(07-27-2017, 03:57 AM)Skye Noctis Wrote: Heya folks
 I have been playing this game for roughly half a year, still levelling slowly to reach the StormBlood areas. So I really only had the time to observe the random RP in Ul'dah Inn and passing groups for a minute each.Â
I have been having this character really since HW release because I had ARR trial and HW gifted during its launch and made a character. Which then played very briefly before leaving it to dust for years, which only recently putting my hands on to this game.
So I went to ask questions, only to be a little disappointed due to the fact that the community mainly revolves around "parking" RP and all of them being the good guys. Which makes random public RP a bit boring without any conflict that can cause interesting RP for character development. There are FC that allow "villains", but that's about it. I really like my social FC that I am right now, have put a lot of effort and dedication into it to change for a RP one.Â
I am mentioning this, only because mine and my friend's characters aren't holy souls, not good guys at all, as if they can be violent if provoked but totally can be in a social community when comes to specific circumstances peacefully.  (I RPd for years in other games being the good guys, and I got bored of it eventually hence the character's alignment of choice)Â
So I need a little bit further insight about this matter, to if the information given was true and possibly more that I'm missing.
Hope you guys don't mind if I go back to the OP for a bit.
Like Erah'sae said, what it sounds like you want is more of an antagonist rather than just a 'villain'. Really that term is something most who have studied storytelling (writing, acting, etc) try to avoid because, you might have heard this before, "Every 'good' villain is the hero of their own story."Â
First let me explain much of the RP that I've observed (sadly from the sidelines as IRL has kept me away from the community for much the past year) since I started playing. The RP on Balmung seems to fall into a few categories, usually based on 'depth' and 'time involvement'.Â
In my experience it seems that most of the 'random public rp' you'll find is simply the casual 'let's sit and chat' type stuff. Perfect for folks who only have a limited about of free time and just want something relaxing, fun and social to do. Most of my RP is like this because my IRL simply doesn't allow the time to put into more deep plots and storylines. This seems like this is the only RP you've experienced so that is why you haven't seen any antagonists. More on this in a bit.
A step up from there is the 'public event rp'. Things like regular tavern nights, fight stuff, shops, club crescent, etc. Because these are regular scheduled events you tend to get the same groups of people going and their personal interactions deepen and you can get a bit more 'story' out of it as your character get to know one another. However, in general there isn't much overall 'plot' so it's still very casual. Usually the FC/groups who put these on will have their own plots that these events touch on.
From there you get into the more 'group rp'. Wither it's FC related or just a group of friends doing their stuff, this is where you find your plotlines and major story arcs. Very time and energy intensive (if done right). This is where you'll find your antagonists. Why?Â
Because the key to any good antagonist play is communication with your protagonist players. I played a Neutral evil support character for -years- on WoW so trust me when I say that communication is key. It's good for any roleplay but even moreso with Antagonist RP. This doesn't mean you have to warn your protagonists of every move you make, but rather that if there is something going on all parties involved know how to work out when something is happening. Back when I ran Fight Club we had someone do a bomb attack. At first I think they were wanting it to be just a small thing but because we had good communication we were able to make not only the whole thing run fun but random attendees were able to participate and I don't think I heard a single complaint about it.Â
That's why it's really hard to have the random open rp antagonists. Could it be done? Yes. It's -really really hard though. I think that's why most just.. don't do it. Many put on their public 'nice' face and save their evil schemes for the more indepth plot driven storyines with their groups. Many of the RPers I've met here on FFXIV have been RPing for longer than the game (I've been rping longer than some of you kiddos have been alive) and we all know the pitfalls folks can fall into with open RP. It's just easier to do that type of RP with a set group.
The other hard part is, like mentioned before, the 'consequences'. What happens when your antagonistic get's caught? Is there a law enforcement group to play 'cops'? how do you handle being jailed? Are you willing to let your character being killed if the protagonist decide to resort to extreme measures? Too many RPers invest themselves into their characters and don't want them gone. But if the protagonists can't effectively stop the antagonists then things can get frustrating and repetitive and in the end no one is having any fun. (I've seen this happen!) One solution my old group has was we had a corrupt judge we could pay off to 'get off with a slap on the wrists'. However, it get's old fast.Â
One of my ideas I was trying to do was to create an FC of 'disposable' characters that people could 'rent'. Not necessary faceless generic NPCs (which would be available of course), but also more in depth characters with full backstories and whatnot as needed. Characters not 'invested' in that once the plot was done I could phantasia them into someone else and no worries.Â
Then, like Erah'sae pointed out, there is the option of being the 'subtle antagonist'. Someone who has schemes that drive the protagonists nutz but are just this side of tolerable so you don't want to outright kill them. Lolorito really is an awesome example of this. Through the MSQ you despise him but then he does things that help you out and you can't bring yourself to want to stab him at first sight. He's USEFUL.Â
In any case, if you're wanting some really good indepth storyline driven RP then I suggest getting in with a good RP FC.
*goes back into lurk mode now that she's changed characters*
