Agarthane

Discussion of RP methodology and personal preferences aside, I think all of us who have been doing this for any length of time have had people bleed OOC into IC or vice versa with disastrous results. I know I personally did it once when I was fifteen, and I nearly blew up a forum RP. Luckily, I had people around who were understanding and explained the difference. Some people either aren't lucky enough to have those people around or are too ignorant to listen to them, and we end up with people suddenly disliking all the characters of a player who's character screwed someone else's over. Or the worst is the romantic RP that totally crosses the line and isn't reciprocated IRL. That's sort of the RP horror story, the "girlfriend" that isn't a girlfriend that just won't go away, IC or OOC. I could relate some of those horror stories if no one else here feels like it. Suffice it to say, bleeders are land mines in the RP world, people that seem like normal roleplayers until something happens and they destroy everything around them. If there's one thing to take away from this thread, you can empathize with your character, as that's a methodology choice. Eventually, though, you empathize too closely, so it's important to know not to do that and make that character's life your own life. Bad and good things happen to characters that are NOT happening to you personally; it's all RP. If it bleeds one way or the other, we all have a problem. This is an excellent post. I would only like to add that the issue of Bleeding can easily become much, much worse if it's not checked. Speaking from my own experience in many RP communities, including table-top groups, message board and in-game communities I have personally seen the following happen because of this issue. Some examples are extreme, but I want to emphasize just how bad it can really get. Entire, long running role-play communities derailed, divided or completely destroyed. RP forums that devolved into flame wars so vile that people were actually looking up real-life details about fellow players to use against them. I've seen IC relationships misinterpreted and escalate to the level of full on stalking, complete with the authorities having to get involved. In one of the worst instances, someone attempted to wreck someone else's *real life* relationship because their characters had broken up in-game. I've watched people who were friends, in real life, become enemies and remain so years later. I've witnessed players spiral into depression ranging from mild to severe over IC related events. Lastly, I got to experience someone I had known and played with for years go into such a dark place that she ended up posting her suicide note on a forum message board. The bleeding of IC and OOC is the very bane of any RP community. At the very least it leads to drama, damaged story lines and hurt feelings. At its worse... See above.

Nothing, but in my opinion it's not the other players decision to make. I guess, but what else can one expect when discussing crimes in public? I dunno, I'm of the opinion that people should be more willing to "go with the flow" in roleplay. Yea, you have the final say on what happens to your character, but it's a bit silly to get upset when someone ICly calls out people for discussing crimes in public. I mean, that's just not a wise thing to do! Except everyone involved (well, except maybe the lawman/woman - I'm unsure if they've posted in this thread) was apparently happy with the outcome of the scene? So I'm really not sure what the issue is here. I would implore you to consider what playing a member of law enforcement really means and why it should be handled with care. When you Role play, for example, a Flames officer, you are not simply playing that one individual. You are playing The Flames. When you make a threat it comes with the full martial and bureaucratic might of the entire law enforcement machine. You carry in your hand the ability to met out consequences, small and dire, that other players MUST respect or be forced to break character. To use a real world example, what happens when a police officer tries to make an arrest and things go awry? What happens if the officer is injured or even killed? Congrats, you now have to deal not with that individual, but with the entire law enforcement apparatus. That one officer is a cog in a machine that no one individual can effectively stand against. Bringing this back to FF14, even in the realm of high fantasy, the above example still stands. Even if the officer in question was *wrong*, even if they were actively evil and corrupt, you CANNOT simply get away with crossing them. That's why, when misused, playing an officer can rise to the level of manipulating a scene. Almost no other type of character can simply walk in and create real consequences for all involved. As for being a fugitive, if that's the logical path for a particular story to take, fine. It's not something I'd want arbitrarily imposed upon my character by someone else.

What needs to be kept in mind is that the art of role-playing is actually the art of the cooperative story. It's more than simply wandering around, doing anything you feel your character would normally do. It's about story telling, and that means on a very basic level being at least somewhat mindful of not screwing up someone elses. This is also an example of why extra care should be taken if you are role-playing a character who claims a position of real authority. It's so easy to abuse this, intentionally or not, since you can easily put another player in the awkward situation of being forced to do something they might not want to do, or break character. And even if RP is public, all sides should be open to the idea of PM communication if it helps integrate all parties more effectively into the story.

Your only real option, if you want to play a true Whitemage... is to simply break lore. Not the worst crime in the world, you're free to play as you please. HOWEVER.. Roleplayers game in MMO's because it's easier to create a sense of immersion. Immersion demands a certain amount of adherence to the rules that govern your setting. Herein lies the impasse, because anyone with even the slightest bit of knowledge about the mages isn't going to buy a non-Padjal claiming to be one and it's not fair to those who DO take the setting seriously and extend actual effort to play within it's rules to be forced to toss out everything they'd learned or read to make an impossible character plausible. That's what makes the Whitemage situation unique among MMO's in general. It's the only class/job I've ever seen where the lore is written in such a way that it, currently, cannot be role-played without being lore-breaking. It's locked down to *that* degree. Example time... lets say you were a WoW player and your characters background stated that you were one of the small group that faced and defeated the Lich King, and killed Deathwing AND killed Garrosh, three end of expansion bosses. Most role-players wouldn't appreciate that and might consider it obnoxious... but its something that would actually be *possible* within the setting. I repeat... being one of the worlds elite who played a crucial role in defeated *three* world threatening, nigh unstoppable adversaries and their respective legions, being the savior of an entire setting several times over, is more plausible than your character being a Whitemage.

It's basic RP etiquette, really. Here's the problem, and this is true of most MMOs. The in-game storyline treats you as a hero among heroes and one of the most powerful beings in the setting. This is fine and dandy for the game itself, but within the realm of roleplaying it can be rather obnoxious. It's the Son of Satan thing. If you've been roleplaying for awhile you've probably seen people do this. Play a character who is literally the son of the devil or something similar, with all the ridiculous power that implies. It's just not very fun to Roleplay with someone with that sort of character. Likewise, most RPers don't want to write with someone strutting around as THE hero of a particular setting. Even if a small Community, it would be kind of silly if every role-player was playing a scion and blessed with a rare power like The Echo. Bad form, I say. All that being said, I believe that almost anything can work in writing if it's done well, but that's an uphill climb. A character who's gotten stronger over time via actual role playing storylines and long-term character development will always be more acceptable then- "I'm one of the elite because the in-game story says so."

While I rarely play human characters, I very much approve of the lack of strong defining cultural trades within them. First, it wouldn't make sense for a people so populace and spread out. Second, because it allows you more freedom. Mid landers are only as boring as you make them. On the subject of cultural lore in general, the other races really don't have it any better. The fantasy genre tends to treat the whole idea of culture, particularly for non-humans, as a handful of traits and taglines. Take every shred of info we have about my fav race, the Roegadyn and you have only the barest, faint outline of a culture. As a midlander you could literally create your own culture, easily make said culture richer than anything the other races have been given, and do it all without any real break in lore.

Oldschool RPer chiming in. I need to get away from holiday nonsense for a moment, and whats more sobering then a thread about the dreaded three letter word? Part of the stigma is simply the general stigma against sexuality in general. Some people do not want to read anything resembling that, especially in an entertainment product that isn't rated Mature. That's only a small piece of it, though. The ERP stigma is born of an aversion to two types of parasites that most role playing communities would simply rather not have around. They are both quite destructive in their own way. 1. The Cyber-er (Forgive me, I'm terrible at making labels for things. ) This particular breed of miscreant isn't a Role Player at all. Rather this is an individual with little-to-no writing ability who seeks to use the graphical nature of the MMORPG to hide the fact. They have but one goal, to infiltrate role playing communities in their eternal quest for really bad cyber sex. When players talk about ERP, most of the time they are thinking of these people. The good news? They can never hide their true nature for very long. They usually can't write very well, even in the form of a one-liner and have a habit of making level 1 alts. The bad news? The role playing community will nevertheless be blamed for their actions when they become too prolific on a particular server. A prime example of this would be the Moon guard server in World of Warcraft. A situation where there is legitimate strife between entire role playing communities because this type of ERPer was allowed to run amok. You could be the best role player to ever type a descriptive paragraph and be a masterful weaver of tales... but if you just happened to make a character on Moon Guard, guess what. You suck. And you're a perverted scumbag swimming in a digital cesspool. Hm? What's that you say? You have no control over the ERPers in Goldshire and Blizzard refuses to listen to the year-long pleas from the *real* RP community to police the place? Ha! A likely story. We know how you Moon Guardians are. Keep your freaky bloodelf-catgirl-draenei-vampire sex away from Wrymrest Accord! 2. The Chameleon! (I'm horrible today, horrible. I blame holiday hangovers.) These people are far more insidious because they usually *can* write and even impress with their descriptive prowess. They have little trouble fitting into the community and can be very good storytellers. The problem? They are only interested in writing smut fiction. The issue isn't so much that they engage in a little literary titillation behind imaginary closed doors, no. It's the sociopathic, single-mindedness with which they pursue this goal and the drama that results from it. They will entangle themselves in well established groups and sow discord. They will draw your character into an intense relationship, only to disappear when they grow bored. They happily derail storylines and break apart relationships. If you're foolish enough to leave the door open, they will even bring their brand of manipulation to the realm of OOC. This person is akin to the Mary Sue who is always, ALWAYS in danger. You know, the one who's always either being chased or stumbling into the tavern bleeding? Both types are repellent for the same base reason. Role playing, GOOD role playing demands a level of give and take. It's a collaboration, a work in mutual storytelling. These people, on the other hand, are only out to take. All that being said, there's something far more damaging then both of these groups put together, and that's everyone else's gross over-reaction to them. I have been accused of being an ERPer simply for having a character stand next-to another's while they were involved in open conversation. Sexual escapades out in public is bad and against TOS just as it's against the law to have sex in a public park, but only in the realm of Role playing are people made to feel uncomfortable because their characters, who were in a relationship, shared a brief kiss in public. The witch-hunt mentality will ruin a community and sow mistrust faster than anything else. So, in closing, the best advice I can give is really quite simple. "Mind your own business."

I. Basic Info Characters:Ghosteye Zirneidinsyn Primary character: Ghosteye Zirneidinsyn Linkshells:None yet, searching. Soon to be updated. Primary RP linkshell:See above. II. RP Style Amount of RP (light, medium, heavy): Heavy. I will always put roleplaying first and if I don't respond IC it's because I'm probably away from the keyboard. The only exception is when I'm starting a new character. I will generally run around like a lunatic speed leveling to about 20 before I actually settle into roleplaying a character. Views on RP combat and injuries: I believe that RP combat should be used primarily as a vehicle for storytelling, rather then gamesmenship. In other words, if my character gets into conflict my first and only objective is to help write an entertaining fight scene, not so much to get a win. I try to stay realistic in terms of selling any injuries sustained. I will not tolerate Godmodding, causing irreparable harm or death of my characters without permission. Views on IC romance: Romance or any other form of inter-character relationship is perfectly acceptable when it occurs organically and serves to enrich the story. Views on non-romantic RP (family ties, etc): While I'm open to family ties, it would only be with someone I had a decent rapport with OOC and known for a bit. Views on lore: I strive to keep my own characters lore friendly. I like to know the history and background of say, the Sea Wolves, if I'm playing one. That being said, I'm not a Lore Nazi. I believe that established lore provides a framework that should give structure to ones creative impulses, not keep them confined to only what's absolutely provable as canon. Views on chat functions (/say, /linkshell, etc): I would say it depends on the situation. Different guilds/linkshells have different rules. In general I try to abide by them. I don't have any particular issue with the chat functions unless someone is running around in circles spamming area-wide yells. That gets a little rude and annoying whether you're a roleplayer or not. III. Other Info Country:United States Timezone:Eastern Contact info:PM me here or send a tell in-game. [align=center][glow=blue]~Special announcements can be found in the posts below~[/glow][/align]

Not much you can do about that, regardless. Large, faceless guilds will always exist when there is a system in place that rewards guild members based on participation and overall activity. I wouldn't be too worried about it, though. The players who want to earn a house for their Free Company are going to do just that. The value comes not simply from having the house, but from having the house for you and your guild mates alone. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I'd never devote a minute of precious time donating Gil to buy a house for random people I don't know, nor would I get anything from using a guild house populated with said individuals.

Thus far I've been focused on a bit of leveling and following the games main storyline. I generally like to settle into a game a bit and get used to mechanics before turning my attention to roleplaying. So even just running around like a loon, I'm seeing RP everywhere. Not just the big cities and taverns, but everywhere, in the most random of places. Balmung is one of the most vibrant RP communities in any MMO.

Just wanted to thank everyone for the warm and in many cases, highly informative welcome!

Really interested in joining. Character name - Myrksvell Ashscarred

Greetings and salutations. Names Alan, another new convert to the church of Final Fantasy 14. I must admit I'd become a bit disenchanted with the MMO scene as of late. Roleplaying is important to my long term enjoyment of such a game and I've been pleasantly surprised by what I've seen. The game world itself is one I enjoy spending time in and the roleplaying community looks like one of the best I've seen. I've been roleplaying in MMO's for a long time, going back to oldschool Everquest were I was part of a RP guild full of xenophobic lizard-people. Ah, memories. Most recent game was WoW on Wyrmrest accord. Beyond that I'm an aspiring writer who enjoys weaving tales with other likeminded folk. Currently leveling my main character, a Highlander monk by the name of Myrksvell Ashscarred. I'm trying to wrap my brain around the whole idea of linkshells after some confusion as to whether or not they were the same as guilds, but there's always a learning curve with a new MMO. I hope to get involved with the RP community soon.