interacting for very long with someone who has no personality. So fix it!
Add an allergy, a fear, an irrational assumption or a silly but fondly kept memory to your character and he or she will evolve in a more satisfying way.


Make up fictional characters.
So you just patrolled and no one roleplayed during it. It was boring. You get back to your friends and they ask you how your patrol was. You say it was event-less, they say "Hm." and you all start to stare at the wall. You just blew your chance to RP!
Instead you could make something up, invent an event during your patrol! Remember that not only the players exist IC - the population only in Stormwind is about 200'000 people. There ARE other people than players and NPC's and only your imagination will be the limits on who they are. So make something up:
"You know Harry the Filthy? That beggar that hangs around the toy store? Yeah, that's the guy, the one with no teeth, that's right! Anyway, he wasn't there. I'm worried something happened to him, we should start a search."
"Can you BELIEVE that old hag in the bakery rushed out and demanded money from me? Said we owe her for those chocolate chip cookies we had for tea last week - WHO decided to shop on credits from her!?" *glares around* "YOU! I bet it's you, you owe me two silvers now!"
"Hey, Rutz, some cute little trolline asked for you. What have you done to her, eh?" *wink*
"Come on, boys, Martha's hens have escaped again! Get the net and the sack!"
"Ahhh... you're playing tough, huh? Let's see if a couple of nights in the Stockades will soften you up... why don't we put you with Slaughter Johnson? Could never find his last cell-mate again, only the bones... but a tough boy like you can handle that, can't you?" *grin*

None of these characters have to exist, in fact it can be more fun if they don't because then no one can claim control of them and their actions. A couple of them might even be good old imaginary friends. Harry the Filthy can do all kinds of mischief but be protected by someone as he is in fact a very successful governmental spy and the imaginary toy shop a nest of criminal activity...
Slaughter Johnson could have done horrible things in the past, fit for scary stories around the fire at night to scare new recruits out of their minds. The cute trolline and Rutz OBVIOUSLY has some kind of past, maybe Rutz is really embarrassed about it all and don't want to talk about it, maybe she is his sister or a distant cousin? That hag in the bakery could be a real nag, maybe she is even the mother or beloved aunt of that new guy and keeps sending messages with the others that he must dress warm and wipe his nose - endless opportunities of bullying fun!


Make an alt!
That bakery hag is quite fun... wouldn't it be even more fun if she actually existed? If you are inspired enough to make her then do it! Don't be afraid to have stupid and common characters, characters that you only play for five hours and then never again, characters that are meant to die, characters who are only there to bring fun and enjoyment. Make an alt just to buy pies or complain about the poor room standard of the inn, make a character only to embarrass someone. Be ugly, clumsy or stupid. Make a beggar or a fish mongler just to add some depth to the city, make the wife of that handsome Captain NPC and jealously glare at the other women who goes near him while you bring a basket full of his lunch.
It brings a lot of fun to make vanity characters like these, if you haven't tried it you definitely should.


Play with NPC's!
Make up personalities for all those nameless alts that are just standing around and talk to them! That female guard over there has the most enthralling bust... go tell her and pretend that she responds!
If you start to call some NPC Fred others will follow and soon he'll be a character with personality. Sit down and have a gossip with him, nag on him for that date he promised you, ask why he's standing around all the time, get suspicious. Fall in love with the handsome captain with the jealous wife and write love letters for him, letting someone else deliver them. Or plot on how to split him and his wife up!
Pretend that you have a history with Stephanie Turner and avoid going close to her (don't make stories up about you and lore characters like Thrall or Trollbane). Bargain with the cheese vendor, return something moldy with a complaint, laugh at his jokes, introduce him to others, discuss dairy products and tauren... Don't just ignore the NPC's. They are there to make the world more alive - so let them succeed!


Make up imaginary events!
There is no better way to spice up a boring night than making up some silly little event for everyone's enjoyment!
"Hey, guys... a ditch has collapsed over at the east side and some houses are about to fall in, we need to go there and help out!"
"What? A sea monster? No way, let's kill it!"
"The farmers asked me to gather up some people to harvest their crops, we can make some coins!"
"Everybody, Mike here just dropped his glasses, don't move! Don't mo- Freeze!" *a cracking sound is heard as the brunette puts her foot down.*
"Okay, I am sick of Martha's hens all over the city, we need to build her a new hen-house!"
"You, you, you and you. You're all volunteers to go Kodo hunting. Make sure to clean the hide properly and don't slob around - everything shall be used!"
"My horse is limp, I need help here!"
"Hmm... with all this rain it'd be nice with umbrellas... just some cloth and a stick, right? Or what about those palm leafs? Any ladders around?"
"Inn-keeper! This place is a disgrace, look what I just stepped in! Yuck! And have you SEEN the state of the floor under this table!?"


I promote silly fun RP whole heartedly. However I do not approve of silly STUPID RP, also known as lolling around. Make sure that what you do is realistic and enjoyable for other players, keep the OOC communication up whenever such is needed and be friendly, creative and open to suggestions! Play along with other's ideas and have fun, it's what RP and Argent Dawn is all about!

I find that joining a guild will always help with this, the events and members are usually always about, and even if you don't wish to join a guild, a quick stroll in Stormwind or Orgrimmar will always produce some fun RP, or sometimes the bad kind ( Watch out for level 1's lolling )

The remark of all staring into campfire truly reminded me of the Borderlands campaing and the many nights in various camps, especially at the refugee pointe.