How loosely do you play with the lore?

[Gegenji]

Its you!

/wave !

 

I actually played a Wild Elf Barbarian in a DnD game once who actually spoke a lot of broken Common ("He not use weapon, I not use weapon. Make fair." - quote when he got into a duel with a Monk), so it was fun watching your character converse. :thumbsup:

 

Speaking of using the set lore (and feeling accomplished for doing so), I was amazed how much things clicked when I decided to have Chacha get a pet to keep him company. I was looking through the (obviously small) Minion list I had for him and came upon the baby behemoth. Sold in Ul'dah, questionable heritage, Chacha's naivity and capability to be fleeced, it all just... came together.

 

So now Chacha has a loyal (?) partner in his journey to be a great hero, his stalwart (?) companion Gran! :moogle:

 

Seriously, though, I was amazed with how much it fit both with the presented minion lore and with Chacha's character.

( And he makes for a nice crutch/gimmick to use for the RPs, when needed. )

[Jazz Egi]

I play lore rigidly if it is established. There is tons of stuff that will never be canonized, so I feel it i very easy to be creative with what we have.

 

I just wish people would understand why my little arcanist is terrified when they tell her they are a black mage or a summoner. A lot of new roleplayers (very understandably) believe black mages and white mages are the same as conjurers and thaumaturges since mechanically they sort of are.

[Pouncival]

I... I do prefer to stick with lore when I can, but there's a lot not covered and a fair amount left vague- probably for the promise of future expansions and patches. Then there are cases of conflicting canon or crossover or semi-crossover bits like the Crystal Tower containing versions of characters from III or the Lightning quest set. Some of these things will be considered canon or not depending entirely on who you're talking to, and as a result it can open you up for a minefield of what's okay and what isn't. I know people in-game who think the Crystal Tower is a huge lore-breaker, and they refuse to acknowledge anything that occurs in or because of it as canon.

 

 I don't mind bending the lore when I have to, and if I have to break it a tad for something to work (such as my 1.0 character ending up in the Dark Realm instead of being held out of time with everyone else from 1.0), I'll do it. Not to say I'm going to crack the lore wide open and plant magitek bombs in the corpse, but I don't care too much about a little gray canon. The lore will evolve constantly, of course, and there may come a time when a bend has to either be retconned or become a break. Just do as best you can, and don't waste your time worrying about the sort of Negative Nancies who want to give you hell over something like that.

[Seriphyn]

I don't tend to go out and "break" the lore, I am not really a fan of the idea that if I think something is a cool idea, I can just go out and do that without regard for the continuity and consistency in the world. So you wouldn't see me invent a new type of magic. But I do go in and study the lore when I have an idea and see how bendable it is, or if there's a hoop or even a gap. Depending on what I find, I may scrap or go ahead with an idea. It's a standard I keep myself to, and sure it's something I like to see other people do too - and I expect that of my FC, but they all know/agree with that. Otherwise it's nothing I force on people, but I do have my own steps to get out of RP I feel is too far away from what I can get involved in, and still keep to my standard. That doesn't make everyone who doesn't stick to it a baddie, I just know when it's time to go before things get too painful for everyone involved - It's generally a mutual waste of time if RP styles don't mix, imo. 

 

I've always disliked it when someone calls others a lore-nazi or a tight elitist and similar, because I often find that it's simply people akin to myself who gets up being labelled exactly because we sometimes pull ourselves out of things. I'm sure there are bullies out there who will whisper you for 2 months about how you cant do this and that, it just sucks to be put into the same box with them when you're not like that yourself (even if you can see that you're not and all of that, it's the stigma in it really). 

 

In your case, I'd probably have quirked an eyebrow and started googling/asking my geeks about stuff cause I'd be curious. 

 

*puts two gil in a box*

 

I agree with this, I never felt it a "crime" to be a strict lore adherent.

 

At OP, put it this way. So far, the Domans we've met are Midlanders and Bunny-race. But I'm sure someone out there is going to play a Miqo'te Doman (for example, because people want to play Neko first and then whatever the hell second). And then Othard gets unlocked and we discover that Miqo'te just don't exist on Othard. You know, exactly like how each of the RL seven continents on planet Earth have a specific grouping of ethnicities. So building on that, being shown a Doman who is also a Miqo'te could be seen to be the same as a Nordic gentleman growing up in a remote Indian subcontinent village and being considered fully Indian.

 

Is it impossible? Of course not, it's not a hard science bound by the laws of the universe. But it would be very, very, very fucking strange, and I reserve the right to have my character be confused at that. These reactions should be considered more ordinary than playing a race from an area where that race is not prevalent. Instead, a character that reacts with confusion to an anomalous individual is considered the weird one.

[Sounsyy]

So far, the Domans we've met are Midlanders and Bunny-race.

 

Is it impossible? Of course not, it's not a hard science bound by the laws of the universe. But it would be very, very, very fucking strange, and I reserve the right to have my character be confused at that. These reactions should be considered more ordinary than playing a race from an area where that race is not prevalent. Instead, a character that reacts with confusion to an anomalous individual is considered the weird one.

 

I-I'm not sure I understand this...? This sounds like OOC into IC bleed.

 

How would Kale even know what races are prevalent in Doma? What reference does Kale have? Has Kale ever been to Doma? Is Kale a very well-read, foreign culture enthusiast?

 

My character has never been to Doma, she's never met a Doman, she's never met Yugiri, she was not privy to the MSQ surrounding Domans seeking asylum in Ul'dah. If a Lalafell gentleman approached my character and introduced himself as Doman, I can't think of a single IC reason to doubt his nationality.

 

Whether Lalafell truly are or are not a prevalent race in Othard is unknown, but I've already pointed out in this thread there is 1 Far Eastern Lalafell NPC in game, which brings the grand total of Far Eastern Lalafell to be equal to the number of Far Eastern whatever-race-Yugiri-is. So........ should I be doubting Yugiri is actually from the Far East since there's only one of her race in game and everyone else is Midlander?

[Seriphyn]

I should have clarified the above is a general example targeted at any "odd" traits of characters, not regarding Doma. And I guess it would be an OOC to IC bleed insofar that I the player puppeteer my character according to the template I have laid out for him.

[ArmachiA]

It's true, ICly my character wouldn't question anyone who says they're from Doma because she knows nothing about Doma. Acting like an expert on a land she has never been to would be horribly ooc.

 

OOCly I can look at the lore, but honestly where you are FROM is completely bendable. You can be from anywhere as any race and make it work. That's not really worth getting upset over and as a self proclaimed lore-monger I'm not gonna fall on my sword debating where someone can or cannot be from.

[Zhavi]

I'm bendy mcbenderson when it comes to lore. Especially when it comes to Limsa's horrendous in-game representation and lack of cutesy little rp nooks. *shakes fist*

 

I'm of the opinion that nothing is ever perfect when it comes to lore. You stick to what is set in stone, and do your best where things get fuzzy. Ask advice when you see a need, but most of all have fun.

[Kellach Woods]

I ask myself several questions when I'm about to bend something hardcore.

 

1) How much lore does my bending break?

Easy enough - If my character accomplishes something, or encounters something that makes anything in-game obsolete, then I'm not going to do it. E.G. - I had Kell encounter a talking morbol due to something crazy happening in the game where Kell was fishing, non-stealthed, and the morbol just walked through him casually. One talking morbol (who could easily have been someone glamoured to look like one) does not change anything in Eorzea, so I'll allow myself to do it.

 

2) How important is it that I bend lore?

If my lorebending is unimportant, why am I doing it? E.G. A few of you might remember I asked about IC use of Return for a specific scenario. People said they were for, against, or waffles. Due to being unable to RP for quite some time had I not used it, I fudged an excuse that allowed him to use it exactly once in such a way, and he was drained for two days even with the massive handwave I put in.

 

That's pretty much it, really. That's how I determine it.

[Gegenji]

I suppose, after all this back and forth, I should probably put my own thoughts on how I approach lore in RP. I may have hinted at it a bit here and there in earlier posts, but I figure it can't hurt to have a singular post that describes my feelings on it.

 

I really like to follow the lore when possible, as should be obvious by my little panic about Chacha's Doman heritage. I may not know as much as someone like Sounsyy (or Anonymoose over on the official forums), but I try to keep things in proper standing with the world as it stands.

 

However, I also like pushing the envelope when it comes to things that aren't so concrete. A particular fellow forum-goer I've been chatting back and forth with via PMs will know what I'm talking about here. I've shown an idea I've had to them and, while the lore doesn't outright say such things are impossible... it could still be taken as a bit of a stretch.

 

And, ultimately, I think I worry most about the other participants/readers of my posts and RPs. If they're fine with it, and enjoy it, I think that takes a lot of the weight off my shoulders. It's when I start seeing those "what the heck are you doing!?"-style responses that I start to worry and question and turn on myself like a starving, self-hating Ouroboros.

[Aris]

As Mae said, if the the game has stated something as fact then I'd prefer to stick to it personally. I do prefer to stick to lore, but when it comes down to it, when RPing with others as long as I find them interesting and am enjoying their company, I don't mind what they've done with the lore as long as it's feasible and are happy doing it.

I've never done it before, but I imagine if I RP'd in a bigger group rather than 1:1 it would need to be a little stricter though as everyone has different lore opinions.

 

I'm stuck with Aris' character because I'm not sure if my ideas would fit in lore-wise. I'm sure they could but I'm making things up that aren't mentioned in the game. Tbh it wouldn't effect the lore I don't think, but I don't know if it would put off others RPing with me. So I haven't got very far developing her character because of it as I'm not sure whether to rethink things. 

 

But I do agree - if it's rare, respect its rarity please. 

 

This is all badly worded and not really what you asked I'm sorry, but it's been nice to read through everyone's opinions.

[Warren Castille]

If you've got ideas, don't be afraid to bounce them off of people to suss out how others might think it'd work. Maybe do it in PMs so you're not risking snooty jerks judging pre-RP or something.

[OttoVann]

If you've got ideas, don't be afraid to bounce them off of people to suss out how others might think it'd work. Maybe do it in PMs so you're not risking snooty jerks judging pre-RP or something.

 

This.

 

I have no idea what Im doing in RP almost all of the time, but I'm also very much not afraid to make threads about it, or ask Linkshells I am in to get my ideas torn up and put back together to be feasible.

 

Just ask folks.

[Zyrusticae]

I have two rules:

 

1. Bend, never break. This lore is crazy it doesn't need to be broken so you can be the greatest mary sue who ever lived.

 

2. When you see something in lore that's supposed to be rare (Sephie, Echo, Allagan Eyes, Lady Iceheart) that doesn't mean you get to do that either. It's rare for a reason.

 

other than that. I dun care.

Hey, the Echo isn't that rare. When you're first introduced to Hydaelyn they make a point of showing you a bunch of adventurers undergoing the same thing.

 

Also, given that it's kind of what defines a player character as a player character... Well, you know. Just let it happen.

 

But, yeah. I try to avoid bending (and especially breaking) lore wherever possible. It's really not that hard to do, honestly. A lot of things are glossed over or just not given any detail so there's plenty of wiggle room there (until some things get clarified in the future, anyway). And if you want to play a powerful character, aether and the Echo are there for you, baby! No need to go crazy off-the-chain at all. (And, frankly, if that's all you want to do there are much better avenues for it!)

[Chlodomer]

So far, the Domans we've met are Midlanders and Bunny-race.

 

Is it impossible? Of course not, it's not a hard science bound by the laws of the universe. But it would be very, very, very fucking strange, and I reserve the right to have my character be confused at that. These reactions should be considered more ordinary than playing a race from an area where that race is not prevalent. Instead, a character that reacts with confusion to an anomalous individual is considered the weird one.

 

I-I'm not sure I understand this...? This sounds like OOC into IC bleed.

 

How would Kale even know what races are prevalent in Doma? What reference does Kale have? Has Kale ever been to Doma? Is Kale a very well-read, foreign culture enthusiast?

 

Well, he can easily determine that the majority race in Doma are midlanders, as it is depicted throughout the main story questline with the story involving the refugees moving in Ul'dah. Doesn't mean he knows exactly what's what in Doma.

 

So I don't see the mixture of OOC and IC at all, even though he is expressing a concern of people jumping into gimmicks for the sake of "cool factor" rather than what would be deemed logical or to the "norm" of a certain society.

 

As for my 2 cents on to the OP: I am not strict on lore, but there's a certain extent that must taken under consideration. I do not take plots involving parallel dimensions, primal slayings, being directly part of the scions, white mages, azure dragoons, fantasias or "gods of war" seriously, and never will. Having the echo in my mind is very borderline, I considered going towards that path for my character but withdrawed as soon as I realized that my pride was telling me "don't do it".

 

That paragraph of mine above maybe considered as extremely closed minded to a few, but hell, my character originates from "fanfiction island #106" and through various time consuming events ascended into a minor noble of Ishgard lol. Although he's recognized as such, foreign roots make him under the isolated care of his liege, while the rest of Ishgard most likely view him as a stain and wouldn't let him set foot beyond the Gates of Judgement.

 

So I'm not hard pressed in lore aslong as there's a logical explanation from the user and that various issues ICly are taken under consideration to create a believable experience for everyone.

[Sounsyy]

Well, he can easily determine that the majority race in Doma are midlanders, as it is depicted throughout the main story questline with the story involving the refugees moving in Ul'dah.

 

Well... that was kind of my point. Anyone whose played the MSQ knows that the majority of shown Domans are Midlanders. (The exceptions being Yugiri and Yamimi Farwalker.) But that's OOC knowledge. Unless Kale's or anyone else's character (for example) has ICly experienced the MSQ, he or they shouldn't be privy to its events.

 

Also, in regards to the MSQ, the Doman emissary party that presents their plight to Ul'dah is composed of only 3 people total. Yugiri and two Midlanders. Those are the only three Domans who ever enter Ul'dah in the MSQ. The rest stay on the boat until they depart for Mor Dhona.

 

 

 

 

So my point is, even if your character happened to witness Yugiri and her two Midlander friends chatting it up with Alphinaud and the Warrior of Light in the Quicksand, it still doesn't put any character in a position to ICly know Domans are predominantly Midlander. Much less harass a Lalafellin player for claiming to be Doman, especially when there is ONE Far Eastern Lalafell in the game.

 

It's like supposing my character has never been to Gridania, and then one strange day a party of three Gridanians (2 Elezen and 1 Midlander) comes strolling into the Quicksand. Then a week later, I meet a Roegadyn claiming to be from Gridania. And then my character goes "No, no, no, Roegadyn are NOT from Gridania. Clearly you're a fake. I've never been there, but I'm quite sure you're wrong."

[Chlodomer]

Well, he can easily determine that the majority race in Doma are midlanders, as it is depicted throughout the main story questline with the story involving the refugees moving in Ul'dah.

 

Well... that was kind of my point. Anyone whose played the MSQ knows that the majority of shown Domans are Midlanders. (The exceptions being Yugiri and Yamimi Farwalker.) But that's OOC knowledge. Unless Kale's or anyone else's character (for example) has ICly experienced the MSQ, he or they shouldn't be privy to its events.

 

I believe it is very easy to overhear the presence of an exotic race/culture appearing right outside your door steps in Vesper Bay demanding to meet with the monarch. If I'm not wrong, Kale has connections with the law enforcement of Ul'dah, so it would make sense if he had overheard of their appearance. I cannot speak for him though since it is his own character.

 

An in character judgement can also be made if the Domans he had met ICly (we're talking PCs here) were all midlanders. Those I've encountered so far have been midlanders.

 

Though I guess since you're telling me there's an actual lalafell NPC in the game, the question of majority race in Doma can be "overlooked" unless your character, doesn't have the "very well-read, foreign culture enthusiasm" as you mentioned. So I don't entirely see the harm of jumping into IC conclusions based on the assumed facts that were demonstrated.

 

Again though, this may not be how his character is, but this is how I see it.