Lozolan

As it's been mentioned above I think the word gets thrown around a lot in RP circles and it does mean different things to different people. For me it's purely a case of being able to act in a way that my character would, rather than in the way that I would. So if I'm in a funny/playful mood IRL and my character's at a funeral, then I might find it hard to RP that in the best way unless I'm immersed in what's going on in Molgo's world. Personally I think the line between IC/OOC can become blurred due to a lack of immersion, as when you're not immersed then it can be more likely that more of 'you' comes through in your characters actions. I don't think you need to worry too much about whether other players are immersed or not - just react to their character's actions rather than thinking about what might be going on behind the screen - that'll also help you to become more immersed too. Finally, I think standard roleplay etiquette applies when talking about immersion. Try to limit (or completely avoid) OOC interaction in public channels (it's hard to be immersed when someone is chatting about what their cat is doing IRL etc.). If you get to a stage when you're RPing with someone and it feels like it's flowing really well and you're not constantly asking yourself 'hmm, how would my character respond to that?' then you're probably pretty immersed!

To clarify, I don't think Lydia is stating what currently does happen in RP here, but rather what would happen if we apply the standard laws and rules of Eorzea to our RP situations. And that's what makes it so difficult if you want to be a bad guy whilst being able to enjoy yourself and provide enjoyment for others - I mean that's pretty much what we're all trying to do, right?! There's an extra issue in that we can't just create throwaway characters here on Balmung as everything is restricted. So if you have one character here then any extreme consequences (jail time, execution) become tricky to RP unless you start dropping some cash on the issue, as Lydia mentioned. HOWEVER, you seem like you're familiar with RP and you don't seem keen to be the reincarnation of Bahamut in the form of one of the playable races... so I think there's definitely room for you to be a bad guy/gal without instantly getting your head liberated from your shoulders. In WoW the server I played on had an incompetent (and very corrupt) City Watch, meaning that career criminals often escaped or bribed their way to an innocent verdict - but that was something that it took a long time to build, and the majority of RPers on the server went along with it and sort of suspended their disbelief with regards to the presence of the guards in the city. I think the answer here (as some others have mentioned) is about who you RP with, where you choose to do it and the consequences you, and they, are comfortable with. It's not easy to be a bad guy, and that's why so few people do it, and even fewer do it well, but I think it is doable as long as you're mindful of the players around you and some of the 'realism' aspects within the world that Lydia pointed out.

Thank you for the welcome, folks! Very much appreciated. Yes, I play EU hours so would be good to find a group around at that sort of time. Thanks for posting the directory, Inarah, I'll have a look! Thank you also to Faye, Ari and M'isha for the warm welcome - hopefully I'll see some of you in game sometime soon!

Hi all! I'm a new player to FFXIV - I started a few months ago, took a break and now am back again! I played WoW for many years, starting in 2005 and then playing on and off until around 2012, but I haven't really gone back since Mists of Pandaria, and am looking for a new MMO/RP fix! I did a lot of RP in WoW but am not sure where to start here in FFXIV! I am picking up tidbits of lore here and there wherever I can and am slowly getting to grips with that, but I'd love to find a Free Company to join and get to know folks, do a bit of RP and have fun! My character is Molgo, currently a Lalafell Conjurer, but I don't have much of a backstory for him at the moment. I figure he'd led a bit of a sheltered life up until the calamity and now is exploring what's left of Eorzea, so he and I will be able to learn stuff together! Anyhow, just thought I'd say hello!