Hello and welcome!
Since these other things have been covered, I'm mostly only going to post on the ones I have differing opinions on.
Progression: This can go any way you'd like it to go. Depending on how much you self-rp, (as in, just run around the world ICly, and if someone chances upon you, so be it), handwave (as in, just say 'things happened' without any actual RP'd-through backing for it), or RP with others, this may go differently for different people. I've started my character at a sort of odd 'relatively skilled in some places, super novice in others' spot, and he hasn't progressed a TON from there since I made him. However, the main reason for that is that he might get IC teachers! And since I love that kind of student / mentor RP, I've been holding off, save for little practice things and his own odd experiments insofar as how he's progressed skill-wise.
That small explanation is to say that, ultimately, it's up to you. There is no accepted norm, and levels aren't necessarily taken ICly here unless you, specifically, want them to be for your character. :>
Location: I will premise with I never exceedingly rarely will RP in Ul'dah. My character ICly dislikes most of the 'hot' gathering places, like taverns and big cities; the Quicksand probably makes my duskwight nerd the most uncomfortable ever second to the city of Gridania (The Shroud is fine though, as is Thanalan). So he's basically never in those crowded places or cities unless he absolutely has to be.
However, I do get RP! It's much less of the 'walk up' sort of nature though. Instead, I've spoken to a number of people (between 'looking for contacts' or new people on welcome threads), jumped on event opportunities, and so forth to get a bunch of people on my 'list' for potential RP. Then, I'll either PM them to see if they'd like to meet sometime, or poke them in-game, and see if their character might be around somewhere where mine could meet up with them. It was a little work initially getting in contact with them all, and some attempts never worked out, or I wouldn't ever get anything back from them. But that said, a lot did work out too, and I've had a decent amount of RP since I started, so it IS perfectly possible to never set foot in the Quicksand, and still RP if that's what your character would do. :>
Taverns in general are probably the best place to go and look, and that can be in any city (Gridania, Limsa, Ul'dah), but I've definitely seen RP happening 'out in the field' too, where my character is more likely to be. I'll often meet people in weird places outside of cities, being somewhere in the world, near ruins, around odd Aetherical formations / crystals, etc. Which would be good for the adventures you'd mentioned wanting. :> However, that takes a little bit more coordination most of the time, but I personally find it's worth it.
Since these other things have been covered, I'm mostly only going to post on the ones I have differing opinions on.
Progression: This can go any way you'd like it to go. Depending on how much you self-rp, (as in, just run around the world ICly, and if someone chances upon you, so be it), handwave (as in, just say 'things happened' without any actual RP'd-through backing for it), or RP with others, this may go differently for different people. I've started my character at a sort of odd 'relatively skilled in some places, super novice in others' spot, and he hasn't progressed a TON from there since I made him. However, the main reason for that is that he might get IC teachers! And since I love that kind of student / mentor RP, I've been holding off, save for little practice things and his own odd experiments insofar as how he's progressed skill-wise.
That small explanation is to say that, ultimately, it's up to you. There is no accepted norm, and levels aren't necessarily taken ICly here unless you, specifically, want them to be for your character. :>
Location: I will premise with I never exceedingly rarely will RP in Ul'dah. My character ICly dislikes most of the 'hot' gathering places, like taverns and big cities; the Quicksand probably makes my duskwight nerd the most uncomfortable ever second to the city of Gridania (The Shroud is fine though, as is Thanalan). So he's basically never in those crowded places or cities unless he absolutely has to be.
However, I do get RP! It's much less of the 'walk up' sort of nature though. Instead, I've spoken to a number of people (between 'looking for contacts' or new people on welcome threads), jumped on event opportunities, and so forth to get a bunch of people on my 'list' for potential RP. Then, I'll either PM them to see if they'd like to meet sometime, or poke them in-game, and see if their character might be around somewhere where mine could meet up with them. It was a little work initially getting in contact with them all, and some attempts never worked out, or I wouldn't ever get anything back from them. But that said, a lot did work out too, and I've had a decent amount of RP since I started, so it IS perfectly possible to never set foot in the Quicksand, and still RP if that's what your character would do. :>
Taverns in general are probably the best place to go and look, and that can be in any city (Gridania, Limsa, Ul'dah), but I've definitely seen RP happening 'out in the field' too, where my character is more likely to be. I'll often meet people in weird places outside of cities, being somewhere in the world, near ruins, around odd Aetherical formations / crystals, etc. Which would be good for the adventures you'd mentioned wanting. :> However, that takes a little bit more coordination most of the time, but I personally find it's worth it.
