Brynhilde

A very warm welcome to our newest Branded, Lalavi Nanavi, Zazaraka Chacharaka, Tender Heart and Granis Klensbane! North American players have until the Monday deadline to submit their apps. Applications will remain open indefinitely for those who play during European times!

Welcome back!

I managed to make a new character on Balmung a couple days back at around 6am EST. Keep checking! Anyway, welcome to FFXIV.

Hello and welcome!

Hey, White. I want to begin by saying that I empathise completely with everything you've written here. I lead the kind of "very small, exclusive, strict FC with a hardcore "no BS" policy." you mention. Tiergan Vashir(a dear and long-time friend) and I founded our current FC with exactly the same goals and concerns as you've mentioned. Between the two of us, we have almost 15 years worth of experience in leading roleplaying groups in various MMOs. We've been in just about every kind of RP group in terms of attitude and quality, from the very large laissez-faire groups who'll take just about anyone, to the (unfortunately rarer) smaller groups which are more discerning in their recruitment. What Tiergan and I found was that we enjoyed RP much more in the groups which were more selective in their recruitment process. But we found that there just weren't enough of these, and their recruitment policies were rarely enforced with any kind of strictness. So we got together and asked ourselves, "What would be the perfect roleplay guild for us?" Then we built an FC from our answers to that question. We are demanding in our recruitment standards. We look not only for the basic skills such as good spelling, grammar and punctuation, but also for well-rounded characters and a positive attitude. We do not necessarily recruit on the basis of the applicant's roleplay experience; we accepted a wonderful new member who was brand new to MMO RP, and he's become a much-loved and valued member of the group. But I don't kid myself that our standards aren't what some would consider 'elitist'. And we make no apologies for that. Tiergan and I have been RPing for years. We've seen all of the tropes, stories and character types that would likely make more experienced RPers cringe. But we're both in our mid-(coughlatecough)twenties now, and we want roleplay and story-telling of a higher quality. We accepted at the birth of the FC that we would eventually run into accusations of elitism or snobbery, possibly also your mentioned concern of rejected applicants and members holding a grudge against us. This is all fine. We have developed the following views and guidelines to help us along. Perhaps they'll help you, too. You can't please everyone. Some people will get upset no matter what you do. It's best to just accept it. You have a right to enjoy your own FC. If your enjoyment of your FC depends on having a higher quality of RP, then you need to put policies in place to ensure that. You do not have to compromise on your standards for anyone. This one sometimes needs to be repeated, somewhat like a mantra. Demanding certain qualities and skills of your members is not a crime. Balmung is a big server with plenty of RP groups open to people. If someone isn't a good fit for your group, they'll find a home elsewhere. It’s okay to say no to people. Diffusing responsibility for the membership is a good way to lend legitimacy to decisions; while Tiergan and I decide whether to accept applicants based on our standards, whether or not those members pass their trial period is down to our established members. Everyone in the FC who has passed their trial period gets a vote on whether new members stay or not. Democratizing the process gives people a sense of ownership over the FC, and absolves you of any possible accusations that you maintain an unfair, tyrannical stranglehold over who gets in. In short, I agree with what Austratus has added to the discussion above. I’ll also add that your main consideration should be what kind of guild you’d be happy to lead. You have a right to play this game and RP in a way that pleases you, and no-one has a right to tell you otherwise. You may eventually rub people the wrong way by doing this, but that doesn't mean that you’re in the wrong. Basically: [align=center][/align]

Updated 4th June: Recruitment is open in time for the launch of the first season of our main story arc!

Hi Cheshire, Zhavi pretty much covered everything in that excellent post. But if you're concerned about Hydaelyn's lore, there's some great resources online. Here, here, here, and here. Some of these links detail the story of version 1.0, the initial release of FFXIV. In terms of incorporating the official story into your character's story, it really depends how you do it. For example, some people have their characters be Warriors of Light, others don't. I personally don't because, as Zhavi said, it makes my character feel too much like 'The One' for my tastes. But there are plenty of story elements you can use for your character, if done right. Lastly, Balmung is the server most populated by role-players, by far. Gilgamesh is second. It can be tricky to get on to either of these servers, but you can get on if you keeping trying.

[align=center][/align] [align=center]What is Aeon?[/align] [align=center]The story of Aeon is an original concept set within the lore of FFXIV's world, Hydaelyn. Eras ago, a powerful aetherial weapon was shattered into countless pieces by a band of heroes. To prevent it from ever being remade and wielded, a spell was cast over the shards of the weapon; each would travel through the aether to find sanctuary within the body of a soul who would act as its host and guardian until their dying day. Those who bear a shard develop a distinctive runic mark on their skin, and as such have come to be known in certain esoteric circles as the Branded. These marks forge a unique connection between the Branded, gifting them with the ability to ‘see’ each other over vast distances, and share thoughts and experiences over their telepathic Link. The existence of the Branded is not a complete secret, however. There are many who would seek to collect the shards and take their power for their own. The Branded must find and ally with one another, and swiftly; for there are hunters closing in from the shadows... [/align] [align=center]Why Join Aeon? Aeon is a Free Company created and led by a team possessing over a decade of role-playing guild leadership between them. It offers: [/align] An original back story with unique lore, which is congruent with the lore established within the official setting of FFXIV: ARR. A sweeping, engaging FC storyline which is forged and shaped organically by each of our members. Diversity; Aeon seeks to actively recruit rarer race/gender-type characters, and those with unique and interesting back stories and personalities. High-quality RP; Aeon recruits to a very high standard, seeking proactive, experienced and talented role-players to add to and improve our roleplay. Community; Aeon recruits only a small number of people in each recruitment period, and does not recruit again until those new people are settled. In this way, we endeavor to keep our FC small and tightly-knit, to foster a feeling of closeness and involvement for all of our members. We do not tolerate OOC prejudice, discrimination or hate speech toward any group of people. We accept every race and gender of Earth people, and we are LGBTQ friendly! Regular events which offer character interaction and development, and the opportunity to forge and develop inter-character relationships. Events set at times appropriate to both North Americans and Europeans. A friendly, supportive and open RP environment. A zero-OOC drama policy. A fully in-character FC channel, and an out-of-character channel for chatter. Free company housing. [align=center]Recruitment Status CLOSED For information on applying to Aeon FC, please check out this thread on our forums. To learn more about us and to apply, please visit us at our site, or send a /tell in-game to: Aurour Mhirata.[/align]

I've RP'd duties before in exactly the way you described. They were great fun! It's almost refreshing in the way the timer forces you to be more economical in your dialogue and emotes.

Yeah, that's the Balmung group. The shiny new Balmung RP group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/519071641542754/?fref=ts Join with your RL profile, or one set up for your character, whichever you prefer.

Maybe that's something we should rectify. Would the RP community like/use an FB group? Because if they would, I don't mind setting one up.

Yay, Lalas! Welcome back. I look forward to seeing you around.

Bryn's a big flirt, and loves physicality and affection. Lecherous men placing their hands certain places are likely to have those hands broken, but everything else is all good.

<3 all of this.

Hullo Lucas, My free company, Reacher's Fall, has a healthy number of European players (myself and another officer included). We're not recruiting right now, as we're revising our FC documents, policies and story, but please consider us when you begin your search for an FC. We'll be re-opening recruitment very soon. You can learn more about us here: http://reachersfall.enjin.com

Hullo all, The clinic will be open very shortly. Come along to get those aches and pains seen to!

*Dances* I can't wait for this. Bryn will be making an appearance -- either as an injured party, or as a dispenser of soothing chicken soup to the ill and injured.

Welcome back! I'll keep an eye out for you. :3

Thank you to everyone who came along to the ball. I hope you all had fun! Those of you who participated in the roulette, please do let us know how your evening went and if you and your date have plans to meet again...

Due to lack of interest, the Sunday date roulette and ball are no longer going ahead. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Alright love-'bos, It's just over a day to go until our ball! Those of you who have signed up to the roulette should have received PMs with your numbers. The matching has begun! (Please note that although every effort will be made to pair your character up with someone, the numbers and preferences submitted may work against us. In that case, matches will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.) There's still time and spaces open for late sign-ups, particularly for male and bisexual/gay characters. So get those details in! I've edited the OP to make it clearer that signing-up is just for the roulette. Anyone may attend the ball, so long as they're masked and in the right colours. One last thing; due to lack of interest, the Sunday event is no longer going ahead. - Bryn

Welcome back! Your name is really familiar. Were you in the Order of the Stormguard, per chance? And how's going paleo working out for you? I've been thinking of trying it out.

With just under a week to go, any adventurers looking for love should get their details to me for the roulette!

With just over two weeks to go until the ball, don't forget to submit your details if you'd like to participate in the roulette!

Balmung does indeed have its own date roulette happening (looks as if we arrived at the same idea at roughly the same time. Our posts were a day apart. ). Balmung'ers can find details of our Saturday the 15th event (NA time) HERE. And details of our Sunday the 16th (EU time) event are HERE.