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

GruntSquad · **09-16-2017, 09:28 AM**

Hi,

I'm a long-time roleplayer (in a different game though), and am currently not playing ff14 yet.

In a month's time or so I'm going to play the trial version of the game. I want to check things out, if possible even attempt at doing a little bit of RP. I've read up on the restrictions that apply to free2play accounts.

Here are my questions:
- In what way will it affect my roleplay?
- How depenend is roleplay on linkshells and free companies?
- With a level cap of 35, what RP-hubs am I missing out on?

Also:
I'll be playing a bog-standard jrpg character, a travelling hyur swordsman (gladiator). I'll adapt the details as I read up on lore and stuff. I presume casual RP is located at the local taverns in the major cities, but what is the "landscape" of the roleplay community looking like?
- What is more prevalent, open-Rp or plot-rp?
- What is the roleplay generally centered around, citizens or adventurers?
- Do you (as a community) act out factions of the story/lore, or do you stay away and create your own?

Anything that helps me to get a general idea is very much appreciated!
Thanks in advance and for your time!

~ grunt

Eses Fafa · **09-16-2017, 09:56 AM**

Quick note, to be honest. My brain went a COMPLETELY different place when seeing this title.
Anyhow, the main RP hub is the Quicksand, while there are others such as the Drowned Wench, and various events at peoples' houses, there isn't much in terms of late-game roleplayer zones, unless you count the occasional Ishgard RP going off, which is naturally Heavensward content. I can't say there's much if any Kugane RP either, much to the chagrin of the weeb--I mean Doman-loving crowd. You should be fine on hubs. There are some cases where I've even met people out on the road ICly.

Not being able to go post-35 does inevitably create an awkward situation where people are afraid to spoil the story, and being less in the know in the lore is always a handicap as a roleplayer.

As for dependence on Linkshells and FCs, there's very little dependence, since both Balmung and Mateus have pretty good coordination with its own community. Both Linkshells and FC can be used for better organised roleplay sessions and storylines, but you'll not find yourself wanting.

GruntSquad · **09-16-2017, 10:17 AM**

Thanks for the quick response Eses! I changed the title to make matters more clear.

Well then, that answers my main questions. Sounds doable. I welcome everybody to comment regardless, as I want to learn as much as I can about this community.

I'm pretty confidend, that I'll manage the lore-side of things. Up-to-now I primarily used community based information like wikis, forums and youtube videos anyway. But I'll keep in mind, what you said about the spoilers.

If my secondary questions seem a little broad, and if you don't mind, I'd be interested to hear about your (Eses included) personal rp as well. What you play, where and with whom you hang around with and so on.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **09-16-2017, 10:55 AM**

(09-16-2017, 09:28 AM)GruntSquad Wrote: Hi,

I'm a long-time roleplayer (in a different game though), and am currently not playing ff14 yet.

In a month's time or so I'm going to play the trial version of the game. I want to check things out, if possible even attempt at doing a little bit of RP. I've read up on the restrictions that apply to free2play accounts.

Here are my questions:
- In what way will it affect my roleplay?
- How depenend is roleplay on linkshells and free companies?
- With a level cap of 35, what RP-hubs am I missing out on?

Also:
I'll be playing a bog-standard jrpg character, a travelling hyur swordsman (gladiator). I'll adapt the details as I read up on lore and stuff. I presume casual RP is located at the local taverns in the major cities, but what is the "landscape" of the roleplay community looking like?
- What is more prevalent, open-Rp or plot-rp?
- What is the roleplay generally centered around, citizens or adventurers?
- Do you (as a community) act out factions of the story/lore, or do you stay away and create your own?

Anything that helps me to get a general idea is very much appreciated!
Thanks in advance and for your time!

~ grunt

Hiya there. I can try to answer some of these too.

(09-16-2017, 09:28 AM)GruntSquad Wrote: In what way will it affect my roleplay?

There are two major features a trial account cannot do.
1) They cannot send a /tell (usually called a whisper in other games)
2) They cannot trade items or use the market board. (Any gear you want, you'll have to make on your own, which limits your options especially for the more casual items. Some might pop up in Palace of the Dead though!)

(09-16-2017, 09:28 AM)GruntSquad Wrote: How dependent is roleplay on linkshells and free companies?

It varies. Generally speaking, open-world RP is typically open to anyone, while a Free Company or Linkshell's group would be a little more group-centric/closed. I believe you can still be invited into Linkshells on a trial, but you cannot make one of your own.

(09-16-2017, 09:28 AM)GruntSquad Wrote: With a level cap of 35, what RP-hubs am I missing out on?

You'll be limited to maps accessible in just A Realm Reborn. Even a level 1 player character can technically reach them all. (Although it's made a lot easier with airships to/from the main cities at around lv15.) YOu might need to get a little crafty with avoiding the more aggressive monsters in higher level areas, but if someone's doing an event you want to attend in a 2.X map, you should be able to get there without issue.

(09-16-2017, 09:28 AM)GruntSquad Wrote: What is more prevalent, open-Rp or plot-rp?

This will depend on which server[s] you play on. You can usually find both on the bigger ones. I'd recommend trying to get onto Mateus for NA or Omega for EU, as they've likely got the largest communities outside of Balmung, which is basically perma-locked for its gigantic datacenter-killing population.

(09-16-2017, 09:28 AM)GruntSquad Wrote: What is the roleplay generally centered around, citizens or adventurers?

Pretty much the same as above. You'll find both types. I personally tend to see more casual/tavern-ish RP because that's what I'm usually doing, but those are still generally made up of combat-ready characters. There are people who play 100% no combat characters as well though. You shouldn't have trouble with either or a mix.

(09-16-2017, 09:28 AM)GruntSquad Wrote: Do you (as a community) act out factions of the story/lore, or do you stay away and create your own?

I'd avoid using the "c" word. Even on just the RPC, which is a fraction of the total collection of RPers, there are multiple groups and plenty of differing views. The RPC's goal is to be a hub for these multiple groups with some places for news, discussions, and information storage/exchange. The total RPer population between RPC, Tumblr, in-game, and elsewhere is large enough that there isn't really any single hub or single "leader" of ideas or rules.

On a general basis, the people coming onto RPC are generally pretty lore-abiding and look for others who are about the same. We've got a range of high-fantasy to low-fantasy, although many of the more active posters seem to fall into the low-fantasy category. Due to the forum organization, I'd also always recommend checking where a thread is when it's more discussion oriented. The Lore Discussion forum, for instance, leans towards whether something can be done [and justified within the lore], not whether it should be done [like if a concept has incredibly rare or strict dependencies that would prevent a person from being able to do it].

Akeno Asukai · **09-16-2017, 08:45 PM**

GruntSquad Wrote: Wrote:- In what way will it affect my roleplay?Â

So, there are a few different ways in which the free-to-play/trial account will have an influence on your role-play within the game. The bigger ones have been covered prior to this post and there are:

â€¢The area in which you will be able to RPÂ which seems kind of minusculeÂ when you consider how large certain communities are. For example, Balmung has a very large community with events hosted in a number of places which can be accessed by free-to-play accounts.

â€¢The number of events you'll be able to attendÂ isn't very likely to be hindered, unless you become involved in certain story arcs and Free Company ran plots. I've seen a number of Free Companies expanding their story arcs into the newer content of the game -- likely because it's new and exciting and everyone is generally there. However, I can honestly say that there are a lotÂ of events still held in low-level zones as well as events held at Free Company estates in Eorzea housing districts.Â

â€¢Glamours and outfitsÂ can be a problem since you cannot use the Market boards to acquire gear, nor trade with someone from the community, and you cannot unlock glamours until 50. Most of the "better looking" gear (especially for adventurers) happens after level forty, unfortunately -- though this opinion is still just an opinion.Â

GruntSquad Wrote: Wrote:- With a level cap of 35, what RP-hubs am I missing out on?

As mentioned prior, there aren't many hubs that you're missing out. Kugane and Ishgard/Foundation are about the only hubs however, the role-play there can come across as very segregated -- by which I mean, RP in these two areas tends to be done between Free Company members and people already engaged in long-term role-play with someone. In my experience, walk-up RP isn't very prominent here (although that's not to say it doesn't/never happen/s).Â
Â Â Â Â Â Going back to an earlier point there is some open-world RP which is done through Free Company's and Link Shells alike, as well as events taking place in the world that you might not be able to attend easily. Being ferried to the higher level zones might be an option however, it can be quite frustrating when one considers the number of active/hostile mobs in areas that some people choose for role-play. Generally speaking, I do not see many people attending these types of events often.Â

GruntSquad Wrote: Wrote:- How depenend is roleplay on linkshells and free companies?

Linkshells and Free Companies are absolutelyÂ a large part of the role-play community however, it's quite possible to have active, long-term role-play without them. That being said, your chances of having a more engaging role-play experience do increase drastically when you become a part of a Free Company or an active Linkshell. ^^;Â

GruntSquad Wrote: Wrote:- What is more prevalent, open-Rp or plot-rp?

Based on what I've seen and my experiences on Balmung (since it's the only server I've spent significant time on -- it's where I started and where my main has always been), I've drawn the conclusion that these two types of role-play are damn near even among community members. The only majorÂ difference would be when one starts to consider open-world role-play.Â
Â Â Â Â Â The vast majority of Free Companies I've encountered host open/public events and generally encourage members of the community to come along. There are some Free Companies which welcome non-company members into their stories and plots (shameless plug: my Free Company is among those numbers). At any given time, you will find people engaging in casual role-play within taverns and localized hubs (such as Gridania and Ul'dah) -- these people are usually very inviting when it comes to walk-up (most people will even include it in their search information).Â

GruntSquad Wrote: Wrote:- What is the roleplay generally centered around, citizens or adventurers?

This is actually a very good question to ask when considering engaging in the role-play communities here on Fourteen. I would say there is a good mixture of people looking for both however, I find a lot of people (again, this is Balmung specific as I have very little experience with role-play on other servers such as Mateus) who play citizens aren't "true" citizens in the sense that the vast majority of them are also experienced adventurers and sell-swordsÂ and the like. Rare is it to find someone who role-plays as nothing more than a clothing merchant or wait-staff at one of the many taverns; even many of the brothel role-players seem to be experienced in magic and/or hand-to-hand combat.Â
Â Â Â Â Â Â As far as what the role-play is centered around, there is a very strong mix of casual, tavern role-play as well as long-term, exploration and adventure role-play. If you're looking for people to engage in adventures with, you'll no doubt find them in any major role-play hub.Â

GruntSquad Wrote: Wrote:- Do you (as a community) act out factions of the story/lore, or do you stay away and create your own?

When it comes to certain factions, there are a number of role-players who've taken on a role within them in-character. The biggest example I can think of for this are the Grand Companies; you're likely to find a lot of people role-playing as members of them.Â
Â Â Â Â Â However, when it comes to larger, more important people and figureheads I believe the general consensus is to avoid it. I have seen people role-playing as major figureheads, but I generally write them off as impostorsÂ and impersonators. The lore of the game is generally followed by the majority of the community that I've interacted with. You will (as with any game or world) have people who wish to exist outside of the game's lore -- these people are met with mixed reviews by the majority of the community with some people finding the role-play to be engaging and fun and others finding it to be... less than.Â
Â Â Â Â Â My "best" advice would be to follow the game's lore. It's very easy to find engaging, lore-oriented role-play; this advice may be biased however, so take it with a grain of salt if you prefer.Â

I do hope I've answered all your questions. ^^; I know this has gotten quite long. If you've any questions or need clarification/elaboration on anything feel free to message me here -- I'm generally around daily and try to respond as quickly as possible.Â

GruntSquad · **09-17-2017, 12:02 PM**

Big thanks to the both of you, Unnamed Mercenary and Akeno Asukai!

You helped me a lot! You answered all of my question, so I think the thread served it's purpose. Sounds like the roleplayerbase in balmung is very healthy and going strong, that makes me very happy and hyped for RP.

I'll be on the look-out for a server and keep track on the ongoing discussions. Who knows, maybe we will see each other ic on balmung in the unforeseeable future.

see ya guys!

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