How does membership in an FC change the RP?

[WanderingWordsmith]

I've seen roleplaying companies about, but never really considered joining one. After all it's not really in Averill's character to join an organisation. I can't help but wonder, though - and my question is in the title, so let's stipulate.

 

First up, how do Roleplaying FC's differ from regular ones, besides the obvious.

 

Secondly, how would joining an FC influence my character's story? What would be expected of him?

 

Third, on the off chance I do want to join one, which FC would you recommend?

 

Thanks in advance for answering my questions!

[Kage]

Some of these questions would be answered by specific RP FCs. Some are themed with certain premises so it would be expected that your character is able to work with said themes.

 

For example I will give my FC. We do all sorts of things with the idea that if you are interested in RP that you try to have some RP in Uldah. It gives the characters something to work with.

 

We have made it a plot point that kage invited people to live in his home by essentially helping yo pay off the mortgage he took out to buy cannon defense.

 

Its really all in the RP fc you choose.

[FreelanceWizard]

Yep, it totally depends on the FC. RP FCs often have one or more of the following characteristics that non-RP FCs typically don't have:

• A concept for the FC's existence in game (i.e., the FC is considered an organization that is RPed as existing in the game world).
  
• Scheduled RP events.
  
• An IC linkshell, or use of the FC channel, for RP.
  
• A backstory explaining the existence of the FC.
  
• An application process that requires you to describe your character's background and personality to make sure they mesh with the group.
  
• A probationary period during which you're expected to RP with the membership to see if you're a good fit.
  
• An IC interview process to ensure the character gets along reasonably well with the IC leadership and has a reason to join the group.
  
• Policies prohibiting interference with RP or harassment of RPers.
  
• Policies specifying the social contract the group uses for RP (e.g., when you're considered to be IC, what level of consent is required for different actions, when retcons are allowed).
  
• An emphasis on RP events over PvE events.
  
• An overarching plot or plots that involve the entire FC.
  

These characteristics all orient the group more toward roleplaying instead of PvE or other purposes.

 

In terms of effects on your story, RP FCs typically have a stronger relationship among characters and more of an emphasis on their plots intertwining. This usually, but doesn't always, mean that the leadership has some authority to declare certain concepts and histories as too far outside lore to be acceptable, for example. If nothing else, you'll need to make sure your character's story works for getting you into and staying the group ICly. Ultimately, you cede some of your authority to write whatever you want in return for having a group where your story can interact with others'.

 

What FC to recommend depends on your character concept and what you want to get out of RP. Different groups cater to different characters and players; if you like being OOC most of the time, joining a heavy RP FC probably isn't going to be a good fit. If you like a gritty, low magic, survival-by-the-skin-of-your-teeth RP, joining a group of powerful adventurers who challenge the threats of ancient ruins isn't going to be a good fit, either.

[Eva]

There was a lot of debate and gnashing of teeth in the fact that you can only join one FC but multiple LS's - some feel that FC's (with their buffs and perks) are geared more towards progression/PvE/endgame while multiple RP circles can be joined.  Others are of the school of thought that FC housing makes up a perfect opportunity for that sort of organization that certain RPers aspire towards, and favor the FC mechanism.

 

I'll plug Crystalline here a bit as a mercenary company with roots grounded in certain moral practices.  "Mercenaries with Morals" is a catch-phrase we've been using.  Most of the members (quite a mish-mash group) regard themselves as doing it for more than just the money that the jobs offer.  And of course there's room for various plots that each individual brings to the group as well.  We do utilize a LS as our primary means of in-character chat, and the FC housing is open to those members who may be unable to join the FC for whatever reason (in endgame FC, etc.) so we kind of sidestep it that way, and the /fc chat channel is utilized for OOC dialogue, setting up raids/dungeons, etc.  So there are certain perks to being in the FC and we of course prefer that, but we also understand it's not always possible for some members, and basically we just want to RP along whichever channels it is possible.  We do tend to be a bit on the "low-fantasy" and generally avoid the MSQ and similar plot lines which cast the character as "the one and only hero" and such.  But at our core we are sort of a "charitable" mercenary company - more out for the betterment of Eorzea than lining our pockets with gil, as it were.  Other FC's will of course have different (or perhaps similar) purposes, standards, rules, requirements, and expectations.

 

I do strongly feel that the housing element lends itself very well towards RP, and the "one FC only" sort of then contradicts this.  A rather unpleasant pairing for some of our members at times, I believe.

[C'kayah Polaali]

Eva really touched upon a big sore point for a lot of RP groups, with the FC-vs-LS issue. I'll give you Tylwyth Narah's solution, just as an example.

 

RP-wise, Tylwyth Narah are an organized crime group, so literally everyone in the group is a criminal. We're probably medium RP overall, as we have some people who are only IC for RP events and others who are IC most of the time.* I didn't want us to fall into the trap of only RPing within our group, so our charter specifically says that we RP villains within other people's RP arcs. I'd say that probably 50-60% of our RP revolves around other people's RP arcs. This is beneficial, in my mind, because it gets us out there in the world RPing with people. I'd done an earlier group, the NHSC, which had a similar charter for similar reasons.

 

With both groups, I knew I also didn't want to turn people away if they didn't want to leave their FC, so both groups are based on linkshells instead of FC. Tylwyth Narah *does* have a FC, too, but this is really a convenience FC for people who otherwise don't have a FC and want to participate, and to hold our house (when new wards are added *cough-cough*), so it's just a game construct. From an IC point of view, there's no difference between the FC and the LS, and I encourage all the IC interaction to happen in the LS.

 

I've been in other RP FCs, and I think their insularness or extrovertedness really comes down to what channel they use for IC interaction. Ones that tend to use FC chat tend to be insular. Ones that use a LS tend to be more incusive of other people.

 

 

*And as we all know when you toss 100 coins and add up all the heads and tails, statistically you can say they land on their edge.

[ArmachiA]

For us, it really means we have an overarching storyline in the FC, run by FC members, an FC Mansion for FC members to RP in freely and get to know each other, FC IC events, etc etc. For me, it's just easier to get to know people who RP who are in your FC, there's already a built in circle of people once you join after all. In this game, the existence of Linkshells have made finding outside FC RP so easy (Which is great for freelancers!) though it's really mostly about being comfortable with those people. We have an ooc LS for talking with other FCs and a lot of our members rp with allll kinds of people though.

 

Also for us, we're somewhat insular about game content, doing endgame with the guild pretty much exclusively and such, so when people are in the FC it makes it much easier to experience the game beyond just RP.

 

I think FCs in this game are who you want to rp with the most and who you just kind of want to hang out with OOCly.

 

If I ever leave this game I'm gonna miss the Linkshell system. I hope other games steal it.

[Faye]

1. The obvious is really the only difference. Other minor differences vary from FC to FC. For example, some RPing FC's may do less endgame progression than other non-RP FC's, while others may still be heavily into PvE content.

 

2. Once more, depends entirely on the FC. But generally, RP FC's serve as a place for your character to meet others, and generally the FC has an overarching plot than you can choose to participate in.

 

3. I would recommend Harbingers of Dawn, personally! But you should browse through the linkshell hall and decide what bests fit you OOC, as well as what best fits your character IC. But as there's no downside to joining an FC, I would strongly recommend joining one.

[WanderingWordsmith]

Thank you for the responses! You've definitely shed some light on the whole thing. Whilst I don't think I'll be joining an FC just yet, I'll certainly give the Linkshell Hall a gander.

[Michelleswain]

My characters tend to be a lot like yours; independent agents that tend to take on mercenary work freely.

 

One of the problems I've seen with role-play guilds is they fall under one of several categories:

 

-You have the hard-set self-story based guild that assumes its members must follow its predefined hierarchy, goals, and functions.

While I have no problem with this sort of guild, experienced role-players with predefined backgrounds and goals will inevitably run into characterization issues. Almost always my background clashes with theirs. This is a type of guild I recommend to new role-players. Almost always the guild leadership dictates how it wants its new membership to behave and act. Coincidently these types of guilds have huge reams of texts on all their various laws, bylaws, hierarchal structures, voting rights, management decisions enough to make the US Army Center for Strategic Planning jealous.

 

-You've got the not so serious role-play guild where everyone is happy puppies, cookies and cutesy-poo smilies in chat. That may very well be your thing. But beware that often times these sorts of guilds mix OOC with IC and don't view the difference.

 

-And finally the guild that claims they role-play, but doesn't really. Almost always the guild leader is a role-player who decided to start his/her own guild and just started blanket inviting people to bulk up their numbers and start doing end game content. When you join and interview they swear up and down that they role play. A little digging and you'll discover they're just a normal guild with a few members that have role-played in the past but probably have no interest in it now. This is the most common type of role-play guild in my vast years of experience.

 

Then you have shades of everything in-between.

 

My best advice to you, given that your characters are a lot like mine, is this: Visit a role-play hot spot and visit it as often as you can. Get to know the various groups there, and start walking up and getting involved in general role-play.

 

Make a few friends, if you can make a role-play circle even better. Once you have that solid group of role-play friends start learning about the various role-play guilds by networking, and NOT by asking their guild leaders. A guild leader will almost always paint their guild as the best role-play center of the universe. Ask members of a guild you're casing. Role-play with them, form a circle of various members and see what the role-play is about.

 

After you have done that, then make an informed decision.

 

Not to promote Faye, but one of things I'm liking about her guild so far from what I've read is the open nature of it. I think that's the way for us to go (characters like yours and mine). Guilds that accept role-players in general, promote events and gatherings, and are pro-active in getting the role-play cogwheel (rooted in game setting) going.

 

In Star Trek Online, I had the most satisfying role-play (stuck to the lore very closely, was entertaining, moved forward), in general "Role-players Aggregate" fleets. These weren't guilds perse, but a conglomeration of role-players (such as STORP, or STORP Starfleet, STORP KDF, etcetera). They aggregated all role-players regardless of background. It was a perfect way to coordinate events, stories, hot spots, hooks, and seeds.

 

In many ways similar to an RP Linkshell used to coordinate various events, or like the chat channel systems used in CoH or Champions Online.

 

I wish we had more of those types of guilds in other fantasy games.