What do you love about the rp community?

[Magellan]

This thread is meant to be a counterpoint to the RP pet peeves thread. I think the pet peeves thread is actually a good resource for talking points on things that might bog rp down, but in the interest of balance, what are some things you love?

I'll start:

 

Au Ra - okay, I know this isn't specifically rp related per se, but I personally feel SE absolutely nailed this race. Both male and female look fantastic. As I'm wandering around on my Monk, I just love seeing all the creative looks people came up with. I especially feel warm and fuzzy when I see fellow Raen milling about.

 

This site's welcoming committee - I love that all newcomers here have a crew ready to welcome them with open arms

 

Huggable Lalafells - lalafell players that play their characters as cute as they look. I seriously cannot even contain my squee. 

 

That feeling when... you've just had a solid rp connection with someone new, and mere seconds after the scene ends, you get a /tell along the lines of: 'that was fun! Can we do that again sometime?' It can be pretty frustrating sometimes feeling like you're chasing dead end after dead end, so those times it does work out are all the more rewarding!

 

What are some of the things you all love about rp and/or this community?

[Gegenji]

I really like a lot of the friendly, helpful folks I've come across in the community.

 

You know the ones - willing to help craft stuff and run stuff for people or offer help and advice when needed. But even beyond that, I just enjoy the folks that - even when passing OOCly - will still throw you a /wave or /poke or even say hi in chat or LS. Makes you feel connected and a part of things.

 

... Which is probably why I've gotten into the habit of /hugging folks on my Friends List when I come across them. Or, at the very least, giving them a /poke. :lol:

[-no longer matters-]

I havn't Rp'd on FF14 since my last go around (due to getting Keraya to a place in game and with her back story I feel comfortable with, but soon.) But just talking to the community OOC, everyone's been very inviting and friendly, also my last go around (I stopped right before Rogues/Ninjas got released.) I really only had positive experiences RP wise. My previous FC from my last time playing was wonderful, If I thought Keraya fit in, I'd seek them out again, just awesome people. Seems to be my experience server wide every time I play this game.

 

I'd say this is one of the friendliest RP communities I've encountered since City Of Heroes.

[LadyRochester]

The community itself? Not too much, unfortunately. RP?

 

Well, I love to see how characters evolve and develop. I get this weird satisfaction and ego-boost from seeing how other characters change over-time and flourish due to the interactions with my own. Of course, watching your own character evolve is fun too. 

 

It's kind of like watching your favorite series, or reading a really good book, only that your characters are kind of your children, and you influence the outcome.

 

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that some people within the RP community have given me wonderful experiences, however, but I can't say this is the rule, so I cannot defend the community in general.

 

Thanks to RP, I developed my creativity, vocabulary, and writing skill. English isn't my first language, so finding a fun way to stay in practice is wonderful.

[Asmodean]

I happen to love how welling people are to hop ion to a rp scene if they happen to see me standing about a city somewhere. Most of the time, if I'm standing around with the afk sign, I'm still in in keyboard reach. It's just nice to see some willing to notice Asmo standing around if they had seen him before.

 

I also love how nice most seem to be, having only two months on Balmung I thought by now I might have found the local set of asshats but nope. Not a sighting of one set of people like that yet.

[Magellan]

 

I also love how nice most seem to be, having only two months on Balmung I thought by now I might have found the local set of asshats but nope. Not a sighting of one set of people like that yet.

*Slowly raises hand to remove asshat and kick it under the carpet.*

 

Eheheh nothing to see here, nothing to see...

 

*stomps on lump in carpet*

[C'kayah Polaali]

Honestly? I adore the RP community for the most part. I've gotten more, and better, RP in FF than I have in any game since AmberMUSH. Sure there are individuals I might not like, or behaviors I might not care for, but those are minor compared to the serious blessing of being able to play in a community like this.

[Steel Wolf]

I love the interplay you get to see when you peoplewatch. Sure, maybe the stories being weaved aren't deep or NY Times best-seller material....but it makes the world feel more lived in...which is pretty damn vital. Especially in a themepark MMO.

[Zhavi]

Creativity, consistency, and the kindness that has been shown to me.

 

Added bonus for the kickass writers who come and stick around.

[Altitis Acquired]

That it exists. That there are actually RP in this game, and lots of it! I've played MMO's with RP communities, but as soon you go in-game and try find any RP, it's so scarce or the RP is kept private.

 

The fact I can just walk into the Quicksand and (most of the time) find someone to RP with makes me happy. ^^

 

Though the Quicksand is the main hub, I also like that people might meet up there, but then take the RP elsewhere, out in the world of Eorzea. It's awesome.

[Aaron]

The fact that people tolerate the 4th wall breaking jokes I do IC every so often. 

 

I know to some people that gets annoying but 9/10 I do it without even noticing lol (though I do it rarely its not a every day thing)

 

And most importantly the fact people tolerated me when I first got on this game. At first my rp was a fuck fest of wtf. I was new tho so eh. Still not the best around but I've gotten a lot better at this stuff thanks to constant interaction.

 

Emotional stuff aside, my real favorite is when I do a /random and another rper decides to contest my roll and then we bully the loser playfully. Stuff like that is fun.

[OttoVann]

Otto Vann

[Nebbs]

For the forum, I suppose that it is here, and the admin folks, especially Alothia who holds the line weathers the storm of the s#it we throw and really really cares about the community.

 

For Balmung, I would have to say the diversity and capacity to accommodate the variety and mess and fallouts that come with RP and still keep people here. 

 

For every person that will do you down there are others that will lift you up again. Cliques and tribes are a part of life but we appear to be big enough for all to have room.

 

 

[Gaspard]

I like the Fact that it keeps me thinking. Like, for many years I ran in closed, defined Rp groups with overarching plot lines. This Open RP setting challenges alot of things I've taken for granted over those years.

Beyond that ofc i enjoy the diversity. And the forums never get boring,there's always somehing going on

[ArmachiA]

The thing that I love most about the people I RP with is the fact that we can sit down and discuss scenes of the story we're playing out like it were a novel or a TV show. We can do this FOR HOURS. Sitting around and discussing the value of a certain scene, what happened between two people, why some people are fighting, what decisions were made, etc, etc. No one gets offended if someone says "I really didn't agree with the choice made." or "Man, I'm not sure that will end well for ." We understand that disagreeing with a character doesn't mean we disagree with them OOC and we understand that we are not our characters. We, of course, say lots of positive things too, but it's nice when the players don't get mad at each other for what characters do, and even better when the players can discuss each others characters' motivations and decisions without getting offended if they disagree. One of my favorite things to do is to talk shop, discuss whats going on with characters and discuss scenes - even when I wasn't even around for them. I really value that I'm able to do that with my group and it makes the story feel... more epic. We're talking like it's not just roleplay, but an overarching story and that's pretty cool.

 

The community in general? I think my favorite thing is how there are many, many, many different kind of groups on the Server. Some that follow lore strictly, some that don't, some that have super powerful characters, and others who play weaker ones. Since this is a large community and there are so many different opinions it's EASY to find a group that has your personal roleplaying style. I can tell you, in certain games it was never that easy, generally having to follow the ruleset of the small rp population. Here though, on Balmung, there are so many different kinds of RPers you WILL find a group that shares your views on roleplay if you try hard enough.

I like that the server has no specific ruleset on RP or what it should be. RP is different for everyone and it means something different to everyone. People aren't to agree on what "real" RP is and that's okay, as long as theirs a place for everyone to build their own sandbox. I've not heard of a lot of harassment related to RP Styles, and I think healthy debate on the forums is important and necessary to keep the community honest. I think Balmung does a lot of things right where a lot of games have done them wrong and FFXIV is a testament to the benefit of a large RP server. And its nice, too, that most of these different groups can co-exist with very little drama on the game.

[Dat Oni]

I think I might have something to say that none of you have considered.

 

Under normal circumstances, areas in the game such as the Quicksand, should they be crowded with players, would be so for the sake of being crowded. Every single location would just be a Mor Dhona clone; tons of people trading, crafting, or idling.

 

Instead, when I show up to the Quicksand, my chat log fills up with conversation. Storytelling. People getting drunk, hanging out with each other, having a good time. The guards talk about how the place has gone to hell, the people talk about how the guards are too bossy, the roleplaying community breathes life into areas that would otherwise be totally desolate because no MMO developer could possibly program in that much randomly generated dialogue to keep things as fresh as they do.

 

The roleplaying community keeps this game from being boring for me. And I appreciate that.

[Gegenji]

Instead, when I show up to the Quicksand, my chat log fills up with conversation. Storytelling. People getting drunk, hanging out with each other, having a good time. The guards talk about how the place has gone to hell, the people talk about how the guards are too bossy, the roleplaying community breathes life into areas that would otherwise be totally desolate because no MMO developer could possibly program in that much randomly generated dialogue to keep things as fresh as they do.

 

That's what grabbed me when I first came to Balmung, starting my first venture in actual RP in an MMORPG. All the people doing open RP in the world just made it feel so much more... alive. It's not just another person heading off to grind more tomestones or a hunt (though you still see that enough in OOC chat and /shout and such)... there's stories going on, lives being lived. I think it's what makes me so antsy when I'm sitting around not doing anything and start looking for RP - Chachan should be doing something right now, not just chilling atop the roof of some FC house in the Mist.

[Tiergan]

The thing that I love most about the people I RP with is the fact that we can sit down and discuss scenes of the story we're playing out like it were a novel or a TV show. We can do this FOR HOURS. Sitting around and discussing the value of a certain scene, what happened between two people, why some people are fighting, what decisions were made, etc, etc. No one gets offended if someone says "I really didn't agree with the choice made." or "Man, I'm not sure that will end well for ." We understand that disagreeing with a character doesn't mean we disagree with them OOC and we understand that we are not our characters. We, of course, say lots of positive things too, but it's nice when the players don't get mad at each other for what characters do, and even better when the players can discuss each others characters' motivations and decisions without getting offended if they disagree. One of my favorite things to do is to talk shop, discuss whats going on with characters and discuss scenes - even when I wasn't even around for them. I really value that I'm able to do that with my group and it makes the story feel... more epic. We're talking like it's not just roleplay, but an overarching story and that's pretty cool.

 

The community in general? I think my favorite thing is how there are many, many, many different kind of groups on the Server. Some that follow lore strictly, some that don't, some that have super powerful characters, and others who play weaker ones. Since this is a large community and there are so many different opinions it's EASY to find a group that has your personal roleplaying style. I can tell you, in certain games it was never that easy, generally having to follow the ruleset of the small rp population. Here though, on Balmung, there are so many different kinds of RPers you WILL find a group that shares your views on roleplay if you try hard enough. I like that the server has no specific ruleset on RP or what it should be. RP is different for everyone and it means something different to everyone. People aren't to agree on what "real" RP is and that's okay, as long as theirs a place for everyone to build their own sandbox. I've not heard of a lot of harassment related to RP Styles, and I think healthy debate on the forums is important and necessary to keep the community honest. I think Balmung does a lot of things right where a lot of games have done them wrong and FFXIV is a testament to the benefit of a large RP server. And its nice, too, that most of these different groups can co-exist with very little drama on the game.

 

THIS.

 

This is the first MMO RP community I've been in where we don't really have a lot of people policing the ever-living heck out of each other on what is the 'right way' to RP. Policing people and trying to get everyone to RP the same way with the same view on the lore and the same understanding of what is 'correct' was just the default thing people did in other MMO communities. In fact, it was seen as "healthy for the community". I'll be first to admit - I was definitely one of those jerks shaking their heads, going 'tsk-tsk' at people I felt were "doing it wrong".

 

It wasn't until I came here to FFXIV that I first ran into this live-and-let-live attitude towards RP/RP styles and good glory is it refreshing. It's so simple and obvious, but it has such a big and positive impact. Instead of the entire community trying to force the everyone to adhere to a certain way of doing things and looking down on folks who don't go with the flow - everyone here has their own 'right way' of doing things. And most importantly, we all (or at least most of us) acknowledge that it's 100% okay if a bunch of folks have drastically different ways of RPing that can't really be reconciled. We understand that the server's big enough for each person to find their own crew of awesome buddies. You do your thing. I'll do my thing. We'll find friends that mesh with us and everyone's happy.

 

This is admittedly why I got a little anxious in things like the pet peeves thread or in other threads when it sort of feels like people might be veering towards "my-way-or-the-highway" / "you're doing it wrong" land, because it makes me worry that folks are bringing that old "everyone has to RP the same way FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY" vibe over to FFXIV.

 

Also - this is less about the RP community and more about Balmung itself - but I REALLY like that I can RP out in the open on Balmung 100% of the time and experience less trolling/clusterfuckery than I ever did in other unofficial RP servers and even actual official RP servers in other MMOs. I think this is a testament to how chill (or at least tolerant) a lot of the Non-RPers are on our server because honestly? It's AMAZING to me that the Quicksand can be an actual RP hub without legions of trolls constantly slamming into it day and night to chase everyone out. (::KNOCKS ON FUCKING WOOD::)

 

Sure, every once in a while I get some buck-nekkid dancing roe with a snowman-helmet on, but I find that if I laugh it off or just play along (swap to slut gear, put on horse helmet, and manderville at them), they go off on their merry way.

[Lilia Lia]

Just how welcoming, generous and understanding people are.

 

And overall, how good the community is at observing basic etiquette.  It's very rare that I run into the faux-pas of RP like godmodding or extreme lore-breaking.  The kinds of issues that tend to give rise to argument are actually pretty minor all things considered.  By and large there is a lot of consensus and good manners among RPers.

 

Being able to go anywhere, like anywhere, and find RP.  So many people on Balmung are open to walk-ups.  It makes the world feel so full and populated.

[Magellan]

 

 

Sure, every once in a while I get some buck-nekkid dancing roe with a snowman-helmet on, but I find that if I laugh it off or just play along (swap to slut gear, put on horse helmet, and manderville at them), they go off on their merry way.

*Pictures a half nekkid Tiergan doing the manderville.... drools on keyboard*

 

In all seriousness, awesome post Tier. One thing I completely agree upon, and one thing I have a slightly different take on:

 

Agree - In the overall scheme of things, I have not been rping very long (about 5 years). In my first several communities, there were so called 'gatekeepers' of rp, who more or less decided the server rp rules of what was and was not acceptable. These people were always self-appointed, and made things absolutely miserable for us small groups out there just trying to have a good time, and being made to feel like we belonged at the kiddie table.

 

Worse, these rp 'moderators' often were absolutely brutal towards new rpers, simply for not knowing all the rules they had established, which led to dwindling communities and a high level of toxicity. I thank the Twelve that Balmung is so very... very different.

 

Which brings me to the part I slightly disagree on. In other communities, threads like Pet Peeves COULD and often WOULD go downhill very fast. But... it made me realize today that I have faith in this community to handle those sorts of things maturely and responsibly. And having that sort of faith after the toxic atmospheres I am accustomed to is tremendously rewarding. 

 

On a personal note, I feel Pet Peeves opens up a dialogue on how to better manage rp disagreements. For me personally, I would much rather someone openly and honestly tell me; 'You know what? I think you're a cool person and even a cooler rper, but your style just does not fit well with mine for 'x' reason.', then the 'veil of silence' that seems to proliferate the rp community sometimes. I mean... I get it. Hell, I do it all the time myself (and hopefully will try to correct that). In the effort of trying not to hurt someone's feelings by telling them you are just not enjoying rp with them, and so putting them off, or being slow to respond to them, I think we often end up hurting people more than just honestly saying; 'You're really great, but our styles do not match. It's not the kind of rp I like, but I'm positive you can find others who's style matches yours.'

 

And for my part, even if I do not spend a lot of time with someone ICly, I am more than happy to spend time chatting with them OOCly.

[-no longer matters-]

 

 

 

Sure, every once in a while I get some buck-nekkid dancing roe with a snowman-helmet on, but I find that if I laugh it off or just play along (swap to slut gear, put on horse helmet, and manderville at them), they go off on their merry way.

 

 

Those types of situations especially when in a bar, I ICly just figure someone had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to many, and my character usually just laughs at it.

[Tiergan]

EDITED!

 

I was responding to Magellan about the whole pet peeves thing, but I realised it was completely off topic. Magellan - if you want to keep chatting about it with me, feel free to hit me up with PMs. o/

[ZoktaiKhor]

Honestly well I was worried when my bro invited me to play with him and our college friends together on Behemoth. I love Rping in my mmos and if I went to the battle focused server i thought id be alone. I was proven hella wrong. And Im now a Guild Master of a great fc and a linkshell master of alot of fellow rpers on the server. It makes the game 100% more enjoyable going on adventure doing a dig or an experiment and just involving so much story. If i didnt have such a huge group of friends on behemoth I might've come running to Balmung but for now you guyso n here and people on their make me glad i started this game.

[Askier]

-snip-   I like that the server has no specific ruleset on RP or what it should be. RP is different for everyone and it means something different to everyone. ....And its nice, too, that most of these different groups can co-exist with very little drama on the game.

 

-snip-.

 

This is admittedly why I got a little anxious in things like the pet peeves thread or in other threads when it sort of feels like people might be veering towards "my-way-or-the-highway" / "you're doing it wrong" land, because it makes me worry that folks are bringing that old "everyone has to RP the same way FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY" vibe over to FFXIV. ...

 

 

 

Umm, where was this attitude last year when several of us got slammed for running an rp event that was meant to be a large, fun thing and, instead, were accused that it threatened -server wide- consistent rp by an -elite- few?

 

Just saying, lets not forget the past so easily.  It was once policed.

 

Now if you want to say, it's nice how the community has -evolved- into a community that -now- allows people to have their own types of rp and acknowledges that all these different stories and types of rps are okay and can exist in the game, that I would agree with.

 

Community has become more open minded this past year, no doubts there.

[Tiergan]

-snip-   I like that the server has no specific ruleset on RP or what it should be. RP is different for everyone and it means something different to everyone. ....And its nice, too, that most of these different groups can co-exist with very little drama on the game.

 

-snip-.

 

This is admittedly why I got a little anxious in things like the pet peeves thread or in other threads when it sort of feels like people might be veering towards "my-way-or-the-highway" / "you're doing it wrong" land, because it makes me worry that folks are bringing that old "everyone has to RP the same way FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY" vibe over to FFXIV. ...

 

 

 

Umm, where was this attitude last year when several of us got slammed for running an rp event that was meant to be a large, fun thing and, instead, were accused that it threatened -server wide- consistent rp by an -elite- few?

 

Just saying, lets not forget the past so easily.  It was once policed.

 

Now if you want to say, it's nice how the community has -evolved- into a community that -now- allows people to have their own types of rp and acknowledges that all these different stories and types of rps are okay and can exist in the game, that I would agree with.

 

Community has become more open minded this past year, no doubts there.

 

I didn't say that it never happened, Askier. Only that its not as prevalent as it is in other communities. The fact that we even got to this point where people go with live-and-let-live is extremely different from any community I have been in. Also server wide events are a whole other basket of things that would need its whole own thread to discuss (and would probably make the moda fear for their sanity.)