Hyrist

Liking the lore bits for all of these. As for as the Au Ra lore and current story lines. There is like cause for there to be a migration and for those who were of the tribal life to 'settle out' of the warring trends before reaching the common areas of Eorzea. Raen will be easy to integrate, already into the 'settler' nature. Even a minority of Doman refugees can be in this category. Other such people traversing for fairer lands is possible. Again 'rare' is a relative term related to the entire subspecies. We have no idea their overall numbers so we shouldn't concern ourselves with OOC population. Xaela... really need no excuse. Wanderlust. They're nomadic. A member of this group could have drifted away from the tribal lands and began integrating in society as he journeyed east-word, and his experiences have dulled his violent nature, or some such. Or even not, if they want to be more antagonistic. Depends on the style someone wants to play. While it may take time to adjust to the homeland, that adjustment does not need to happen in Eorzea, so there's a lot of freedom that can be done with plots here.

How would everyone feel about 3pm eastern? That time actually works fine for us. If this is the time and there are no emergencies we will be in attendance.

Just wanted to mention, the earlier the better on May 3rd. We won't be available if the event runs into the 9pm EST hour.

Dark Embers Claire Brea Lin Celistine Participation is depending on date time availability.

That's, a difficult question to ask. There's a variety of sources have and continue to research from ,but mainly comes from a variety of knowledge in fiction writing, tabletop roleplaying games and, more and more lately, researching online. This is backed up by what is nearing to be twenty years of roleplay experience in open RP settings, hitting a fairly broad range of subjects. For me, more or less there's a process. It starts with inspiration, a drive to play a certain theme. This is followed by a touch of brainstorming to get the general idea of what I want to relay out in the plot. Then there's Lore research - figure out where I'm breaking or bending Lore and make adjustments to make it believable, even if it goes against some established conventions (This is easier with FFXIV as they commonly break their own lore rules.) What I'm looking for more in my lore research is proof of concept - can it exist in the world? Then it comes down to refinement of execution. These are the moment to moment posts of situations scenes, etc that need to be displayed accurately. Fight scenes are somewhat easier for me as I've been writing and dealing with various 'mechanics' for them for years and have some experience in live sword-fighting to help with some work. Other than that it's practice, if I find myself in a catch, I watch/read something of a similar subject of what I'm doing and let the input start to sort out ideas. Needless to say this is a long process and it is not done all at once or all the time, I tend to build my plots pretty far in advance (which can mean they fall apart and I have to improvise but Ceste La Vi). However it is nice to have a routine to work when when you got the time or are suffering from writer's block. Trade secret, also listen to a wide variety of music. A lot of movies, show, and film tend to use music as a way of controlling emotion and inspiration, and listening to music can sometimes trigger inspiration by invoking similar emotions. Something to do if you're looking for ideas or wanting motivation for research.

I second this notion. Dark Embers has a long host of events and RL issues often interrupt 'planned' events if they hit too hard, making a single-event representation somewhat precarious for us. I understand that it is quicker to have a single night meeting in which many FC's can converse, but given scheduling conflicts, this may not be as feasible. That said, if a location/date/time is selected, we'll do what we can to attend.

Warning,the following is rant not directed at any individual in particular. Please read at your own risk.

You can stop waiting.

IIRC there was multiple Ascians assaulting the player in the 2.1 quest line when you were pursuing the White-Robed ascian. There is also the pair in Haukke Manor that do not seem to be the same pair that assaults you, nor the one you defeat at the level 15 quest, or even the ones in the Primals Plotline. So while there may be a limited seat of the highest ranking, it seems there is a hierarchy with the lower echelons being more populated.

There's a slight error in that logic - because it assumes all of the enemies are at the same skill level to each other. Perhaps the one that the Overpowered character is facing is also above the norm as well? That would be absolute most simple answer to a simple question, similar to what Freelance has said. In this way the group can decide, does the 'OP' player duel with the sub-boss? Or does the other players team up on them while the 'OP' player handle the adds? Working with what feels more comfortable to everyone, will insure that players will all feel included. And it's ok to discuss and weigh in on these individual instances back and forth. This kind of discussion is healthy. It's how we learn to balance things on a case-by case basis instead of just paint with broad strokes. Again, not everyone are going to be able to play either an under-powered or overpowered character correctly. And while it's easier to maintain engagement in a casual 'bar' setting RP, it can stagnate quick for some. (I'm 31, I began RPing online when I was 13. The bar scene does kinda wear thin after so much of it.)

The problem is 'staying safe' results in having a small circle to roleplay with and that's it. In the long term it stagnates things and the 'bleed' becomes people bleeding away from participation. To keep things interesting, you sometimes have to take a bit of risk. This article is well written. There is good and bad bleed, and those at varying levels of experience in dealing with it are going to have their own problems going forward with it. It's an important part of the developmental process of roleplaying. You play, you make mistakes, and you grow. There seems to be a sentiment among a group that they must, at all times, avoid potential risk factors. And while I can agree that if you're not able to handle matters as they present themselves, and even if you do tackle risks there is a cut-off point, that it's ok to play safe. Please keep in mind - taking those risks, or going out of your way to assist those who are struggling with these matters actually grows the community. People don't develop from being shut away. Often times, they grow resentful and as a result become even more stubborn and set in their ways. In the end it just breaks a community apart. I've always been more of a fan of an initially open approach, where, if they display themselves as person that's worthwhile to spend time with OOCly, then it becomes worth the investment to work with them to improve IC aspects. So long as the OOC relationship remains positive, that can always continue. And the larger Roleplaying Community can only stand to improve from that.

This question may have been Rhetorical, but the true answer is reliant on the character. The tension for the 'overpowered' character comes from the lingering question of whether or not this powerful character, while being powerful, be able to defend others from harm while doing it. I'm going to use Lin again as an example. She may be able to deftly kill multiple enemies on her own, but much of her tactics require her to be highly mobile or have personal space to do so, as she's a Dragoon. That does not lend itself to protecting others very well, and she's suffered the consequences of that before. There's the risk of harming someone inadvertently when swinging wide with her spear, or over focusing on one opponent when the others focus on a 'weak link'. For Lin, that's a major trauma point because she's lost people that way so there's a matter of whether or not she even has to focus to behave with the same efficiency she does solo. So the tension in that confrontation remains. I'd imagine situations could be made to maintain that situation for many of the characters. A mage may be able to handle perhaps a single small group of enemies with a Sleep or Bind spell, but some of the more destructive forces are liable for Friendly fire issues in RP. A skilled tank, such as a Paladin or Warrior, however, may be able to fend off multiple enemies, (using flash as a great opener) as is their design, but finishing opponents deftly would take a secondary objective than protecting others. So even with powerful characters, the base premises can still keep situations intense in those circumstances. Again, it's all in the execution which, honestly, comes with expierence and care. Most of the arguments here against power characters fall more in line with characters that lack depth, and honestly, that applies on the whole spectrum. A shallow character is a boring and often frustrating character to play with.

Usually, those are the ones that are picking powerful characters to RP for the wrong reasons. See, I don't mind the result of a fight being left to Dice Rolls, having a powerful character fail is a challenge, and far more fun to me than just failing because your character was under-powered. But honestly, I'm not much of a PvP player. That's where the Epeen comes from, I think. My character has power because part of her story is a question of how she deals with the consequences and mysteries of it. And, honestly, it mostly results in her running and hiding from it. She doesn't want to be abnormal, but at the same time, with the world so dangerous, can she really say she has the right to refuse it? This inner conflict got even more intense when it came to the battle of Cartneau and the aftermath. Losing so many of her friends dying to protect people, then being forgotten. She's traumatized but she's a legacy of those lost at the same time. In the end the role play becomes more about the conflict of responsibility and personal desires, and the consequences of ignoring one's past than that of someone who's powerful. Lin does not feel like she's better than anyone, in fact she feels like a freak, and this gets compounded on by the mental instability inflicted by the trauma of the Calamity. So, it's all in the approach, I think. Some people, especially if they're young or new to RPing, will tend to RP powerful characters for the sake of satisfying a need for importance or trying to meet story to game-play. But that's speculation. I'm ok with powerful character so long a they are kept in check OOCly, and that can be done with communication.

I play both, and enjoy playing both. But I try not to think of a character as 'under-powered' or 'overpowered' to do so removes definition from a character and starts throwing conversations about role playing into an 'us vs them' mentality that I just don't support. What boils down to is how well the story is played. A person with no particularly great traits using quick wits to conquer a difficult situation. A person of great skill who struggles internally with the weight of responsibility, and the dreaded feeling of isolation that sometimes comes with being set apart. Or even someone who was once great, or headed down a great path but wound up facing the ruination of all that they worked hard for. All of these are good stories to tell, just tell them well and be respectful towards one another. It's really that simple. The biggest problems I see when it comes to the concept of under and over powered is how people treat one another with it. How an overpowered character played well can still be treated with scorn, or how an under-powered character gets manhandled by someone who abuses their character's traits. These situations can be resolved with being on the level with each other and solving problems OOCly. Communication, Cooperation and Consent are the cornerstones of good RP everything else is just a matter of tastes. I just happen to like a bit of variety in mine. Everything from the dark and serious to the absolute slap-stick ridiculous, to the simple and down to earth types. They're all good if you find the right people to do them. And what makes Final Fantasy such a great backdrop to RP with is that it often contains all of them. We really have a great game and community here. If I can give some advice I'd say lean on that a bit and let yourself try some things outside your normal comfort zone - you might find yourself finding enjoying RP all over again. (Also. I picked Voidsent Potato. Twice-baked with scallions, a touch of virgin olive oil and garlic with a tea spoon of Alfredo sauce in the mash mix. >.> )

^ Yay, cookie for Chris! He got it right! It was just me trying to stress on it, so upper case letters! SMILE! Still calling it Systematically Making Intellectually Lovely Exchanges. >.>

I'm having to word myself carefully in this situation as I've well known that my opinion always first seems unpopular untill the full depth of it is understood. To clarify, this is not a slight in anyway, but it is a caution bout semantics - roleplaying is a very word-specific craft and we must at all times be aware of the implied impact of what we say as a community. That said, this simply the observation of one man who's spent his whole life pretending to be different people for personal enjoyment, and genuinely wishes for an open and loving community that approaches matters, including touchy subjects, with an effort into mutual understanding rather the assumption of understanding. I'm going to start with the blunt: In my experience - Roleplaying is Wish Fulfillment Heres the Caveat: in the same regards as all Alcoholic Drinks contain Alcohol. I respectfully submit to the community that it is healthy to recognize that there is no separating the two so much as there is treating it responsibly. If there is a modicum of desire to roleplay something, you are fulfilling a wish. I use alcohol as a reference because I feel Roleplaying in general must be treated with the same level of caution and respect, and those who are falling into common IC/OOC separation or immersion difficulties must also be approached with the same level of understanding and concern, rather than disdain. (Indeed a lot of my philosophy of Roleplaying involves treating the craft like a hobby in Alacholic drinks. I.E.: You control the Character (drink) the character (drink) does not control you. There are times will you do things to your character that are out of its line of comfort, or make them do things that are against their base nature, etc.) Reading some of these posts, I find myself fearful that this community, in an effort to try to create a drama-free environment, often sets itself up for more due to harsh language usage and exclusion behavior. Everyone has their own style of roleplaying, and their own control to immersion limits. Not everyone understands their own limits and sometimes must be guided to do so. This is why, the hand-in-hand top priority of all roleplaying is consent and communication. So long as the people involved in the roleplay all consent to the goings on, all else is secondary. You can have wish-fulfillment so long as it's done safely and not to the harm of the players behind the monitors. To state otherwise universally does so at the inadvertent exclusion of people who's wish fulfillment is benign. For example: We have many members of the RP community that are Gender Fluid or wish to experience the gameplay from the perspective of a Gender Other than your own. Yet, someone new who's not grasping the subtle differences on the concept of 'wish fulfillment' may fell dejected by the notion that it's so passionately protested against (even though it is inherent in our craft). Be it the wish to play a part, or the wish to immerse yourself into a world, all forms of roleplaying intrinsically functions as wish fulfillment. With respect to the community here, I feel it's wise that we recognize that and focus more on the concept of communication, consent, and self-control than to paint that particular matter as a clear 'other' to the natural behaviors of the community.

Do we really have that much of an idle issue with our server? Unless they're idling in their own homes/rooms I don't see too many afk people around. I do see a lot of bots going on. We may, at this point, be hitting the genuine congestion point. An Auto-logoff feature would be nice, but I feel it's just a stopgap on the matter at this point. We'd squeeze an extra couple hundred players in before we hit the problem again. Brainstorming on the matter came up with a few solutions, many of them would be far easier if SE would enable free transfers off of Balmung and Gilgamesh Free Transfers off the Server would enable RPC to designate another RP server. If they did that, and designate an 'official rp server' we'd be able to combine communities from Gilgamesh and Balmung - while we have a thriving community, I still don't believe we hold the majority of the populace of either server and would probably benefit to congregate. They could allow the free transfers off and officially designate Blamung and Gilgamesh as RP servers - RPers would be able to keep their housings at that point. A LOT of FCs and players on the RP end are pretty well entrenched in their well-furnished homes. This would hopefully free up existing communities for more people. Otherwise, we're waiting for SE to shore up their server-structure (again) to allow more people. Which, really doesn't help shove the problem of underpopulated servers on other data clusters. It's not that we have too many people overall. It's just that we're highly clustered together.

Hope so. They're just old RPer worries, and I overthink everything as a default.

They got an easy scapegoat in that situation: The Echo. The entirety of their participation within 2.0-3.0 can be an Echo Flashback in which the participating members do not even observe the fact that they are an-unconventional race until the Echo ends, as again, the presence of someone within an actual Echo cannot change the events they see. They did this in 1.xx, so there is precedent, even if they drew out and retconned stuff from that period of time. That said, not even sure if they would do it that way, it's all just speculation. As far as RP wise goes, everyone will likely have their own methods of introducing, transforming, or re-writing their characters to make it work within their group's canon. FFXIV's 'official word' isn't really RP friendly as a whole, so it can get be bent a little. (That word sounded too aggressive.)

I don't think this will work At all, due to the largely variant ways each nation deals with its criminals. Those who break Woods Law are often put to the spear or banished entirely. Ul'dah system is corrupt with the legal matters splitered between Brass Blades, Flames, and the Sultansworn who all seem to handle crime in their own manner. And well, depending on the crime, anything from Jail to swift pirate assassination from the Rogue's Guild is given. When you have so many methods of law enforcement, and you attempt to create an 'official' source of law in RP, it can very quickly go downhill on an OOC level. It is difficult to maintain civilly working law enforcement RP even within fully free-form RP environments, and typically those sort of components are handled by the individual Storytellers and group leadership for the sake of keeping a concise story within that group. Expanding it beyond that, in my twenty year tenure as a roleplayer from tabletop to online, often ends up souring communities quickly, in spite of multiple claims to be the 'exception' to the statement. I've seen it, many times before, and unfortunately its never pretty. It's ok for individual components, in my experience, but big groups have never worked. It most often breaches the consent line for the sake of continuity, and it stands firmly in the grey area of 'authority' within any roleplaying community. I'd rather that not happen here. I can't recommend it. It's nothing against anyone here, but I've seen it too many times. This is one of those areas of RP in open groups that you just don't tread upon.

*disappointed sigh* I can never attend theses with my characters cause it lands on a Raid night. Would be nice to scope out the new location and accommodations. Are there any screenshots to be had of the new locale?

Totally guilty of this. Need to update Eric's profile, finish Lin's Profile, and START Hyrist's profile. And that's not including side characters... which I now have 4 of... x.x I just need to have time, completely undisturbed, and motivated to work on characters. Problem is, that's not easy to come by.

Never before has a Roleplaying group maintained an air of both mystery and engagement for me. Between the rank advancement method and the custom-tailored events, Reacher's Fall feels like they've fully blended the mechanics of the game into their own, player driven content, adding to the richness of A Realm Reborn. In spite of the unifying theme, each player-character who's come in so far has added to the depth and diversity of the cast, and it call came to a head at our first Riddlemeet, where our character personalities and backgrounds shined even as we competed OOCly in friendly completion. I've been looking for a home for my Lin Celestine and I'm proud to say I don't think I could have found a better one that meshes both in character and out of character elements. This is a Company for someone really looking to immerse themselves into the a unique roleplay environment for FFXIV! Top props to the founders for all their hard work. Come join us!

The game pretty much covers the reconstruction of Relic-level weapons within its own game Lore. The process in and of itself indicates that it could very well be duplicated multiple times in which many 'Relic' Weapons exists. It's when we get into tales of the armor itself, due to the variances in how the gear is actually obtained, that discussion becomes one of taste. However this two was covered in game-lore, when it was mentioned in the IC postings of the Seventh Umbral Era story-line on Lodestone that Adventurers by the droves were reviving the old ways, both in terms of skills and in gear acquirement. It's safe to say from these evidenced points that the Lore Versions of these weapons are in fact reproductions and can exist in multiplication. I also recall that the development team eventually wanted to create unique weapons that could only be temporarily obtained, and these would be the true Legendary weapons. It is unknown whether or not this design concept has survived through to A Realm Reborn or not, but I do note the absence of well noted weapon and tools such as Excalibur, Aegis, Bravura, and Claustrum, etc. In the end, I default to what has already been said for my own work - re-flavor it. A weapon with personal history is always more attractive than a weapon with OOC relevance.

Reading this thread is somewhat of a relief to me. It makes me feel reassured that the community knows how to handle the situations properly and are able to address issues in the romance and erotic fields of role-playing. I am no stranger to any of the issues, positive or negative, that are being brought up here. However, that is primarily because I've been in role-playing online for many years. A lot, and I mean a great deal of good points have been brought up, but allow me to bring up some bullet points. - When in doubt, spoil surprises. It is better that your roleplay partner(s) feel comfortable than they feel impressed. Never let a twist leave hanging, because it may come up to that individual via another route and cause OOC drama. - Remember that your roleplay partners are your friends first OOCLY, and your character's romance interest second ICly. Sometimes, you just need to break character to keep things happy between the players, and that's fine. Sometimes, you need to switch things up, including partners. And that's ok too. What matters is you remain friends out of character with the people you enjoy your time with, don't endanger that for a fantasy. - Don't be afraid to roleplay loss. Be it losing a pursuit for love, losing a loved one, losing a conflict. It can be great story and great character development, so long as communication is kept up and everyone is in the loop. And most importantly, remember to have fun. Good light hearted humor moments can be great to break up those tense roleplay scenes that are heart-gripping. As far as my own personal standings go. If the story calls for it, and both players are ok with it, then that's fine. I have no problem with eRP or Romance plots (Romance plots are great for character development and can make for great stories.) So long as what is normally supposed to be reserved for private in real life, is kept to private in rp as well. Personally I prefer my romance stories built up slowly and long lasting. For a time they become a focal point, and then settle into the background of other plots, staying as a supporting element as plots progress. A lot of people love the chase, the passion, and the excitement, for me, it's the slice of home life that becomes endearing as a roleplay element - To remind ourselves that these characters also have simple pursuits, rather than the thrill/fun seeking we as roleplayers tend to pull them into more often than not.