Mmorpg

I know guildwars is a massive multiplayer online role playing game

What are the role playing elements in guildwars?

Playing a hero and thats it?

ArenaNet calls GW a CORPG, because it doesn't have a huge persistent world to play in with hundreds/thousands of other players.

Role playing in most video games is very limited. After all, you have to follow a predetermined storyline in order to finish the game. So, there is no way it can compare to DnD and the other paper/pen games for role playing enjoyment.

If you are interested in role playing in GW, check guru's Guilds section. I know there are quite a few role-playing focused guilds.

character development and monster loot i would consider some of the 2 bigger elements.

but theres no way you can say screw the story line im gonna go my own way right?

Not that I know of. Not in GW anyway. You can't get farther into the world iin some places without doing missions. You can run to a lot of places, but you still need the storyline to finish the game.

In EQ2 the world is persistent and you can go anywhere that your level char can survive. But without quests and instances you still won't get far in loot or character development.

Going your own way - do you mean just exploring? With or without quests?

You may want to try an offline game like Oblivion maybe.

ur playing the roles that are already outlined for u to follow. u don't get to make up ur own role unfortunately ;-)

You make it sound like that's not a lot to do. Sure, you're stuck on with the main storyline, but when you consider that you can choose your profession at the beginning, which side quests you want to take, which monsters you want to fight, who you want to fight alongside, how you want to develop your characters, and what other players you want to interact with, it becomes a lot more involved than just "playing a hero".

There's a nice article here (and some others on that site, I think) about computer-based RPGs, and how game companies classify many different types of games as "RPGs" even though they're not at all similar. GW is has very, very little in the way of role-playing ability, but there really aren't many online RPGs that offer that much more in the way of RP-ability, compared to pen-and-paper RPGs at least.

Guild Wars is an RPG in that there is a story, and you are playing out the main character's role in that story. You can't really do anything to influence it, but you're still playing it.

That should really read "there aren't many video game RPGs that offer that much more". There are very, very few video game RPGs where you can actually have any effect on the plot or freedom to do what you want, despite what game developers may claim.

He said online...

to the OP; You can make your own RP with friends and equip yourself with armor and weapons that go along with the story. I for example am making a comic that uses GW graphics + photoshop + RL painting and using my friends' and my own RP storyline. Use your imagination.

I noticed, and my point was that it's not just online RPGs that lack the actual roleplaying. Just about every video game RPG does.

The Elder Scrolls Series is the best example of a true "RPG" imo. awesome games there for the real RPG fan btw...

if you ask that one,
what's the story in WoW?
i don't really recall seeing a story in there

i think Anet should make a pen\paper rpg for gw

character development is a joke. everyone has access to the same armors. no real uniqueness in character dev.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are fanmade/homebrew pen and paper games based on the Guild Wars world. I'd be more surprised if there weren't, for that matter.

I'd certainly play one. For that matter, if I was more confident in my system-creating/tweaking ability, I'd write one myself.

It seems like a card battle...

Think about it.
8 cards, choose to what would help. Cards that heal, damage, protect, interrupt. There is limits on what you can have, 1 elite, 3 pve.

Guild Wars! The new Yu-gi-oh?

You can make your own story there