Oyuu

I see. How does Transfers work? Can I, for example, transfer characters from an european data center to Aether? Here's a link with everything you need to know regarding transfers! The character has to be 3 days old, you can transfer up to 8 characters at once and you can transfer to closed servers despite saying you can't. And yes, you can transfer from EU to NA servers. Good luck!

Hey! I am thinking about making the decision but I have friends on Cerberus and an amazing FC. I have actually found a few role-players yet things have never gone as planned. I've RPed on Cerberus before but it's definitely not plentiful or regular (usually has the habit of dying out then revitalizing a few months later, rinse and repeat). You could do what I did for a year, I had my main that I raided with on Cerberus and kept an alt on Balmung which I would switch to whenever there was nothing to do PvE wise. Balmung is the place to be for RP, and there's a EU community too. Eventually, I grew fond of roleplay over raiding, and a few good friends of mine in the Cerberus FC stopped playing and that sort of thing, making it easier to transfer for the new expansion. So, why not try both and see which you prefer? I'm still in contact with my friends from Cerberus, so it's not the end of all things should you transfer.

Balmung is pretty much permanently closed except for when it opens up again just after maintenance. The only for-sure way to get on is to transfer which costs $$$ and requires a 3-day old character. Luckily, you can transfer up to 8 characters at once. If you really want the good and plentiful RP, Balmung is the way to go. I haven't regretted transferring at all! But if you're looking for other realms, it seems Mateus and Siren have little communities building up. Check out these links for the Free Company and Linkshell halls to see what kind of stuff is happening on other servers.

We're still currently open for recruitment. And we could always use an extra healer, especially if they're a lovely Highlander! ^o~ / To apply to the linkshell, follow this link here to fill out the application form and once submitted, you'll hear back from us within a day or two to hopefully set up an IC interview/introduction. Thanks for the interest!

You mean like this? http://68.media.tumblr.com/e67de016f4514856bccf37f560045c4a/tumblr_olrlf51Flv1v1lmyro1_1280.jpg[/img] I will get my precious Arshtat that tiger if that's the last thing I do. Please SE ;3;

To some people, an FC that screens its members as best as possible and weeds out the ones who won't mesh well is honey more than filling out an application is vinegar. Not to mention, most FC's aren't trying to get every fly in the game, only the best flies. Quality flies over quantity flies. I would still try and flip this view from, "How do we only let in the right people... be clear what we don't want and have a rigorous screening process to keep them out" to "How do we attract the right people.. by showing the type of FC we are so that those that will fit in apply, and those that wont don't." For those applying the recruitment process is what they see of your FC, and I think it is better to make that a more positive representation of who you are not a negative one. I'm not saying don't screen, I'm saying don't make recruitment only about screening people out. I don't think people represent their FC in a negative light... o_O That would be counterproductive. And to be honest, trying to attract the right people doesn't always work. Just for example, I always advertise my FC/LS as lore-adhering for the most part. Does this mean I only get roleplayers who prefer roleplaying in the realms of FFXIV lore applying? No. We still get Doomtrain-Egi summoners and the like applying, and whilst that is not a bad thing (not at all, you do you, Doomtrain summoners) but it ain't for my FC and the roleplay community we're trying to build within. But I do agree, it's not about purging these people and stopping them from joining. It's about making sure they're gonna fit in and have a good time in the FC without hitting any snags in pursuing what they want for their character. My FC application just asks about their character, their RP style and preferences and if they're available to make our FC events and then we try to determine if they'll get anything out of joining us. It's not about us being too good for them, it's simply a difference in tastes and making sure we match up. I remember for the five minutes I played WoW and I applied for to a guild, they had questions about lore on there! And wanted me to create my character combat sheet to submit (which was complicated as hell) and it took me over an hour to complete. I made a spelling mistake on one of the lore questions, and one of the officers pointed it out in a sarcastic manner. THAT kind of screening I feel is ridiculous and I don't blame anyone who complains about that sort of shit.

Greetings, it is time for another monthly update! The Order of Ouroboros is busy as heck, we have plots galore and many fresh faces joining these past few weeks. The Order currently faces peril from many different sources, first being a potential unknown enemy out to erase them from existence. A thoroughly planned ambush targeting the sect of mages took them by surprise, and after managing to fight their way out, it has left them all looking over the shoulder wondering just who on Hydaelyn have they fucked over now. If it’s not mysterious enemies, it’s the Order itself proving to be a problem. Madoc, their shirtless hunk of a Xaela mercenary has managed to bind himself to a cursed sword and it has become a race against time to find a way to sever the bond before real harm comes before him… or his allies. The stress of all the potential murdering(s) has created a lot of tension amongst the Order members, particularly the leadership. Hopefully, they will soon rekindle those bonds and come together to put the end to their struggles. Whilst everyone’s off arguing and touching things they shouldn’t, Sophiane, one of the newer recruits, has taken it upon herself to invite some of the more magically talented on an expedition to explore the Sil’dah ruins after discovering secret tunnels. With the potential of finding undiscovered relics and knowledge, the Order has gladly funded the expedition and offered their aid to help. So that’s something to actually look forward to! Behind the scenes, we had a small break in recruitment to settle in our new members and get through our backlog of apps. I’m happy to announce we are now open again and we’ll be glad to take on a few more members to round us off. We’ve grown bigger and closer, and we’re looking to expand our time for casual RPing and PvEing. We are looking to farm birbs together shortly, it may be a disaster. Or it may be the greatest thing ever and you’ll see the OoO lot cruising around on their majestic steeds. Anyways, that’s it for now! No screenshots because I am lazy, I will post those on our Free Company thread. ;D Take care!

Bad luck, there's definitely good roleplay to find on Balmung and plenty of it. I'd advise making a Making Connections thread to find the kinda roleplay/FC you're looking for, and attending roleplay events advertised here just to see a little more into what goes on at Balmung that isn't catgirl ERP. Welcome to Balmung and the forums! o7 At least you've had a somewhat entertaining introduction to it all, only gets better from here!

Qajira might get a kick out of hanging out with the Order of Ouroboros, being a thaumaturge and all. We do all sorts concerning magic and shizzle wizzle, and she'll find many peers there. And even Rosalyn could come treasure hunting for magical relics with the Order too, we're into exploring places we probably shouldn't tread in search for the ancient and wacky stuff. Also, we're the kind of group you're looking for OOC, got that active discord/site and laidback attitude and most of us are experienced RPers with a preference for medium to heavy lore-friendly RP. Feel free to ping me and ask any questions if you're at all interested. Good luck in your search!

Aye, it seems everyone's telling me to keep things simple when it comes to rules, which I definitely won't argue with! Easier for me and easier for the public. Letting the rolls determine who wins seems fairest, and as well as the addition of "no illegal/forbidden magic" rule, that should keep it all fine and dandy hopefully. I really wish I could attend Spellguard so I could see how it works... and I've never played Lord of Verminion either. I'm missing out! Although I think a simple one vs. one tournament might be best, the reasoning behind why my characters would run such a thing would be easier to come up with since he's run similar things with his free company in the past. When I fine tune a few ideas a bit more, I will probably be in touch with Shoshopu and Warren if that's alright? Thanks for all the help so far!

Thanks for your reply - and yeah I agree. As long as they're not breaking the rules (by killing people or somehow fudging up the combat) I think I would be fine people turning up with their doomtrain-egi, I think it's just something people will have to deal with and it's not worth excluding that one person from a *public* event because they have a different flavour of RP to myself or others. Easily dealt with the IC doubt option as you mentioned, "whatever you say buddy, let's get on with this." Having an attitude of "well, that happened" and moving on would be best for everyone, I think.

I believe there was already one of those! Gah, so many useful responses and so many good points and ideas raised, thank you to everyone for providing a fruitful discussion. Regarding the mixing of magic and fighters, this was actually one of my first ideas thinking along Gegenji and Maril's lines that I shouldn't limit something to a rather small (well, much smaller than NA) community. This does poise an issue over balance I suppose, but most of the time I've experienced something like Ave where people understand they are not to go overboard and yeah, the fact the /random rolls make things fair. When using rolls in other events, I've always got the thought in mind that my character can fuck up their spell, or their opponent block it - just because he's a talented mage doesn't mean he'll always land the hit and it actually motivates me to be creative in my combat posts. I don't doubt there's going to be that one person that will be like "but I lost to a ten year old with a wooden stick!" or whatever. Although, Maril brought up a good point considering this matter when it comes to lore - When does it become an unfair fight, putting rolls aside and focusing on the RP? How much of my preference to be lore-adhering should I allow when organising my event? Whilst I do not want to turn down players from joining, I can't ignore that there is the problem that some roleplayers may have issue with characters that are not lore-friendly or "broken" in terms of power. How strict should I be? In regards to magic, would implementing a rule such as "any questionable magicks may be questioned afterwards, please remember IC actions have IC consequences when using spells that are forbidden etc." Minion tournaments sound cute, and I have been playing around with an idea inspired by Shatter. Instead of having players fight each other, they have an NPC target (could be something like ice or perhaps a creature?) to take down first. I thought this might be good for groups of players - just something I thought of at 4am so it may sound more stupid than I first thought, heh. Is there more fun to beating the crap out of other characters, or do you think the simple thrill of competition would be best? Thanks to Warren and Shoshopu especially!! I will definitely take you up on your offer of help should I need it (probably feedback on the ideas themselves?) and you also gave great tips. "Run event for those that are present, not who are absent" is a damn good quote and something I will keep in mind! Small turn outs also don't scare me too much, I think I would faint if I got anything half of Grindstone's size! The limit on the number of turns might be a good idea too, I've suffered from watching a three-hour fight because no one could land an attack roll. I'm not done taking notes just yet, so any advice, experiences or things you would like to see in a tournament event would be awesome to read! Thanks to everyone so far.

Aha! This is where I have prepared my butt and have already been conversing with different EU RP groups and FCs through discord (we even have a little group dedicated to organising events since yeah, sometimes we end up staring wistfully over the pond wishing we can attend some of these fantastic events that are at 2am on a school night. ;3; ) Anyway, it has been in discussion for some time and something I've always wanted to do. I just wanted to see what the RPC had to say! The rest of your points were also helpful, luckily I have experience of being a DM for my FC and running other types of public events... I knew I wouldn't escape the chaos with this. D: Definitely food for thought and your advice from running your own thing is very useful! Seems like Grindstone rules are winning the vote! And ah yes, no killing rule I have already written down as that seems obvious and seems like an open can of worms for drama if not implemented. And yes! Employing minions to help is a good idea. I've had a few friends and FC members already voice interest in wanting to help - I will definitely make sure to have more than one healer there as well in case it gets bloody. Also everyone's said to poke Warren and I will do just that!

Having a quick look at the Balmung RP Calendar for the past month, all that's available in viable EU hours (Before 5PM EST) are tavern/cafe nights. No tournaments at all and it's been that way for a while. :C Even then, there's no harm in introducing one more if it is still out there, eh? Simple, approachable and fair was what I was already aiming for and you put it perfectly, thanks for your advice! The GS rules I have already used in past events for my FC and the like, and it does seem the easiest to use, especially in the case of introducing it to players that have never done competitive combat RP before.

So, I've noticed a distinct lack of tournament-type RP events available to the EU crowd and as someone who can no longer stay up to 6am participating in Runestone or Grindstone as much as I'd love to, I fancy giving a go at running one of these things myself. Will it be a reoccurring event? Who knows. Will it be fun and well organised? Well, I'm gonna try and that's why I've come here for help. So my questions are: 1) Coming up with rules and a theme - I'm debating whether to come up with some original rules for my event but I realise this comes with the task of balancing said rules, and making sure it runs smoothly and quickly, and is easy to understand to the average roleplayer. What's the best way to do this? Are there any sources I could perhaps take inspiration from? 2) Do I actually need to come up with a different set of combat rules? - The Grindstone rules are well known and there isn't a niche for it currently for the EU crowd, but considering there's already several events already existing that use this system... Would it be better to try and come up with something more original? Or do you think a well recognised and approved system would be preferred? 3) Running the event - What can I do to ensure the event runs smoothly? What problems am I likely to encounter? What other things should I consider that I haven't asked about here? All tips and advice appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Well that's why there are servers like Balmung, which is the unofficial RP server. You cannot move for bumping into a roleplayer here and it's very difficult not to find a home for you and your character. Although, that is not to say there aren't people who like roleplay on other servers. You just have to work hard and reach out to find them! I started out in a similar way, just casually messing about with the idea of having this character and busting out some funny dialogue in dungeons with a buddy of mine on my old PvE server. When I made an alt on Balmung and began doing it more seriously, that's when my friends on the PvE server started lightly teasing me about being a 'dirty ERPer' or simply being a nerd that likes to play fantasy and have imaginary boyfriends. >_>;; They simply saw it as something funny, whilst they could appreciate the ideas and the stories I came up with, they just weren't interested in writing with me. They wanted to raid and PvP, which is primarily what the game is designed for at the end of the day. Roleplayers on PvE servers are hard to find, but usually they are there because: a) their friends play on that server, b) bad experiences on Balmung, c) they prefer roleplaying on forums or google docs etc. than in game or d) a first-time RPer. So this might make it difficult to coax them out or get them to commit to anything too serious. If there are roleplayers on your server, they're probably like you - struggling to find that group of similarly minded people that they can roleplay with a little more seriously. If you're serious about meeting other RPers on a non-RP server, I recommend starting your own linkshell or searching for an already existing one. Maybe even create your own FC! It's hard work but with effort, you can possibly create a little RP community on your server. Many have tried, some have been more successful than others but it's down to determination and luck. Being active by setting up regular roleplay events like tavern nights, tournaments etc. might be a good idea. You will probably end up being the main instigator for most scenes as RPers are usually timid little things. The RPC is a good resource for inspiration of what kind of things you can create in terms of plots or FC/LS ideas, perhaps an adventurer guild or network, or a bakery/tavern - things that are easily accessible to the casual or first-time roleplayer. Hope this helps!

That's totally fine! Just ping me a message when you catch me online. But between you and me, I've only met one other roleplayer that is a Dataq but they changed character a while ago. Seems we're a rare breed... yep! Looking at lodestone, only 19 Dataq on Balmung compared to the 177 Dotharl characters. :'D Who knows if those Dataq are still actively playing or even RP!

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Hey there bud. I'm pretty sure I have you added in-game already?? Let's talk and see if we can work out a past connection or something between our characters!

Good day, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year from the Order of Ouroboros! Hope everyone had a lovely time and all that jazz, but we're now back to our original scheduling of getting fucked up having fun with the Order of Ouroboros! To get back into the swing of things, one of the leaders proposed a 'team building exercise' which involved sparring, which did not go down well with our mages who prefer to use magic for all their battles... That was precisely the point however, and most discovered that fighting hand to hand wasn't so bad. If you ignored the vomit, blood, and broken noses. [align=center]http://68.media.tumblr.com/19e5a8bc07853a6195619f65f9d0535c/tumblr_ojfy8qyDoh1vdh9yoo1_1280.jpg[/img][/align] [align=center]http://68.media.tumblr.com/8f3b7f4016aaac4fc6c4af7bd95c100e/tumblr_ojfyllD4Ji1vdh9yoo5_1280.jpg[/img][/align] [align=center]http://68.media.tumblr.com/31a8f472cea967ac4db822571756f969/tumblr_ojfydiK3wE1vdh9yoo3_1280.jpg[/img][/align] [align=left]Punching each other actually seemed to bring the Order's members closer together, who knew? Many stuck around to chat, tend each others' wounds and discuss future plans. We're hoping to do some more one-offs like this, the next theme possibly to do with first aid in case of emergencies. But after this weekend, the Order will be thrown into the deep end once more to tackle horrible mysteries, fail to dispatch voidsent enemies, and make fools of themselves save Eorzea from terrible magical stuffs. We have a new tumblr, check it out here! And other than that, we got new plots coming and recruitment is still open and stuff. See around this time next month for another update! [/align]

Hi folks! Hope everyone had a Happy New Years and Happy Holidays and all that jazz. Just posting a little update as we're now getting back into the swing of things now that the holiday-craziness has settled and everyone's done seeing their families and getting crunk and opening presents. The first roleplay event of the year involved the Order beating the shit out of each other... it was totally a team-building exercise and not an excuse to work out some tensions! Some noses were broken, others were tickled into submission and others simply sat down and gave up, but much fun was had. [align=center]http://68.media.tumblr.com/0e71e0218c833d80b4569b7595cddfa5/tumblr_ojfy8qyDoh1vdh9yoo2_1280.jpg[/img][/align] [align=center]http://68.media.tumblr.com/51fd0e68c2a4ceea7e075a76f9754994/tumblr_ojfyllD4Ji1vdh9yoo4_1280.jpg[/img][/align] [align=center]http://68.media.tumblr.com/25cdf9b0f9cd612aed6bd22681829707/tumblr_ojfyllD4Ji1vdh9yoo2_1280.jpg[/img][/align] Next up, we have a bonding ceremony to attend! And after that... we're working on several plotlines and a possible FC collaboration so please stay tuned for what's to come next for the Order of Ouroboros. In other news, recruitment is still open as usual, and we now have a dedicated FC tumblr where you can see a lot more screenshots, news, artwork of our members and shitposting. Give us a follow for the latest stuff. Anyways, that's it for now. See you next month!

Hi fellow UK player! o/ I know a couple of linkshells that might interest you. The Matron's Reach is a neat little collection of healers and clinics, a for-sure way of treating patients and getting work for your healer character! I've heard a lot of good things about this linkshell so I recommend you try this one out! Then there's also my own linkshell, Order of Ouroboros, which is a collection of mages, medics and mercenaries dedicated to the cause of protecting Eorzea and its magicks... or protecting it from said magicks. We are home to quite a few healers, from an Astrologian to Chirurgeons. We run weekly events that usually end up in us having a want for a healer, so please feel free to check us out. Both of the linkshells I mentioned are friendly to GMT/EST times so that's all good. I'm also free to RP with on a more personal note, again just ping me a message if you're curious. I wish you luck in your ventures for RP. o/

Speaking as someone who runs quite a 'picky' linkshell and runs RP events and plots like I assume you're wanting to do, I really recommend reading up on the characters applying to the linkshell. Not to reject them if they're lore-breaking or anything, but having an idea of who is actually in your linkshell, what their character can do and what they are interested can really help in making an interesting and captivating plot for your members. For example, OoO has quite a few interested in void-hunting, so that's quite a common occurrence and we always have a full group of about 8 to 12 people showing for those sorts of things. You can also see how they write, how invested they are in getting that RP or if they're going to be another face in the crowd that only like sitting in taverns (of course nothing wrong with that, but your issue is that they're not using your linkshell as intended). I just wanted to say, as a DM, you really don't want 20 people showing up to your plot-driven events. :V It can get sooo messy. Just trying to manage more than two can be troublesome, and in every FC/event I've been in, I feel that six to ten members mark showing up is very healthy. If you're going larger, you're going to need a second DM to keep up, especially if you're not very experienced. Not everyone can turn up to the events for whatever reason, and especially in a linkshell, they're not obligated to turn up either. They have priorities elsewhere, whether it's their friends or their FC. The linkshell's goal is just to provide a supplement criminal-based RP, no? However, it's really hard not to envy the successes of public events and the turn-out for those, but the amount of effort from the organisers and the RPers are quite different compared to say, running a story plot that arcs over three different events. You set a date, advertise like hell and then hire a few bar staff and boom, done and you just monitor the tavern to make sure no one's causing drama. Plots take a lot of planning, the combat takes a lot of planning and even with all that, your members will throw a spanner in the works either IC or OOC or both. "Hey can my character do this?" or "Ah, I can't make Monday despite everyone else being able to, can you change it?" Different RPers will value these things differently, as others here have said. I prefer plot-driven RP but I can appreciate sitting down and having a drink and talking about my dark past in a random bar, too. Just remember, social RP and plot RP are two different things so trying to compare them is a bit... yeah. I feel like... a large, engaging group = good social RP event, players walking away going "man, that was fun, my character got beat up/learned shit/earned gil, let's do that again" = a good plot event. Different rewards for different types of investment. As a fellow linkshell leader to another, it's really hard. Really hard, but worth it in the end when someone turns around to you and thanks you for the roleplay and starts turning up every week. The small victories are important. This got way too long, sorry. >.<

If you are browsing the linkshell hall, each linkshell will have their own description, rules, and who to contact to join posted in their thread. There is a large variety of IC and OOC linkshells so hopefully you'll find what you are looking for, whether it's casual or heavy roleplay, certain themes or just a general chat to make friends. Good luck!

Update to Order of Ouroboros! Theme: Magic Research and Development, School/Library, Treasure Hunters, Plot-Driven, Healers FC/LS Name: Order of Ouroboros Contacts: Oyuu Dataq, J'takra Tia, Suen Shyu, Arthurioux Duchamps and Sahael Nevara. Website: orderofouroboros.enjin.com

Character Name: Ume Gyoji Wiki link/short description: Here! Have you completed the MSQ up until end of 3.4: Yes/No My character should be anonymous: Yes/No/Either works