Guest Post: Getting into GW2 roleplay

Syp’s out of town this week and has turned the keys to Bio Break over to fellow bloggers.  Today’s post is from Erik of TL-DR.

Today, in Syp’s absence, we’re gonna have a little fun.  We’re gonna create a Guild Wars 2 character for Syp, a developed, emotionally invested, possibly mentally unstable role playing character.  By doing this, maybe I can make the whole process seem a little less daunting to those who are curious, but still weary of RP, and it will be hopefully more entertaining than just listing the qualities and framework one should keep in mind when building a character.  And no, not the ERP (erotic role play) poor Diane and other unfortunate souls have stumbled upon, we’re talking the game-enriching story-building awesome RP.

Recently, Guild Wars 2 Guru posted a piece on getting involved with RP in Guild Wars 2, and what a healthy RP community brings to the table.  I’ve also written a little about similar RP community related stuff, and how freaking much it contributes to the game.  Today, however, I want to dive a little deeper into some of the basics around building a “powerful” RP character.  So strap on your lore goggles, pump up those creativity floaties, and let’s jump in the deep end of writing Syp’s Guild Wars 2 history, undoing any ounce of respect we had for him… in game, of course.

First, a name.  For those of you who are unaware, “Syp” comes from a *eye twitch* gnome warlock that Syp made back in 2006.  As a former blood elf mage, it is my sworn duty to hate both, and it’s almost enough to make me walk away from this guest post opportunity that Jacob slaved me into (willingly, of course, good master!)  Still, Syp is
what he is, and we’re going to pay tribute to his disturbing heritage. After all, when you make a character, the first thing you want is a sense of attachment, something that makes you feel a part of you is in that little pixelated monstrosity.

So, without further ado, let me introduce the Pysus, the Asuran Necromancer.

Next, backstory.  This can be intimidating for some, but it can be simple and powerful at the same time. There is no need to write a book if you don’t want to.  The best backstories slowly build over time anyway, growing as your character grows in the game.  The Asura are, in fact, perfect for this, since the Asura have practically no records of their
history, preferring to only look to the future.

Guild Wars 2 also does us the favor of laying down the basics to any character the player creates, and for the sake of time, I’m gonna link you to the Asura-specific questions here. Select “Dynamics”, “Infinity Ball”, and “Canni”.  This combination describes Pysus as a member of the most trifling college, who makes trifling inventions, and blames others for the trifling.  Excellent.

Motivation is huge when pulling backstory together, and because Pysus is an Ausua, we don’t have to look far.  Why did he choose to become a freaking Necromancer, for example (second worst to warlocks)?  Well, let’s use that to give the character some emotional depth, in the creepiest way possible.  When Pysus was still only a young
apprentice, he was shunned by the Asuran populace.  Perhaps his master was
responsible for some horrendous act of experimental Asuracide, and he never got
freed of the reputation as an apprentice.  So what’s an Asura to do if he
can’t win his comrade’s respect?  Why, force them to bow before his
awesomeness, of course!  Thus, Pysus seeks out the Inquest, basically Asuran Nazis, to make a name for himself outside the society that gave him the cold shoulder.

And what happens?  He makes friends! Yay!  He belongs!  He has a purpose to contribute to, and he is happy in his ethically abhorrent work.  Until it all goes very wrong.
Pysus, now studying necromancy, comes up with a plan to raise dead Asuran masterminds to mindlessly work for the Inquest, but ends up sucking the life from all those who have become close to him and sending them to the grave. He is now completely alone, and even shunned from the Inquest as well. What’s more, the experiment left him a little loose with the whole grip-on-reality thing.

My guildie Chyra has an excellent method for deciding how to round out a character: ask “What do you want?  What would you do to get it?”  Use this whenever you are trying to understand your (or anyone else’s) character.  Pysus wants to belong, he wants friends to
respect him, and at this point morality is of no consequence.  He dives into the Necromantic magics, believing he can return the friends he had, and everyone will understand he’s not to blame for anything!  He’s just trying to help.   Well, at least his dear minions understand. Pysus loves his lovely little fiends and minions. Yes, he does. They listen to him.

And so, we birth Pysus, the ostracized Asuran Necromancer that believes his minions are his only friends left.  You had better not mess with Pysus’s minions! Pysus gets very, very upset when you try and take his friends away.

Well, that’s it, folks!  That wasn’t so hard, and I encourage everyone to try it for themselves.

tl-dr:

Roleplay makes a game so much.. well, just more! You can create something truly meaningful, even if it is kinda funny, and it adds even more meaningfulness when your creation’s story intertwines with others, it’s pure epic. Huge thanks to Syp for letting me invade his blog too.  And if you DO come across an Asuran Necromancer named Pysus in your Tyrian adventures, it’s best to avoid the “friend” word.

p.s. Our guild, Vanguard Gaming, is recruiting now for GW2. Check us out!

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