Where is the RP?

[Nagase]

I've been hanging around in various zones to find RP lately but all I've been seeing are people idling around in the Quicksand during NA prime time. Now I'm not saying anything about ERP'ers because they have every right to do so, but I feel like normal RP has died on Balmung. Does anyone else feel like this is the case?

[Dunare Shiku]

I've been hanging around in various zones to find RP lately but all I've been seeing are people idling around in the Quicksand during NA prime time. Now I'm not saying anything about ERP'ers because they have every right to do so, but I feel like normal RP has died on Balmung. Does anyone else feel like this is the case?

Yeah I have been running into that problem as well; I do idle in the Quicksand (rl interruptions) but if you ever see me on feel free to rp with me and if you are available I will do the same!

[Qwynn]

Well I mean, I'm new to the server as of two weeks ago now and I've found plenty of RP. I tend to loiter around the Quicksand and that's found me interacting with people fairly often.

 

I suppose it's really a matter of what you're looking for? The Quicksand seems a pretty good spot for casual, short and sweet encounters with a potential to make long term connections.

 

If you're into grand adventures and what not, that'd be a lot more difficult to find out in the wild so to speak. That's how it is in every game, though.

[Virella]

Uh, it is a bit hidden from the scene. But I'd suggest checking this out to make life easier for you

 

http://balmungrpcalendar.tumblr.com/

[Roen]

Don't forget to check out the Roleplay Events here in the RPC boards for public RP events you can attend!

[Kilieit]

Attending events (where you know everyone else is also there to do the same kind of RP you are) and joining linkshells (where you know everyone else is also there to talk about the same kind of things you are) have both made my incidence of roleplay shoot right through the roof. I can find something most nights if I want to, between my friends list, my linkshells, and the RP calendar that Virella linked.

[Nagase]

Attending events (where you know everyone else is also there to do the same kind of RP you are) and joining linkshells (where you know everyone else is also there to talk about the same kind of things you are) have both made my incidence of roleplay shoot right through the roof. I can find something most nights if I want to, between my friends list, my linkshells, and the RP calendar that Virella linked.

Do you know of any good RP Linkshells that would fit well for someone like me who is a casual RP'er who is ok with literally everything?

[Kilieit]

Take your pick!

 

You probably want to filter by Balmung-only, then scroll down to the bottom and set your filters to:

 

Sort by: Last Post / Order: Descending / From: The Beginning.

[ExAtomos]

Kileit sums it up really well.

 

Check people's search info in game too; often they will have something in there like "walk up welcome" so you know you can approach IC.

 

I'm not one to stay IC constantly, so if I'm running through an area, more than likely I am OOC (perhaps on the way to a scene)(more recently, on my way to an event fate. lol >< ). Others are IC every moment of game and if their character is walking through a town they are present IC. (I'm real curious about the percentages of players who are IC all the time vs those that stance dance for lack of a better phrase. )

 

Way I see it, Balmung is like a big city, folks aren't going to just pause on their way somewhere to stop and chat for a time with strangers (unless they need something from a stranger). When you are new to a city, it is on you to get out there and meet people, be it at events that are relevant to your interests or through linkshells and your FC (which is a great way to start rping in public and making connections.)

[Delilah Scythewood]

I find a lot of RP out and about. A lot of people actively stay away from the QS and go to the housing wards or do open world with friends and guild mates. I only recently started poking around at the QS again, usually just to people watch.

[Oscarlet Oirellain]

I've seen RP in every village, town and city in the game and even in the wilderness while questing, across all timezones. It's a myth that it only happens in the QS.

[Miah Gamduhla]

I'm one of those players who are IC all the time... by this I mean... well, I may not always consider where Miah goes IC until / if / when RP happens. I could be running around Ul'dah just going to the MB or picking up a quest or something and if someone stops me and initiates RP or I overhear something I might want to get in on, I will find a reason as to why Miah is there. I am always up for RP no matter where I am.

 

I usually have trouble finding RP outside of my FC and my friends list. I know that the major RP hub on Balmung is The Quicksand, but its usually really crowded (which makes it hard for me to follow everything and my typing lag) and I'm not personally interested with the lewdness that's there (not that there is anything wrong with lewd stuff, imo).

 

The other city-states need more RP love. It makes me kinda sad to know that there are other great places out there that don't get as much traffic for whatever reason. Every city-state has beautiful locations in and around them that would make great places to congregate at... but they're just not used frequently (or at all). Its a catch-22.

 

Maybe eventually I'll look into joining a RP LS that isn't connected with my FC. I know that it'll open up a lot of RP opportunities for me. I'm already juggling a few LSs for other things though. ><

[Lydia Lightfoot]

Between WoW's expansion and No Man's Sky, the "not really likely to commit to any serious or prolonged or in-depth RP" crowd has temporarily diminished (because given their sporadic and migratory nature, they're off checking out those games for awhile). That doesn't mean RP on Balmung has lessened at all, though.  3.3 made it stronger than ever with many Free Companies able to get houses that didn't have them before, so we've been seeing a bunch of new RP venues popping up (mine included) and people are checking them out, I think.

[Valence]

I think that summer + Legion are somewhat to blame... I'm most of the time alone in the game now, when my friend list and everyone is always offline.

 

It's going to get back on track in September I guess.

[Dante Abigor]

TL;DR: The roleplay activity on the server tends to fluctuate with the age of the last major patch, and if activity seems low, you will likely have to be more proactive and poke people more than having them walk up to you.

 

Ive been playing this game since 1.0 launched, and honestly it seems to be more of a cycle to how Rp progresses per update, rather than an absence of it. Its a rough summary, but this is generally how Ive seen it go each major update:

• People join/return/get otherwise back into Rp after an update. Maybe some story stuff happened, or maybe some sweet gear dropped. Whatever the reason people want to either try some new Rp ideas, write around the most recent story content in Rp, or join a neat plot.
   
  A large portion of these people quickly get absorbed into FCs and group up with each other, or eventually lose interest rather quickly and either go back to the game, get into something else in another game, or otherwise get bored/busy with RL stuff.
   
  Despite how that might sound this is usually when most of the open walk up Rps happen because the most people are on and a huge amount of people want to get their characters out there. Its like FC happy hour, but for like....weeks instead of actual hours.
   
   
  
• After the buzz dies down a bit thats when the clique Rp starts to rise up a bit. People have already found their Rp groups and friends and generally stay within those groups unless they are running a public event. Around this time I feel is the hardest to find open Rp because There honestly isnt much going on. Even most of the people I have personally seen active around this time openly are a part of a plot of some sort. (Not saying that means they cant be open to Rps but generally its my opinion it can make them harder to approach for newer characters or Rpers, as most of the characters part of a plot want to interact with specific types of characters to advance said plot.)
   
  
• And then there is the third phase where either a new update is coming soon or is otherwise around the corner, and hype for it is rising. Around this time plots are usually wrapping up somewhat or becoming more open, new plots are starting, and you have a mix of people leaving and joining the game. This "phase" tends to be the most ooc in my opinion because usually around now people are either grinding or trying to finish story content to get ready for the next batch of SE content.
   
  This is also however the time when Rpers tend to start putting themselves back out there before the explosion of people being active after the update. I find this time a pretty decent way to run into new friends and people, but as people tend to be less proactive about finding friends at this point it would likely mean that you yourself would have to be more proactive in making those connections (Much to to the disadvantage of character types that prefer to be approached.)
   
  

There are obviously exceptions to the bullets above, and in all of those times you can find Rpers and Rp, I just personally believe that it is easier during the first and third phases. It will also help you immensely if you get a hold of a Rp calendar of some sort, as Im pretty sure there is one (Or several) on this site. If you are looking for strictly random/walk ups however, I think it would be good to get a feel of how Rp is generally moving around the circle. Also kind of related is where you find it. The Quicksand isnt the only place people openly Rp, its just generally the most well known. As of the time of this posting I believe we are inbetween the second and third phase of the Rps activity. I hope this helped a little.

[John Spiegel]

I share your sentiment, there's too many "adventurers" or "great fighters" riding barstools at the Quicksand. My characters rarely do that with one being an adventurer, he's always out and about. I traveled from Gridania to Ul'dah to Limsa on foot and maybe 1/10 times I see folks out of the cities (the weekly battle pit outside Ul'dah doesn't count )

 

It's a lonely road out there but when you do find RP it is a real treat.

[ExAtomos]

TL;DR: The roleplay activity on the server tends to fluctuate with the age of the last major patch, and if activity seems low, you will likely have to be more proactive and poke people more than having them walk up to you.

 

Ive been playing this game since 1.0 launched, and honestly it seems to be more of a cycle to how Rp progresses per update, rather than an absence of it. Its a rough summary, but this is generally how Ive seen it go each major update:

• People join/return/get otherwise back into Rp after an update. Maybe some story stuff happened, or maybe some sweet gear dropped. Whatever the reason people want to either try some new Rp ideas, write around the most recent story content in Rp, or join a neat plot.
   
  A large portion of these people quickly get absorbed into FCs and group up with each other, or eventually lose interest rather quickly and either go back to the game, get into something else in another game, or otherwise get bored/busy with RL stuff.
   
  Despite how that might sound this is usually when most of the open walk up Rps happen because the most people are on and a huge amount of people want to get their characters out there. Its like FC happy hour, but for like....weeks instead of actual hours.
   
   
  
• After the buzz dies down a bit thats when the clique Rp starts to rise up a bit. People have already found their Rp groups and friends and generally stay within those groups unless they are running a public event. Around this time I feel is the hardest to find open Rp because There honestly isnt much going on. Even most of the people I have personally seen active around this time openly are a part of a plot of some sort. (Not saying that means they cant be open to Rps but generally its my opinion it can make them harder to approach for newer characters or Rpers, as most of the characters part of a plot want to interact with specific types of characters to advance said plot.)
   
  
• And then there is the third phase where either a new update is coming soon or is otherwise around the corner, and hype for it is rising. Around this time plots are usually wrapping up somewhat or becoming more open, new plots are starting, and you have a mix of people leaving and joining the game. This "phase" tends to be the most ooc in my opinion because usually around now people are either grinding or trying to finish story content to get ready for the next batch of SE content.
   
  This is also however the time when Rpers tend to start putting themselves back out there before the explosion of people being active after the update. I find this time a pretty decent way to run into new friends and people, but as people tend to be less proactive about finding friends at this point it would likely mean that you yourself would have to be more proactive in making those connections (Much to to the disadvantage of character types that prefer to be approached.)
   
  

There are obviously exceptions to the bullets above, and in all of those times you can find Rpers and Rp, I just personally believe that it is easier during the first and third phases. It will also help you immensely if you get a hold of a Rp calendar of some sort, as Im pretty sure there is one (Or several) on this site. If you are looking for strictly random/walk ups however, I think it would be good to get a feel of how Rp is generally moving around the circle. Also kind of related is where you find it. The Quicksand isnt the only place people openly Rp, its just generally the most well known. As of the time of this posting I believe we are inbetween the second and third phase of the Rps activity. I hope this helped a little.

 

I'm real curious about this RP life cycle and have been giving it a lot of thought recently. To me, it would go like so:

 

1. New patch drops, RP is low due to focus on new PvE etc. content. Overall population high from people returning for new content.

 

2. RP increases as people start grinding for gear and need breaks now and then.

 

3. Late patch lull. <--- This is when I would expect RP to skyrocket since we've gotten our gear/items/new stuff completed and have free time in game. But, as you've listed, this seems to be when many RPers disappear.

 

Can anyone explain why RP doesn't explode during the late patch lull?

[Valence]

Because people don't have a reason to log back unlike in 2), and probably moved to other games and or activities. 

 

As you probably have noticed, most people, even if roleplayers, tend to always do their roulettes first, no matter what.

[Oyuu]

Just like how people get bored of gameplay elements, people can get tired of roleplay too and the two usually go in hand for most people. Why roleplay in a game you're kinda bored of, y'know? It's healthy to take a break once in a while and most people come back with a renewed motivation to roleplay, with the help of new shiny gear and glamours provided in the new patch.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

RP goes into lulls just like anything else. People can tire out on it. Or perhaps they get burned out from the common "BUT WAIT IT GETS WORSE" spiral that a decent amount of "bad things happening to my character for development" plots do. Just like doing content, it comes in waves of interest. When then interest goes elsewhere, people don't log in, and then it gets more noticeable.

 

I'd consider FFXIV to be one of those games that appeals to MMO hoppers. As in, people who jump from MMO to MMO playing a bunch of them. Like how we see a population decrease when WoW gets a patch. Or when the next Blade & Soul or Black Desert Online comes out.

[Steel Wolf]

It's not dead. Just insular. If you don't have an "in", good luck.

[Virella]

Please just have a look over here

 

http://balmungrpcalendar.tumblr.com/

 

I think it will settle your concerns

[Syranelle Ironleaf]

Asking "where is the RP" is always kind of a loaded question.  It raises questions like:

- What kind of RP?

- What style?

- What theme(s)?

- Casual, midcore, hardcore?  (Or Light, Medium, Heavy for the older crowd.)

 

Instead of telling us what kind of RP you don't like to find or what you don't like doing, maybe try asking about the kinds you do, you'll find that people are better able to direct you to the people, Free Companies, and events that may suit you.

 

"Being okay with everything" is a bit vague so I'd suggest trying to narrow it down a bit.  Something like:  Adventure-style RP with plenty of events and long-term Storylines, Mid-to-Hardcore.  No adult themes (sexuality, gore, etc.)

 

Getting the answers that best suit your needs is all in asking the right questions.  

[Martiallais]

It's not dead. Just insular. If you don't have an "in", good luck.

 

I'd disagree with that considering the number of looking for RP posts here and on tumblr along with all the events going on. Much like Syranelle pointed out, it's a matter of finding the RP you're looking for or (and so many people forget about this part or just don't want to do it, tbh) if you can't find it -create- it.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

It's not dead. Just insular. If you don't have an "in", good luck.

 

I'd disagree with that considering the number of looking for RP posts here and on tumblr along with all the events going on. Much like Syranelle pointed out, it's a matter of finding the RP you're looking for or (and so many people forget about this part or just don't want to do it, tbh) if you can't find it -create- it.

 

But that brings up something else.

 

Lots of people are -looking- for RP. ...but like the many past threads, how many are creating it? Or creating RP that others are also looking for?

 

It's the wallflower argument, effectively. If everyone waits for someone else to initiate contact, then nothing will happen and people will keep waiting.