1. What’s your nickname? And tell me about you as a person—busy office worker, student, artist, writer? Tell me about you.

I’m usually known as Rob or Bart. My DM and best friend, however, lovingly calls me Bobby, Bobert, or some variation of those two.

I’m currently a 4th-year Computer Engineering student. My hobbies include playing video games, watching movies and shows, reading manga, and taking long walks.

My preferred genres of media are fantasy and adventure, and sometimes survival as well. I love exploring different worlds and realms—especially their ecosystems, magic systems, and cultures.

I guess you could say my walks are related to that in some way. I occasionally walk a couple of kilometers along roads I pass through while commuting, or I try unfamiliar routes. It helps me familiarize myself with my city, while also noticing things, people, and places I don’t usually pay attention to when I’m just commuting normally.

I also enjoy trying new things, whether it’s food, drinks, or sports.

2. Tell me about your character! Their name, their build and lore. Anything you think is important.

My character is Rafael “Rap” Dela Cruz, a Canadian-Filipino weightlifting athlete hoping to rediscover his roots. He’s 5’7”, built like a lifter, and gives off a chill, comedic himbo vibe. He used to have black hair, but he dyed it blonde, and he wears it in a wolfcut. His clothing style is usually either gym-focused (compression shirt and sweatpants) or more modern Y2K streetwear. He originally had minimal tattoos, but after recent developments in the story, he ended up getting a full-body tattoo, which reflects how much his life has changed since the adventure began.

Personality-wise, Rap is friendly, laid-back, and joking, but he’s also very protective of his friends. He tends to trust people who approach him without hostility, and while he isn’t exactly the smartest person in the room, he makes up for it by being loyal and emotionally genuine. His biggest weakness is that he hates feeling weak or unnecessary, and he can be reckless when it comes to protecting the people he cares about.

Build-wise, he’s a Level 7 Totem Warrior Barbarian and a Level 3 College of Lore Bard, basically a bardbarian. He was originally built as a grappler, and his signature move is grabbing two enemies and slamming them together to restrain them while still dealing damage. His totem animal is the bear, partly because of his Canadian background and also because it fits his resilience and ability to endure harsh conditions.

Rap is also musically inclined. He plays a few instruments—his friends taught him drums and bass, while he taught himself guitar. As a bard, he’s less of a performer for fame and more of a hype man who boosts morale and supports his allies.

His main goal is to reconnect with his Filipino side: the culture, the food, and the people. However, his journey has taken a much bigger turn, because he has somehow become the “Chosen One” of the world of Folk Gate. His entry into the adventure itself was chaotic—he became entangled in the mist after accidentally consuming dinuguan cooked with Ankh’ula, which led him into Palimeda. Under the effects of Ankh’ula, he even met his best friend Sariman, making the experience feel surreal and deeply personal.

Before all of this, Rap lived in Canada with a supportive family. He’s tried multiple college degrees—Computer Science, Nursing, and even possibly Business—but he never finished because he couldn’t see himself living that kind of life. He worked in fast food and vape shops, and at one point even got involved with a gang, including an incident where they raided a shipment of GTA V. He doesn’t really have a personal rival or enemy, but he does have a close friend who is currently in a coma, and Rap feels responsible for it.

In the party, Rap shifts roles depending on the group. In Palimeda, he tends to be the leader and protector, while in Sora Yong he’s more of a supportive member doing his own thing while still looking out for his friends.

3. How long have you been playing DND? Is Folk Gate your first campaign? If not, how many campaigns have you played?

I have played TTRPGs since the 4th year of high school. It wasn’t exactly DnD, but most of its systems were based on it. No, Folk Gate isn’t my first campaign. I have participated in at least five campaigns and several one-shots.

4. What kind of player are you? Focusing more on mechanics? On story? On maximizing character experience? On maximizing character inventory? Just here for the vibes to hang with people?

I like maximizing character experience. I enjoy exploring my character’s relationships with different PCs and NPCs; How he acts around friends, best friends, crushes, and how he tries to bring different groups together. I also really like making my friends laugh through funny roleplay moments and scenes.

Gameplay-wise, I lean more toward roleplay and exploration than combat. I do enjoy building my character to be useful, but I usually prioritize what’s fun or fits the character rather than pure optimization.

5. Folk Gate is a model of TTRPG that combines scheduled sessions like traditional games, but also makes use of Discord to give players channels for their character info’s, and more importantly, gives players things to do in between sessions, in their free time—like quests (help a keeper), text roleplay in given channels, and many others. How is Folk Gate different from other DnD campaigns, in your experience? How do you feel about these differences?

Folk Gate is very different from traditional campaigns because we don’t have to meet in person, which makes it really convenient and easier to schedule. Another big difference is that we can continue roleplay outside of live sessions through Discord, which makes the world feel more alive and ongoing.

However, because a lot happens in text RP, if you aren’t active you can get left behind and miss out on certain interactions, story moments, or developments. Overall though, I really like the model because it gives the campaign more life outside of sessions.

6. What do you like about the Folk Gate model? As a model, not as a game.

As a model, it’s great because there’s always something to do both in and out of sessions. I really like the fact that roleplay doesn’t have to stop when the session ends, since it gives players more chances to develop their characters and relationships.

That said, I’ve been busy recently, so I haven’t been able to focus on the out-of-session RP as much as I would like.

7. What do you not like about the model?

One downside is that some RP moments rely heavily on the DM being available, which can slow things down. Sometimes it feels like roleplaying more with other players is easier, since DM involvement can’t always be immediate.

8. What’s your favorite thing in your current game that is using this model? (Folk Gate as the campaign now)

My favorite thing so far is the room that was made for my character. It genuinely feels like Rap’s home away from home, especially since he’s far from Canada. It’s a small detail, but it made the world feel more personal and immersive.

I also really enjoy Rap’s current storyline of trying to figure out how he’s going to live up to the role of the previous Chosen One.

9. What do you wish you’ll see in game in the future? With in-session games or things to do out of sessions?

I’d love to see more active players participating in text RP, since it’s one of the most fun parts of the Folk Gate model.

In-session games also sound really fun, and I’d like to experience more of that. There are already plenty of things to do outside of sessions, like crafting. Some players seem to enjoy that a lot, though my character isn’t really the crafting type.

I also think it would be cool if other players could sometimes control minor NPCs that don’t have a major role in the story, just to make the world feel even more alive and to lessen the load on the DM.

10. Anything else to add?

LABYU DM ❤️