Hydaelyn Role-Players

*A mysterious green box appears covered with bright white question marks.* *When you peek inside the small opening on the top of the box, you find mounds and mounds of folded letters in a space larger than what the outside of the box conveys.*


I thought this would be a good thread to have for anyone with ANY questions at all. It hopefully will serve as a center to get any RP/FFXIV-related questions answered in one location.

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As a new roleplayer, naturally I feel nervous and lost currently. I want to get from   . So I'll start with 10 of my many questions. (Sorry that there is no order to this. Just kind of blurting out concerns to ensure when I start my character I do it correctly.)

1. What if IC I am supposed to remember something, but OOC I have forgotten. Should I use the (( )) to ask to be reminded, or should I roleplay that my character has forgotten too?

2. What should be the first area to focus on when coming up with a character?

3. As a new roleplayer would it be easier to explain/roleplay the time jump or to be someone who wasn't frozen in time for the five years?

4. What are the Eorzean terms for today, tomorrow, yesterday, height, weight, minutes, seconds, hours(this one is bells correct?), anything else that wouldn't match what you would say in real life?

5. Do you match the time to real life time? Such as if an event was occurring at 8PM east, would you say IC 8 bells?  

6. How are birthdays handled? 

7. If my character got into an argument with another should I remind the person OOC that it's strictly IC, and I am not angry with them personally to ensure no unneeded drama occurs? 

8. Is voice chat required for roleplaying ever? (I've always just typed in mmos. It's what I'm used to and comfortable with for now.)

9. How is gil roleplayed? For example, if someone was putting on a show that cost 50 gil would I actually give away 50 gil or just "/em hands over 50 gil."

10. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? How is running/walking handled? Do you mainly walk and switch to running when the situation calls for it when RPing?

Answers!
(Just keep in mind, when it comes to RP, there's no wrong answer, just opinions... but when opinions are shared by the majority, it then becomes convention. ^^: )

1- Do whatever is most fun. If forgetting IC would lead to fun RP, do that. If forgetting would get in the way of RP, then ask. I don't think there's any convention about this... Though some strict pen&paper dungeon masters from the 80's might disagree... "If you forgot then your character forgot!"

2- Whatever! It's different for each person, really. Some will say focus on background, as the past determines the present... but I prefer to focus on the mechanical side first, decide what I want to play, then I build the background to explain how the character got there. You have to find what's most natural to you.

3- It's probably easier to not explain anything... but it's not as much fun and doesn't feel as fulfilling as having a story to tell, I think. Depends on what you enjoy and what's more important to you. To tell stories or to get into the action?

4- I do believe bells is hours yes... And I remember malms are a unit of distance. There might be a lexicon somewhere... maybe on the Lodestone? I dunno. o_o
Need to look into that myself.

5- I try to avoid ever giving any specific time, instead using terms like "tomorrow evening" because in-game time and RL time don't change at the same speed, plus the player I'm RPing with might be in a different timezone!
If there is a Server Time, I use that.
Of course if I have to see something like "meet back here in two hours" then yes I can just call them bells instead.

6- What do you mean?

7- Unless your character is really harsh, I'd say it's not necessary. If you're not sure, you can always tell them, if only for your own sake.

8- Voice chat? Who he hell voice-RP's? o_o
No it's absolutely not necessary.
Now some guilds in some mmo's rquire it for raids or pvp and I can understand it, but even for those, I don,t use it and it's never hindered me.

9- I always do the emote. Whether or not I also give the money is something I check OOC with the player.

10- Chocolate.  Some people prefer to always walk when seeking RP, as an indicator of that, but walking is slow so I always run unless I'm RPing at the time. ^^;

1. What if IC I am supposed to remember something, but OOC I have forgotten. Should I use the (( )) to ask to be reminded, or should I roleplay that my character has forgotten too?
You can absolutely RP that your character has forgotten! I've done that, it's usually pretty comical. However if it's something big or something from Eorzea's history that it would be silly if your character forgot, there's nothing wrong with asking in a /tell.

2. What should be the first area to focus on when coming up with a character?
When I started RPing, Aysun did not even have a past. I suggest starting with the basics. How do they act? Are they overall hostile, kind, bubbly, or passive? Something like that. Then, you can start playing around with "well, why are they like that?" and start coming up with a history.
Remember that a complicated character with a long history does not always make an interesting character. Sometimes those with the simplest pasts will be the most fun to RP with, because they feel so real. Common does not mean boring.

3. As a new roleplayer would it be easier to explain/roleplay the time jump or to be someone who wasn't frozen in time for the five years?
I really don't know. If you can write a history that leads you to the final battle so that you are frozen, more power to you! However, I think it would be a lot easier for most new RPers to avoid the time skip and have their character have just lived through the Bahamut attack on Eorzea and the five years like normal.
I don't think anyone will mind which ever choice you make.

4. What are the Eorzean terms for today, tomorrow, yesterday, height, weight, minutes, seconds, hours(this one is bells correct?), anything else that wouldn't match what you would say in real life?
Here's a lot of them.
Today, tomorrow, yesterday are all fine. Day and Sun are used interchangeably to mean day.
The rest of them are on that website!

5. Do you match the time to real life time? Such as if an event was occurring at 8PM east, would you say IC 8 bells?
We do for the most part, but since people live in different time zones it can be a little awkward. I'd like to say that Eorzea operates on EST just for consistency (everyone can say it's getting late at the same time) but it's kind of a hairy subject. When events are scheduled often time they will say the time in Eorzean (the 16th bell, 2nd Sun of the 1st Umbral Moon) and then the RL time that people can base it on (4PM EST Feb. 2nd).

6. How are birthdays handled?
In Eorzea, we have "namedays" that you choose in character creation. You choose the moon (month) and sun (day), and that is your character's birthday. Since we use real-life passage of time rather than in game (because time goes so quickly in game) you'll have just one nameday per real life year. And yes, most of us will age our character when their nameday passes. Aysun was 17 when the game launched, and she's had two namedays. She's 19 now.
If you are at all confused by the "1st Sun of the 4th Astral Moon" meaning July 1st, please visit this helpful page. And here's some information on the other holidays in Eorzea.

7. If my character got into an argument with another should I remind the person OOC that it's strictly IC, and I am not angry with them personally to ensure no unneeded drama occurs? 
You shouldn't need to remind them, in a perfect world. : ) Keeping OOC and IC separate is so important and I think most of us are capable of it. However, if it makes you feel better to let the person know the feelings are strictly IC (I've done this before since my character can be quite hostile), just send a friendly PM. Joke about the IC argument/give a little <3/thank the person for the awesome RP.

8. Is voice chat required for roleplaying ever? (I've always just typed in mmos. It's what I'm used to and comfortable with for now.)
Nope! Many people use mumble/ventrilo to socialize with VOIP, but I've never once seen it required for RP. In fact, I hate being on those things when I am RPing, because it's so distracting! VOIP is mostly used for just chatting or raids.

9. How is gil roleplayed? For example, if someone was putting on a show that cost 50 gil would I actually give away 50 gil or just "/em hands over 50 gil."
I think a lot of people are very vague when it comes to gil. I think most of us RP it as a coin currency, but no one really gets into the specifics when paying for things ICly. You can, if you want, physically trade the person the gil (same goes for food items and such, they are sometimes physically given to someone, sometimes just pretend), but it's not always necessary. I keep my IC money and OOC money separate in my mind, because Aysun certainly does NOT have as much gil as I have accumulated in game.

10. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? How is running/walking handled? Do you mainly walk and switch to running when the situation calls for it when RPing?
Strawberry. That is exactly what we do. I can tell who's IC by if they're walking instead of running around town. Running occasionally is used IC as well depending on the RP, and sometimes people who don't RP just like to stroll around walking, so it's not a 100% indication of IC-ness, but it's sure helpful.

@Asyria and Aysun: Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! Thank you both immensely!!! Your responses were very helpful! 

@Asyria: #6 was in regard to how namedays are dealt with. I wasn't sure how to word that question, but Aysun provided a great link that answered it.

I'll do five more today and wait some time, so I don't go overboard in one day.


11. During an RP secession if someone logs off unexpectedly is the "scene" frozen until that person returns, or would the characters react to the person disappearing?

12. Are there guidelines to how names are formed for each races, or can any name created go to any race?

13. What are some examples or the norm for what linkshells actually are physically?

14. Where is most IC chatting done in game? /say, /l, or /p?

15. What's your favorite color? Let's say there is an event posted on a site either here on the RPC or on a personal LS site detailing an event that all are welcomed to join. I assume characters can't just know about it obviously, so is the best method of learning of an event (IC) through pretending to see a poster in town, talking with close friends, seeking the person holding the event to come up with a reason for arriving, or something else?

I'll take a turn:

11. During an RP secession if someone logs off unexpectedly is the "scene" frozen until that person returns, or would the characters react to the person disappearing?
Usually people will wait for the person to return. There are the occasional network hiccups and other such things. This depends on the size and scope of the RP also. If someone disappears who isn't particularly active, the scene may go on and someone can bring them up to speed afterwards. From my experiences though, most RPers are all right with sort of 'pausing time' for a few minutes to give them a chance to log back in.

12. Are there guidelines to how names are formed for each races, or can any name created go to any race?
There are some general rules which are similar in a lot of ways to how names were handled in FFXI. A lot of the Seeker miqo'te seem to have an apostrophe after the first letter of their name (which is only odd because at least in 1.0 you could not have an apostrophe in your actual name). I think there's a thread somewhere that addressed this particular question in much more detail. Someone will probably either link that or clarify in more detail about the character naming conventions. Though I think this is largely open to interpretation and creativity. Just because there are certain race/clan tendencies is no reason not to name a character something you want to, so long as it's nothing totally outlandish of course.

13. What are some examples or the norm for what linkshells actually are physically?
Physically I think they are pearls. Different characters have fashioned different ways to utilize them. I believe they are a sort of magical device, and I don't know that anyone has really nitpicked the exact usage. Some might wear them like earrings, for example. It has been confirmed that they are an 'audio-only' device, though this hasn't stopped some RPers from stretching past those bounds. What the physical linkshell/linkpearl is itself though is something that is often quickly put out of mind.

14. Where is most IC chatting done in game? /say, /l, or /p?
This varies widely depending on the characters and linkshells involved. I will sometimes take /say RP to /party channel when in a congested area like Ul'dah marketplace where non-RPers can sometimes get annoyed at what they feel is "spam" chat. Different linkshells also serve different purposes, but most of the RP linkshells I have belonged to regard it as a means of IC communication over distances. This may not always be the case and probably varies from LS to LS.

15. What's your favorite color? Let's say there is an event posted on a site either here on the RPC or on a personal LS site detailing an event that all are welcomed to join. I assume characters can't just know about it obviously, so is the best method of learning of an event (IC) through pretending to see a poster in town, talking with close friends, seeking the person holding the event to come up with a reason for arriving, or something else?
Purple. There should be some sort of IC avenue of announcement. Many posts advertising events will make a vague remark like, "The following can be seen upon flyers throughout the taverns and eateries of Eorzea:" or something to that effect. There should be some plausible reason for a character to have ICly heard about an event.

I hope this helps.

I really like that you're asking these kinds of questions as a new RPer to FFXIV! Other new people should do this more often!

Here's some more information on the naming convention of the races in response to question #12. I've got permission to move this info over to the RPC wiki but just haven't gotten to do it yet.

11- In a RP secession, someone leaves... if that was an intentional typo/pun, it was the most epic I've seen in some time. If it wasn't intentional, it was still epic, but you don't get credit.
Either way, it's been answered accurately. ^^


13- Yes, they are pearls. I clearly remember this from my beta days, the NPC gives you a pearl to communicate with him as part of the tutorial-ish intro.


15- Green. Often, people who organize events will tell us how we might have ICly heard about them. Sometimes they even photoshop neat flyers that they post on forum, saying in what city they've been distributed. Other times, it happens in such a public area that it's easy to just ICly "happen to be there". In doubt, simply ask.

11. During an RP secession if someone logs off unexpectedly is the "scene" frozen

until that person returns, or would the characters react to the person disappearing?

Sometimes the person will be gone for an unexpected (sometimes even indefinite amount of time). If it's a small group rp or even one on one, I think most people wait for a few minutes or take a temporary 'break' (bathroom time) before they decide whether to move on. Usually the person will return, explain, and you can always try to fabricate some IC excuse as to why they disappeared. I admit, though, that it might be more difficult to explain in FFXIV. In WoW we explained it by a character sometimes being 'summoned' unexpectedly to those perpetual brawls against the alliance (via warlock) and in SWTOR we had some similar convention. Sometimes, if it was just a normal conversation, we assumed they fell into some deep thought and just stopped talking for a time and they'd 'shake it off'. This kind of thing happens from time to time and between friendly folk it can usually be explained away if it comes down to it.



13. What are some examples or the norm for what linkshells actually are physically?


The explanation is a pearl, worn on the ear (I've seen 'in' the ear but that's...weird) that allows you to 'verbally communicate' with others that share a pearl from the same pearlsack (i.e. your Linkshell) so they can talk over vast distances. Like Final Fantasy Bluetooth. In other games, there've been an array of explanations that I've seen as to how people could communicate over long distances (enchanted runes, holocommunicators, telepathy, etc.), but I think the pearling is probably the best I've heard. The Linkshell itself is just a group of people who are working together and usually they have a variety of backstories. Adventurers, mercenaries, scholars, and so on, that obtain pearls to maintain communication. I think that since there aren't really any split 'factions' in FFXIV, that being able to be in multiple linkshells makes sense. In and out of character, it's pretty helpful and in character there's good reason to affiliate with multiple groups at one time.


14. Where is most IC chatting done in game? /say, /l, or /p? All of the above.

It varies with the situation. Usually you use /say to participate with other roleplayers in events or just open social RP. Sometimes you use your linkshell speak to carry on roleplay with other members of your shell while the participants are otherwise occupied in the game (such as leveling, while they want to get their levels but still want to be able to participate in roleplay) in which case you might be able to use emotes and roleplay that you're -actually- in some secret headquarters with those who are roleplaying with you. You can also use the linkshell chats, at times, to just communicate live to other members of the LS (so they could hear your voice but not see your movements unless they were physically near your character) to alert them to danger, call for help, or just to maintain conversation and keep up to date on goings-on. Those kinds of things vary on the linkshell you're in and their rules about how to use the function. Some are kept exclusively in character to promote more roleplay and keep the group tied closely together and others keep the linkshell speak out of character to promote gathering physically in groups rather than relying on the linkshell entirely to communicate. Varies. Party and private chats can be used for a small group if you enjoy roleplaying while you level together so as not to bother anyone else who might be leveling, or for private discussions that could and should not be overheard. For instance, if a group of people are whispering to each other or communicating in some other, secretive way that others shouldn't physically be able to overhear.

It's come up in my SWTOR guild, the issue of 'metagaming' when it came to whispering something to someone and having it overheard in /say. While it seems fairly simple for people to just respect that you've stated it's a whisper, when you put it into say, it's fairly up for grabs to people with extremely sensitive hearing and whatnot. If it's something that you intentionally want others not to hear, sending a private message or reverting to party chats for extensive or group conversations is best in my opinion.


15. What's your favorite color? Let's say there is an event posted on a site either here on the RPC or on a personal LS site detailing an event that all are welcomed to join. I assume characters can't just know about it obviously, so is the best method of learning of an event (IC) through pretending to see a poster in town, talking with close friends, seeking the person holding the event to come up with a reason for arriving, or something else

With anything that deals with an out of character organization of an event or an initiation, it's usually accompanied by some in character explanation. You'll receive a message, or have access to spot a flyer, or maybe even arrange a physical meeting where you'll be invited by an individual in game at a certain time. You're right to assume characters can't just know about things, but, again, I've seen in a lot of guilds in the past, RP events that were organized in a forum that were never reinforced in game with any form of in character announcements. Sometimes, it's simply assumed, but for most roleplayers, they -want- that legitimate reasoning behind why they knew what was happening and when, and it seems that in the RPC and its affiliated groups, you'll probably get that. Just don't be too surprised if it doesn't happen once in a while.

@Eva, Aysun, Asyria, and Siobhain: Thanks for being extremely helpful and responding so quickly! I think I am almost ready to begin forming my character. I may need some help to ensure I don't do anything wrong, and what I create makes sense within Eorzea.

@Deirdre: Thanks for the reply! I truly want to fit in, so I am asking a lot to get a good feel of how RPers react to certain situations, so I'll know what to do. I am very excited to actually get into RPing when ARR is ready!

Also, I'll do 5 more questions tomorrow. Then I want to start brainstorming my character. If anyone wants to assist me in creating my character please PM me. I'll shoot over my ideas back through PM.

I am very glad you are so open about asking questions. Keep them coming, this likely is very helpful to other RPers new to XIV too!

I want to say that you shouldn't worry about doing anything "wrong" though! It takes a lot of effort to make a "wrong" character for RP. You seem eager to learn about the lore and such so I wouldn't even stress over it. While there are some unwritten "rules" in RP, many are just common sense and are pretty easy to learn when they're not. Creating your character should be fun and well, creative! I hope you have loads of fun.

You're more than welcome to send me a PM if you think of anything you want feedback on while brainstorming. : )

Join the skype and get live answers from a TON of RPers! Unless you're already in the group, I'm not sure. If no, add me @ s058linda nd I'll bring you in to the chat!

(02-04-2013, 12:54 AM)Aysun Wrote: [ -> ]I am very glad you are so open about asking questions. Keep them coming, this likely is very helpful to other RPers new to XIV too!

I want to say that you shouldn't worry about doing anything "wrong" though! It takes a lot of effort to make a "wrong" character for RP. You seem eager to learn about the lore and such so I wouldn't even stress over it. While there are some unwritten "rules" in RP, many are just common sense and are pretty easy to learn when they're not. Creating your character should be fun and well, creative! I hope you have loads of fun.

You're more than welcome to send me a PM if you think of anything you want feedback on while brainstorming. : )

Thank you Aysun! I'll PM you and any others who feel like aiding me later in the week. 

(02-04-2013, 01:00 AM)Deirdre Wrote: [ -> ]Join the skype and get live answers from a TON of RPers! Unless you're already in the group, I'm not sure. If no, add me @ s058linda nd I'll bring you in to the chat!

Sorry Deirdre, but I don't have skype. I am lost when it comes to the latest technology/anything to do with technology. XD Sorry again, but I think I'll just stick to the site to communicate because it's just simpler for a simple person like me to handle. 


16. How is hair coloring seen? For example, someone has green hair. Would they say they dyed their hair green, or are all the colors possible to be born with in regard to hair color in Eorzea? What about highlights? Would people assume they added highlights, or since it's fantasy someone could be born with something like blue and purple hair?

17. What is/are the way(s) people RP calling a chocobo? In game it's obviously a whistle and then they appear. Is that how most roleplayers call them through whistling?

18. Is leveling mostly done IC as something like training exercises, or done more often OOC?

19. Let's say you want to RP with someone that would lead to something like leveling, exploring, or a player-created storyline. Is the best way to just /tell the person and come up with a reason IC to bump into each other, or do most RPers want an element of surprise and would not like a preplanned /tell?  

20. You just gained access to having anything you want for dinner. What are you having? Does your actual level in a class/job reflect your proficiency? I assume it does, but is there anyway a slightly lower level can defeat a higher level if they RP in such a way that they could win? Or is it generally accepted that the higher level character will pretty much always win?

16. How is hair coloring seen? For example, someone has green hair. Would they say they dyed their hair green, or are all the colors possible to be born with in regard to hair color in Eorzea? What about highlights? Would people assume they added highlights, or since it's fantasy someone could be born with something like blue and purple hair?
To be honest I never really gave this one a lot of thought. I had always just assumed that all options at the character creation screen were possible colors based on race/clan, and then highlights could be added on top of that. I've always assumed that since it's fantasy someone could have more extraordinarily-colored hair. But this may be one of those things that varies from RPer to RPer based on their own opinions and beliefs. I'm not sure it's stated anywhere in the lore.

17. What is/are the way(s) people RP calling a chocobo? In game it's obviously a whistle and then they appear. Is that how most roleplayers call them through whistling?
The in-game action is a whistle. I suppose RPers can come up with something completely different, but from all I've seen and heard, this seems to be kind of standard.

18. Is leveling mostly done IC as something like training exercises, or done more often OOC?
Usually [but not always] leveling is conducted OOC. That's not to say if a RP group levels together that they wouldn't RP while it's happening. Like so many things this will vary depending on who is leveling, and whether they're doing so with other RPers or whether non-RPers are in the mix. Many people will drop character with a group of non-RPers and focus strictly on the leveling - and possibly continue to RP over their /linkshell channel if they choose. There can also be training events which are handled strictly IC, or which may bring in an element of actual leveling. We used to RP doing levequests, which involved leveling.

19. Let's say you want to RP with someone that would lead to something like leveling, exploring, or a player-created storyline. Is the best way to just /tell the person and come up with a reason IC to bump into each other, or do most RPers want an element of surprise and would not like a preplanned /tell?
I hate to sound like a broken record, but this will also depend largely on the RPer. I'm not sure that many people would reject the opportunity for RP though, unless they're off to some endgame thing maybe, or about to log out. I, for one, like the random element of having another RPer strike up a conversation, but I'm not opposed to the preplanned /tell either. In the end I think both methods of approach are just fine.

20. You just gained access to having anything you want for dinner. What are you having? Does your actual level in a class/job reflect your proficiency? I assume it does, but is there anyway a slightly lower level can defeat a higher level if they RP in such a way that they could win? Or is it generally accepted that the higher level character will pretty much always win?
Ravioli. This is a tough one because a lot of RPers that I've seen feel differently. In 1.0 there are many people who have leveled all classes to 50, and I don't think RPing expertise in everything is very realistic. I am of the mindset that using the level more as a guideline is the best way to handle it. I would think that in any fighting situation, a lower level could have any number of advantages that might put them on a more level playing field. I can give an example. Eva is a level 50 marauder. In-character I don't think she's ever even touched an axe. If a level 20 marauder were to go toe-to-toe against her with axes, I'm fairly certain Eva would lose. Others' opinions on this will vary widely though, and it is often a hot topic.


EDIT: You may also feel free to send me a PM if you have any further questions or want me to explain anything more clearly. Been RPing for a very long time and seen a lot of stuff in my years.

16- I'm pretty sure it's natural. Keep in mind it's a Japanese game, and anime and game characters often have unusual hair colors without dyes ever being mentioned. Azyria has naturally blue hair and fur for sure.
That said if you want your character to be a natural blonde and use red or black or green dye, I don't see why you couldn't. After all in the real world, people use dyes to imitate natural colors as well as unnatural ones.

17- In cases like these, I go with what the game gives me (like the pearls to communicate with linkshells). If my chocobo would be summoned by use of a whistle, then that's how I call it (chocobos were still not working back when I played o_O). The only thing is since they are natural creatures, I'd say they run to me rather than simply appear like a summoned monster.

18- Depends entirely on your preference. Many prefer to level OOC but others enjoy a bit of RP in the field and see their improvement in battle as part of their IC development. For example, Azyria's IC classes were miner, blacksmith and lancer... often when I worked on any of those, I was IC.
Story Quests however are, by their very nature, OOC. Everyone going through them and living the exact same events would make absolutely no sense IC. o_o

19- What Eva said.

20- Some sort of filet mignon envelopped in bacon with just enough spices, along with some spicy potatoes with dip and some salad, with cider or pure apple juice with a bit of rum (and sugar/cinnamon frosting) to drink and double chocolate cake for dessert. Dammit now I'm hungry. What Eva said. Personally, I avoid RP battles like the plague because of people who ignore class, level and gear completely and RP as the most badass warrior/mage when they are 20 levels below me. That very very rarely happen, to be honest, but it's a huge turnoff to me. On the other end of the spectrum you have the hardcore PvPers who will want to PvP your face into the ground. I honestly prefer the latter, but my ideal situation is a quick RP fight with a trusted RPer.


As for Skype, it will soon replace MSN/Windows Live Messenger, it's pretty simple. If you can install and play a game, you can use that.
Of course you don't have to. ^^: