(09-04-2013, 03:34 AM)Arc Wrote: 1) Should I finish the game before starting a character to RP, or is it acceptable to just jump right in as soon as a spot opens up of the server, even with my own basic knowledge?
That's up to you. It's probably a better idea to wait a little while to get a better feel for the world, learn about the lore, and maybe even spectate on some other RP you see around so you have a better grasp on what you'll be getting into when you decide to RP yourself.
(09-04-2013, 03:34 AM)Arc Wrote: 2) If said character is created, how far should I develop his backstory? Is it okay to create a basic backstory, with some motivations as to why he is in the game world, and a personality influenced by this basic backstory that would grow as I RP, or is it better to flesh out his history, friends and family, relationships, influences, etc, before starting to bug other RPers.  Â
   For example: A spot opens on Balmung. I haven't finished the game, I only have a basic to intermediate knowledge of the game mechanics, and no RP experience, but I decide to create my character for fear of being shut out of the server. Can I RP the son of a blacksmith whose father has recently been murdered (mother died giving birth to second child) and whose younger brother has disappeared under mysterious and suspicious circumstances. Instilled with the virtues taught to him by his father, and a desire to find his lost sibling and find out the truth, he strides, cautiously, but with the flames of determination burning in his heart, into the realm of Eorzea. Orphaned, alone, he earns his gil as an adventurer, helping those who need it, (as long as they can pay, or if they're REALLY desperate), he begins his search. No leads, no clues, nothing to go on. All he can do is live his life, and pray that his brother will reappear...
You can absolutely do this. In fact, throwing together a character concept and worrying about the intricacies of his backstory and how I want to weave that into the game's lore is exactly how I did it. It's usually how I do it with all of my characters. Creating backstories takes time.
As far as your example goes, it should work fine within the boundaries of the lore. And feel free to retcon (go back and change, for lack of a better explanation) it later or add to it as you see fit. That's a pretty commonplace thing to do in RP.
(09-04-2013, 03:34 AM)Arc Wrote: 3) Assuming I jump in with that character, at what stage in the game should I begin to seek out RPers? Post-game? After the tutorial and the world opens up? Level 20? Is there a general starting point?
Again, this is up to you. Some people like to jump in asap, others prefer to get to end-game before worrying about RP, and some jump in and out of RP as they level and etc. Whatever your comfortable with is fine, although since you're new I would suggest that you take some time to get your bearings before you try getting into stuff yourself. Just so you'll be more comfortable later.
(09-04-2013, 03:34 AM)Arc Wrote: 4) This is more a scenario that could occur whilst RPing in the game. How should I enact this?
   Scenario: I walk into a tavern in Thanalan, and stand at the bar, searching for someone to order a drink from. A fellow RPer sends me /say and begins to engage me in conversation. How would that conversation play out? Would I try to use as many emotes (the in-game kind: /sit or /joy etc) alongside typing what my character says? Should I use more specific emotes?
Do you know about emoting? The /emote or /em command allows you to type out custom emotes for what your character is doing. For example:
/em moves over to the bar and places his hands on its surface. He gets the attention of the bartender and politely gives his order: "Just a mug of water, please."
Generally this is how you'll see conversations play out. Either using custom emotes or /say, or like you said, /say and then using one of the preset emotes. Also, just so you know, in FFXIV you can type an emote and add " motion" to the end of it to just do the motion of the emote without actually emoting. For example:
/soothe without " motion" would give you "<name> tries to calm <target> down" or something like that. /soothe motion would just have your character do the soothe animation without the text.
(09-04-2013, 03:34 AM)Arc Wrote: 5) How extensively should I use the in-game emotes? All the time, just a bit, or somewhere in between?
Up to you. I see people using emotes and " motion" a lot, but they're really only supplementary. If you think using an emote will help convey what your character is doing, by all means do it, but nobody's going to scorn you for not choosing to.
(09-04-2013, 03:34 AM)Arc Wrote: 6) How can I initiate contact with an RPer that I haven't had any prior interaction with? Should I just find someone and send them an OOC /tell?
This is an incredible beast of a problem that a lot of RPers have. And there's nothing wrong with being at a loss for how to do this. Firstly, yes, you could ask someone OOCly via /tell and initiate some RP that way. But there are many other methods as well, and this really depends on what kind of person your character is. Is he the kind of guy who would have no issue with walking up to someone and striking up conversation? "Hey! How's it goin'? I'm John." Or is he more introverted and would much prefer to be the person someone walks up to? Maybe your character is a merchant, and could benefit by meeting lots of new people and getting their name around, so as to pull in potential customers or assistants. Maybe your character has a problem, such as a lost pet, and needs some help with solving it. Going up to strangers and asking them for help is a great way to get RP going. Remember that it all has to do with how your character would do things, although it is of course recommended that you make a character with an attractive personality, as it's always harder to play the brooding type who doesn't talk often. Being able to take initiative is an incredibly good quality to have. You'd be surprised how many people are out there who desperately want to RP, but are too afraid to start it themselves.
Hopefully that helps point you in the right direction! I've been RPing for a long time, so I like to think I'm pretty good with the basics by now. If you have any more questions or even want to RP, let me know! I'm glad to help.
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