Magellan

My character is actually a bigtime coward. She pretty much shuts down in the face of danger. I guess that makes her unique-ish...

Yayyy! I love good guys <3 I've been looking for a home for my Wildwood and this sounds interesting! I'll try to type your complicated name into my chatbox later and send you a tell.

I find a lot of times I take one trait of mine, super-exaggerate it, fill in details that have nothing to do with me, and watch it unfold. For example, my current character Claire is a caricature of my silly side. She definitely feeds into my love of humor. But thats just one aspect of me, and its even only one aspect of my sense of humor (though admittedly, it is my favorite kind of humor) I find having that 'tether' makes Claire both enjoyable and easy to play. Occassionally, I venture well outside of my comfort zone with characters I create, and while I really enjoy that too, I often find I return to those characters a lot less than a character that feels like a comfortable sweater. If I can't relate well to a character, it sometimes just takes too much mental effort to slip into their mindset, so those chars come out to play less often. If I try to play those chars too often, they start to gravitate towards becoming 'comfortable sweaters', which is not the reason I created them >_>

If I'm reading this correctly, you are npcing your character as someone else? I wouldn't call this a problem per se, but it could cause confusion if someone wants to further interact with your character. My character interns/studies at the Bismarck (she wants to be a chef) and so sometimes waitresses there, and I agree it brings a fun dynamic to other people's RP. And since RP is all about fun I say go for it! It shouldn't be too hard to clear up any confusion through tells that you are npcing. EDIT: I am strongly of the opinion that clear OOC communication (via tells) improves the rp experience for all involved 100% of the time. Clears up confusion, alleviates any OOC misunderstanding. Just my personal opinion.

Actually, I think brooding characters are pretty popular still. It's kind of why I made my current character a 'speak as soon as you think it' type. It's so much easier for her to interact with others since she just loves to talk until she's told to shut up. Which is a strength and a weakness. She doesn't think things through, so gets herself in trouble. She'll tell you exactly what she thinks of you, which obviously can be a little too much honesty. And she tries so hard to please that she can be overbearing, and drive people crazy. She's also extremely naive. A lot of her personality came from heavy interaction with naturally quiet, or naturally brooding types. I wanted to create a character who would be able to elicit responses from those types, whether it be good or bad. Because two brooding characters in a room often just.... brood together. It's almost like they need the opposite to start drawing them out >_> Just my opinion.

This. There are people who just want RP; doesn't really matter who or what, just the act of RPing and interacting with others as their character is exciting. Then there are those who want to tell a shared story. The excitement comes from 'signing up' for a theme, then working together to see where that theme goes. I would wager that's where the 'quality over quantity' phrase comes from. Because in the second example, so much can go wrong. People put in a lot of time and love trying to craft this story, only to have someone come along and completely disrupt or derail it because their character honestly didn't fit the theme. Or people come along who try too hard to tell 'their story', instead of helping to contribute to the overall story that the group had agreed to tell. The absolute best FC's manage to juggle both. When you have a 'shared story' only, it can be absolutely maddening and intimidating trying to break your character into; it can feel like you're picking up a book and trying to read it from the middle. It can feel like you're 'shut out' because all these other characters already know each other and get along great, and barely show you any attention. And it can be hard to find a way to contribute; in the end we all want to tell our personal stories, but some groups really want to focus on the shared story heavily; and without instruction, it can be really hard to know how to integrate the two. Again, the best FC's imo, set up a framework, or over-arcing storyline for people to participate in, but then give a lot of freedom to the player in how they interact with that storyline. My current character, Claire, is very much an everyday, regular person, and is really thriving in a school/academy based FC. However, she would probably fall flat on her face if she tried to join a mercenary group, or a band of knights, etc. because she is not a fighter. 'Quality over quantity' imo usually refers to 'please pay attention to what you are signing up for, and be respectful of the story we are trying to tell'. It may take a few tries to find the FC you like and that's fine. There is nothing wrong with trying out a group, deciding its not for you, and moving on to another one. The RP experience should be fun for all involved, and there should be no hard feelings if things do not work out ICly (if things go poorly OOCly, that's a different matter). Anyway, skilled RP really is nothing more than respect. Respect of others tastes, being willing to compromise, learn from each other, and being considerate of what others find fun. You certainly don't have to write like Shakespeare or tell stories like Neil Gaiman to RP with me =P

This is what I've run into repeatedly. People who can take a fire spell to the face and be fine, because you can do so in game. A few times I've been told I'm rping my character as 'weak' (even though they were supposed to be strong) because I've rp'd them taking damage from significant blows thrown their way, and taking them out of the fight early. I've also run into a lot of 'cure heals everything' and even a removal of the consequence of death, because hey... lore allows for it. (As in respawning at your home point) At which point I pretty much just gave up on combat rp altogether. That was the fantastical combat I was referring to. It's not my taste preference, but it seems to be the majority of what I run into.

Yea I typically avoid combat RP cuz people just aren't realistic about how they play their character's strength and weaknesses. I realize I prefer a pretty realistic combat style, and I that this is a fantasy setting, and that a lot of people want to explore that fantastical side of combat, which I'm not very good at. Thankfully my characters don't really need to fight, so I've been able to avoid combat to this point =P

A couple things you can try: 1. Roll a character on each server. Coming from Balmung, I see a fair amount of open world RP and events, but neither server is an 'official' RP server, and it may come down to which server you have the best luck on. Exploring both may open up more opportunities. 2. Join an OOC LFRP LS. Both servers have them, and can be effective ways of meeting others in your communities. 3. Consider starting small. Events are nice, and can whet your appetite, but can be large-scale and hard to find an in, or leave new rpers feeling frustrated as they don't know who to direct their questions to. Conversely, joining an RP LS or FC gives you a smaller group to try and learn the ropes from, with more attentive help in getting your questions answered. You may also try to find an in game mentor. There are lots of friendly folks spread out across both servers. 4. Utilize these forums. The RP discussion section is a great place to have your questions answered. The more specific your inquiry the better, but broad questions can lead to great discussions too! Just remember no on's opinion is better than anyone else's; there are as many different tastes and valid views as there are silver-haired miqo'te in this game (which is to say, a lot), so take everything with a grain of salt , and apply what works best for you! 5. Dabbling in forum rp can certainly help build your knowledge! 6. (And most importantly) Have fun! Don't be afraid to launch yourself into it, or to make mistakes! All of us have at one point, and those who get mad at someone else over RP needs to consider cutting back on the caffeine a little bit. Good luck!

I've been a part of a lot of random, walk-by RP on Balmung folks seem pretty friendly.

That's just flat out wrong. I can easily heal properly and do all the other things I mentioned. WHM damage may not be what a monk or bard will put out, but the damage is not insignificant. Also, I can spam Stone 2 -constantly- and never run out of mana, so the mana recovery argument is moot. Point is, if you're not doing anything during a fight, you're doing it wrong. Actually, I think Ildur made several relevant points that were far from being 'flat out wrong'. For one, anytime I have tried to dps in dungeons on my cnj, I'm usually told to stop and just focus on healing. Additionally, I don't think I've run across a CNJ/WHM yet that didn't have mana problems in long boss fights. As a Bard, I am constantly having to use Mage's Ballad to try and keep their MP bar from dwindling too fast. Whether you stock up on ethers, or whether you put points into Piety I don't know. Third, cats jumping on faces is a serious epidemic in the gaming-verse. When fluffy cops a 'tude, and decides to use your face as a scratching post, it's game over man. Game over.

Yea sadly, CNJ is a pretty boring class in this game. Not to mention lvling pretty much consists of spamming Stone II. I was disappointed by the seemingly lack of strategy put into the class. I mean... they had to throw in a class specific mount just to get more people to play WHM. On the plus side, I find I can be a lot more chatty on my CNJ during dungeons runs, since I'm just there spamming one button. I almost pray for bad groups just so I get the variety/challenge of using Medica occasionally, or having to keep two ppl healed cuz a dps has pulled aggro

I say you have her parents be kidnapped by a secret society of Moogle ninjas who's plan to rule the world by converting Miqo'te into Cateria is finally at hand, after the fall of Dalamud allowed for their mystical space puppet Alakazoo to regain his former powers which he lost when he went through the trans-dimensional rift created when the character Lightning somehow found her way into FFXIV (which hasn't happened yet, but the real hook of your character's back story is that it happened in the future!*) *The trans-dimensional rift allowed this to happen. Also, you have a mystical space puppet named Alakazoo in your backstory. No one's going to question this at this point.

There a number of crafting oriented RP FC's in this game, and my FC has a weekly fishing meet up. Sounds like ur trying to inspire a larger scale event. Hope it works!

whereas I've been an active part of several knightly orders that have attracted a lot of less-than well intentioned types. It's so weird that we've had completely opposite experiences =P your original post honestly surprised me greatly. I have constantly been asking myself 'where are the good guys' and it seems you get nothing but . I wish people would pay better attention to the groups they sign up for, so that you could get the type of people you are actually trying to recruit! I hope you start having better luck!

Then we are very much alike in this regard =) I love being an icebreaker

Not only is that offensive, but I've found it to be highly inaccurate. Most godmodders I've encountered have been drunk with power villains who take a cue from Dbz or naruto. However, I would never be so bold as to claim that 'most who play villains are godmodders' because that is simply not the case. Godmodders truly are rare. Let's not confuse dislike for a particular brand of RP for those who do not respect RP conventions.

I have found the exact opposite >_> Yes, I very much enjoy playing 'white knight' types. I find them to be very well fleshed out characters with a lot of inner struggle and turmoil, and I very much enjoy the idea of adventure that comes along with trying to save the day. The trouble I've run into time and time again is it often feels like these characters of mine stand alone. Ultimately whatever story they are a part of abruptly ends, for various reasons, but ones I hear often are 'good guys are hard to play' and 'good guys are unrealistic'. I don't believe either of the above is true. It seemes to me, OP, that we need to swap circles of friends cuz I run into no shortage of villainous or antagonistic types, yet rarely find chivalrous, 'hero' types.

We've all been there. We find ourselves in a scene where we don't know what's going on, there's a lot of chaos and activity that has nothing to do with your character, and while it may seem exciting, you lack the context to properly interpret or make any sense of whats going on. It's like picking up a book, flipping to chapter X, and trying to follow the plot despite skipping chapters I-IX. Thankfully, the RP community is as diverse and creative as a library full of books. If you don't like or don't understand one tale, there are dozens of others to choose from. I want to know what constitutes in people's minds quality RP. Do you like group settings? Meeting random folks? One on one sessions? Do you like completely freeform RP with no plot discussed beforehand? Or do you prefer a more controlled environment where several are working towards the same goal? What, in your mind, makes for good RP? What successes have you found? What are some tactics you have deployed to create meaningful and memorable scenes? *coughs* Please keep it positive! I'm expecting a ton of different types of RP styles to be represented here, and all of them are correct!

This sounds interesting, I'd love to try and contribute

Hmm, to address some comments in brief; My hero almost never won . That was part of the problem I guess. No one ever seems to want to concede in combat RP Someone used the example of a hero coming across a band that was raping and pillaging a village, and allowing them to live in order to face justice. My hero actual was not lawful good, and probably would have shot down those a-holes right where they stood. Vanquishing quote/unquote 'evil' was very much in her moral dna. My hero was pushed to question her beliefs often. She had a lack of self-confidence, but simply could not stand to see people suffer, and sought to right wrongs wherever they occurred. She never struck me as one-dimensional. Someone mentioned false advertising in an FC/guild as being the problem. Sometimes this is the case! Sometimes, however, the advertising is correct, but the people joining it aren't paying attention. And finally, I'd like to reiterate that I am extremely happy where I am, both in the FC I've ended up in, and with the larger community as a whole. This post was merely meant to elicit the viewpoints of my peers on pratfalls I had experienced on a specific type of character I like to play. My other characters are flourishing, thanks to my lovely FC, and some great friends I've made along the way. Thank you all for you insights andcontributions. You've been a big help!

Ooh boy. A landmine topic I hope everyone can stay constructive, respectful, and on topic! For me? I take pride and care in how I RP, and in how I craft my character. That said, I am constantly listening to my peers and keeping an open mind to seeing things from a different viewpoint, and to learning more. Elitism to me is those who think they know all, who think their way is the only/best way, and who refuse to listen, compromise, or attempt to constructively work with their community. 'Elitism' often rears its head most around new rpers, who are simply trying to learn, who are a lot of times nervous enough as is, and who, yes, make mistakes. So what? Did we never make mistakes when we first started out? New rpers have to be open-minded to instruction, established rpers need to be patient and understanding that learning the ins and outs of telling stories together takes time and clear communication. Thus, 'elitism' and OOC drama is avoided.

Heheh, I've actually had run-ins with this, and find it annoying myself. I believe guilds should never force their views ICly upon others like that, without clear OOC communication beforehand. I'm talking more about within the framework of the guild itself; characters not following the guidelines of the group/theme they are in, and not being held accountable ICly.

I am looking for a foil to my moody, reserved THM Ashleigh Grey (midlander, 22), and it sounds like Ethne might be a good fit. By foil, I mean personality foil. Someone ( whether it be friend, rival, or other) who might be able to draw her out of her 'trust no one' mindset, and give her a little more depth, as she literally keeps everyone at bay currently. A little bit about Ashleigh: Also stationed in in Ul'dah, she is a very capable THM, with a special affinity for fire, yet she seems very reluctant to use that element, defaulting to lightning instead. She seems very furtive, distrusts authority, is sarcastic, deflects all personal inquiries, but can also be pretty dependable (except when she' s not ) I also have a Wildwood Isielin Danar'i, 28, who might fit your elezen as friend or rival. Izzy is a 'white knight' type fallen on hard times. She has an internal desire to change the world, but recently has become withdrawn, almost hermitous. About me: I am off and on between 6pm-1am EST most nights ( I work a day job). My main is Claire Fialo, so you'll most likely reach me on there or Ashleigh in game, or you can message me here if interested. Like you, I love OOC communication and cooking up plots together :3. Hope to hear from ya!

I am so firmly on the fence on this I almost don't know what to say, but I'll try. On the one hand, I completely agree, and understand what you are saying; a character's actions, beliefs, and mannerisms should be believable, founded on past experiences, and limited to what they know, not what you the player know. I'm fairly certain I have achieved this, and have never received complaints (but have received compliments!) about my RP. Breathing, living, fleshed out people, not character archetypes. On the other hand, there are so many different RP styles and tastes, that I feel as an RPer, you should have a degree of detachment from your character, so that you can try and find the right story for them. The one that fits who they are best. I find a lot of grim dark out there, and I'm not much of a grim dark fan, particularly not on my hero character. It is not the theme nor the story I am trying to explore. The whole purpose of RP is to have fun, and when characters are no longer fun to play, its usually because something has gone wrong in the telling of their tale. As a writer, if I wanted to RP Peter Pan in his natural setting, I'm obviously not going to stick him in a dark mercenary themed guild, that would defeat the purpose of what I'm trying to achieve. If, however, I want to explore Peter Pan thrown from his comfort zone into a gritty, realistic setting, a dark merc guild would be the perfect platform to explore this with. I guess my point is that I do role characters, with a specific aim towards finding and telling specific types of stories; I have a comedic relief airheaded Miqo'te who does best in 'slice of life' settings. I have a grim-dark BLM crafted for exploring darker themes, and I have my hero. Of these three types, the one I struggle to find a home for the most is the hero, hence my post. When I join a hero/good guy themed guild, I expect to explore heroic tales and adventure stories. Instead, people seem to join with characters that don't fit. They are perfectly fine rpers, but they don't seem to understand the theme they have signed up for, and an inevitable implosion/clash of ideals occurs. Each character has a range of what they can effectively contribute to. To put this into a people setting; if my hero is surbaban housewife, to thrust her into a gang-ravaged ghetto is not what I'm going for, so I'm not going to subject her to that brand of RP. If I wanted to tell that story, then yes I would absolutely plunk her down in the middle of that. I try to flesh my little toons out to be as believable and realistic as possible, but in the end they are characters to me, whom I have specific goals for, hence I seek out like minded individuals in the guilds I choose. ((As a side note, I am a pretty inclusive rper who will at least attempt to rp with anyone, so don't misread that! ))