I was thinking the exact same thing Armi.....GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!
I see no reason why this should not be. A wonderful idea! You have captured my interest
Alright, well, since there has been at least some form of interest, I sat down and wrote up more or less what would kick everything off. The events that would start Rain on his journey. The main point of it, though, would be to give a glimpse of how the map itself works, and consequently how it would drive the story and roleplay.
It's by no means "Official", but, it's an idea. So, if anyone would like to give it a read, just let me know and i'll send it in a PM, as I don't want to throw it up publicly on the forums just yet.
This kind of reminds me of how certain character's in GTAIV were, Johnny Klebbitz for example, you would hear about him and what he is doing throughout the storyline, and a couple times you actually work alongside him. I am imagining something like that, from my perspective.
That right there is something I'd really want to avoid, though. No one would want there to be any hint of a central character behind it. There is a certain bit of inevitability in the fact that Rain would hold the map, but outside of that, he would be dead in the water without the assistance of others. He would have his own motives for wanting to move forward, but require the aid of others to even do so. And others would need Rain and his map in order to have a chance at the loot. They would use each other.
It would also provide a means for a villain to make an entrance. Perhaps some one who wants the treasure all to themselves, and attempts relentlessly to steal the map. Maybe their extremely up front about it by just straight up attacking the group, or maybe they work their way into the inner circle and snatch it right from under the groups nose. The map would be the burden of everyone involved.
You can't control that though. Central characters will rise because of the nature of this. In reality that happens and in this that will happen. With lack of a narrative, people will creative narratives, and the strongest of those writers will rise to the top and be the central cast.
Wouldn't it just be good to archive all of the freelancers' individual storylines? I may be wrong, but it seems to me that if a freelancer wanted a general over-arching story that affected themselves as well as others, then they would just join a linkshell.
Well, see, that's just it. Simply put, they might not. Being a part of a linkshell essentially means being tied down. It also just sort of takes away from the idea of being a "Freelancer".
This wouldn't operate within the confines of a linkshell, and people would be free to come and go as they please. It would just be a way for those people to be a part or something bigger without having to try and kick something started themselves. And if they wanted to, they still very well could, obviously. Plus, this would be open to all, and have the possibility to include anyone. Some people enjoy jumping in and running with a story, and this provides the means to do just that.
Somebody always has to take initiative, otherwise nothing would ever get started. I'm just taking the initiative to try and kick the ball rolling with some Freelancers, and other roleplayers in general.
You seem to be describing the "Epic" in some ways. The RPC Council will eventually (after settling into the game and getting linkshells in running order) plan and coordinate a large-scale storyline that encompasses all linkshells and freelance RPers. There would be RPC sponsored quests to move it along while allowing some room for some of it to be RPed within individual guilds and in the freelance world.
Of course, this large-scale event wouldn't be nearly as often as what you're trying to achieve here. A single Epic storyline would likely only happen once a year (maybe twice depending on how grueling the planning process becomes) and last probably about 4-6 weeks from start to end. It seems as though you're aiming for something a tad bit different though.
Also, anyone (linkshell member or freelancer) can post public events in the Bulletin Board section. Feel free to utilize it as necessary.
Good luck getting this off the ground. Freelancers in particular might be difficult to mobilize though (hence why they have no Council representation at this time >.>).
I guess when i'm hitting hard on the "Epic" tones, it's really more referring to the size of things. An adventure that would cover the entire continent. Something massive. Not so much epic in the sense of battles with giant beasts and legions of evil doers. Not that kind of epic.
(We'll leave the dragon-slaying to the professionals. Or, you know, ourselves during the game's storylines. XD)
Just something with a solid base to spawn some deep, meaningful roleplay.
This is something that wouldn't start up until those involved are settled into the game, as well. After all, we really only know about the areas surrounding Limsa-lominsa at this point, and that's not enough to start brainstorming any solid ideas involving the other city-states and their surrounding areas, as well as the wilds of Eorzea.
If I were to outline it as plainly as possible, it'd have to be this.
A weekly, two-three hour event following an open story of vengeance, greed, and a hunt for the truth.
Something for some people to follow if they really enjoy the story, or something fun to jump into if you're bored some evening and you hear it's going down.
Though I like the idea, I'm not sure where your getting the idea that being in a linkshell means your being tied down?
People join linkshells based on what their characters want, in all honesty, your character would fit just fine in the CB and still be able to do whatever it is he wants (A guy looking for a certain treasure using a map he has is very Uncharted, which is the whole concept of our guild).
So yeah not getting that at all XD
I'm also getting the sense that you think you can only be in one LS. If FFXIV is anything like FFXI when it comes to LSes, you can be in as many as you want....
I guess it's just more the thought, than the actual physical connection. The thought of answering to no one, being a part of nothing but your own motives. Not even a member of a no-strings-attached guild. Just yourself. Not any kind of organization behind you. Even if you're a part of a linkshell that lets you be your own boss, you're still a part of that group. The idea of it.
Though, after some discussion and thought, perhaps this initial idea was a bit ambitious for a lone person. It would take a lot of planning, and a lot of organizing to get something this big off the ground, and I probably don't have the manpower to pull it off. Something of this scale would be best left to the RPC itself, which would have more resources.
But part of me still wants to throw out the option of engaging roleplay that wouldn't involve sitting around in a tavern all night, and actually being out and about without having to be a member of a linkshell.
Perhaps a static of sorts would be something doable. A group of four or five people.
Well I'm interested in seeing where this goes. The truest test will be to see how many people help get it off the ground.
I think you can still pull this off as a single person, though maybe not in the way you initially imagined.
From what I see so far, the game is extremely RP friendly (moreso than FFXI at least anyway). You could easily make up your own random guildleve every now and then and post it in the Bulletin Board. Then just see who shows up. You'll likely get some freelancers and non-freelancers alike. It could be a simple "go get this item" guildleve or a more "epic" type of guildleve. Just a thought.