You don't really need any background in Final Fantasy to enjoy it. Each game is a self contained story/universe with unique rules. Even a lot of FF14 1.x lore is rarely if ever referenced in ARR. As for what you have to read, background on your race and class are good places to start. Using my own as an example:
Miqo'te
Miqo'te Naming Conventions
Summoner
Obviously, you'd wanna brush up on whatever yours are instead, but that'll send you to the right place. It'll give you a general idea of the fluff behind what you're playing. There some background on how the different races live, what their cultures are like. Very little of it goes into deep detail, which is good and bad. It leaves us with a lack of definite answers in a lot aspects. With role players though, that's where your imagination comes in!
For example, the exact nature of the Miqo'te tribes isn't heavily elaborated on. In the game there's few observable tribes that all seem to behave by different rules. So if you wanted your character to be Miqo'te from the X tribe you can, for lack of a more eloquent way to put it, make shit up.
There's the Official Lore Forum the if you want to peruse it. Honestly though, you won't find too awful much of passing interest. There's our own General Lore Questions thread where you can throw out specific questions or read up on other shenanigans. There are also a myraid of other fan sites, youtube channels, and discussion boards that have smatterings of info. Google helps. Your best bet is usually to ask someone though.
And when all else fails, look to the game! It's generally the best source, even if it is woefully inconsistent on some aspects. Slogging through the story mode and reading the quest text doesn't take too long, and then you have the knowledge firsthand.
How to Role Play is a completely subjective matter, one you'll often find people here debating about frequently. It's as simple as playing pretend! You make up your character and interact with the world and other people as if you were them. You might elect to play a gruff, weathered mercenary who doesn't talk much. Or maybe a Lalafell that speaks in limericks? You can draw from the background of your race, your class, or your homeland to help come up with ideas that fit within the established lore.
There's no right or wrong way to go about it. And if someone tells you that you are, tell them to go to hell. It's a game. And games are fun. I know the reason I left competitive gaming was because people seemed to have forgotten that fact. The only way to play wrong is to not be having fun.
As for our community, I'm fairly certain we've got a decent European population here. Most of the players in game I find myself hanging around certainly are. We're not snooty like the European servers who won't let Americans play~
I wouldn't consider myself an authority on anything pertaining to lore, but I'm relatively old as far as role players go. You're free to pester me at will, I'm usually around and rarely doing anything.
Miqo'te
Miqo'te Naming Conventions
Summoner
Obviously, you'd wanna brush up on whatever yours are instead, but that'll send you to the right place. It'll give you a general idea of the fluff behind what you're playing. There some background on how the different races live, what their cultures are like. Very little of it goes into deep detail, which is good and bad. It leaves us with a lack of definite answers in a lot aspects. With role players though, that's where your imagination comes in!
For example, the exact nature of the Miqo'te tribes isn't heavily elaborated on. In the game there's few observable tribes that all seem to behave by different rules. So if you wanted your character to be Miqo'te from the X tribe you can, for lack of a more eloquent way to put it, make shit up.
There's the Official Lore Forum the if you want to peruse it. Honestly though, you won't find too awful much of passing interest. There's our own General Lore Questions thread where you can throw out specific questions or read up on other shenanigans. There are also a myraid of other fan sites, youtube channels, and discussion boards that have smatterings of info. Google helps. Your best bet is usually to ask someone though.
And when all else fails, look to the game! It's generally the best source, even if it is woefully inconsistent on some aspects. Slogging through the story mode and reading the quest text doesn't take too long, and then you have the knowledge firsthand.
How to Role Play is a completely subjective matter, one you'll often find people here debating about frequently. It's as simple as playing pretend! You make up your character and interact with the world and other people as if you were them. You might elect to play a gruff, weathered mercenary who doesn't talk much. Or maybe a Lalafell that speaks in limericks? You can draw from the background of your race, your class, or your homeland to help come up with ideas that fit within the established lore.
There's no right or wrong way to go about it. And if someone tells you that you are, tell them to go to hell. It's a game. And games are fun. I know the reason I left competitive gaming was because people seemed to have forgotten that fact. The only way to play wrong is to not be having fun.
As for our community, I'm fairly certain we've got a decent European population here. Most of the players in game I find myself hanging around certainly are. We're not snooty like the European servers who won't let Americans play~
I wouldn't consider myself an authority on anything pertaining to lore, but I'm relatively old as far as role players go. You're free to pester me at will, I'm usually around and rarely doing anything.
