Role-playing alongside the storyline: YOU did WHAT?!

[K'nahli]

I'll have to echo the mindset of strictly avoiding any interaction with main storyline elements, outside of that which has been established as a phenomenon that effects more than one person and doesn't necessarily have to require active participation in events of the scenario (I.E the echo, with it having been established as something many adventurers are gifted with). My character is one of the original Warriors of Light, for example. He participated in the Battle of Carteneau, and was sent forward five years by Archon Louisoix alongside many other yadventurers. He bears a connection to Hydaelyn due to his echo, but outside of that he has no real bearing on the plot of the game. He has his own story, and his own background, and that's what I focus on when playing my character. I do acknowledge that the storyline is unfolding over time, but those driving it will always be nameless faces in my canon. Even if some one claims they're the hero, it's simply not the case in my head.

 

Painting yourself the hero isn't really at all fair to people if you plan to roleplay with the general public. It's great if you want to keep it to yourself and your inner circles, but the second you start forcing upon people the idea that you're some magnificent hero who has saved Eorzea single-handedly, I draw the line. Personally, anyways. Those sorts of people immediately go on my list of people to avoid and/or outright ignore ICly (as much as I hate the idea), as quite frankly it's not really fair. I feel the world has such a rich and bountiful lore and culture, and riding on the coattails of the main storyline seems to put to waste all the potential for the creation of your own story. There's really endless room for creativity if you put your mind to it. For example, my character has a Magitek Prosthesis, as was mentioned in the OP. It's a driving force behind my character, and was something I developed alongside the concept of Magitek on Hydaelyn, yet it has little bearing on the world at large. Beyond this, though, it's not something I force openly on people, as not everyone agrees with the idea -- and that's absolutely okay.

 

Some elements tie into each other, of course. Like how one cannot technically fight a primal unless you possess the echo, supposedly. Rather, it carries great risk outside of simply being killed. The primals themselves are summoned very frequently, and adventurers capable of doing battle with them are often sent out to deal with the threats. That would be a solid example of something sort of related to the storyline that would technically be acceptable in canon for more than one person to have accomplished. Something commonplace for your seasoned adventurers.

 

These are just my personal opinions, of course. Bottom line, roleplay what you want. However, it would simply be silly to expect everyone to want to roleplay with you if you step over common boundries established within the community. It's quite easy to respect each others styles, and if you find yours clashes with another, it's as simple as offering an OOC apology and heading off in your own separate directions.

 

 

This and what Ashren said pretty much sums it up for me.

[Agarthane]

It's basic RP etiquette, really.

 

Here's the problem, and this is true of most MMOs. The in-game storyline treats you as a hero among heroes and one of the most powerful beings in the setting.

 

This is fine and dandy for the game itself, but within the realm of roleplaying it can be rather obnoxious.

 

It's the Son of Satan thing.

 

If you've been roleplaying for awhile you've probably seen people do this. Play a character who is literally the son of the devil or something similar, with all the ridiculous power that implies. It's just not very fun to Roleplay with someone with that sort of character.

 

Likewise, most RPers don't want to write with someone strutting around as THE hero of a particular setting. Even if a small Community, it would be kind of silly if every role-player was playing a scion and blessed with a rare power like The Echo. Bad form, I say.

 

All that being said, I believe that almost anything can work in writing if it's done well, but that's an uphill climb. 

 

A character who's gotten stronger over time via actual role playing storylines and long-term character development will always be more acceptable then- "I'm one of the elite because the in-game story says so."

[ansemaru]

I keep story-based roleplaying to private interactions with personal friends, in /party chat. It's an enjoyable thing, as long as it's kept somewhat separate as a canon from my public RP.

[Faye]

The problem is that all of the things that happen in the storyline are very grand, one-time occurrences. Your character is a special snowflake for achieving them, because likely no one else could hope to accomplish what you've accomplished. The being said, adding certain elements of the story to your RP character's plot can be seen as powerplaying or just unrealistic/unfair. I would say just use discretion in what you choose to incorporate. Can your character possess the Echo and be a Scion of the Seventh Dawn? Sure. A normal person couldn't really hope to achieve that, but your character doesn't have to be a normal person. Can your character have felled primals? Sure, why not? Primals can be revived. No big deal. However, I'd shy away from things like claiming your character killed Gaius. What happens if someone else claims their character killed Gaius? What if Gaius still being alive is an important plot point in someone else's RP? That's the sort of thing that is best avoided.

 

Another problem is what I like to call "special snowflake syndrome." Everyone wants powerful, super cool, rare things for their character, such as to possess the Echo, to be a Scion of the Seventh Dawn, etc. In the end, rather than larger than life, all-powerful characters being the rarity, as they should, they're the norm and everyday people become the "unique" archetype. Now I'm not saying anyone should feel compelled to play an Average Joe--the great thing about RP is that you can play someone grander than yourself. However, we can't all be "the strongest fighter in Eorzea."

 

I mentioned earlier that incorporating things such as the Echo into your character's story is fine, and it is, but you have to use discretion. The Echo is supposed to be rare--it would be silly if everyone's character has it. We can't all be the "Chosen One." You need to decide if it's really an important attribute for your character, or if you should take one for the team and not grant your character with a very rare ability/talent/status.

[Kai]

I am actually taking a different tack on this with Gin.  I enjoy making up ever more ridiculous things she is doing as 'training exercises' from Hamon Holyfist, she has the Echo, is a member of the Scions, BUT....she doesn't realize that this is extraordinary.  She's very much of the if you work hard at it you can do anything mindset, and the thought of possibly being unique has never crossed her mind really.  To her of course anyone who is a good adventurer would be invited to the Scions, but maybe they just don't have time to help them out.  To her its the same as if someone else said they had a frequent buyers card for her favorite little hole in the wall restaurant, 'oh, you do to? That's great, maybe I'll see you there'.

[Seriphyn]

Surprised by the amount of Scions with Echo characters, didn't think it would be common for some reason. I thought there would be more "normal" characters.

 

Anyway, the CM/Prae descriptions say how the Immortal Flames were sweeping through the complex in a feint operation while "you" (as far as my LS is concerned, the Scions) attack Gaius and Ultima Weapon, etc. So, I guess my character was just one of those NPCs involved in the attack.

[Ninat Tumet]

I, personally, am very against taking the game's storyline IC in relation to your own character.  While that might sound rather strict, it's not.  Basically put, I don't like seeing 'heroes of light' or the 'one dude who killed the Ultima weapon' in roleplay.  I don't.  OOCly I'm not going to make a big fuss about it, but it's not something that makes me particularly comfortable. 

 

My character is a rather skeptical jerk underneath everything else, who probably wouldn't believe such tales regardless.  You'll probably get the 'yeah right' response from him, and not because I'm being an OOC butthead about it, but because that's who he is.  I read a comment earlier which insinuated that a character who didn't believe the story was just ignorant or uninformed, but I beg to differ. 

 

The game's story is OUR world.  We live in it, and so the events effect us personally.  We all went through the Calamity, we all went through the Garlean invasions, we all went through the events of the storyline that ARR offers even if we weren't in the super special attack squadrons and plotlines.  Some characters might just be Scions or officers of the Maelstrom, but that shouldn't be all characters. 

 

This is where we run into problems.  It seems like greatness is the 'norm' these days, which really means nobody is great at all.  My favourite lesson from the Pixar movie 'The Incredibles' has to be the part where they basically state 'If everyone is super, than nobody is.' It should never BE about power in RP.  We shouldn't be having contests every time we roleplay to see who did the greatest things and thus is the biggest and best RPer.  Your character can -still- be interesting even if they weren't the ONE hero who did X, Y or Z.  

 

On top of this, I respect people who have the creativity to think of a story and a life for their characters that doesn't follow the main storyline of the game.  Not everyone IS a hero, or a fighter, or whatever.  Some people are merchants, artisans, musicians, entertainers, barkeeps, teachers, what have you.  And these things take time to roleplay out.  We didn't just reach level 50, gear up, and then run coils in order to have RP that can be taken seriously.  I truly respect RP that I have seen grown or crafted organically through writing and plot rather than in-game shenanigans.  The issue here is that these characters then seem underpowered in comparison to the others, even though RP dictates that this shouldn't be the case at all. 

 

I had this issue in ToR, where people RPed the storyline to a tee and then felt their character had every right to be on the Dark Council or whatever else stupid position you were placed into at level 50.  Then they felt it necessary to smash that in everyone else's face and lord that 'power' over others, even though all they did was play the storyline and RP none of it out. It was completely unrealistic according to the lore of the universe and those people ended up just being universally ignored. 

 

I'd hate to see that separation of the community here. 

 

So yeah, none of this was intended to be an attack on anyone's RP or RP style.  I will RP with anyone unless they've shown themselves to be completely trollish; however, there are many issues that spring up from this topic in any roleplay community on an MMO, and most of them -are- negative in my experience.

[Zac Evans]

[align=center]Well, I found all kinds of differing viewpoints here. By taking the time and reading each post I got a deeper glimpse not only into the mindset of roleplayers here in the Coalition, but also into the various methods of roleplaying possible. I now see that what I had thought wasn't stepping on anybodies toes was in fact just a massive slap followed up with a backhand to the entire community. Retconning is something that just jumped its way to the top of my list in things I need to do in the coming days. My luck is that I've scarcely RPed in the past month due to working excessive overtime, so I was never able to put the Castrum aspect into my background. Hell, dropping an war airship (Air warship? War Airship? Meh.) with an experimental cannon developed to drop large airborne dragons from the sky would be just as interesting taking place in skirmishes inside the Castrum.[/align]

 

[align=center]I want to thank all of you for taking the time to teach me where I erred in my decision, and even more thanks for helping me become a better roleplayer! [/align]

 

[align=center]With that said, I draw this thread to a close![/align]

[allgivenover]

I think others have covered the why of it adequately, so I won't reiterate.

 

What I will add is that being less than epic can also be very compelling from an RP standpoint. My own main is a talented, yet green, Conjurer who had never even heard of something called a White Mage before he met another roleplayer who claimed to be one. He's poor, uneducated, has never seen a primal or fought Garleans face to face, doesn't possess the echo, and has only heard of the Scions in passing. Yet he's still fun to roleplay and is often sought out by others /for/ roleplay.

 

Edit: Some of that will change, of course, I'm just listing it to drive home the point that he's really nobody special.

 

Point is, you don't have to be on top of the world to find that world and your character compelling.