Race In Relation To Roleplay

Ydfur

I'm stuck at the character creation screen, and not really sure where to go. Since race/class tends to have quite the impact on gameplay, I'd like to make sure I pick something that is to my liking. I read through the info at http://www.lusternia.com/everything-lusternia but still have so many questions left. So far I've established I'd like to be a member of the Glomdoring commune (gloomy, dark forest appeals to my inner goth). Preference goes out to melee classes which leads me to Nekotai monk or Ebonguard warrior. Could someone outline the very basic concept of these two? What are some of the advantages/disadvantages?

Also, in regard to roleplay: am I supposed to roleplay as the race of my actual in game character? Meaning, if I were to pick loboshigaru because of their good stats, does that mean I should roleplay one as well?

Finally: is rp mostly limited to individal members of the same guild interacting with each other or does it mostly occur on a city/commune-basis (i.e. the various guilds belonging to the same city/commune)?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Tacita

I will leave people who know them better to comment on the EG/NK concepts, but in regards to your other questions:

Your race has as much effect on your roleplay as you want it to. There are people for whom race has no bearing on their RP, people for whom it is everything, and people who are somewhere inbetween. Your race is a great opportunity for giving yourself an RP basis though, especially when you're starting off, and haven't built things up so much yet. That said, you should feel free to do it as little or as much as you like - I would suggest, however, that including at least a little racial RP and capitalising on that potential mine of interesting plot is going to be much more fun than ignoring it entirely. But that's just my personal view - I didn't have a huge amount of racial RP for a long time, but I've really enjoyed it now I've put effort into it.

As to where you get your RP - it is generally much more commune-wide. You may well find that some of the time you are the only, or one of very few members in your guild - but when that happens, there are usually people around in the commune for you to interact with! There is definitely guild-based RP to be had, and a lot of it is totally awesome (especially with their different lores and backgrounds), but you are much more likely to find it in the city/commune as a whole purely because there are more people out there. People definitely don't socialise purely in guild groups (or indeed in family groups, or order groups - you can even find RP outside of your org, though you have to go looking for that a bit more).

I hope this helps! I'm sure someone more knowing will be able to go through the guilds with you.

Allyrianne

Depending on what you mean by melee classes, you may want to consider thinking about other classes as well, as "ranged" classes don't really exist in Lusternia.

However if you prefer warrior roleplay to priestly roleplay, then those guilds are probably solid choices.

As to race, as Tacita said, you can pursue as much or as little racial rp as you desire. However if you pick loboshigaru and then try to rp your char as something not a loboshigaru, you'll run into some very confused people.

Kio

The Ebonguard is organized around the Nature Spirits, drawing their strength and ideals from them.  That said, the rest is up for you to find IG because it's simply fascinating.  As far as differentiating the two's RP, Nekotai follow Grandmother Scorpion (a single Nature Spirit).  They're very secretive, as well.

@Lerad or @Thul can correct me on this, but my understanding is that EG is more reactive and local in guarding the commune.  They are the defenders, the strong arm of the Glomdoring, responding to any threats that might wish her harm.  NK is more proactive and global, seeking out possible threats wherever that are and assassinating them before they get the chance to be an actual threat.

Tacita covered racial RP.  As for RP interactions, my suggestion is don't expect to find them.  Expect to make them.  If you want to RP, go out and find it.  It is not limited by your guild, by your family, or by your commune.  It is only limited by the extent you are willing to try to roleplay!

Thul

My experience as both Ebonguard and Nekotai is that when you find threats to the Wyrd, you stomp on them. It's in the Nekotai charter, but probably best exemplified the mighty Xenthos, the Man with the Million Event Posts. Proactive destruction of threats is really kind of a duty every guild shares in the Glomdoring, come to think of it... I can't think of a guild who wouldn't, upon discovering a threat to the Wyrd, immediately attempt to subvert and/or destroy it.

Associations are more central than duty to the Glomdoring guilds, I feel. The Ebonguard have the strongest connection to the Ebonglom Wyrdling, the forest's engine for its greatest changes, and have a lesser connection to the various non-Glomdoring totem spirits (Bear, River, Rock, the like.) Meanwhile, the Nekotai have a stronger connection to foreign elements that aren't precisely of the Wyrd, but sympathize with it, most notably Grandmother Scorpion and the Illithoid. The Nekotai do suffer from a questionable relationship with these elements, though: the precise nature of the relationship between Scorpion and Glomdoring is ill-defined, and as allies, the illithoid... suck.

But in general, you'll get RP where you go looking for it. If you want to RP loboshigaru, play up your wolf aspects (Tau and Pack Llaewell might help you with that.) If you want to RP spirits, Ebonguard. But generally, you'll get the sort of RP you're looking for if you initiate it. That's been my experience.

Lerad

Note that when you choose a race, that's the race other people see. You can choose a Loboshigaru and roleplay as a Aslaran, but other people looking at you will see you as a Lobo and treat you as such. As they should.

Specifically, about the roleplay of the specific guilds, I often find there isn't any point to writing it all out here. The best way to find out if you like it is to get in the game and try it out. The guilds give you atmosphere, and a supporting group of other players to interact with. Ultimately, you need to experience it to know if you like it. There's no need to worry too much. You get both a free reincarnation and easy guild/city switching when you are a newbie. Jump in feet first, give it a try, and if you don't like it, go ahead and switch. As a newbie, your priority is finding a place in this game that you can enjoy.

Ydfur

Thank you all for the responses, that's pretty much everything I needed to know. Community has been most helpful and friendly towards newcomers! I guess I'll just have to jump straight into this and see for myself what the various guilds  are all about. I'll definitely take an active role in seeking out other players for rp, that's the main thing in the game for me after all.

Here, have a coo-, I mean 'like', everyone.