Chapter 3 Let’s RP!
What is a venue?
Venues are one of a few ways to engage in RP in Final Fantasy XIV. Player housing is often used to create spaces for others to enjoy. Taverns, cafes, nightclubs, and much more exist in the world created by other players! Some venue owners create websites to provide additional details about the venue itself including specific rules, dining options, character backstories, services, etc.
Not all venues are designed for roleplaying.
Some are used to host events, and performances and some are simply hang-out spots. The next section will break down how to find a venue and the terminology used to describe a venue.
How to find a venue
Party Finder
This in-game feature is used to form parties. Over time, RP venue advertisements have made a home here under the Other category.
Expand the Party section of the Main Menu and you will find an option to open Party Finder. This will display all parties currently recruiting on your data center. All venue-related advertisements can be found under the Other section.
You will encounter several types of venues along with their name, offerings, and location. Take a look at the video for a quick demo!
Keep an eye out for the Sprout icon and descriptions such as RP Lite, beginners welcome, and all RP levels welcome. These are good indicators for a great place to start.
RP Events: Venues (North America DC)
Greetings!
Some venues will greet you as you enter the space. Greetings will vary from venue to venue and may include a link to a website containing rules, a menu, and more. Larger venues may hire a greeter to do this specific task. Smaller venues may ask you to take a seat first before they provide you with information.
Tip: If I walk into a cafe or a bar and see a staff member engaged with another patron, I typically wait my turn until the staff addresses me with some general instructions!
Carrd.co
This is a popular domain used across the Final Fantasy XIV community. These may be used to describe character backstories, showcase artwork, and more. Here are some examples of Carrd sites and different use cases.
Venue: The Poisoned Pestle https://poisonedpestle.carrd.co/#
Venue: The Umami Tsunami https://uma-tsuna.carrd.co/#
Immersive RP
You might come across a venue advertising they are immersive. In short, the venue’s environment including its characters contributes to the overall storytelling in the space. Here are some norms that can occur at an Immersive venue.
Trading actual consumable items for food and beverages on the menu.
Staff controlling lighting in the venue based on different RP scenarios.
Cooks/Chefs crafting the menu item you order.
Using default emotes combined with custom emotes for added immersion.
Some venues use the term interchangeably with RP Heavy (see Glossary). In either case, the main focus is a preference for venue patrons to be In-Character (IC).
Staff Icons
Staff Icons
Establishments may use in-game icons such as Looking to Meld and Looking For Party to indicate they are a staff member of the venue. If the staff are willing to participate in RP or ERP the icons typically match according to the norms of that data center.
Minions, Weapons & Glitches…
Oh my! Here are a few common rules that tend to be enforced across most venues.
Houses have a maximum number of players that can exist within the space at any time. Minions actually count toward that player capacity so it is common for venues to ask players to dismiss them! If in an RP-heavy environment and your minion is canon to your story, that may be an exception.
Weapons are also commonly asked to be put away which you can toggle in your Character Menu. This tends to be theme dependent. If you visit a tavern full of adventurers, it may make sense to have your weapon out, otherwise, it’s best to keep them hidden!
When roleplaying, it’s a common courtesy to stay within the confines of the space based on certain furnishing placements like walls, curtains, and rope stanchions.
For example, if a venue has a kitchen and you’re not a staff member, I would not enter the area unless you have permission from the venue owner!
Other ways to RP!
The Quicksand (Crystal Data Center)
Open-world RP is another form of RP event you can attend. The Quicksand or the Adventurer’s guild in Ul’dah is a hub for RP on the Crystal data center. Primarily on the Mateus and Balmung servers. This is a great place to observe RP in real time and meet other players.
Mateus: Here, you will find several players with the RP tag on seeking various forms of RP but mostly SFW (safe for work) roleplaying. Inspect a player’s Adventure Plate to understand what types of RP they are open to or are interested in.
Balmung: Similar to Mateus, the Quicksand will actually have a higher density of roleplayers. This server has grown in visitorship, currently showing a wide variety of RP styles. Please check our Glossary to understand all of the terminology you may encounter. Pearl Lane adjacent to the Quicksands as well as The Bloodsands (outside of Ul’dah) is a great place to observe RP!
The Quicksand on Mateus, Crystal DC
Free Companies (Multiple Data Centers)
RP-focused Free Companies can be found across multiple data centers and are quite common on Crystal and Dynamis. These Free Companies may have specific themes or rules and can be a great way to meet people if you’re not interested or ready to go to a venue or The Quicksand. Take a look at Party Finder listings in the Other category on these DCs and you may find one!