SE, please designate a Role Play friendly server!

[Rowyne]

I am certainly not anti RP, but the reaction to the OP throughout the pages of this thread show the opposite of why SE should designate an official RP server. Under these circumstances with low populations it would be unwise to name an RP server due to the strong opinions against the community and you'll have a big mess on your hands with a large amount of players on one server submitting applications to move servers. More so than if they didn't officially name one. It's insensitive and it's unfair to not recognize any community and not see them as valid, but for consolidation it does make more sense to acknowledge more general and larger regional specific communities.

With the change in plans regarding server merges (option #2), I think most would agree that this would be the most logical course of action:

Besaid + merge candidate = roleplay server

I honestly don't think there would be a population issue if they went this route. Of course there would be some people who apply to leave the server. I will guarantee that's going to happen anyway, since some people who greatly dislike RP have wanted to leave Besaid for a while and this is their first chance to transfer. But there will also be people who apply to transfer to Besaid, such as scattered RPers on other servers or people who just want to join the community.

Besaid has such a positive and tight-knit community. If you go to the world forums, you'll see that there was a movement to keep the Besaid community together through the merge, RPers and all (ironically enough, it was started by TheVedis). Roleplayers and non-roleplayers alike wanted to keep our community intact. SE officially acknowledging what the players have already decided by designating Besaid the roleplay server won't cause a mass exodus within the current community since it's already common knowledge (if only unofficial), and incoming players from the upcoming merge have a right to an informed decision. For current Besaid residents, I honestly don't see it changing a thing. But it will make it easier for other roleplayers and those who enjoy the atmosphere to find the RP hub (thus giving the RP community a chance to thrive) and won't surprise non-roleplayers who vehemently dislike that playstyle with unknowingly choosing our server.