Most of the best RP I’ve ever participated in was impromptu. All I need to have is an understanding of my character. This prepared me to RP just about any situation when I walk him into the Pig and Whistle when RP night is declared. There are times when just knowing the character is not enough for RP. For instance, in an ongoing story line or a big RP event, some research may have to be completed.

Generating the Stormwind Penal Code on the fly is not a good idea. Given the lore available, I think it would be far easier to make up how magic works than it would be to invent, on the spot, a legal system for your upcoming Big Trial Scene.

Wikipedia provides a good (and free) starting point for researching inspiration. A simple search on google or the search engine of your choice can help with a number basic questions. The best way to research for RP, however, is to work with the people you are going to RP with.

Bouncing ideas off of a partner in crime help when designing stories, scenes or even characters. Sharing an idea with someone you can collaborate with helps point out flaws in logic as well deficits of lore. A partner in crime can also make sure that the scene that sounds wicked awesome in your head is equally awesome when spelled out to someone else.

I’ve said over and over again that RP is a collaborative experience. This is not just in the actual execution of the event–from the scripted death scene to the impromptu pub crawl–but in preparing for it as well. As important as research is, hashing it out with a confident makes the research work for you.

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