Quote Originally Posted by Iscah View Post
So, back on a different subject.... G'raha Tia again.

If...
I'm going to preface this with a big "I am not a lorehound in any way, shape or form", despite enjoying reading the threads on the Lore forum. This is from a pure gameplay/storytelling PoV. I cannot speculate on Lore in any real depth (please be kind!).

If the character shown is G'raha and he ends up having direct ties to the MSQ, it will be very, very confusing for anyone who only ever plays MSQ and has never stepped foot into the Crystal Tower raid series. My experience was more a case of people who have been in the MSQ can turn up in raid-related stuff, but raid plots have no direct impact upon MSQ plots, other than perhaps a meta kind of speculation and potential fleshing-outs for those that enjoy that sort of thing. Is there precedence for previous raid-only characters to be dropped into the MSQ?

If this theory is correct, that would require every player to have not only started the first alliance raids, but to have actually finished them, otherwise this catboi is going to be so far out of leftfield as to present major storytelling problems for those who do not raid. Having seen something like that happen in a different game, it's not something you want to wish upon any character, and it can constitute rather an off-day for a writer. That's not to say there isn't time to establish an MSQ foothold for G'raha - or indeed, do we have this already? Or, if not, is there enough time to lay sufficient groundwork so he doesn't risk being deus ex machina?

Resonating with the players when telling the story is key. Two examples in this particular game off the top of my head are firstly, in ARR, with Thancred. If a player doesn't start in Ul'dah, the game makes sure we spend enough time with this hapless individual to understand how he gets into the predicament he gets into, and to actually feel something about it. It gets a worthy set-up. Secondly in HW, with Estinien. We have bags of time with him, understanding his motivations (just in case we've not experienced the DRG 30-50 story), and it causes us to feel something when he lets his guard down at the end of that expansion. It had a perfect set-up.

Does G'raha have something similar, as in, have we spent, in any meaningful way, time with him? Do we know him (if we have not taken part in the Crystal Tower raids, I mean)? Unless there is a time travel segment, I'm thinking that ship has sailed for the average, non-raiding MSQ punter. Of course, everyone who hasn't done it already, can go back and do the raid, but it would seem a bit much storytelling-wise ("To understand the MSQ you must now go and do raiding").

If no, then I would suggest time is running out and either we have a good whack of the first bit of expansion with him and have him (re-)established, or it's just not him in that poster. Mixing the plots just isn't going to work so well.