An Apology & Misconception.

[Pumpkinweed]

Hello again! Anyway, it was stated that if the topic could be simmered down and politely taken into context, then it could in essence thrive.

 

I didn't mean to upset anyone out there with the wrong words (people that are upset know what they are). So first off, I am sorry if what I said sounded condescending or otherwise insulting.

 

I appreciate all the effort and time FC's and LS's place into their events.

 

What had happened, which is why I posted here, was that I had been contacted by several players (I will not use names out of respect) that wanted to know what they lacked to hold large events. The word 'lacked' meaning 'little showing' for certain events.

 

I referred them here and some of these people's events have taken off... and some sadly have not.

 

When I thought about what was lacking for these players (and here is where my opinion got smashed), it was that they were offering the same kind of RP that was widely available already in the Quicksand.

 

Is there anything wrong with tavern RP? No.

Is there anything wrong with holding FC events that are LIKE a tavern? No.

 

What I think was missing was advertising.

 

There is nothing wrong with events being small and closed off. I was referring to players that had asked me and I referred to holding events OUTSIDE of the neighborhoods to get far more attention.

 

That being said, it's an opinion and that's it. I'm not right in this and I am not discrediting anyone for trying to bring RP, in ANY format, to Balmung. I praise that.

 

I am sorry that what I said was callous and rude. It was not my intent.

 

[align=center]Largest apologies,[/align]

[align=center]Gus[/align]

[Faye]

I saw the first thread and wished to add in my two cents but sadly things had already gotten heated and it was locked.

 

I will say that's there's nothing wrong with small events or big ones, public ones or private ones, social events or plot-driven events. So long as people are holding events, that's good enough, and it's great that we have variety.

 

I think that for any event, advertising is immensely more important than any of the actual details of the event. A lot of people are simply looking for something to do, and they won't care about the specifics, and even an event that sounds like a bad idea to most people will sound great to some others. That being said, it's all advertising, all appealing to your audience and broadening that audience. The second most important thing I would consider still isn't even the content, but the timing.

 

Most events offer tavern RP because, quite simply, it's what most people want to do. Even those of us who prefer more plot-focused RP like for our characters to settle down every once in a while for a drink, a conversation, and maybe some new connections. That's why you see social/tavern RP everywhere. It's also the easiest to do--easiest for the hosts to organize, and easiest for the players to justify a reason for their characters to be there and show up without having to plan anything prior.

 

As for holding events in/around FC houses... some people don't like to hold events in more public places for fear of annoying the non-RPers on the server and earning their ire. It raises the risk of trolls. I think that's a silly reason myself, but it's a legitimate and pressing concern for a lot of RPers. A more relatable reason is that FC's have worked hard for our houses. We want to show them off. We want to put them to use. We didn't raise all that gil to have our house sit vacant, only used for private FC RP's or a spot for our members to chill and AFK. We want them to be full of life and RP, and see that all the gil we've poured into them was well-spent. A portion of the gil used to purchase HoD's FC house, for example, was earned through fundraising on the server and even a couple donations from outside the FC. I think it's only appropriate we give back by opening that house bought in part with the public's gil to the public in order to give back.

[Pumpkinweed]

I saw the first thread and wished to add in my two cents but sadly things had already gotten heated and it was locked.

 

I will say that's there's nothing wrong with small events or big ones, public ones or private ones, social events or plot-driven events. So long as people are holding events, that's good enough, and it's great that we have variety.

 

I think that for any event, advertising is immensely more important than any of the actual details of the event. A lot of people are simply looking for something to do, and they won't care about the specifics, and even an event that sounds like a bad idea to most people will sound great to some others. That being said, it's all advertising, all appealing to your audience and broadening that audience. The second most important thing I would consider still isn't even the content, but the timing.

 

Most events offer tavern RP because, quite simply, it's what most people want to do. Even those of us who prefer more plot-focused RP like for our characters to settle down every once in a while for a drink, a conversation, and maybe some new connections. That's why you see social/tavern RP everywhere. It's also the easiest to do--easiest for the hosts to organize, and easiest for the players to justify a reason for their characters to be there and show up without having to plan anything prior.

 

Right! And that is awesome stuff and there is nothing wrong with that. Because I used the wrong wording, even after explaining that was not my intent, things blew up. It's my own fault really.

 

I suppose in the end, I just want players to enjoy themselves while not forgetting to branch out and play everywhere in the world. Again, my opinion.

 

I try to stay IC all the time. No matter what.

 

You never know when you meet someone new that wants to get into RP and they need a push in the right direction. Some of the best RP can be found in taverns and also some of the worst.

 

But that is not the point.

 

I'd just like to see people using more of the world out there. I can't control people or tell them that my way is correct. All I can do is take the RP out there, offer people something to do IF they want, and that's it. RP for everyone. :thumbsup:

[Mezzo]

In a nutshell (based on the previous thread):

 

Attendance at public or private events is a matter of personal preference.  Regardless of which type of event a player chooses to attend, they go to seek some measure of enjoyment.  Beware the fury of a tavern scorned.

 

There is no encompassing community but a loose network of fragmented communes.  Players will not get along for reasons unrelated to being in-character; the choice to ignore or avoid is preferable to openly admitting it.

 

Newcomers to the community should put in more effort to find what they seek, although few will outright denounce events organized by those whose sense of community differ.

 

It is natural for people to congregate and by nature it carries a degree of exclusivity.  What can be unnatural is how those unfamiliar with the congregation are perceived, judged and/or treated. 

 

This is not a zero-sum game but there is certainly strength in numbers; a type of soft power that can be flexed, perhaps unwittingly, in a form of playground bullying where the thickness of one's skin does not matter: when in Rome, you can either play the game or you can hit the road.

 

We are supposed to be about having fun.  With a few caveats, maybe.

[Warren Castille]

Open world events are great for stumbling upon. You held the second Pumpkin event in Bluefog, for crying out loud, a zone that countless endgame players were occupying and made sure that you got as much publicity for it as you could. You've definitely worked your tail off to make sure people knew when, where and how to participate. I still remember lagging at Fisherman's Bottom like I was doing Hunts during primetime; The volume was staggering.

 

On the other hand, smaller, FC-House-run events offer a great deal more "security" for an event. They tend to be more intimate, and they're usually theme-based. Rum and Rumble runs a couple of different purposes, L'Atelier was established at first as a sort of night club with multiple, player-run entertainment designs. The Grindstone happens in open world but it confined to one or three tiny spaces.

 

What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. Some people want a mix of all things, some people prefer to avoid the chat spam that happens in large groups, some people want to get lost in a crowd.

 

I understand your concerns about RP drying up if everyone turns insular, but I don't think that going to smaller-scale events prohibits you from more open things. We all want to RP and I feel for the folks who are feeling frustrated trying to draw crowds. I wish I could offer any more advice other than spamming channels with info, but a lot of this stuff spreads through contact. I've been to a few open tavern nights and had a good time. I appreciated the slowed-down chat logs compared to the Quicksand on a busy night! I also understand if that's not what the hosts were hoping for.

 

I think the Field of Dreams motto should be paraphrased here. "If you host it, they will come."

[Pumpkinweed]

when in Rome, you can either play the game or you can hit the road.

 

We are supposed to be about having fun.  With a few caveats, maybe.

 

*flexes*

 

I'm having fun and I love the smell of Rome!

 

Great points on all and I agree with it. I used the wrong wording, admittedly.:blush:

[Maril]

One thing that was mentioned in the other thread was the point of people being a lot in the quicksand and not so much in the other city states, as opposed to earlier times where the other city states were used more. And I feel like I must make a point to say that not everyone enjoys RP'ing in the quicksand, and the other adventurers guild hubs, because they are filled with PvE'ers (Nothing against the bulk of them) which is something I personally find very distracting because of the scale of it. In other games you have inns that aren't massive questhubs and as such aren't too filled, but in this game there's just -so many people- and what worse is, not all of them are happy to leave RP'ers alone. Just the last time I was in Gridania's adventurers guild rping on an alt, me and my friends ended up putting an rp-troll on ignore. And that's not to mention the copious amounts of ability spamming, and the !"#¤%& YOU MISUNDERSTAND. HELLO. YOU CAN HAVE THIS. YOU MISUNDERSTAND. SENPAIII.

#"¤%# quest they decided to implement. For me it just very quickly becomes too much to overcome and allthough I like the city states, I find myself fleeing to the housing areas and other open world locations. As I understand I'm not the only one struggling to get my immersion and pretend skills up into that gear.

 

And then I would really wish that people stopped assuming that housing areas = worst thing ever, my FC for example love to get visits there and we openly invite people to our bar twice a week. I really wish S.E would let us move free of charge so that we could bundle the RP Fc's with houses in each area together. But anyways the point is that if you keep saying that certain areas are like the sausage of death for RP, you manifest a problem that isn't necessarily there and indirectly make sure that the FC's that are there do not get visits from the people who heard it was bad/dead/inactive/etc. One thing is to say you simply dot prefer it (like me with the quicksand) another is to make it sound like people should never ever go there. I'm not aiming at anyone specifically but it's something I often see come up in chats around and about.

 

Otherwise, people do what they do. I'd have loved to partake in the last spooky thing, but unfortunately I passed out about the time it started. Timezones, yay -.-

[Tiergan]

Personally speaking, I may not be the 'target audience' for tavern events because they are generally not my thing. When I do decide I am feeling it though, I admittedly hunt down taverns with a theme or something interesting that sets it apart from what I would get at the Quicksand or another open world tavern.

 

It can be something as simple as a menu selection with descriptions for all the options to a secret fight club with booze and betting circles. I just need something to grab me and say "This is how I am different from all the other tavern events on the server."