Aedan Marceaux

December 11, 2020 A bit of restructuring and remodeling and our doors have opened once more! If you've been looking for a company that says they follow the lore and mean it, are adventuring themed, are active with weekly events, and go out of their way trying to make you feel like you're actually a part of the team, then you might just consider giving us a try! As of right now, we run a PvE event (such as maps, dungeons, raids, trials, mount farming, etc.) and an RP leve-like or story driven event each week. We also have a social RP night at least once a month, but it can happen more often than that! All members are encouraged to create events and RP on days outside of those officer-led events, and we are happy to help you plan them and make them happen! For more detailed information, I recommend you hop on over to our company site: http://blackgriffin.carrd.co You can find our rules and policies written out there as well as a little more information about the company itself. The application to join can also be found there! Of course, you are also welcome to join our discord and speak with our officer core directly with any sort of questions you may have: https://discord.gg/wAp4cun You can also contact us directly in game with any questions or concerns: Aedan Marceaux Savyna Rysen Isa Tsurugi Beyond that, happy hunting and we hope to see you in game!

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/playguide/db/item/b7abafa8d54/ Every item in game exists in lore, per SE. The only items, to my knowledge, that they said are purely meta are fantasias. Do with this knowledge as you will.

Its unfortunately the territory that comes with leading or being an officer of an FC/guild/clan/whatever. Save for those few that you know and trust enough to promote to officership along with you (and even then... sometimes... yeesh) you are always going to have to hand hold. Regarding event systems: what has worked best for me in the past is literally keeping it all as simple as possible. The more layers you add to it (character sheets, stats, special skills, etc.) the more convoluted it gets and the more often you will have to hand hold. My biggest and best advice, imo, is to include your entire company in the creation of the system. Have a discussion thread on your forum/discord/whatever that allows people to give feedback and suggestions. You may be surprised what your non-officer members can come up with or even what they actually want out of a system. The best system my past companies came up with was one of experience that allowed character growth, but over a fairly long amount of time. In other words, characters that showed up to just three events or something wouldn't immediately bump up to the next power level. Beyond that, each bump in power was more expensive than the last, meaning that even if "that player over there" has a +1 to their power level, it's going to take a long time for them to get to +2. The system rewarded players for showing up to the event, completing the event, and best of all... leading the event. As such, their "exp" they would gain would be 2 or 3 so long as they stayed to the conclusion of the event (whatever the DM deems as the conclusion such as the fight being won or whatever). That experience would then be spent to buy power levels -if- they wanted to and -when- they wanted to... the first of which cost 15 iirc. So they would at minimum have to lead 5 events, and at maximum attend to the end 8. Once they bought that power level they would bump back 15 exp and have to start collecting again... the next power level costing 30 exp or something. Then we would cap the power level at 3 just to avoid there being no point to rolls and the like. Tl;dr: keep it simple. Add too many layers and players will end up being turned off by the system or needing even more handholding than if you didnt have a system at all.

I can only assume you mean this as someone here was being particularly negative and/or cross. I don't, personally, read any of the responses as such and I am sorry if any of them came off in such a manner. Either way, I feel your question was answered at least twice. Perhaps they were not the answer(s) you were looking for. You asked an opinion and got it. No one here has said you can't do as you please, one of which even spelling out that you are welcome to do what works for you and your circle. Best of luck in your playing and finding the answer you're looking for as I can only assume that which was said here was not to your liking.

It's either backed by lore or it's not. If it's not, which is the case for inter-shard travel outside of those few cases I mentioned, then any "possibility" discussed beyond that point is up to the individual RPer and their circle as to how they want to handle it. The lore, currently, says it's not possible. And my speculation was there. If it were possible, whether established in the lore or not, one would think that the group of heroes would have done it already to send the Scions back and/or to bring reinforcements over from the Source. They haven't and are still struggling to find a way to send all of them back. Which brings me to the point I made at the end. Since it's not possible, as backed by current lore, does it really matter how one goes about doing it if you're already bending/breaking the lore? Whether you do it through immense amounts of aether, some robotic teleportation, or Harry Potter coming from Heaven and waving his wand... does it matter?

Going to put here the response I gave to another thread that popped up here around a week ago asking about travel to/from the first. Please pardon any formatting issues as I am posting from my phone that doesnt get along well with this site. Plainly put, there isn't a lore backed way to travel to or from the First to the Source, or vice versa. Currently, only those of immense power (namely WoL and Ascians) are able to do so. Beyond that, it takes a lot of lore bending/breaking to make it happen. And, in so doing, in my opinion, trivializes the struggles of the WoL, Exarch, and Scions to return them all to the source and the like since, after all, if any Joe Schmoe can do it... why can't all of these learned, powerful people get it right? Without meaning to sound an ass, if you're really wanting to be able to go one way or the other, currently, it's going to take bending/breaking of the lore. And, if you're willing to take that first step of bending/breaking it, does it really matter how you do it?

Plainly put, there isn't a lore backed way to travel to or from the First to the Source, or vice versa. Currently, only those of immense power (namely WoL and Ascians) are able to do so. Beyond that, it takes a lot of lore bending/breaking to make it happen. And, in so doing, in my opinion, trivializes the struggles of the WoL, Exarch, and Scions to return them all to the source and the like since, after all, if any Joe Schmoe can do it... why can't all of these learned, powerful people get it right? Without meaning to sound an ass, if you're really wanting to be able to go one way or the other, currently, it's going to take bending/breaking of the lore. And, if you're willing to take that first step of bending/breaking it, does it really matter how you do it?

A big thank you to all that came out and enjoyed some RP! A big shout out goes to Gerel Kha who went above and beyond and dragged some people in off of the streets! From here on, everyone and anyone is welcome to use the place as a venue for their RP, be it for company tavern nights or any other situation. So feel free to head to the Corner at your leisure! Thanks again!

Happening tonight! Come hang out in a casual atmosphere with other RPers!

The Corner - Grand Opening! The Fluff Come join us as we finally open our doors to the public! It will be a night of revelry found in drink, company and entertainment! Half priced drinks for all that attend! Open stage night - if you have a talent you'd like to share with the world, hop on stage and put on a show! And for those that prefer a little bit more of a quiet atmosphere, the restaurant upstairs may be more your speed. Sure to offer a more quiet atmosphere while allowing you to enjoy the finest meals available! The Details What: The Grand Opening of a bar and restaurant with half priced drinks and open stage. When: November 19, 2019, 7:00 PM CST - 9:30 PM CST (though guests are welcome to stay later) Where: The Mist, Ward 2, Plot 16 The OOC This is simply a night for casual, social RP among all who attend. There isn't any planned schedule of events for this occasion. Purchase of drinks and food are all IC mechanics and no exchanging of in game gil or out of game currency is required. Any and all sorts of characters are welcome to attend, though we do ask that those that choose to attend be considerate of the others in attendance - meaning be nice, don't steal the show, don't try to make the night all about you, try to keep the evil bomb plots to yourself for the night, etc. Again, this is meant to be a social, laid back event for people to just branch out and meet other RPers outside of their own circles... or to have said circles hang out together in a new location! For those that want to perform on stage: There isn't any sort of sign up sheet or turn order. If you would like to perform, contact either of the proprietors of the establishment (Sarael Mason or Sedalyn Brenner) via whispers and they will let you know the details - generally telling you that there is x amount of people in front of you, where x is the number of people that have whispered an interest in performing prior to your whisper. Essentially, though, if there isn't anyone currently on stage performing you are welcome to do so yourself.

I'm not certain what you mean by restricted lore. Do you mean lore that is just not allowed? As in even though lore says "xyz is possible", the FC just says nope to it? Either way, I'd say most FCs generally fall into 3 groups. 1. Those that claim to be lore strict. These FCs tend to follow every bit of lore possible that is found in game, in the encyclopedias, and out of game sources such as interviews and the like. Some variances may only use in game sources and one of or neither of the other two. Either way, they stick to the lore as best they can and only dabble in grey areas as necessary to advance plots and the like. 2. Those that acknowledge the lore to some degree, but don't mind bending/breaking it so long as it remains remotely plausible or results in "good RP" (quoted only because good is a very subjective term). The degree to which they stick to the lore varies wildly and, as such, this group tends to be bigger (as in more FCs) than the other two. 3. Those that have little to no regard for the lore. Not much to say here, these groups don't care about the lore and just want to RP in the setting. I'd say these are fairly rare as it's somewhat difficult to completely ignore the game in which you're playing in (or so I feel). Otherwise, I don't really think there is a compiled list out there somewhere that says what lore is or is not accepted... other than the rules and policies found in each individual FC's sites and the like.

You can also create a new tab by hitting the + button on the bottom of the text box. Said tab can then be named as desired and pulled out from the other tabs so that you have a second chat window devoted to whatever chat channels you want in it. To modify chat colors and what chats show up in said boxes, click the gear looking icon. I'd offer screen shots, but am currently at work and on my cell phone.

This is where I was coming from, as well. And I thought that this was, more or less, the "universal standard" of how the back and forth between turns goes. The only usual variance (that rarely ever happened or was suggested) in it that I've seen is all players take a turn, then all enemies (if fighting NPCs), then players, then enemies, etc. Otherwise it's as you said, on a player's turn they roll to see if they successfully defended assuming they were targeted with an attack(whatever that may mean in terms of dodging, blocking, etc.) then emote said defense and follow it up with a potential attempted offense, finishing it off with a roll. Then it goes to the next turn and much the same is done again. The only time that rolls should add to that outside of freeform is, like I said, the ten seconds tops it should take for someone to type random and the quick "math" of which number is bigger.

An interesting read with some fairly solid points and examples... I'm just curious as to why you think freeform rp is any faster than "vanilla" rolls (vanilla meaning just pure /random or last 2 digits or whatever, just no modifiers). Unless I'm misunderstanding you or have experienced freeform in a completely different way than you somehow, there's just as much wait time between turns with or without rolls. Having people type /random and seeing which number is higher should take no more extra time than maybe ten seconds tops. Beyond that, though, solid points with which I mostly agree. Coming from a FC leader that has worked with his company to come up with some sort of event system that stays away from character sheets, allows for the "fun chaos of the rng god", but also keeps control (to some degree) in the player's hands as much as possible. Its not perfect, but as you said, I doubt any system ever will be... including the "best" freeform.

Regarding fantasia, devs were asked if they were canonically part of the game: So, at least for the time being, fantasias are not actually supported by lore. They are simply meta items.

This, by far, is likely the best advice. People tend to get super flakey when interacting outside of their own circles. The best way to remedy that is to put yourself into a circle with which you can regularly interact. Find a group of people with which you can build a story and truly develop your characters together. With that, you get the likely added benefit of making decent friends ooc as well.

If I am understanding you correctly, several companies have devised, adopted, or modified from existing ones, their own event/combat system that they use during their events. I would imagine most, if not all, generally employ the use of a GM to tell the story of said events as well (likely also playing a character during said event as well). My company, for instance, has an event system that may or may not be unique that uses simple character sheets and rolls to keep players able to focus on the RP and in game, rather than having to constantly alt-tab or check their phone/tablet/whatever for stats. All the while, we feel it offers both challenge and fairness in our events. I have seen other companies mention having systems and even a FATE-14 system floating about (the links evade me at the moment). If, however, you are meaning outside of the game... then I am afraid I can't help you there.

-Throughout the story of FFXIV in both MSQ and sidequests, we've been introduced to a variety of couples both same and opposite sex. But little is said about inter-species relationships. Are these common? Are they frowned upon? IIRC, in general, cross-species relationships are generally frowned upon. I do know for sure that offspring of such pairings are rare and generally treated worse than dirt -What are the standards of formatting in chatbox roleplay? Do we use /say more than /emote? Are there any slash commands I should be aware of? I don't really think there's a "list of rules" with regard to this. Most people tend to use a mixture of /say, /em, and various emotes. The biggest hints I can give you are /cpose for both standing and sitting (on the ground or in chairs) to have different idle poses for your character. Beyond that, the using of "/-emotename- motion" is fun as well as it'll make your character do the motion of whatever emote you typed out without putting it in the chat log. -In voiced cutscenes, 99% of characters in FFXIV have european accents, mostly "vaguely british." What accents do players tend to give their characters? Do they usually denote these things in the way they write, or is it mostly implied? I'd wager most people tend to stick to the "vaguely British" (and its many variants) as you mentioned, with perhaps a bit of Irish/Scottish. -What are the main roleplay hub areas in FFXIV? I'm going to assume the bar area in Ul'dah is one, since I see people there all the time. The Quicksand in Ul'dah is certainly, arguably one of the busiest places... but it also tends to have a reputation of being the place to go for ERP more than anything else. Main city adventure hubs like the Quicksand tend to be the busiest, I believe. However... your next question... -Does a lot of roleplay get done in housing areas, or is there a lot of open world roleplay as well? "A lot" of roleplay does indeed happen in housing areas and the houses therein. Open world RP does happen (my company, for instance, tends to hold close to 100% of its events out in the open world), it's just a matter of happening to bump into it when it is happening. -Are there roleplay linkshells for different types of races/cultures/classes/jobs/roleplay subjects? I'm uncertain as to the nature of each linkshell out there, but there may well be some dedicated to specific subjects such as that. Naturally, I'd turn you to the linkshell and free company listings found here on the site using the navigation bar at the top. -Characters are often seen taking up multiple classes or jobs. How common is this in roleplay? What is an acceptable limit? For example, say I want to make my character a Conjurer or Thamaturge, but also give them some skill with a bow (archer) and maybe some skill with a ladle (culinarian)? How common is that? At what point is the number of skills considered excessive and power game-y? It varies from player to player. A fair handful enjoy the super high fantasy of switching between multiple jobs and the like, while another fair handful prefer the "more realistic" approach of characters only being able to be skilled in a few callings. It's just a matter of personal preference and the preference of those with whom you try to RP. -In my experience, the longer an MMO has been out, the more closed the RP community becomes. Storylines develop, public RP events turn to private RP events, and people get wrapped up in their own character developments and the developments of their RP partners and friends. The game has been out for many years now. How much open public RP is left? Where can I go to find it? Do people have open housing plots like tea houses or restaurants? Is there a hub I can look at to see a list of them? There are certainly a number of public events with which to get involved. I feel there may be some truth to your statement with regard to public becoming private as I, too, tend to stick to my circle (for various reasons)... but there are certainly still a large number of different types of events happening pretty much every day around the clock! -How much does MSQ factor in to individual roleplay? Is there a lot of roleplay pertaining to the story of the game, or is a lot of that left by the wayside in favor of user-made plots and casual slice-of-life RP?\ This, again, comes down to personal taste just like the classes/jobs. However, I'd wager a large percentage of the RP community tend to not insert themselves into the MSQ or have their characters interact with any of the special NPCs that are found within. -With that in mind, if MSQ subjects do make it into roleplay, what's the statute of limitations on spoiler content? I'm sure you're tired of this answer, but just a matter of personal preference and the preference of those with whom you try to RP. Some people RP as though the content happens the day of release... others wait a week, month, two months, etc. before bringing it up in their RP. You'll find the community to vary wildly in this game as to what their preferences may be. It's just a matter of figuring out what you want out of the RP in this game, then finding like-minded people with whom to RP. My usual suggestion, as mentioned above, is to try to find yourself a linkshell and/or free company that matches your ideal playstyle and go from there! Best of luck!

Welcome to Balmung! Seeing as you already mentioned looking through the FCs posted here (and presumably Linkshells, as well), you're already doing my main suggestion for finding RP. I personally describe the Quicksand as the catch-all for all sorts of RP... and I do mean all sorts. So, there is certainly a chance that you'll find connections that you're looking for there, but I also know that a large handful of RPers tend to avoid the Quicksand because of the large variance in RP that can be found there. Either way, welcome to Balmung!

Welcome! If you're looking to find a free company and/or linkshell to call home, be sure to check the links at the top of the page (able to be filtered by server). Plenty of active groups in both. Enjoy the addiction.

Case in point for example. The Amal'jaa in Thanalan are a fair bit lower level and easier to kill OOCly than the antelope like creatures outside of Ishgard. ICly, though, youd have a hard time convincing anyone that "Bambi" is more dangerous, and thereby worth more gil, than a massive, muscled up beastman that potentially flings fireballs. The OOC leve mechanic says that it is, though.

The value of gil has been debated in the past on this (the old) forum and, iirc, the general consensus was essentially whatever you want to do. In general, looking at the prices of in game materials and such is a bit of a trap as, like with any game of this sort, prices go up as levels go up for the relatively same thing. So you're running into the OOC mechanic versus IC/lore boundary. Do the inflation mechanics (players amassing gil via questing and such while leveling, so raise the prices of the general stuff as an attempt at a small gil sink) reflect what the IC cost of living would be...? A lot of people do that, and there's nothing inherently wrong with it. As mentioned before, do as you please. But it's a bit difficult to justify then spending 1000+ gil on a meat pie... if orange juice is just 8 gil. All I can say is a lot of people tend to do ratios for gil conversions. Every 100 gil is like $1. 50:1 2:1 (the one I personally use whenever needing to discuss gil icly.) Etc. Another handful of rpers just handwave it with vague terms such as "large sum of gil" or "a fair amount of gil", etc. Edit to add: That ooc mechanic is reflected in the leves as well. As your level increases, the gil reward from leves (at your level) does as well. And its debatable if the leves are truly that much more difficult from an IC stand point than the ones you do at the beginning levels. The only reason they're more difficult is because of the ooc mechanic of the game devs giving the mobs higher stats. So, unless I've missed a bit of lore that flat out states cost of living and the like, it's difficult to pin down. You just have to go with whatever method feels most comfortable to you.

With regard to active FCs on Balmung here on the RPC... https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/forum/196-free-company-hall/ Just look for the Balmung tag in front of the post's title.

Gunblades. Any lore pertaining to them? Especially with regard to how plentiful they may be. From what I can tell, only "special"/high ranking Garleans seem to wield them (or a variant of them, such as the White Raven's wrist blade/gun things). Admittedly, I haven't looked at every single grunt we've encountered close enough to see if they also wield them, but I don't recall anyone but the higher ups holding them. Just curious if generic "grunts" in the empire's military also use them, or if they're reserved as a symbol of rank or some such.

This pretty much sums up the situation for my wife and I as well. We would run a company for a while until a lull of some sort (usually a pre-patch lull or release of a newer, "better" game) would cause our members to disappear for an extended period of time without a word. At that point, we didn't feel like rebuilding so we'd let our company lie with alts in charge and try to find another company led by someone else. We'd find one or another that would claim one thing or another (namely lore "abidingness"), but then more often than not end up not being what they said. We'd join a company that claimed to be inclusive, yet despite our attempts to integrate into their premade society, of sorts, by offering to run dungeons, joining in on their events when we could, offering to run (and subsequently doing so once permission was granted) our own events for the company we were never loved. QQ Or a company that claimed to abide by the lore, then have openly practicing black mages from middle earth that didn't face any legal repercussions. (I wish I was joking) Or a company that claims they do more than just slice-of-life RP (Nothing wrong with it, we just don't want to do ONLY that), but had nothing but tavern nights and beach parties. That's not to say there isn't another company out there that actually did match what we were looking for... we just never found it. Of course, as always, everyone is welcome to RP and lead their company as they wish... those just weren't great fits for us. As such, we gave up trying to join others and just decided to stick to running our own in order to RP in an atmosphere that was more to our liking (realistic, organic, friendly, lore-abiding RP). Being open for just about three months now, I'd say we've been fairly successful and are going strong. tl;dr: Yes. We've had difficulty, too. There may be something out there that matches what you're looking for, it just may not be advertised where ever it is that you're looking. My wife and I found it easier and more effective to just lead our own FC the way we wanted one to be run.