Every FC is a front for something?

[Thorbought]

This is just some observation but I want to know if others feel this way. Every FC I see these days now seem to ALL just be a restaurant being a front for criminal activity or some kind of trading business that is actually dealing in black market trading. I've had three people recently leave my FC and ALL three of them started a business that's actually a front for something else. Its gotten to the point where I roll my eyes when I run into them because I feel like there's more 'Front for something else FCs' then there are FCs that are just a real restaurant or business.

[Claihn]

I've seen plenty of FCs that embrace their business persona and do not use it for a front. I think though that sometimes a FC wants to involve all types of characters, so by branching out and offering multiple little facets, it gives everyone something to do.  So for example, a FC really loves the idea of running a restaurant, but they also have characters that wouldn't be caught dead cooking food or serving meals. These characters are more adventurers who would rather go out and then come back to a base or home of sorts.  So the FC decides to run a restaurant for the members who want it (and perhaps saying it is a supplemental income) and "behind the scenes" they also are an adventuring guild. Plus, it might be boring to some to always just be sitting in a business and they want to go out and do other things during the off hours too.

 

Now why in particular perhaps do you find a lot of shady guilds with fronts? Maybe because some people left, you're a little more keen in spotting those things so they stand out. There -are- quite a few of those, but it's obviously a niche that people want filled so the quantity is there to meet the demand. It's hard to play a morally bad character if they're open and in the spotlight, so some discretion is needed most of the time I think. 

 

Anyway sorry for my ramblings! Those are just my two cents. ^^;

[Caspar]

It's common but I've seen several restaurants pop up. The old FC I was in was both a pub and an adventurers' free company so both, legitimately, is often the case. It's just covert RP is popular due to the potential for intrigue I figure.

[Wemrys]

I know for my FC's part (Genko & Khokanchin) we just embrace the straight up business side of things. We have the Japanese teahouse in the front and the back office is openly advertised as an acquisitions and curiosities business which takes on jobs that are mostly clean but every once and again we'll take jobs that are bending the law. That said the company will turn away a business offer if it's too much of a risk for the business's image.

 

The business in the back is not our main focus though. In fact our characters take pride in the teahouse and it is just as important as the curiosity shop. As such neither business is a front for the other.

 

I can totally understand people wanting to embrace the covert nature of front businesses, it's another popular form of RP alongside things like social events. RPers like adventure and such along with their character building in my experience. Some RPers like dark RP. Others don't. There are plenty of totally legit FCs in business alongside the "totally legit" FCs, it's just a matter of poking about for the right stuff you're interested in. If someone can't find one, they'll try to build one themselves. That's usually how RP goes in the experiences I've had.

[Askier]

Yeah I get tired of all these Criminal Organizations that are simply fronts for restaurants and bars. Xp

[Rosekitten]

I've seen a lot of cafe' and spa front type FCs but I think it's a good thing to try and include a wide range. If you narrow your Fc's idea too far tan you'll find yourself with very little rp or being in a corner where you can't really rp any of the Fc aspect outside of the Fc itself. 

 

I know my fc's idea currently is a sort of trade front but past that there is a lot of room for various other types of characters to interact or join the company. General rule of thumb with my Fc is we don't ask too many questions so long as you don't bring your troubles to our doorstep. It's suppose to be a place for folks to get back on their feet or to try to get a new leash on life so to say. The trade front is to give our craftsmen a place to rp their crafts, merchants to deal with and so on and so forth, we have a few Fc's who are allies to us that are more military or sell-sword based but it works well for both groups in the end with our set up.

[Verad]

Happens quite a bit. Couldn't give you exact numbers because it's not as if we have a survey on this anyway. Possible reasons:

 

• Canonically, the housing wards are reserved for adventurers only. Players acknowledge this by having some adventure-related component to their FC, regardless of how well-developed that component may be.
  
• Despite regular protests to the contrary in LFRP posts, people enjoy tavern and slice-of-life RP more than they claim, but also like adventure and action and whatnot. FCs can handle both of those things in-house without having to go to other FCs where people are weird and strange.
  
• It's a fairly common anime trope for a story to be centered around a mundane business acting as a front for a more adventuresome business - Sakura Taisen comes to mind, among others - and this MMO is populated by a larger-than-normal amount of weebs.
  

There's probably more, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head. The interesting part to me is not why people do this, but rather, what kind of stories can we make if we presume as a given that there really are that many restaurants-fronting-as-smuggling-rings-fronting-as-item-shops-fronting-as-magitek-design-firms in the setting?

[Lydia Lightfoot]

Are they specifically saying it's a front, as in, a way to attempt concealing their shady dealings, or is it possibly just a feature of the FC?

 

I know of and have been involved in some where it's been the latter, including my current endeavor. Lydia's bistro is in the same building as the Reliquarian's Guild, but the bistro is technically an entirely separate enterprise (and to that end, nobody in the guild is expected to participate in anything bistro-related). The bistro just happens to be leasing the lower floor of the building, which Lydia figures is a good idea not just from the perspective of basically paying rent to herself (woo!) but also because it provides a handy point of respite for guild members and visitors who want a bite to eat and something to drink.

 

OOCly, most FCs recognize the value in having a "hang-out site between our adventures" (some, as others have said, seem more focused on the hang-out aspect than the adventure aspect, which is fine if it's what they like to do!).  While it's totally possible to use an existing site for that (and even one which isn't player-owned, such as the Carline Canopy), players like being able to put their decor touches on it. The only time it really becomes harmful, in my opinion, for an FC to have their own hang-out site like that, is if they find themselves rarely venturing to anywhere else to socialize casually. That may lead them quickly down Insular Avenue, which can stifle the FC when they inevitably have a drop-off in participants due to varying circumstances, and they suddenly realize they're not bringing in any newcomers to fill the voids.

[Kismet]

This is just some observation but I want to know if others feel this way. Every FC I see these days now seem to ALL just be a restaurant being a front for criminal activity or some kind of trading business that is actually dealing in black market trading. I've had three people recently leave my FC and ALL three of them started a business that's actually a front for something else. Its gotten to the point where I roll my eyes when I run into them because I feel like there's more 'Front for something else FCs' then there are FCs that are just a real restaurant or business.

 

I don't really see why it matters whether there's a lot of FCs whose themes are of a certain nature or not. If you don't plan on leaving your current FC, then what's the issue? Just carry on normally. The machinations of others is their business.

[Thorbought]

Are they specifically saying it's a front, as in, a way to attempt concealing their shady dealings, or is it possibly just a feature of the FC?

 

I know of and have been involved in some where it's been the latter, including my current endeavor. Lydia's bistro is in the same building as the Reliquarian's Guild, but the bistro is technically an entirely separate enterprise (and to that end, nobody in the guild is expected to participate in anything bistro-related). The bistro just happens to be leasing the lower floor of the building, which Lydia figures is a good idea not just from the perspective of basically paying rent to herself (woo!) but also because it provides a handy point of respite for guild members and visitors who want a bite to eat and something to drink.

 

OOCly, most FCs recognize the value in having a "hang-out site between our adventures" (some, as others have said, seem more focused on the hang-out aspect than the adventure aspect, which is fine if it's what they like to do!).  While it's totally possible to use an existing site for that (and even one which isn't player-owned, such as the Carline Canopy), players like being able to put their decor touches on it. The only time it really becomes harmful, in my opinion, for an FC to have their own hang-out site like that, is if they find themselves rarely venturing to anywhere else to socialize casually. That may lead them quickly down Insular Avenue, which can stifle the FC when they inevitably have a drop-off in participants due to varying circumstances, and they suddenly realize they're not bringing in any newcomers to fill the voids.

The one's I'm thinking of in particular are usually fronts for criminal business. Like their description usually is 'Definitely not a front for shady business'. I've seen that one used ALOT. And it's not really a complaint or anything on my part. It's more of an observation.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

Half of 2.0-2.5 had you running back and forth through Seventh Heaven, a front for the Rising Stones and Akatsuki / the Scions. It's not without precedent.

 

Players being players, some people will want to have their OC crime gangs in a similar setup, despite existing housing lore. Although as mentioned above, the self-inflicted insularity is a risk.

[ArmachiA]

We once tried the fake business front thing, and I praise anyone who can keep that up cuz we only lasted one MMO with that model for various reasons.

 

Now we're a business that fronts as a militia <,<

[Kerrath]

i think the reason so many people do it is because it's a simple way to open a lot of doors. business rp easily generates public events, but at the same time you want to go on adventures, so the criminal enterprise option is appealing to, and very coherent in conjunction with a business front.

[Erah'sae]

I'd say at least 2/3rds of the 'restaurant or bar' groups are honest to god restaurants and bars.  There's often some group within those FC's doing 'shady dealings' because really one gets tired of being 'just a bartender'.  

 

I know most of the groups put far too much work into the 'bar', 'tavern', and event RP for it to really be a 'front'.  It's more like anything shady in the background is that pesky 'cost of doing business' bit that happens with most large venues.

[Aya]

Tropes aren't tropes because they aren't fun or useful ideas. People make the FCs they'd like, so I think we can draw some conclusions from the sorts of FCs we see a lot of!

 

As usual, I think Verad's post is spot on

 

I'd also just add that I think the same thing is true of characters themselves. Most are "more than meets the eye".

[C'kayah Polaali]

Not to mention the fact having your criminal organization sitting in a building that simply says something like "Eorzean Fellowship of Assassins and Kitten Thieves" is probably a bad idea for any criminal operating in a law-abiding nation. Not to mention, owning a legitimate business gives you a solid way to launder money.

 

In real life, criminal organizations with legitimate fronts are extremely common, and have been for years. Al Capone owned an antique shop. John Gotti owned a couple of clubs. The Cali Cartel (in an amusing piece of irony) owned a major chain of successful drug stores. With Stormblood, we're seeing a lot more eastern-inspired RP groups, including a few Yakuza-inspired groups, but you have to understand that the Yakuza are an exception to the rule in that they don't hide themselves.

 

So you're seeing lots of crime organizations with front businesses among FCs? It's honestly as it should be. Working as designed.

[SapphireSkylines]

In my town there's a FC that fronts as a place that sells gyros but they actually sell moko. 

[ExAtomos]

My FC is an office building that rents out space to people with no questions asked. Two such renters are a restaurant and a bar. We put disclaimers on our advertisement, but really... we're just an office building. Completely neutral.

 

I think it's more that a lot of people love to add in the "tee hee" phrase itself of "definitely not a front for a shady business".

 

Oh, I should add... I manage the FC Themes thread and the vast majority of groups are exactly what they say they are; maybe a handful are fronts.