Aya

It was the "proper" thing to do. The fair one, maybe. Time will tell if it was the smart thing. I have my doubts. "Castille takes the hand-off, shrugs off Inspector's tackle in the backfield, did you see that stiff-arm! Cuts-back across the field, he's through another defender, Jin'li's the only one left who can make a tackle- he's in the open field, 40, 30, 20, he's going all the... - he's dropped the ball, he's dropped the ball, he's dropped the ball, and the defense has it!!"

My suggestion for dealing with this fellow is to point and laugh, liberally! :lol:

Whaaaaat? After our two very short and brief exchanges, Coatleque gets no mention? I'm shocked! Shocked! Well, not that shocked. She did, however, get a new rumor last night!

In more seriousness... The demands on an alignment system really depend upon the setting, and the intent of the campaign being played (which are shaped but not pre-determined by the game and setting themselves). I have been critical of the DnD Alignment system in a few posts, but in reality I think their alignment system fits the typical play of the game very well (and the simplified version of 4th Edition, fits it just as well too). When a game is largely focused on hack-and-slash, and the tug and battle between good and evil, then clear demarcation lines become not only valuable, but sometimes necessary to keep the flow of action and story clean and crisp. In a world where the hosts of good and evil fight it out in person, and through mortal champions, those caught in between the two poles and aligned with neither bear a classification of their own: "neutral" serves this role handily, while I think the authors of the game take too much effort to try to carve out an idea of "neutral" philosophy, the alignments themselves serve a crucial and necessary purpose. Where this begins to break down is when campaigns move away from the black-and-white, away from the over-arching story of good and evil and into territory where personal belief, susceptibility, and to where the very real line between belief and conviction is tested. The DnD alignments are, in a sense, a sort of "loyalty", and cannot fill out in any great detail the actual philosophy of those who bear them. In one sense you can always expand upon a character's beliefs and driving philosophy, but almost inevitably this will introduce complexity that belies the nine traditional alignments and make it difficult to pin a character to one, as must be done for game mechanic purposes. Because of that tension, and the incompleteness of these alignments, I generally prefer free-form alignment. Character's actions and decisions will have their ramifications, in most campaigns doing bad things tends to have a way of coming back on those who do them, without need of an alignment system. It also pulls the internal conflict for those characters who feel the very real tug between doing what's best for themselves, and doing what they believe to be the right thing into the forefront much more effectively. While a paladin who feels a pull toward vigilantism, or ending a potential future threat before it can become more powerful, or even the very human pull of forbidden lust, and this can provide excellent drama as a result, it often feels pinched by game-mechanic effects that the strict alignment system carries with it, while a free-form alignment system both makes the transgressions more likely to be committed, and their eventual ramifications more subtle (and potentially more interesting). In the end, though, there really is nothing in any alignment system that cannot be dealt with by good GMs, and good players. No matter how strict, no matter how free, no matter how important or trivial, those who craft their characters and make their decisions, and those who control the world in which the character exists, can mold their stories how they wish, massaging mechanics if and when necessary. In that sense, every alignment system is just as flexible as it needs to be. (Which, in the end, may make my entire post rather uninteresting )

I personally don't care for teleportation because it makes the world feel small, and trivializes things that should be terrific sources of drama (and challenge ). But, in the world of Final Fantasy teleportation is baked right into the setting, so its really unavoidable. In my own RP I never bring it up as a possibility, but always just roll and play along with it when its used by other characters. I kind of hand-wave it by saying that its just too expensive for Aya to afford, a luxury, in a sense, for playing a poor character For characters who really are jet-set types, movers and shakers, it may be something of a necessity to keep all of their stories in order. Using it to escape trouble sounds like a Deus Ex Machina, perhaps useful when the situation really demands it, but it may cheapen the story (or drama) in the process.

I'd argue that describes as many players as it does player-characters, but with some affection; I've certainly played more than my fair share of Stupid Blank characters. They're often the most amusing characters in a party, who else drives people to do such ridiculous things? :-]

T_T DnD Paladins Nat! And just the ones my friends always played at least

DnD is terrific except that its missing a key track to describe most player characters: Stupid. Example Alignments: Stupid Good (Paladins), Lawful Stupid, Chaotic Stupid, Stupid Evil (thieves who steal from their own party!), and my personal favorite: True Stupid.

Thanks for the clarification. I was curious! I still don't know why they don't just make a mercenary group out of the vast majority of them. I mean, most of the refugees are depicted (in cutscenes/NPCs, anyway) as seemingly hale and hearty adult men and women. Yet they're just standing around doing nothing? Attack on Titan anyone? Its time for a grand offensive against the Garleans, time to retake Ala Mhigo, huzzah!

See, herein lies part of the problem with the DnD alignment system. What is described is that the farmers behavior determines his alignment. He does not risk himself to do good, therefore he is neutral (out primarily for his own self-interest, which in this case is also family-interest). But what if he is personally religious, and believes in the concept of goodness, and wishes to see it succeed? What if he offers meager alms, or provides spare bread for those who cannot feed themselves? He is still unprepared to risk himself heroically, he is still not going to do anything that puts his farm or family at risk to accomplish "good" - but his heart is good, his intent is good, and in his actions he is good when he can be. Is he still neutral? Or perhaps even more importantly: does it matter?

As has been mentioned by a couple of people, reading too much into the D&D alignment system will result in nothing but trouble Gaspard has used "Lawful Neutral" has a very brief descriptor to take a stab at the philosophy he's looking for the group to possess. This is a terrific use of the alignments, because they have value in economizing space, but their utility ends once anything of depth or anything regarding motivation is plumbed. Re: Lolorito: It may be a bad idea from an OOC perspective, but entirely more interesting IC! He's the kind of character that makes Ul'dah tick

Aya turned around, leaning her hips against the bar. A small smile embraced her lips as she watched the late-night scene of the Quick Sand unfolding before her. It had been a long couple of weeks. What just had happened she figured she'd never quite know for sure. Confusion, panic, and mayhem had been the order of the day. An attack on the city, a panic over water supplies. She had seen the hooded man surrounded by drawn weapons, and seen the empty barrels. She'd warned Momodi, who sounded the alarm. The city had been a hum of activity since then, a flurry of efforts, rumors, and stories which seemed impossible to tease apart to anything resembling a cohesive narrative. Momodi assured her, and customers, that the Quick Sand's cistern was safe, though she fretted for days about how much longer it would last. A week later it had been announced that all water in the city were safe, but this was quickly followed by rumors of an attempt on the Sultana. More chaos in the city, with rumors of dark magic and assassins moving in the shadows. The scene quieted more quickly this time, though whispers and rumors moved apace, weaving tales of their own too fantastic to believe about a battle against voidsent within the palace itself. Still, the Blades went about their duty, the Sultan Sworn returned to the streets. Tension hung in the sweltering sun, but the public air was muted. Then, as if transported back in time, Crofte and Warren returned to patrol the streets of Ul'dah, and to keep their watchful eyes on the Quick Sand. Aya grinned as she remembered the scene upon first seeing the two of them together again: refreshing tea, happy smiles, and a warm welcome home. No matter the trouble they and the city had been through, things couldn't be too bad now that they were home. Crofte had asked Aya about Osric - she had let the question slip by unanswered. For weeks her heart had been broken for the man she viewed as hero and protector. She knew of the collars, his and others; what role had they had in all of this? She'd heard he was the one who set the bomb that blew the hole in the city wall, through which wind born sand had briefly poured into the courtyard outside the Quick Sand. She'd heard far worse, too; whatever Crofte had to add Aya would rather not know. If, like Crofte, the collar had been removed, he was now in the hands of fate, one way or another, firmly ripped from the fingers of the common-folk who had adored him. Aya remembered the reassuring voice behind the masked eyes, the comforting squeeze of her hand, and the feeling of quiet confidence that surrounded him. He had lent her a badly needed sense of hope, when her own comfortable little world had come crashing down. This was how she wanted to know him, no matter what may have followed. Her smile softened as she lowered her gaze to the stones of the tavern floor, covered with the sand of dust of Thanalan and her jewel-like city. A gust of wind burst in from an opened door, sweeping the grit along the stones in a snaking pattern. Such seemed to be the way of Ul'dah; built as it were upon the shifting sands. Nothing was certain. Nothing was sure. Nothing could be counted on, except memories. She shook her head, trying to banish conjecture. With an exhale she pushed herself away from the bar, adopting her playful sauntering gait, and the warmth of her welcoming smile. For now, at least, she had her own job to do; her own role to play, until the shifting sands came for her too.

I don't usually join plots, but as usual, for anything taking place in Ul'dah, Aya will be available for a supporting role ^^

Seems terrific to me!

I love this :-X

Was going to say.. McBeef? This comes as a surprise to anyone? ^^

It is definitely maze like! Easy to get lost. Its neat!

Finally! One that Aya is really prepared for. *Slips on stockings* *Applies lipstick* *Flutters eyelashes*

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Maybe... Sounds like a lot of fun

I liked it a lot more once I realized it's a dick joke. Maybe I'm slow but I only noticed like a week ago. All female pirate crew, missing member, yup. Limsa certainly has more panache then Ul'dah haha. I am slow....

Oh, yes! I agree entirely, and the Quick Sand too! I understand what they were doing with the NPCs, and they would help add life to the place if it were empty, but I think the designers underestimated the success of their own game To Mr. Voltage, I don't actually RP in Limsa (not often anyway, since Aya's story doesn't have her out of Ul'dah much any more, but I did used to RP there quite a bit), so I am not trying to get anything done there, I was just making an observation regarding Lima's potential as an RP area, which I think is terrific

I am not friends with these people. *shakes head* Nope. Never heard of them. Or their linkshell :-X Nope.. nope... nope.. okay, maybe.

My opinion is exactly the opposite... Limsa has many usable areas for RP, so many that its difficult to pin down one primary congregation area for RP This makes it quite a bit different from Ul'dah (which has lovely areas for RP, but generally one pretty clear general congregation point). Variety is a wonderful thing

Aya: "Oh no! I'm going to lose my job at the Quick Sand because I'm not an adventurer!" Someone in the know: "You are in the adventurer's guild." Aya: "No I'm not!" SitK: "You joined it in Gridania, I've checked the records." Aya: "Is that the thing she made me sign?" *squints* "really?" I think putting any real weight on the adventurer's guild is pretty silly

I played ice hockey!