On Extreme Role-playing Within XIV

[Dewslam]

Writing characters who are bigots or generally just bad people for whatever reason is pretty easy. It's pretty common. It all comes down to how you play it, like with most cases of role play. But role playing is something of a communal thing - and it's something people do for fun. And if your character isn't fun to interact with, then people aren't going to want to role play with you. It's pretty simple. Aside from the basic reaction of "I don't like racists so I don't want to interact with someone pretending to be a racist" - a lot of people are genuinely just bad at playing the compelling antagonist type. Stomping around shouting slurs and being a jerk to everyone is just going to make people not want to be around you, whether you're doing it "in character" or not. My character has nothing to gain from interacting with the lunatic standing on the street corner screaming about lalafell commit thirty percent of the crimes despite only making up fifteen percent of the population. You really need something more to your character than just "is a huge racist", basically. And at that point there's no reason to broadcast that you're playing a racist, because you don't need to bandy about what an edgy boy you are because you have an actual character, you read? If the only way you can think of to make a character interesting or unique is to make them a bigot - then you really need to expand yourself a bit more.

[Kalamari]

Some of the most interesting and multi-faceted characters of the main story i found to be characters like Yozuyu and Fordola, both illustrating that the answers for ones darker nature are not as simple as "jerks and fresh baked heroes".

An antagonist has -good- reason to believe in what they do. An imperial who would do anything to crush the resistance against the Empire, carries a conviction of "protection, stability and sustanance for the people at all costs".. while being colorblind, as anyone else, to the full picture and the means never ending up delivering what was promised.

Yozuyu, seen merely as a character template.. is an interesting follow up on the tragic truth that "the hate's seed you sow into children will blossom into pain and death with plenty to share". These souls are real, and there are many victimizers in our world driven by these festering wounds within them.

It is to say the least interesting to follow these character tropes too in RP.. white knight characters can actually often be fitted into the antagonist role too, being so full of self-righteousness that they would trample on "the impure lessers".

[Lauront]

Yup yup, well said. All this RP puritanism can strip out a lot of fun ideas to play around with.

[Bobby66]

Such lengthy discussions about this when it's so simple. Nobody wants to be around a dick like that.

Care to explain? Like around a character that is a dick, or are you saying the person who creates the character is a dick?

[Puc]

Hate rping but wouldn't mind rping some discrimination against elezens maybe.

[DPZ2]

OP: "role-playing a character who might be racist, xenophobic or intolerant"

RP depends on the consent of all involved parties. As long as you have that consent up-front, I see nothing wrong with playing any of these particular characteristics.

What I fear is that you will encounter players who did not provide that consent, who are unaware that this is RP and who will, ultimately, report you for harassment under the ToS. Telling the GMs "I was only role-playing a character" won't cut it at that point.

Depending on how you play your character, you may find players unwilling to engage, or, worse, dismissive: "Oh, they're just that way. Ignore it, they're generally nice outside that one flaw".

In any case, limit encounters where the behaviours are on display to link shells and/or tells ... being public without consent from all parties will get you reported, and rightly so.

One final note: the use of the word "degenerate" in a public discussion is a moral judgement that should not be used lightly. It should not be used to indicate some amorphous "dislike". It has derailed your original post quite badly.

[Setesh45]

Care to explain? Like around a character that is a dick, or are you saying the person who creates the character is a dick?

The RP character that's a dick. I role-played with a character like that for a while, it completely ruined the atmosphere every time, the whole RP session just ruined by one person role-playing a racist egotistical orc.
After our second session I had people refusing to go with him. He kept harassing the elves in our party, his every second line was an insult towards someone. IRL you wouldn't stay around someone like that, so why should you in RP?

[Floortank]

And I am sure if we were to scour through your own RP history, we'd find things along those lines which certain people would consider "edgy" or "don't go there, sweetie" - including your character engaging in slaughter, for example - something I very much doubt you'd do or be able to get away with IRL for the most part, irrespective of the context.

At the end of the day, I'll RP whatever takes my fancy, whether some regard it as "edgy" or not, or whether they'd rather stick to sanitised RP that deliberately precludes elements present in the setting and therefore available to RP. Good thing we can choose whether to interact or not.

I mean, duh. If you think "don't roleplay" was the point of my message, man I hope I never get stuck RPing with you.

[Floortank]

The assumption is that people simply pick such characters to be 'edgy', that simply isn't the case in my experience.

Nobody becomes a murderer when they decide to join the Dark Brotherhood in an Elder Scrolls game. Or if they choose to role-play a mercenary for hire in FFXIV.

Nobody becomes a thief when they decide to join the Thieves Guild in an Elder Scrolls game. Or if they choose to portray role-play a pickpocket in FFXIV.

For many, role-play is about becoming a character that is a realistic part of the game world. That may mean that the character is, in some ways, imperfect or flawed.

Don't be obtuse. All roleplaying is a wish fulfilment. It's right there in the name. Role. Playing.

I want to be a big ol' racist is a choice, sure. But don't expect people to understand it or accept it.

You will find that most ideas in RP, whether they are controversial or not, tend to end up divisive. Maybe start smaller and try your best not to be misunderstood.

[Juzjuzz]

If the only way you can think of to make a character interesting or unique is to make them a bigot - then you really need to expand yourself a bit more.

Ofc it's not the only way but not everyone is good ah storytelling so taking a big flaw as a base can be a good start. And like you said it depends how it's done. Starting with a bigot is fine but staying only a bigot is the wrong way to play.