FFXIV: The TTRPG

I would have a group I would get it but I don't and I suck at making friend

As the owner of the FFXIV TTRPG base game, here's what I have to say about FFXIV: TTRPG

It's garbage. 1/10

Mind you I have played the following games:
- D&D 7x
- VtM 1x
- Break! 2x

The game lacks any direction. It's very barebones "What does the GM think is a fair roll?" and you roll it, and that's it. Stats are virtually meaningless. Stats are arbitrary. You could honestly play a better game with no game at all and a d20 dice.

The preset characters are more or less required to play. And there's a very good chance that your favorite job isn't included in the game, unless you're Black Mage.

If you have ever decried about homogeny for roles, you're going to hate this game.

I'll give you an example. The book acts like you don't know how to TTRPG. They put an example scenario where a caravan was overturned in Gridania. They suggest one player fixes the wheel, and another tends to the chocobos, and another watches out for bandits. And that's it. There's no stat modifiers for doing any of this. There's no proficiencies. There's nothing but a storyteller making something up for you, and you fill in the rest. Instead of telling us what stats are used for what, it just covers a made-up scenario.

Now I figured I didn't know WTF I was talking about, so I brought the game to two of my favorite DMs from D&D/VtM/Break and asked them to review the book.

His words: "You've got to be ffffing joking. This is it? This isn't a game. This is a suggestion."

Her words: "You know I love FFXIV, but this is sad. It's like they wanted to make a game without the structure."

I cannot recommend buying this or the expansion that is about to be released (3/31/25). It's really bad and you should just play D&D with modified characters that resemble Eorzeans.

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Originally Posted by Veritas-Ancora

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I was afraid that would have been the case... most stuff that I had seen seemed to lean a lot onto combat and combat encounters, trying to emulate FFXIV combat into a tabletop setting. Sad to read that the role playing parts are on the backburner a lot. Still, thanks for trying it out!

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you should just play D&D with modified characters that resemble Eorzeans.

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However, reading this bit, did you know that there is a guy that works on translating FFXIV jobs and species into D&D compatible rules? May be something your group and you would consider at as a replacement for an official FFXIV TTRPG:
https://www.gmbinder.com/profile/silentsoren

Wasn't able to try it myself to be honest, my group mostly plays Paizo Stuff or Storyteller Systems, but hey, maybe its something that catches your eye!

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Originally Posted by ovIm

However, reading this bit, did you know that there is a guy that works on translating FFXIV jobs and species into D&D compatible rules? May be something your group and you would consider at as a replacement for an official FFXIV TTRPG:
https://www.gmbinder.com/profile/silentsoren

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THANK YOU. :)

figures it'd be trash, lol

Veritas-Ancora, have you tried Fabula Ultima? How would you compare them?

Btw thank you for sharing your experience with FFXIV TTRPG. Hadn't expected that to be a problem. I figured it would suffer from the same problems that DnD faces but not much else.

Honestly, more like “meh”. I applaud the initiative, but I think they've got the wrong audience: those interested in a tabletop role-playing group already play Dnd (/ all potential equivalents). Those who want videogame roleplay (which is not at all the same experience) are happy IG. Eorzea lacks the nuance needed to be a truly good TTRPG: the beauty of this type of universe is that, on the same module, you can play a bad, good or neutral character in a powerfantasy, darkfantasy or heroicfantasy universe. The possibilities for interpretation are endless, and for the moment I don't see this opening up in a game based on FfXIV.

The previous posts don't encourage me either: if they don't leave any opening beyond a pre-created character, it's because they haven't grasped the true value of a TTRPG, and are trying more to make a mix between a “new generation” board game (= subterra) and a role-playing game.

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Originally Posted by Merrigan

Honestly, more like “meh”. I applaud the initiative, but I think they've got the wrong audience: those interested in a tabletop role-playing group already play Dnd (/ all potential equivalents). Those who want videogame roleplay (which is not at all the same experience) are happy IG. Eorzea lacks the nuance needed to be a truly good TTRPG: the beauty of this type of universe is that, on the same module, you can play a bad, good or neutral character in a powerfantasy, darkfantasy or heroicfantasy universe. The possibilities for interpretation are endless, and for the moment I don't see this opening up in a game based on FfXIV.

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There are hundreds if not thousands of ttrpgs based on existing IPs. They always target the subset of fans of the IP who would also like ttrpgs, and they typically succeed or fail on their own merits. With every passing day it's less true that ttrpg players are content with DnD enough to not play something alternative.

I expect there are tens of thousands of fans of Final Fantasy who also play ttrpgs. FF14 offers one of the more established FF settings lore-wise, so it's a natural pick for those who like their ttrpgs to come with a built in lore bible (not to my taste, personally). There's nothing inherent in the setting that lends itself poorly to a ttrpg.

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Originally Posted by Exmo

There are hundreds if not thousands of ttrpgs based on existing IPs. They always target the subset of fans of the IP who would also like ttrpgs, and they typically succeed or fail on their own merits. With every passing day it's less true that ttrpg players are content with DnD enough to not play something alternative.

I expect there are tens of thousands of fans of Final Fantasy who also play ttrpgs. FF14 offers one of the more established FF settings lore-wise, so it's a natural pick for those who like their ttrpgs to come with a built in lore bible (not to my taste, personally). There's nothing inherent in the setting that lends itself poorly to a ttrpg.

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I would like to answer more, but what does "IP" mean ? (Not a native, never heard it).

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Originally Posted by Merrigan

I would like to answer more, but what does "IP" mean ? (Not a native, never heard it).

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Intellectual property. In this case, a ttrpg directly based on a pre-existing piece of media.

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Originally Posted by Exmo

Intellectual property. In this case, a ttrpg directly based on a pre-existing piece of media.

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Thank you!

So to answer a little further: obviously, it's all a matter of taste, and there's a niche of people who are interested in crossing TTRPGs and MMORPGs. But (and this is based on what I've seen and is therefore necessarily relative) it seems to me that the majority of players of Dnd-type modules are not at all the same audience as those who RP in FFXIV. There's a category of mmorpg RPists, and another category of RPists based on written and cinematic universes.

Hence what I was saying. The construction of the universe itself varies, by the way: between a medium that's designed for a TTRPG from the outset, and one that's based on a video game, you won't start from the same premise at all. An mmorpg tends to offer a fairly monochord, Manichean experience, to suit a huge mass of players who have to follow a relatively straightforward path, even in games that try to vary the experience (swtor). A world built for a ttrpg is, in essence, more diverse and corresponds to a sandbox whose only limitation is your imagination. That's why I think Eorzea is too limiting in this respect - always, of course, according to my personal tastes and what I've been able to consult/play/experience in ttrpg.

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Originally Posted by Merrigan

Thank you!

So to answer a little further: obviously, it's all a matter of taste, and there's a niche of people who are interested in crossing TTRPGs and MMORPGs. But (and this is based on what I've seen and is therefore necessarily relative) it seems to me that the majority of players of Dnd-type modules are not at all the same audience as those who RP in FFXIV. There's a category of mmorpg RPists, and another category of RPists based on written and cinematic universes.

Hence what I was saying. The construction of the universe itself varies, by the way: between a medium that's designed for a TTRPG from the outset, and one that's based on a video game, you won't start from the same premise at all. An mmorpg tends to offer a fairly monochord, Manichean experience, to suit a huge mass of players who have to follow a relatively straightforward path, even in games that try to vary the experience (swtor). A world built for a ttrpg is, in essence, more diverse and corresponds to a sandbox whose only limitation is your imagination. That's why I think Eorzea is too limiting in this respect - always, of course, according to my personal tastes and what I've been able to consult/play/experience in ttrpg.

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I don't see how the mmo-ness of FFXIV really hinders the adaptation of the setting and lore to a ttrpg format. If anything, I would venture the fact that FFXIV is a MMORPG might be to the advantage of the ttrpg, as it allows both FF fans and TTRPG fans to vicariously enjoy FFXIV, even if they don't like MMOs. A ttrpg based on 14 doesn't need to port across its MMO systems, just as a ttrpg of Alien doesn't need to port across its editing. To my understand, whether these games successfully model the experience of their source material depends on how well they communicate the fabric of the original audience's experience, and not necessarily the tools through which that experience was crafted. What Eorzea offers players at the table is simply the sandbox of a Final Fantasy world.

Obviously a good ttrpg will support that aesthetic with engaging systems that make sense for table play, but that's a separate matter entirely.

Im glad ppl hype for this but dont forget that money you spebt is not going towards ff14 so dont be crying about needing fixes to game XD when ur funneling money to they nft projects.