Candor

You're doing an excellent job.

I have to stick to my adage of "It's not what, but how." I believe a character can be the best at everything and still be a perfectly rewarding character to play and play with. For example, take Batman. Batman is one of the most beloved super heroes of all time and is basically the best or second best in the entire world at everything he does. Yet people have been enjoying his perfection for over 60 years, and he doesn't make his supporting cast seem inferior by any means. Dick Greyson (Robin/Nightwing) is in fact enriched by the fact that he'll never achieve what Bruce Wayne has. It's not about what, but how. I've found the first step to having anything remarkable about a character is not to flaunt it. So if your character is superior in five skillsets, choose the one that will become his or her public profile, and then keep the rest a secret. Reveal that secret in tasteful samples that are fun for others. Surprise them, but don't make them obsolete. The second step is to not take your character so seriously. Even if she's the most graceful dancer ever, let her stumble or walk into a shut door from time to time. If there's someone else with the same skillset, let them do the thing instead of your character. Now you have mystery, humor, and confidence and none were ever ingredients in a recipe for bad RP.

The Hildebrand quest line only proves that SE hasn't forgotten how to tell a fantastic story. It's both wonderfully rewarding and frustrating, in that you'll wonder why the same effort hasn't been put into the rest of the game's plots.

Not to beat a dead horse, my friend, but a travelling salesman goes door to door until his product is stocked at the local market. There's a method to this madness, and all you've shown prospective members is that you're an uncooperative leader. That's kind of a red flag to... everyone. From one player to another, take some extra time to dress the part. It'll go a long way.

This is completely doable. Currently my own RP partner and I are in the exact same situation - 12 hours apart, on opposite ends of the world. It takes a bit of doing on both parts, but we never go wanting for each other's RP. We're also both always looking for more RP contacts from literally anyone and everyone. Both of your hooks are also something that we may be able to work with between us, and I'm sure that we would love to RP with you sometime. Who knows, due to us being in the same circumstance, it might even work out to your advantage. Feel free to e-stalk me here or in game.

Groooan! Capheira is an awful roleplayer! I mean, she inspired me to come back to FF14, roll up an awesome new character, and GM a handful of plots that I'm having a lot of fun with. Really, how terrible can someone be?! 4 Srs!

I gave this one some thought before committing to a post, and I think I've decided that there's nothing wrong with the OP's request. I think most guy RPers here will agree that the long term RP engagements they've had with characters played by women tend to be more satisfying and successful than guy on guy. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why, but that's not the point. The point is that there are players in this very thread who enjoy exactly what the OP is asking for (myself included.) So no need to even hint at vilifying him, I think. Having said that, I think the real solution here is Balmung. I can't imagine finding any manner of RP, let alone this level of committed RP is easy of Faerie. The abundant RP on Balmung will shore the gap, and the OP may realize he doesn't even need what he described. But if he does, he'll be far more likely to find it.

I'm a long time player who tends to dip back into the game every few months or so, and have come back this time with a few missions in mind. One of those missions is Machinist! So, I'm trying to level Archer in preparation for the Job, checked the good old Googles to make sure my old leveling methods are still valid, and headed to Aleport for FATES. Yay, FATES. I would rather watch paint dry. Lo and behold, FATES are even more fun now because there's no one else running the damned things. At least not at Aleport when I was there during prime EST hours. So, is there a new and mysterious method to leveling a low level class that I'm unaware of? Just what is the best way for me to get Archer to level 30?

It's not about what you do, but how you do it. Unless you join an FC with explicit rules regarding character concepts, you can literally do whatever you want. The RP community is unmoderated. There is no one to tell you what is and isn't permitted. And anyone who says otherwise is confused. So, don't try to decide if you can do this or not. Just figure out how you can do it well.

So this thread blew up fast. Holy hell, people. Guy just asked about some vampires. So, it's pretty clear people like vampires, and the OP would like to play one. To him I say, play one. Treat it as a super special awesome chocolately covered extra rare secret though. Like the sort of secret that no other character will learn. EVAR. Something like this will do a lot toward shaping your RP in fun and interesting ways for yourself and others. Technically you can do this with any concept, canon or otherwise. This is how all those players RPing their characters as primals and void touched should be doing it. Just, you know, don't go blabbing to everyone. Anyway. 2 cents. I'm done. Not getting sucked into this Twilight love fest. Enjoy your vamp rage, RPC.

[Wiped for super special awesome chocolately covered ultra rare trading card reasons.]

WIP... Characters: L'cero Nunh, Sani Shyne Primary character: L'cero Nunh Linkshells: Warden's Reliquary Primary RP linkshell: n/a Amount of RP (light, medium, heavy): I’m a heavy RPer, without a doubt. Unless my characters are explicitly questing, killing monsters, or wearing ridiculous looking end-game armor, it can be safely assumed that I’m in RP mode. Really, the primary reason why I’m playing this game is for RP, so anyone is welcome to approach my character or send me a tell if it’s to that end. The more RP the better! I should also mention that my RP often encompasses the duties of a Game Master, and in addition to RPing my own character I’ll also write out the actions of NPCs and creatures. I’m a very plot driven RPer, so this is just part and parcel to writing full stories for myself and others. Views on RP combat and injuries: I vastly prefer RP combat over mechanical PvP, especially during events, simply for the narrative. Too much is lost in characterization when players are busy spamming command keys. I’m also a strong supporter of RP injuries, and will find a way to avoid the magic win button for wounds that can contribute in some meaningful way to development. Minor bumps and burns, however, will only survive until the next Cure spell. Hydaelyn is a world of high magic, after all. Views on IC romance: Romance might be my single most favorite type of RP development, but I’m extremely picky. It can’t feel forced for a moment, nor planned out OOC. Budding emotions need to be something that naturally happens between the two characters with real chemistry, independent of the players’ expectations. If the RPers in question aren’t surprised by what their characters are doing, then they’re doing it wrong. Views on non-romantic RP (family ties, etc): Like all other elements of RP, I’m a big supporter of this as well. Though, with my current character this would be extremely difficult to pull off with in terms of blood relations. But there’s no reason that characters couldn’t get close enough to him to be considered adopted. In the past I’ve found that these IC relationships can be every bit as defining as personal or romantic development. Besides, everyone needs a good bro. Views on lore: I’m a stickler for lore, though I’m guilty of bending it from time to time with this particular game. It’s probably due to FFXIV’s flexibility. There just isn’t that much canon floating around, and what is out there isn’t carved in stone like other MMOs we all know. I’ll always do my best to remain true to the lore as established by the game’s main campaign, side quests, and leves. I’m hesitant to make assumptions about how user functions fit into the setting itself (i.e. Aetheryte teleportation isn’t actually supported by the storyline.) I’m also always a little wary of RPers who take advantage of the more extreme aspects of the lore, such as representing their characters as primals. But to each their own, we’re all here to have fun. Views on chat functions (/say, /linkshell, etc): I’ll almost exclusively RP in /say and /em, and reserve OOC for /tell. /party chat can be versatile, because depending on what I’m doing at any given time, it’ll be used for OOC amongst a small group or to RP out an event that I don’t want interrupted or subject to text spams. Country:’Murica Timezone:GMT -4 (EST) Contact info: RPC Private Message! Character Name: L'cero Nunh! Discord: Candor#5115

Aaron, I know that you've already acknowledged the arguments of the others, but I think something that you're failing to take into account is that many of these people played FF7 years before any sort of expansion material was even in the pipeline. I was one of these people, playing FF7 when it was first released, and then practically creaming my jeans every time SquareEnix announced new material, starting with DoC. Then, like many others, I was disappointed - with the sole exception of AC. The reason I was disappointed, and the reason that AC was an exception, is because FF7 is a complete entity on its own. It asked all its own questions, and then answers every question that it asked. Nothing was left unaddressed. CC and DoC just add more answers to questions that were already answered. For example, I could ask you, "What's your favorite color?" And you might reply, "Black, because black is versatile." That's all I need to know, and that's all you need to tell me. Then, a week later, a lifelong friend of yours contacts me and explains that he first liked black, and many years ago he explained to you the merits of black, and so you changed your favorite color from white to black. It's awkward, it's unnecessary, and suddenly your favorite color isn't yours anymore. It's your friend's, and you're just borrowing it. DoC and CC (especially Genesis) do exactly that to FF7 and Sephiroth. AC does not, because AC happens significantly later, and operates independently of FF7. It asks and answers its own questions. It is by definition a sequel. It adds, instead of reviews and changes. Now, if that wasn't enough to help you understand where we're coming from, you should take a closer look at the character of Sephiroth as Square Soft (not SquareEnix) executed him. Sephiroth was legendary, powerful, and he was intelligent. More than anything he, was a pretty smart guy. Throughout Sephiroth relevant cut scenes, he's constantly explaining and defining terms for Cloud/Zack. He's familiar with geography, ShinRa personnel, ShinRa corporate history, and the higher sciences of ShinRa's R&D including the specifics of Mako-human experiments and the finer details involved. More so, we're talking about a man who sleeplessly consumes a library on his own, and through myriad puzzle pieces scattered throughout dozens of books, reconstructs a secret past that ShinRa has worked very hard to cover. But most importantly of all, we're talking about a man who masters new abilities the moment he learns that he has them. Remember, Sephiroth was killed, and yet survived, then learned enough about his Jenova union to puppeteer Jenova, Cloud, and other clones from thousands of miles away. He didn't practice that. It's the same as you growing a third arm and immediately knowing how to type 60 wph with it. The point is that Sephiroth was not a stupid person. He didn't need anyone to hand hold him and connect the dots for him, and implying that he does reduces the enormity of his presence. It's not unlike suddenly learning that Einstein had a best buddy who explained to him the Theory of Relativity, and then Einstein just regurgitated it. That's what Genesis does to Sephiroth. I hope this helps you understand better what the others have been trying to explain to you.

Hello! I head House Haillenarte FC, a new free company that will launch on the same day as Heavensward. At Hail FC, we take a unique approach to storytelling and role-playing that has already attracted a good number of fun and reliable role-players. Our premise surrounds the infrastructure of the Haillenarte nobility, that is lesser nobles, vassals, ministers, clergy, knights, soldiers, mercenaries, craftsmen, tradesmen, and basically whatever else you can think of. If something like that might interest you and you would like to hear more, send me a PM here on get in touch in-game at character name L'cero Nunh. And, no, a Nunh doesn't lead House Haillenarte according to our FC. If not, I wish you the best of luck!

Hi there, House Haillenarte FC is a currently developing, soon to be launching Free Company that surrounds the infrastructure of the Haillenarte nobility. We take a unique approach to role-playing and storytelling, and what you have in mind - or what you want - is just the sort of thing that we'll be doing. If you would like to join our small group of Ishgard-centric founders, I'm certain that you could find more than one player interested in the sort of story that you're talking about. Get in touch with me via PM here if my offer interests you, or just reach out in-game at character name L'cero Nunh (No, a Nunh doesn't lead House Haillenarte.) If not, I wish you the best of luck in your search!

I've always thought this was a problem, and I've been with Balmung since the game's launch. After seeing that no one else was going to break the trend, I decided to do it myself by working very hard to bring attention to Limsa Lominsa - the city with the most RP potential, in my opinion. So, I did quite a bit to get people out of Ul'dah. I started with this thread: Which City is Your Flavor? It was just the beginning stage to build attention. Then I moved onto this thread: Limsa Lominsa: A City Reborn which detailed my plan out so that others could see exactly what I was trying to do and get on board. From there I established a Limsa Lominsan LS called Lominsan Society. It reached upwards of 70+ people at its peek. And finally, to bring it all together, I started this thread: Limsa Lominsa Character Directory. Of all of them, only the final thread there survived. Though, for a short while, there was quite a burst in Limsa Lominsa RP. Then it fizzled, to my great regret. Now I'm preparing to do the same for Coerthas and Ishgard, but rather than a serv-wide effort, I'm making it a free company. That can be found here at An Ishgard Project. What I learned during my Lominsa effort was that ultimately people will go where it's easiest to find RP, and for some reason that's the Quicksand on Balmung. It would take a great deal of trying to break the pattern. Believe me, I've tried.

A lot of players have been asking me a couple of frequently asked questions lately, so I thought I would take the time to clarify those specific issues. What do you mean my character can be any IC rank? I've been trying to make this as clear as possible, but I guess I haven't been doing such a swell job of it. The easiest way to put this is: Your character can be any rank. For example, let's discuss the aforementioned Captain of the Guard. If this is the role you want your character to play, you need only come up with a plausible story to justify it, and ta-da! Your character is the Captain of the Guard. Now, the specifics of the position, such as being the Captain of House Haillenarte's guard, or perhaps the Captain of a lesser House vassaled to Haillenarte, isn't entirely up to you. Things like that will be determined on a first come, first serve basis - and NPCs count! So, let's say that Dwayne Johnson joins first wants his character, The Rock the Roegadyn, to be the Captain of the Guard to House Haillenarte, the rank is his. However, let's say that Heavensward introduces an NPC who is the Captain of the Guard to Haillenarte, then Dwayne Johnson will have to choose a different role. So, he chooses for the Rock the Roegadyn to be the Captain to vassal House Awesomesauce. Next, David Bautista joins and he wants his character, Drax the Au Ra Destroyer to also be Captain of the Guard. He'll have to choose a vassal House too, and a different one than Awesomesauce. Our forum will have a place for characters and their ranks to be cataloged so that this information is easily referenced. So, I can choose my rank, meaning I can just be an Officer if I want to? This is the one that seems to be confusing most people. Officer is an OOC rank. It is the rank of the player, not of the character. Everyone joins as a Patron, the standard rank. Officers are selected based on a number of criterion like leadership experience, attitude, and availability. And they're selected by me and a consensus of all Officers at the time. The purpose of an Officer is not to have authority over anyone, but to be a helping hand and in the event of OOC disputes, to help settle them. They also have access to the third page of the FC Bank, a place specifically reserved for valuable items and materials. The only way a Patron could gain access to anything on the third page of the Bank is to ask an Officer to withdraw it for them. This way we can have things that help everyone in big ways without worrying that access will be abused. And your own character isn't IC in charge of the FC? The answer to this is two-fold. The first part is to understand that House Haillenarte FC covers a wide array of characterizations - some characters will be vassal nobles beholden to House Haillenarte, others will be merchants that are employed by independent organizations but frequently do business with House Haillenarte, others will be inquisitors of the church who work with House Haillenarte, some will be mercenaries that work for their own mercenary companies but have been employed by House Haillenarte, so on and so forth. There's no real organization to be in charge of, and since no character may be an actual Haillenarte noble, no one can be in charge of Haillenarte itself. So, there's that. The second part part is - no. My character wouldn't be anywhere near the top of anything, and I fully intend for him to keep to realistic stations that he happens on via RP. Even if that means he's hired as a tracker for some Haillenarte soldiers, and he stays a lowly tracker. I can play a mercenary that's loyal to his own mercenary company, within the House Haillenarte FC? Like an FC within an FC? Yes! Exactly! This is something we're really excited about. The ability for characters to tell their own stories won't be limited to simply narrating one's place within Haillenarte's structure, but to also expand and illustrate the surrounding structure of the character itself. So, let's go back to Dwayne Johnson. This time he wants The Rock the Roegadyn to be the Commander of the Awesomesauce Mercenary Company, who has been employed by House Haillenarte. He can build, rank, manage Awesomesauce Company however he wants, including recruiting players into House Haillenarte FC specifically to join Awesomesauce Company. If he wants, and his support grows large enough, we'll even give him his own section on the forums to manage Awesomesauce Company specific things. We cannot emphasize enough the freedom that will be granted to players to create and tell their own stories within the FC. I hope this clarifies for anyone else who wants to ask these same questions. As more arise, I'll do my best to answer them!

It’s been some time but this project hasn’t been forgotten or abandoned, I’ve just been busy. Now I would like to take some time to explain some of the unique ideas that we’ll be investing into House Haillenarte FC, in order to create a fun and engaging RP experience for everyone involved. Let’s take this one thing at a time. Linkshell Chat/FC Chat: This is something we’ve changed. Previously it was arranged so that the LS was IC for the FC members only, and the FC chat was OOC. We’ve reversed that, and the LS is now open to anyone who would simply like to stay in contact and RP with us, regardless of membership or not. Kaylenn originally asked about this, and I’m happy to say that we now have a place where he and players like him can stay in contact. IC Ranks: IC ranking has been streamlined a great deal, and it’s no longer based upon any sort of merit system. We’ll discuss a bit later how we want to equip players with the tools to tell fun and expansive stories, and part of that is to allow them a certain degree of freedom. In other words, now characters can start and be any rank they want, so long as it follows 2 simple guidelines. The first is that it must be realistic and justified - meaning that you can play the captain of the guard, but you need the backstory to give it merit. Obviously, things that can’t reasonably be justified couldn’t be played. The second guideline is that as a rule we discourage players from playing actual Haillenarte characters. Meaning, a character with the name Haillenarte. This second rule isn’t set in stone, but that name carries influence, so anyone playing a Haillenarte will be held to a much higher standard. IC promotions are handled the same way as IC ranks. Your character may advance to whatever rank as you feel it’s appropriate, so long as you can make it believable. So, your captain of the guard can raise to whatever rank is higher - like the Mac Daddy of the Guard - when you feel it’s right, as part of your own narrative. Obviously, this will take some respect on the part of the players. If there’s already a Captain of the Guard, naturally you can’t play the Captain of the Guard to the same House. OOC Ranks: OOC ranks remain the same as before. There’s only 3: Director, Officer, and Patron. They have absolutely nothing to do with IC standing. An Officer can play a low ranking character, and a Patron can play the Mac Daddy of the Guard. I’m the Director and my own character will not be anywhere near the top. The purpose of these ranks is for OOC assistance, moderation, and making valuable resources in the FC Bank available to players who need them. The rank of Officer will also be kept modest, so as not to get confused with any overwhelming authority. Meaning we plan for there to be 2 Officers as a base, and then an additional 1 Officer per 10 active players. FC Structure: So, as the IC rankings make clear, we’re not terribly worried about a long slog for anyone to start as a serf and eventually rise to the lauded rank of lord. What we’re interested in is creating a place for people to tell their stories in a way that includes others, and so we’re taking special care to create an environment where story elements can be submitted and collected for others’ view and use. For example, Dwayne Johnson plays The Rock the Roegadyn, who is the Mac Daddy of the Guard to House Awesomesauce, a vassal house of Haillenarte, and in telling his story he generates and narrates an NPC called Biggen Grumbles, who is a rather surly lalafel trader who frequents Awesomesauce. Dwayne Johnson would be able to submit Biggen Grumbles into a dedicated place on the forum, where NPCs created and used by players in their narratives will be collected. Later, Paul Ruebens, who plays Pee Wee the lalafel, can read about Biggen Grumbles and work him into his own story. Now, 2 unassociated players are using the same NPC, without contradictions made since Dwayne Johnson defined the NPC, and there didn’t need to be a GM present to make this happen. This will be a common theme of the House Haillenarte FC, with less of a focus on structure and rank and earning one’s place, and more of a focus on collaborative storytelling. Naturally, we understand that this lenient approach isn’t for everyone, there’s likely to be those who misunderstand the purpose, and there’s going to be those who abuse the system. We’re aware and prepared for this, but we don’t feel it’s such a large threat that this unique attitude can’t be attempted. FC Type: I think it’s fairly obvious to say that this is going to be an RP FC, however that doesn’t preclude the rest of the game’s elements. We’re also interested in playing the game, and helping those who aren’t as far along as others in terms of XP, know how, and item level. So, we’re going to be dedicated to those things too. I think right now it’s fair to say that the FC will also cover: Leveling, Dungeons, Guildhests, Trials, and Raids. You’ll just have to stand by for any word on Casual, Hardcore, and PvP. FC Interaction: Everyone is welcome to interact with us! Whether you’re an FC member or not, whether you’re into Ishgardian themed RP or not! If you want to RP, find us, RP with us, we’ll love you for it. We might kidnap you and take you home to meet the family, have dinner, and a friendly game of Twister! FC Theme: And finally, the big one. As we’ve been discussing the FC with others, there’s one theme that’s come up again and again, and it’s made people clap and cheer and throw us parties and give us money and name their children after us. And ice cream. There was ice cream once. We’ve been told each time we mention this little caveat that we should have started with it, so here it is… Game of Thrones! Ishgard is essentially medieval England, except with silly elves with goofy French names. And dragons. Anyway! It has nobles and knights and priests and politics out the hoo-hah! House Haillenarte will be doing its utmost to strike an atmosphere not unlike Game of Thrones. Politics, intrigue, controversy! People might even die! (If the player wants to kill their character. (We understand that character death isn’t up to us. (And we’re not assholes. (Most of the time.)))) Alright, there it is. It’s by no means finished. We’ve still got a little over a month to develop, and we’re still only FC Rank 6, but we’re determined to be 8 by the time we launch. As usual, anyone interested in getting in early is more than welcome, as long as they understand that we aren’t holding any FC related RP just yet. But we’re leveling, gearing up, getting ready, and we like new friends! Feel free to share thoughts, concerns, questions and suggestions. We just ask that they be pertinent to the topic.

Discussion has slowed down, but it's still a-go! What can I do for you?

Verranicus, I'm unsure why you're treating my thread as a space for you to vent your complaints about other people's play styles. I've encouraged players to share their thoughts, concerns, questions, and suggestions, but you're only making presumptions. This thread isn't even about Nunhs, and Valaena was simply drawing a comparison. If you don't have anything constructive to add to this discussion, please refrain from posting here. The RPC has multiple threads for complaints, but this isn't one of them.

That's a great question, Kayllen! House Haillenarte will have an RP linkshell issued to every member of the FC. It will also be issued to interested characters who are already enrolled with a non-RP FC. I would never expect anyone to leave an end-game FC for an RP FC. Unfortunately the LS will not be issued to characters who are enrolled with another RP FC. Our LS will be IC, and I think it's important for the characters involved to have a private group RP option without creating any conflicts of interest. However, all characters will be welcome to interact with House Haillenarte even if they're not members of the FC or LS, and in the spirit of inclusion any interested player may join our Skype channel. In this way we can include players from other RP FCs, and their characters, while not compromising House Haillenarte IC chat.

Verannicus, I see what you're writing, and I recognize your concern but I'm afraid that in this instance it's misplaced. Before I started this project I considered all the likely, and most of the unlikely, results of the Heavensward plot. Granted, I can't predict the future, but I that doesn't mean I'm blind to the risks. For example, you pointed out that House Haillenarte could be killed off, and I thought of that too. I know exactly how my new FC will survive if that's the case. If Haillenarte becomes villains, politically insignificant, or exiled won't matter either, because I know how I'll handle those situations, as well as many others that I'm not mentioning here. As for your dislike of my choosing an existing canon faction as my own - there's nothing I can do. Some people just don't like when other players do that, other people do. In deference for the split opinion on this I chose to focus on the infrastructure of House Haillenarte instead of the nobility. However, there will likely be a few Haillenarte nobles in the mix anyway. To this I ask you 2 questions. 1) Should I restrict access to anyone who has named their character Haillenarte? Players have been doing this since the game launched, as well as naming their characters Fortemps, Dzemael, and Durendaire. To me this is no different than naming a character Nunh. The question I face isn't "Will we let players make Haillenarte nobles for this FC?" but instead it's "Will we allow previously establish Haillenarte characters to join this FC?" My answer is yes. 2) How does this at all differ from any non-FC or other-FC affiliated noble characters? So far we already have dozens of noble characters who RP with entitled personalities and perceived authority. I've had the opportunity to RP with quite a few of them myself, and my experiences have been mostly positive. It's because as a whole RPers are aware of the implications of their characters and back stories and they self regulate to keep things conducive for the players around them. Certainly, there's always bumps in the road, but those players who cause a fuss about how something isn't going their way really are the minority. I don't see any difference at all between these already existing noble characters and the noble characters that may join or be created for my new FC. Do you see a difference? Verranicus, I understand that you've been a part of some botched projects and that you've seen even more. So have I. In fact, I think you would be hard pressed to find a single player who hasn't been a part of or observed a bad MMO experience. Despite that, I'm going to urge you to judge things on a case by case basis - and especially judge players for themselves, and not for the actions of other players. Simply because you've seen something that you feel is similar to what I'm doing doesn't mean you know what's going to happen with this project of mine. You're concerned, certainly, but your arguments strike me less as criticism and more as scorn. I strongly encourage you to ask more questions about my intent instead of drawing negative conclusions to explain how I'm making a mistake. This isn't my first rodeo.

Of course anyone and everyone is - and will be - welcome to RP with the House Haillenarte FC, regardless of their own FC loyalties. In fact, I encourage cross-FC RP! Tiergan, I do appreciate your concern, and I am aware of the risks. Part of the appeal of this project is taking a lot of the control out of my own hands and adhering to whatever unexpected twists and turns SE may throw at us. Certainly some twists will be more difficult to adapt to than others, but I have faith in my fellow RPers and myself that we will find a way.

Verranicus and Tiergan, I hear your concerns. However, I need to point out again that this FC won't be an FC until Heavensward launches, meaning that I'm doing precisely what you're both suggesting and waiting for SE's canon before proceeding. In the meantime I'm earning FC rank, creating awareness, recruiting like-minded players that want to assist in those tasks, and developing the resources that help an FC be successful, such as a forum. I have no plans for House Hallienarte beyond infrastructure details, and there are no NPCs yet because there is no FC and no plot yet. As for people naming their characters Haillenarte - there's already a good number of Haillenarte characters on Balmung that were created long before this FC's announcement and have absolutely nothing to do with my project. So, it really wouldn't matter if I allowed it, encouraged it, or forbade it - it's already happening. Having said all of that, I do recognize that I've given control of my central theme over to SE and that they're not the most predictable lot. I'm prepared for that, even should they decide to kill off all the Haillenartes in Heavensward. That may not be the safest approach, as Tiergan pointed out, but it's what I've chosen to do and I'm confident that the founding members aren't making their decisions without also considering the same. Verranicus, this comment doesn't strike me as constructive criticism. My project isn't motivated by impatience or hope.

For the very first stage I thought it would be best to answer a lot of the questions that the founding members have been asking me. So, let's take a little time for some Q&A! Q: If it's an Ishgardian FC, does that mean only elezen are allowed to join? A: Of course not! It's an Ishgardian FC, but Ishgard isn't exclusive to elezen. Certainly midlanders will be present, just because they're everywhere, and who knows how a player might justify any other race being involved in any of the game's political bodies. The point is that every race - and every gender and class, for that matter - are welcome to House Haillenarte FC! Q: Don't you feel presumptuous claiming a canon faction for your own FC? A: Not really, no, and I'll explain why. This FC won't be representing the nobles of House Haillenarte. My character certainly isn't a member of the noble house, for example. At best the Haillenartes themselves will be represented by occasional NPCs. The FC will actually focus around the people that make a noble house possible - retainers, vassals, ministers, wards, soldiers, craftsmen, dignitaries, etc. None of whom will be direct Haillenartes. Q: So no one is allowed to use the Haillenarte last name? A: They are, but in choosing to be a core member of that family, the player would be agreeing to extra scrutiny from myself and my officers, to ensure that they're not abusing the name's influence in ways that will shed negative light on the FC or its members. So, on the one hand they would gain the RP benefits of playing a high noble, but on the other hand they would be closely monitored OOC. Q: How will that effect guild ranks? Will there be a clear cut system of who has authority over who? A: That's a good question. This one has taken some thought, because it's difficult to determine who has more authority between non-nobles in this kind of arrangement. Guild ranks will be OOC and very simple: Administrator, Officer, and Member. I think their definitions are self explanatory. For IC ranks I'm developing a tier system that will not necessarily be a character's rank so much as it will be his level of prestige and influence within the FC. This will also likely be simple, and will only contain 4 levels. However, it's still under development. Q: But your character will start at the highest influence tier and be IC in-charge, right? A: No, actually. My character will go through the same process as every other character. There will be a small number of characters that start on higher influence tiers, as determined by back stories and such, but none of those characters will be mine. Q: So, a player of low OOC rank might have a character that out influences a character belonging to a player of high OOC rank? A: Yes! This is something I'm looking forward to a great deal, actually. The separation between "We are the players" and "We are the characters" is going to be a large part of how this FC operates. House Haillenarte FC isn't going to be about the grind to climb the hierarchical ladder, but more about cooperating as players to make fun stories together for our characters. We're even going to feature a new approach on character story telling, but more on that later. I'll answer more questions and continue to update the concept of this FC as we draw nearer to the release of Heavensward. In the meantime, I welcome any player to ask anything they want and I'll answer!