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Tumensuns · **08-09-2015, 03:31 AM**

I like this question.

It was a dilemma when I had played a villain character for an old game, and it was not always the most fun because 90% of the would-be heroes would always be snarky, and such. Like, I just murdered a whole village, and I have your team of people cornered, and you're going to stand there and give sass? Felt a bit disconnected.

Makes me miss the UO days when death was a possibility, and so was crime.

I'd like to say that Tumensuns would be afraid in some circumstances, but he's not a hero type so he wouldn't be in situations where he'd have any involvement in physical conflict, and there's not much you can do to cause fear in a guy who buries the dead and such, though I'd like to be mindful of situations that would.

But even saying it, I'm human and might make the same mistake most people make because the option of dying isn't that much of a reality in this games world, so you don't always actively think about it.

mongi291 · **08-09-2015, 07:01 AM**

Isaulde, being an Elezen, isn't exactly big and scary. Sure, she's tall, and she's supposed to have muscles (even though the character creator doesn't allow me to do that). But compared to Highlanders, Roegadyns and male Au Ras, she looks fragile as hell. So whenever she isn't alone or with someone she trusts, she's fully clad in black armor (soon to be replaced by the Esoterics DRK set), which can make every character look intimidating (except Lalafells).

Mae · **08-09-2015, 11:07 AM**

While it adds something to the atmosphere to 'hire security' for an event, it should ultimately fall to the event organizers to police their events... and not just by ICly telling the security RP'ers to "take care of it" and then going back to their party without a care. They need to periodically announce OOCly that there is security/bouncers in circulation, identify them, and impress and that their directions need to be followed. They also need to back up the security/bouncers when they have to 'correct' disruptive behaviour and organizers most certainly need to be directly involved (even if it's in a strictly OOC fashion) when someone is being expelled.

Otherwise, a hired security/bouncer PC just appears to be a self-appointed vigilante at a party looking to ICly spoil someone else's good time.

Now... if a disruptive PC -still- doesn't take the hint from IC RP with security/bouncers and OOC communication from the event organizers and refuse to leave... then that's an issue with the player, not with their RP. Nothing you can really do about that, unfortunately.

Flickering Ember · **08-13-2015, 11:13 AM**

I'd been meaning to respond to this topic for a while but for some reason I just haven't gotten around to it. The question is 'Are too many people 'fearless'? And to that I answer a resounding 'Yes.'Â

I have absolutely noticed the unrealistic amounts of fearlessness in characters since my first RP character in a MMO but it became even more noticeable after diving into tabletop. As always, everything in tabletop depends on your group/DM, but played by the books, it is possible for your character to die at any given moment.Â

This reality has absolutely encouraged me to play more conservatively with my characters and adds an intense story element to tabletop RP that MMO RP does not get. That said, I vastly prefer MMO RP. As I have made more characters, I have steered away from tough, and hardened warriors to characters who are quite capable of being frightened or freaked out by the occurrences of RP.

Having your character be afraid, beyond such things as phobias and extending into combat scenarios or frightening monsters, doesn't make your badass warrior less badass, it makes them human. I feel like it adds more fun elements and conflicts to RP that I personally would love to see more of. It's more interesting than no one ever reacting to big scary monster ever. I think being immune to it because "you see this stuff all the time" is not exactly compelling or correct 100% of the time. (or even the majority of the time)

It's a bit off topic but I also want to point out there is a difference between a 'fear' and a 'phobia.' I have a phobia IRL and phobias are such intense fears that they leak into your everyday life and can stop you from enjoying things that normal people often enjoy. Having a fear or a big fear of something is different. After living in a surburban area all my life and then moving to a metro area, I do have a fear of being mugged or picked off the streets but such a fear does not invade my everyday life the way my phobia does.Â

Most people are simply afraid of spiders.Â
A phobia of spiders would probably involve you not being able to look at them, leading to you obsessively scrubbing down your home and setting up spider traps everywhere to make sure they don't get near you, you check everywhere you go for spiders first before you sit down or put something on, when you go to a friend's house you realize their house has not been spider trapped so you patrol their house first before you can relax, you probably have trouble sleeping at night in fear of them or they are in your nightmares every single night.

Anyway, I think people would find some good RP opportunities if they allowed their character to feel fear once in a while. And not just fears of spiders or water or losing one's friends, but the very real of that axe dealing a fatal blow to you. If you don't, that's okay too though. I won't dictate how anyone should RP their characters.

Caspar · **08-13-2015, 01:30 PM**

Also I would add that feigning fearlessness or self-deceiving to think you're fearless ca lead to some interesting situations, and might be fun to rp. I always imagine no one but the truly disturbed is without fear, at the very least some kind of insecure anxiety. There are no fearless people so much as those who ignore their fear, don't let it affect them, or are too ignorant to realize they should be afraid until it's too late.

S'imba · **08-13-2015, 05:57 PM**

Well while everything is true ithat really comes down to why the character is being fearless. A lot of people get into a huff but they don't understand the entire back ground. It's like people who'say characters brag about doing big heroic feats or claiming to be -the- azure dragoon. I know people who's characters have claimed stuff like that but ooc they know what their character is claiming is false. However it doesn't stop them from getting toxic tells about how they are lore breaking.Â

The same thing kind of applies here. There are plenty of reasons why.a character wouldn't cower under a big scary Roe. For example S'imba was recently involved in trying to stop anow innocent bandit from being hung. S'imba got caught trying to free him but managed to get into a civil discussion with the guards that he was surrounded by. Despite the fact he was about to cut a deal in getting the bandit off the bandit's partner that originally asked for S'imba's aid shows up and attacks the guards. Though he told S'imba he'd take the little guy while S'imba handles the rest before proceeding to run away with his tail between his legs after said little guy proved to be too much for the bandit.Â

Basically despite the character attacking the guards iclly he was fearless cause he believes S'imba to be this amazing fighter, that would be able to protect him after trying to take them on. There can be a lot of good reasons why a character would have a sense of fearlessness.Â

Basically what I'm trying to say is I feel that this could be a mentality that could turn into. "A real person would never do that unless they were an idiot, your character is bad and you're a shitty role player." You can't expect everyone to react to your character how you see your character. It only leads to ooc drama if people get upset about people not bowing down because my character is a noble and I expect your character to treat me as such. Same thing just because someone is a large intimidating figure you can't expect people to react how you want them to. Just my self righteous two cents.

McBeefâ„¢ · **08-13-2015, 06:10 PM**

(08-13-2015, 05:57 PM)S Wrote: Basically what I'm trying to say is I feel that this could be a mentality that could turn into. "A real person would never do that unless they were an idiot, your character is bad and you're a shitty role player." You can't expect everyone to react to your character how you see your character. It only leads to ooc drama if people get upset about people not bowing down because my character is a noble and I expect your character to treat me as such. Same thing just because someone is a large intimidating figure you can't expect people to react how you want them to. Just my self righteous two cents.

Yep, this here.

My Brass Blade character is no badass, but he just does not give a fuck. It's the end of his shift, he wants a drink and his balls itch.Â

Yeah your adventurer has a flaming axe or whatever but he just IS NOT IN THE MOOD. Of course this has gotten him nearly killed multiple times, but hey, I have the right to play a grumpy jerk. Not everyone in RP is a paragon of logic.

Diskwrite · **08-13-2015, 06:25 PM**

Ojene here certainly pretends to be fearless. She'll take calculated risks and get in someone's face even if she has a feeling an actual confrontation would go very badly for her. But she will try to glare someone into the ground, and she doesn't take very kindly to being mistreated or pushed around. (Or at least, if she perceives herself to be!)

This is even more exaggerated if she gets angry. Cause then good sense gets left behind.

But this means to people who don't really know her... she seems ridiculous. Fearless and brash in situations she really shouldn't be. But in truth, her air of confidence is half a bluff.

This has created some... unpleasant situations for me, OOC. But I try to impress on people that my character is my character. And the way she acts is just... well... that.

Sahja Elahka · **08-13-2015, 06:30 PM**

Ok, I think we're veering away from the status here.Â The problem isn't in individual characters, take each one seperately and yeah it makes sense why they're fearless, but the society as a whole.

We have so many big damn heroes/incredibly powerful people walking around, so many people who don't care.Â That what is supposed to be the minority lore wise, definitely is not represented in the player base.

The problem is that you cannot set rules down to this, you can't tell someone they can't be fearless or powerful because there are already enough of those, that comes from the roleplayer themselves.

McBeefâ„¢ · **08-13-2015, 06:36 PM**

(08-13-2015, 06:30 PM)tfelver Wrote: Ok, I think we're veering away from the status here.Â The problem isn't in individual characters, take each one seperately and yeah it makes sense why they're fearless, but the society as a whole.

We have so many big damn heroes/incredibly powerful people walking around, so many people who don't care.Â That what is supposed to be the minority lore wise, definitely is not represented in the player base.

The problem is that you cannot set rules down to this, you can't tell someone they can't be fearless or powerful because there are already enough of those, that comes from the roleplayer themselves.

Maybe so many crazy things happen in Eorzea, that no one gives a shit anymore.

Invasions, primals, coups, moons falling from the sky, ancient dragon gods.

Some buff guy walks up with an axe and they're just like "Ugh, not this too."

Eorzeans 2 jaded.

Cato · **08-13-2015, 10:56 PM**

Eorzea's definitely a dangerous place. Though if anything that's more liable to make people cautious and wary rather than ready to charge into danger and shrug off and any and all conflict as 'just another threat to tackle'.

It's always rubbed me the wrong way when people make it seem like someone's a coward for feeling scared. Most people do - and yes, they might be able to steady themselves and overcome their fear but it'd still affect them.

It's why PTSD exists. It's why some of the best soldiers in the world return from war and are never quite the way they were before heading to the battlefield. It's why someone can survive being stabbed and then flinch whenever they see a knife.

Honestly, most of the 'fearless' characters I encounter just don't feel realistic to me at all. It also becomes tiresome pretty quickly since it just kills the mood when you're at an event and a horrific voidsent shows up and then it's just treated like a rabid marmot. Or someone just seeks to assault someone in broad daylight and evade any consequences from guards/those responsible for keeping the peace/vigilantes.

Mercurias · **08-14-2015, 12:39 AM**

Of my three characters:
M'sato is the one who is the most 'brave'. He's also the one most likely to face down something much bigger, stronger, and scarier than he is without blinking. M'sato refuses to let his fears consume him, and half of his bullheaded stubbornness is born from that refusal. "You want me to be afraid, and I am, but I won't godsdamned let that stop me."

Solomon sees courage is more along the lines of weighing the odds. While he's able to be devil-may-care from time to time, he usually considers his options carefully and chooses the one which involves the lowest risk to himself. Fear is his warning system. He's just lived through enough of it that he recognizes it and accepts it. "You scared the crap out of me and I don't think I can take you. no reason to stick around, so bye!"

Soren is a madcap adrenaline junkie, but when it comes to real danger and violence, his heart falters. Soren was marked by war in more ways than one. Having to go into a real fight makes him nauseous and trembly. "You scared the crap out of me, so NOOOOOPE!" *RUNS AWAY*

Kaiz · **08-14-2015, 02:03 AM**

I beat up a giant tortoise outside Ul'dah. That's way bigger than any Roe.

Caspar · **08-14-2015, 03:58 AM**

(08-13-2015, 10:56 PM)Graeham Wrote: Eorzea's definitely a dangerous place. Though if anything that's more liable to make people cautious and wary rather than ready to charge into danger and shrug off and any and all conflict as 'just another threat to tackle'.

It's always rubbed me the wrong way when people make it seem like someone's a coward for feeling scared. Most people do - and yes, they might be able to steady themselves and overcome their fear but it'd still affect them.

It's why PTSD exists. It's why some of the best soldiers in the world return from war and are never quite the way they were before heading to the battlefield. It's why someone can survive being stabbed and then flinch whenever they see a knife.

Honestly, most of the 'fearless' characters I encounter just don't feel realistic to me at all. It also becomes tiresome pretty quickly since it just kills the mood when you're at an event and a horrific voidsent shows up and then it's just treated like a rabid marmot. Or someone just seeks to assault someone in broad daylight and evade any consequences from guards/those responsible for keeping the peace/vigilantes.

Too true. For me, with a character as tiny as mine, fearlessness is of ill portent. I treat Virara's willingness to throw herself into danger as a sign of obsession and perhaps insanity. Somewhere along the line, a tiny place in the back of her mind began stirring with the thought that maybe, she truly can't die until she achieves her goal.

Sigil.9054 · **08-14-2015, 11:40 PM**

My character isn't exactly fearless, but she's frequently out on the road, and has been acosted by many a bandit. She's learned to play the situations by ear, whether they call for intimidation or pretending to cower.

In the end, though, there's not a lot your standard six races can do to scare her. Intimidate? Sure. Scare? Not really.

But I rarely give my characters a strength without some sort of cost. She's not afraid because she's used to people being awful. Unfortunately, being used to people being awful means you'll have trouble opening up and being empathetic. Given that she craves people to call a family, that's not a good trait to possess.

Seldi likes few people (though she'll pretend otherwise), and she's just barely friends with them. It's likely they'll grow tired of her seemingly aloof and fickle nature, and abandon her.

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Are too many people "Fearless"?

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes