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Sylastair · **04-04-2016, 11:13 AM**

(04-04-2016, 10:10 AM)SapphireSkylines Wrote: I've been on Balmung server for maybe a little over a week and I can't really say that I'm too happy with how things have gone. Walk up RPs usually end in people just wanting me to go away, I tried joining two FCs, one flat out rejected me for very cryptic reasons that I couldn't understand, and the other just never bothered to try replying back to me. I like to think that I'm a very experienced RPer, having done it for six years on multiple MMOs and forums. I've tried finding connections/FCs/Linkshells on here but so far only one opportunity I've found on here has been fruitful.

I started roleplaying on WoW and while it took me awhile, I did manage to get into one of the top RP guilds on that server, at least at that time. When I started roleplaying with them and meeting new people, my roleplay connections and friends began to sky rocket. I constantly got compliments on my RP style and character, which I was very confident with. I then became an officer to that guild and was on the officer board for two years, during that time span I had become extremely popular and everyone treated me like I was special. It almost felt like I was a celebrity on that server. Eventually though, all good things had toÂ come to an end and that guild disbanded due to creative differences.

Since then I've been in RP group after RP group, game after game, and I ended up on FF, I think I joined maybe last year on a different server with my boyfriend. There was a small RP group I was in, with my boyfriend but most of those people preferred to raid and PvE than RP so the RP eventually died, so we both decided to transfer to Balmung to check it out. And I had really high expectations joining... I thought I'd get into a good FC, get RP quickly, and do really well since people would see my "pure awesomeness" but the reality is that I'm just a new character that no one knows, and people usually want to avoid. And because of that... I just feel like a pile of shit.

I think the larger issue here is with your expectations and what it sounds like you want to get out of RP in FFXIV. From what I read about how you viewed your time in WoW, your entertainment stemmed from being popular, treated special and having people compliment your RP style. Now everyone loves being liked, so enjoying the attention isn't a bad thing at all. BUT if that experience is what you are looking for again versus just having fun RPing you are likely setting yourself up for failure. While there are some personalities or people that are better known than others, FFXIV's community is very much broken in to a ton of various groups, affiliations, friendships, Linkshells and Free Companies.Â

I think your expectations are really what is holding you back, and also the lens through which you are seeking to be entertained. It's fun to be liked, and known and to have friends. But you don't need to be in a 'top' RP FC, (partly because I don't think such a thing really exists here) and you don't need to be well known or popular to have really engaging and fun roleplay. For what it's worth, everyone has a hard time with RP at various times. Old friends leave, other's take breaks or make new characters, and before you know it you are stuck with none of the same people you used to always RP with. The truth is unfortunately that a lot of people are somewhere on the scale of "Looking for RP to Swamped with RP" at different times, and meeting people in the Quicksand or out in the world doesn't always pan out (and I say that as someone who bounces all around that scale XD).

All I can recommend is to keep at it and focus on meeting people who you have fun with versus making a name for yourself. There are a lot of great people here who do go out of their way to bring new people in and help find them their niche, so don't feel like a piece of shit or take it personally at all. You are new and don't know a lot of people, that's rough. But on the same side you are new, and no one knows you! You are free to carve whatever path you want, meet who you want, grow how you want. Go to events, make friends, make enemies, post questions and don't feel bad sending tells to see if people you like on here are down for some random RP! Take the pressure off yourself of looking at RP as something that can be won or lost, and just keep at going to events, meeting friends of the friends you have now and most of all having fun. You'll be swamped in RP before you know it. (Then repeating the cycle over again like everyone else XD).

Momo · **04-04-2016, 11:16 AM**

I have said this a hundred times, and I will keep saying it, for one reason or another people encourage "walk-up" RP at the QS as a valid method of obtaining RP...this is generally not the case. Â With walk-up RP, there are about 80% of those people waiting around to be walked up to, and then 15% who don't actually want walk-ups lol, then you have your 5% approaching. Â CAN rp be obtained from this method? Â Yes. Â Is it giving you a good amount of RP that is available? I would say definitely not.

As the others above have said, get out to events, make connections by going to group and things, maybe find an FC or a LS that looks interesting, slowly you will gain the RPers who commonly like to RP with you, then when you have your base you can work in others to have fun with at random.

Lastly, as Virella pointed out, and I have tested this myself, Lalafells don't get RP as easily, you need to actively look for it, and make plots with people and really dig into a group. Â There will be some naysayers to this, but take it from me, that is just how it is, because Lalafells are seen as the gag character, so if you fill that role well, you have a spot, if you are trying to be mostly serious, other don't know how to get over that hump and accept you as easily as they would if you were a buxom catgirl or an amazonian Roegal. Â It can be done though! Â Keep striking out on your own, and do as many have suggested above, and after a bit of time, you will get your RP!

Maia · **04-04-2016, 11:28 AM**

I think your frustrations are valid, and you're certainly not alone in these sorts of feelings.

Finding a FC that's right for you can be tough, but I think that applying to them is one of the best ways to find a foothold in the community. I would say, keep at it! Every FC is run by a different group of people who have different codes of conduct, so no two will be exactly alike. While FC A and B might leave a bad impression on you, that's not to say that FC C or D would do the same. As you make your way down this theoretical alphabet, you'll likely bump into one that clicks.

Another thing to consider when applying to a FC or RP guild is their expectations regarding "power level." For example, Rendezvous is fairly "average" in terms of expected character power level. While it may be perfectly within the lore that a character could hold all of the same abilities as the Warrior of Light, that level of capability just wouldn't jive with the narrative of our plot. It's possible that while your character is perfectly possible within the lore, she just might not fit some RP groups if she's too extraordinary in terms of raw ability.

That being said, many groups also don't care about how powerful, skilled, or extraordinary a character is. I'd still encourage you to keep up your search!

I also might recommend keeping an eye out for certain types of events here in the RPC, if you feel like you're getting lost in the crowd. Our monthly Host Club event, for example, goes to great lengths to pair up every Guest with their own Host/Hostess, to ensure everyone who shows up gets individualized RP. Tournament-style events may also be good for this, as you could get direct RP by default if your character enters as a contender?

Nodem · **04-04-2016, 11:29 AM**

While it's been mentioned to visit the Runestone and Grindstone (which personally helped me meet so many amazing characters by now), it can be wall of texty for the first few rounds of combat. Make comments about fighters you're watching, and people will comment back generally because they will defend their friend or favorite fighter.

If fighting isn't your, or your character's, style. I would suggest going to a bar/tavern night. You'd be surprised the random people you meet if you're willing to give it a shot. (Fair warning, Bar/Tavern nights can be wall-o-text also along with ALL EVENTS)

I can't speak for those FC's, maybe your characters didn't fit the FC's plot/theme and they rejected because of this. Or it could be any number of things as have been mentioned.

Quicksand... It's hit or miss at the Quicksand to be honest. If you see an Au Ra in a Yukata sitting at the bar, sit down and see if she says hi to you without prompting. ~.^ It's a rule of thumb for Aoi to greet people when they sit next to her. (Even though I've been MIA as of late doing other plot related stuff on other characters. XD)

While you're first experiences aren't to great, don't let them deter you from RP'ing if that's what you want to do. I know it can be hard at first, but as people start seeing you repeatively and get to know you, more RP will come. In a twist of FATE, I seem to get more RP when I'm not in a FC. There's a certain freedom to it, but it's not for everybody I know.

***Teadrinker*** · **04-04-2016, 11:31 AM**

I sometimes wonder if folk have unrealistic expectations when it comes to how quickly they expect their RP to ramp up and how they expect people to react to their character and them as a player.

With both of my characters I play the most frequently I spent a good solid month or two on both just herp derping around going to different public events and trying to form contacts. It was through those events that I eventually found an FC that worked for me and it all paid off.

It really does take time and effort to establish a character. Browse the open events here on the RPC. Check out tumblr if that is your preference. Join an RP linkshell with announcements. These are all things that can help you but at the end of the day what it really takes is 'patience'.

Something else I notice people do a lot (In general, not necessarily you OP) is sometimes folk can be very reactive RP sponges. Meaning, they tend to not really generate any of their content and if there isn't someone around them spinning arcs or events or storylines then their RP would pretty much grind to a halt. RP is a collaborative process that rewards the creative and the proactive.

Being popular on a server ultimately means jack if you're not having fun. And if you're having fun who really cares if you're popular? Look for a group of people that jive well with you; not a prevalent guild tag or whatnot.

Lydia Lightfoot · **04-04-2016, 11:39 AM**

Hey there Sapphire!

I found myself puzzled by why I hadn't previously greeted you and invited you to RP, and a quick check led me to why... your initial introductory post here at the RPC had said you were playing on Zalera, which would have meant that as a Balmung resident, I wouldn't have been able to RP with you anyway. A lot of people here on the RPC gloss over "new player" type posts from players who aren't on the same server, since for all intents and purposes they simply can't interact with that player anyway in-game and it's efficient to leave their post uncluttered so that any responses from those who are on the same server can be easily seen.

So! One bit of advice I can offer is that it may be useful for you to edit your introduction post, followed by a reply to it (to bump it) in which you clarify that you're now on Balmung and looking to meet Balmung roleplayers rather than Zalera roleplayers. That might get you a couple of bites.

That said, you're getting a few bites on this message too. I do agree with the others's points, which were in summary:

1. People claim they want walk-up RP, but usually don't really. Claiming one wants it is like a weird standard that people think they have to do, but then they'll be AFK, or maybe what they're really looking for is "walk up RP from a female Roe" or something. Who knows.

2. Patience and perseverance are the key. It does definitely take time for others to form a bond, and especially if they are already fairly busy with RP it may be awhile before they're comfortable enough with you to really "let you in". That's not about you, though.

Have you tried going to public events hosted by RP FCs? There are some serverwide events like the Grindstone where players congregate, and several FCs host public tavern nights on a recurring basis - including my FC, though our leader is away on his honeymoon IRL and our next tavern night won't be until he's back. However, we do generally have some public-welcome RP around our FC house just about every night, and you're welcome to swing by and make a few new contacts. Our FC house is located in the Goblet, Ward 6, Plot 58 (Southwest Subdivision). If you want to check and see if there's RP going on prior to making the trek, just shoot me a message in-game and I can let you know (if I'm on, of course).

If it helps any, I was a bit of a fish-out-of-water myself for quite awhile in FF14, but I pressed on through it and now I feel like I'm pretty content and well-known (even though on a server this size, I know darned good and well that I'm known by hardly anybody, and I'm constantly coming across other roleplayers that I've never even seen before - just last night during a hunting trip scene I encountered an FC doing their own scene nearby, about a dozen players, and I'd never seen even one of them).

Roen · **04-04-2016, 11:50 AM**

Wow, from the time I read the original post to when I got to the last one in the thread, there were like five additional replies!

I might be repeating what others have said... (and there are plenty good advices here)

From your posts, you seem quite self aware of the dynamics of coming from a place where you are super popular to a brand new place where no one knows you. That being the case, I think it will take some time to establish contacts and RP that are substantial. Like many others, I too derped around for a month or so, doing walk ups and such until I met others that I thought I could dive into actual stories with. But it took time to make IC friends and acquaintances. And sometimes a bit of luck helps too.

And despite what others have said, sometimes if an FC doesn't get back to you, it might be them and not you. Maybe they aren't actively looking to recruit? Or their recruiter has other things going on right now that it slipped their minds in getting back to you? Or maybe they do have a thing against certain character types...

Either way, keep trying! And keep looking! You already got some great suggestions here from other posters.

Also, something that worked for me when I started here is to peruse through the RPC boards. I skimmed through the Welcome section, Profile section, Making Connections section, and the IC posts to see what character and player I might want to get to know. Looking for personalities and styles that might gel with mine. If they had a wiki that helped too. Then I PM them to see if they are interested in meeting my character.

Anywhos, don't give up! There are plenty of opportunities to meet RPers and get into some storylines here in Balmung. Just have patience and perseverance and I think it will happen!

Valence · **04-04-2016, 11:54 AM**

Every one of those cases is unique and it's often pretty hard in my opinion to give precise and accurate advice...Â

The only constant here is the atrocious social tools of the game. The saddest thing is that RP is absolutely everywhere, probably around half of the server are actually RPers to various degrees (just have to look at most character names and FC tags really), but as a player, you are mostly blind and unable to know what happens around you.Â

The only way to go is to create a strong network. Look for many connections. Have RP sessions with them, see if it works or not. If not, then rince and repeat, bump your own looking for connections post, bring something new, find new hooks to catch people attention...

And that alone is not enough. You will have to prod regularly at all those contacts you kept and still want to RP with (and vice versa of course), and find plots and character development and stories to bring to the table. It's fuel for RP. If there is none, then you stall and everything stops, and you will have to restart the engine.

All of this to say, it requires constant effort. I find that the majority of people are rather passive. So, you have to get active yourself and kick things up. And honestly, i'm saying that as someone that is usually super reluctant to go bother and annoy people because I find that super intrusive and insisting for the smallest thing.Â

But then again, most people have always been very receptive and happy to see RP knocking on their door actually! I have yet to have negative experiences with that. Yes, sometimes you get a lot of "cant RP now" or just no answer. And then you think "they do'nt want to RP with me".... But... More often than not, it's just life randomness. Sometimes people are afk or looking at something else, or super busy RPing. Sometimes people are overbooked. Sometimes people just want to enjoy the game for a change. Mood plays a big factor.

The tough thing though is if you don't have anything RP hook or idea to bring, I find it best not to engage anyone for RP unless you both are super creative for small talk or whatever... And even then it might get old pretty fast... At least in my experience... Since well, i'm not super old on that community yet...

Be nice, force yourself to sound positive and creative and engaging. Show your willingness and your creativity in your OOC approach.Â

Now that is said then, do you have a link to a wiki or anything regarding your mi'qote character that had trouble to find RP and got rejected out of curiosity? Can I take a look?

FreelanceWizard · **04-04-2016, 11:54 AM**

One thing I'd point out is that groups that may be amenable to someone being RPed in (we have a few of those in my FC, where we waived the application process based on the RP) may not be the same groups you see in the Quicksand. The world of XIV is quite large, and a fair bit of RP happens in guild houses, too. A very effective way to get RP going with someone, or a group, is simply to reach out to them and set up a scene! One of our most recent members RPed in that way. They wanted to meet up to talk about learning magic, and it ballooned into their joining the group. Never discount the power of simply setting up a meeting and seeing what transpires.

EDIT: Regarding your characters, just from what I see in your Making Connections post, they don't appear to run afoul of lore. I will say that some people have certain issues with particular character concepts (the adorable lalafell, the cutesy kitten miqo'te) and certainly certain characters have issues with such things. Power level can also be a problem, and not just with being too powerful for a certain group. Characters can definitely be too weak to fit in with particular groups, have too variant of a concept, and so on.

S'imba · **04-04-2016, 12:47 PM**

For us players that aren't popular and renowned for our rp it can definitely be difficult to find rp. I will say lalafell probably do have an extra challenge to overcome. Since between their appearance and the way a few I've seen rp'd can give a bad stigma to the race to the point people find it hard to take seriously. But bright side is at the very least it might help act as a filter to help avoid the large load of people out there whose only focus is erp.Â

More important though is you just got to be persistent. It took me ages to find an fc where I felt I fit in. Finding a group of people who share your same interestsize can be hard. Just got to keep pushing until you start finding people and people start to recognize your character.Â

That being said I'd love to meet your lala...tHough I will warn you S'imba has the belief that all lalas are evil so if you can handle someone being overly suspicious and uneasy with your character shoot me a tell.

ExAtomos · **04-04-2016, 01:01 PM**

Patience is key.

Moving to Balmung is a lot like moving to the big city. It's going to be lonely a while, until you can finally find your place. And it may be very discouraging for some time. I went through this myself; I had a character on the server already when I transferred my main and a few alts. My Balmung native was well liked by those I knew... my transferees... weren't. lol. It's been a few months and I'm just now starting to feel more settled.

The Quicksand may not be ideal for breaking into RP and making good friends on the server. I mean, you may get lucky, of course... but it's like any RL bar or club, people are there to pick up other people, see and be seen, and may not always welcome some random horning in on their gig. >.>

Like others have suggested, watch for player run events and attend those. Check out people's FC info while there. If someone seems interesting and their FC sounds like it might be a good fit, go ahead and try to apply if they are accepting apps. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out, just keep trying.

On a side note, I found my FC from a lodestone blog post. May be worth checking that site as well.

Ashe · **04-04-2016, 01:07 PM**

Walk ups are really difficult. In general. But to be honest, it took me way longer than a week to join an FC. The path I set myself on wasn't even because of an FC I joined on my main. I originally joined an FC way back on my alt and eventually added my main. Now I am a leader in my own RP FC. The QS in general sucks. I NEVER RP there.Â
Maybe dig through the LS/FC page here a bit more? (Name dropping Mythril Wings...we don't have any lala RPers just be coincidence of none applying ever but....we rarely reject people unless they are crazy or are, in fact, trolling. Or not trying if they are new to RP).Â

So yeah. It does take more than a week. Nothing happens over night.

Faye · **04-04-2016, 02:11 PM**

Hello, Liara! I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties. I don't want to repeat what the others said too much, but as they've mentioned, patience and persistence are key. It takes time to make connections, find people you mesh well with, and pique the interest of others. Until then, just keep trying. There are plenty of RPers you have yet to meet, more linkshells to try, and more FC's to apply to. Best of luck!

Askier · **04-04-2016, 02:24 PM**

You've only been at it for a week. Give it time.

Rp will come. You just have to recall you are starting over.

To give a example with this game, I used to have a character who had a lot of contacts that I acquired over the years but recently retired him and made a new one.

Like you, I was basically starting from scratch. And, even with all my ooc contacts, it took time for him to get drawn into events and plots cause IC no one knew him.Â

My best advise is just be stupid friendly.

I have made a lot of friends simply because I saw something on their character search tag and poked them about it. Some of the best rp was a result of ooc discussing characters with a total stranger and us agreeing to want to rp after we learned about each other's characters.

Nebbs · **04-04-2016, 02:29 PM**

My advice..

Go to some events, get to know a few people, volunteer if they ask for helpers etc..

That way you get to meet people who have gone to an event with the intent to RP.

Now you may think they are all in predefined groups, but that is just a Â couple. Most at these things tend to be looking for others to RP with too.

This way you can find an FC that you like the RP style of, and hopefully they have seen you RP. Worst thing that you can do is jump into an FC, find out it is not for you and have to leave.

Also join some of the LS that you like the look of. These tend to be quiet, but give them a poke and they generally respond back.

Also let a list character names from this topic and add then into a search macro, that way it is easier to quickly scan if any are on.

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RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes