Online roleplay servers are a place for fans to come together and roleplay within their favorite worlds. This can be fan-made D&D content or roleplays dedicated to a specific fandom like Lord of the Rings. There are also roleplay servers for popular online games like World of Warcraft or Grand Theft Auto Online. If you’re looking for a chance to stretch your roleplaying muscles either on a call or via text chat, Discord has a lot of great options for role-playing servers.
Whatever game or community you are interested in, there is likely also a dedicated Discord roleplay server for it. Thanks to the ability to create multiple chat and audio rooms within a single server, Discord is a great way to create a fictional landscape within a chat server. Different rooms can serve as different locations, allowing your character to travel between the different server channels as though they were traversing the fictional world it represents. These other rooms can also be used to create specific game lobbies if there is a game attached to the server. D&D servers for instance will often have separate chat rooms for different adventures that are being run simultaneously, and GTA servers might have different rooms for different game lobbies.
While it may seem intimidating to jump into a server full of strangers and start playing a character, you may find that it is actually a bit more your speed than roleplaying with friends thanks to the lack of previous connection to or expectations of server members. If you’re an experienced roleplayer, Discord’s roleplay servers can also just be a great way to continue diving into your character work if you don’t have a playgroup that meets regularly.
Finding a Discord Roleplay Server
When searching for a public Discord roleplay server, the two best options are Disboard or DiscordME. Both sites contain searchable databases of public Discord servers that anyone can join. Descriptions of the servers are posted, and they are also tagged, allowing you to narrow down your options and find the exact type of server you’re looking for.
While you can search “roleplay” as a general term on both sites, you may get an overwhelming number of options. Some of these options may also be a much more NSFW type of roleplaying than you’re looking for, so make sure you’re reading each description carefully so as not to be uncomfortable when you log on. A better way to search for a Discord roleplay server may be to search for servers tagged for the specific game you want to play. For example, if you want to play Dungeons and Dragons there are plenty of options. Of course, you will still want to read the descriptions of each server to make sure it’s the right fit for you and that you’ll be the right fit for the existing server.
For Discord servers connected to tabletop roleplaying games, you may also find them through sites like Roll20. Searching through the “Join a Game” section on the site, you will likely find a few open roleplay servers for various games. These servers likely have scheduled Roll20 sessions that players can engage in apart from just the roleplaying that takes place on the Discord server. This is a great option for players who want to feel like their D&D or Pathfinder characters exist as part of a larger world, populated by other players’ creations.
Creating a Discord Roleplay Server
If you are looking to create your own roleplay server, Discord makes it incredibly easy to do so. Just click the “Add a Server” button that looks like a green “+” and you’re free to create any kind of server you want. Discord offers a few templates that you can follow, or you can start from scratch if you have a strong vision in mind for how a server should look. Adding new text and voice chat channels is pretty intuitive, and you can name them whatever you want.
Once your server is set up, you can send out invite links to your friends that will allow them to join in. You can also allow members of your server to send out their own invite links if you want to allow friends of friends to join as well. If you want your server to be public, you can post open invite links on sites like Disboard or Roll20, or even subreddit’s dedicated to the game or fictional property you are roleplaying in. When opening your roleplaying server up to the public, it’s important to note that you have a clearly displayed set of rules for your server. You’ll also want to make sure you and a few of your trusted members have the time to moderate the server.
Knowing The Materials Needed for a Roleplay Server
If you are joining a Discord roleplay server, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared to be a part of that community. This will likely mean understanding the server’s focus and having any prerequisite materials needed to engage in the server. For example, if you’re joining a GTA Online roleplay server, you’ll likely want to have a copy of the game so that you can meaningfully engage in the community. D&D or other TTRPG games will likely want members to have a character in mind when they join, and possibly even a completed character sheet to be reviewed and approved by server admins.
Make sure to check the description of any Discord servers you join to see if there are required steps before doing so. It is also good to check within the Discord server itself for any channels labeled “rules” “expectations” or “FAQ” when getting started.
Good Etiquette For Roleplay Servers
When joining a roleplay server on Discord or anywhere else, it is important that players understand the proper etiquette for these servers. Just because you’re roleplaying as a fictional character, doesn’t mean you can suddenly act however you’d like toward other people in the server. Roleplaying often blurs the line between pure acting and interpersonal relationships, making it sometimes difficult for players to separate their emotions from that of their characters. It’s important that any conflict between characters is handled in a manner that both makes it clear the conflict is only part of the game and also doesn’t cause the real players any distress.
Additionally, it is very important not to engage in any activities that could cause other players too high a level of discomfort. Making inappropriate and/or continued romantic advances on another player’s character might seem like a fun character dynamic in the sense of the game, but it can also make the player involved feel uncomfortable. Make sure to discuss any romantic or risque storylines with other players ahead of time to ensure they are comfortable with that type of interaction.
Finally, make sure to check specific rules that a given server may have. Some servers may put restrictions on the types of interactions players can have with one another. There may also be specific guidelines, such as never breaking character, or only doing so in delegated areas of the server. Following server rules and having good etiquette isn’t just a benefit for those playing with you, but it will also help you become a more trusted member of the server. This will greatly enhance the roleplaying experience as you’ll be able to more easily interact with those around you.