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Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jan 2003 : 19:49:16
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When you are playing in a campaign what do you think is more important, playing with the personality of your character, or playing with your own personality?
Spoiler (sort of)!!!
For example, if you were playing Drizzt Do'Urden while he was still in the Underdark, would you play as chaotic evil, as would be expected of a drow character, or bend the rules and act like yourself, leaving Menzoberranzan to go to the surface and live as a Chaotic Good character?
Personally, I think that you should play a compromise between your character's personality and your own, but tell me what you think.
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Hymn
Senior Scribe
Sweden
514 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2003 : 20:44:05
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It is after all called Role playing. So you should play as another personality.
But, there are some options.
You can be given a character, that is by my experince the most difficult one.
You can create on yourself, a little easier since you then can plan the mental state of your char.
But as you play I think there's always a part of you in the char and the other way round. At least for me it's like that. |
Sauro moki kara ochiro - Even monkeys falls from trees.
The path that leads to truth is littered with the bodies of the ignorant - Miyamoto Musashi |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2003 : 13:16:27
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I agree with you Hymn.
My favorite characters to play are the one very far from my personality. It's a little bit difficult sometimes but so fun to try to fit your character's view of life
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2003 : 15:11:11
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IMHO, if you are NPC'ing say, to use the aforementioned example, it is a good idea to be character over self. Reason: people expect Drizzt to act in a certain way, and meeting famous NPC's should feel a bit like meeting a celebrity. I think that the DM should be totally in tune, using voices, gestures, etc.
However, as a PC (and an actor, for that matter), I feel it is always best to incorporate the character into you rather than the other way around. The best portrayals are the "Method Acted" PCs whose personalities stem from the real psyches of the player...even characters who require an entire new set of morals - i.e.- the dwarven necromancer. All characters should be kissed by the essence of the PC. It makes them real. |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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Mumadar Ibn Huzal
Master of Realmslore
1338 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2003 : 16:58:40
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| My experience with role-playing so far is that eventhough one tries to put a 'different' character to the front, invariably something of the player's own character creeps in. Nothing wrong with that, because it lends more stability and consistency to the character being played. If some parts of the character are routine (player's own character input) then some role-playing parts are easier to manage. (just IMHO) |
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Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2003 : 04:28:03
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| Hmmm... you have some good opinions and arguments. Thanks for posting your ideas. I just wanted to know some of the opinions of others on this subject. |
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Hymn
Senior Scribe
Sweden
514 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2003 : 21:25:14
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| Always glad to be of any kind of help. Here have a cookie. |
Sauro moki kara ochiro - Even monkeys falls from trees.
The path that leads to truth is littered with the bodies of the ignorant - Miyamoto Musashi |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2003 : 07:55:48
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I'm getting a little sick of saying that I haven't done real roleplaying, at least in the D&D sense, but I want to make that clear for anyone who's not heard that yet. (That may change sometime, but not very soon.)
However, I am a writer. I'm pretty flighty, so I actually have more stories than content -- not because I don't go deep, but because I keep thinking of new things. Anyway, a few years ago I noticed that at least one of my protagonists always ends up like me somewhere along the line. Not exactly, but the core of the character seems to be built around some of my more important traits. So I started deliberately encouraging that.
I've found that, while it limits me to a certain type of main character (I can't write about a main character who's very different from me, like a professional football player), I can put a bit more life into him. (I haven't done a female version yet, but maybe that will change someday. It depends on the story. Obviously, I can write about a male more easily.)
It also breathes more life into the story, I think. I've only done one first-person point of view so far, but all of them have been "through the eyes of" sort of stories. Especially the fan fictions; I would use a character of my creation to explore the fictional world from his (meaning my) point of view.
I've said before (I'm too lazy to find the thread right now  ) that I enjoy crossover fantasy the most. For those who missed that thread, it's a term I coined for the someone-usually-a-contemporary-American-gets-transported-to-a-fantasy-world sort of story. This is the reason I like them, really. The character's background is similar to the reader's (no offense to those from outside the US; sometimes we forget you're there  ), so you can relate to it. It's sometimes easier to put yourself into that character than in a "normal" fantasy. (It depends on the author, of course; there are no absolutes when it comes to human nature and skill.)
It might make my main characters a bit more monotonous to some ("What, another guy who likes reading David Weber books and learning about mythology!?"), and it also makes it focus more on a single character rather than a group ("Oh, jeez, another 'loner' -- can't this guy do anything else!?"), but it lets me start out with a protagonist who already has a background. He gets fleshed out farther along the line, as the stories evolve.
Roleplayers such as yourselves would understand that -- just like campaigns, stories can take on a life of their own, and even the author might not know where it's going.
So there you are. A long-winded, very complicated answer to a simple question. Vintage Bookwyrm, I must say. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2003 : 08:45:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
I'm getting a little sick of saying that I haven't done real roleplaying, at least in the D&D sense, but I want to make that clear for anyone who's not heard that yet.
Who doesn't know it?!!
quote:
So there you are. A long-winded, very complicated answer to a simple question. Vintage Bookwyrm, I must say.
It's called the Bookwyrm style of answering... Warning newbie, you could be lost reading the post of this tortured spirit!!! |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2003 : 08:57:06
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Don't I know it. I've taken a few wrong turns in the writing of my own posts; I can only imagine the torture it inflicts on a newbie.  |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2003 : 14:41:59
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As well as for us!!!
But don't worry newbies, when you'll learn to decipher the posts of Bookwyrm, it'll be a pleasure... won't it be? |
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Avaly
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2003 : 17:50:12
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Being quite new to roleplaying in general, other than an online game that doesn't really require roleplaying, I have to say that both of my characters contain a bit of my own personality, but they they also have their "own."
I play Avaly Nightstar as a druid in a PbeM. She is kind hearted, warm and willing to give anyone a chance (which I like to think is me), but she is ignorant of the world around her, tends to allow others to lead, and ofen does things on a whim which gets her into trouble (which I hope I am not  )
I also play Luna Rosewood a ranger in the Silver Marches ran by Mumadar. I think a part of me is in her as well when it comes to being strong willed, good with words, and often ready to meet things
straight on, but she is unlike me, because she is uncomfortable around people, mistrusts others, and hasn't found a way to fit into life.
So, I guess I would say a healty mixture of player and character can be a good thing, but again, I am new and just learning.
Avaly Nightstar
aka Joell |
Edited by - Avaly on 13 Mar 2003 18:42:43 |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2003 : 18:19:55
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I think it's just impossible to just play a character completly different from you. After all you PLAY him so in a way or an other you'll take decisions that he wouldn't have taken ( the last part of the phrase isn't good english AT ALL!) |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2003 : 23:49:32
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quote:
Originally posted by zemd
After all you PLAY him so in a way or an other you'll take decisions that he wouldn't have taken ( the last part of the phrase isn't good english AT ALL!)
Actually, that wasn't as bad as you seem to have thought. The most I would change is:
After all, you're the one playing, him, so one way or another you'll make decisions that he wouldn't have.
 *ahem* Sorry, I slipped into tutor mode there . . . . |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2003 : 13:42:02
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Why did you put letters in red.
And that's exactly what i tried to say, thanks to explain that better than i did  |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2003 : 07:10:02
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| I was just showing you the corrections, so that next time you'll know what to look for. There's a saying in English: "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime." That's what a tutor does, you know. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2003 : 09:00:43
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I didn't get it
Thank you  |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2003 : 09:13:20
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| What didn't you get? |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2003 : 12:49:11
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| That the red letters were the corrections of my previous phrase |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2003 : 15:04:16
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Oh, I see. Sorry. I thought you meant there was something you still didn't understand.
Typical teacher's reaction. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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branmakmuffin
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2003 : 19:30:40
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Everyone I know plays the same character type all the time in every game in every genre, and if y'all stop and think about it, I'll bet it's the same for almost everyone you game with, too.
I don't think people have any concious choice as to what type of character they play. They play the type of character that they "feel" like, or that they wish they were.
The more insecure the player, the more power-mongering the character. The more socially inpet or physically ugly the player, the more dashing the character.
I often play helpful characters who don't take crap from anybody (i.e. a cleric or something like a cleric), because in real life, I am generally helpful and don't take crap from anybody. |
Edited by - branmakmuffin on 11 Apr 2003 21:09:04 |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2003 : 20:20:20
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I agree with you that some players play often the same type of character. But that doesn't mean that they'd like to be (or are) like them. It just means that they LIKE to play such characters.
Furthermore, try to play a selfish character, completly diferent from what you are. Difficult but very funny, maybe you'll understad better the other side. (not everything such as murder, theft,... but maybe some things that you could have rejected in a first way) |
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branmakmuffin
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2003 : 22:01:54
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zemd:
quote:
Furthermore, try to play a selfish character, completly diferent from what you are. Difficult but very funny, maybe you'll understad better the other side. (not everything such as murder, theft,... but maybe some things that you could have rejected in a first way)
I wouldn't enjoy playing a selfish, hurtful character. Even when I play "evil" characters, they're the "bad guy who only hurts worse guys" type. I rarely play truly evil, amoral characters. I probably have done so, but I can't recall any specific occasions right now. Hurting innocent people doesn't appeal to me, even when I'm only pretending to do so. |
Edited by - branmakmuffin on 11 Apr 2003 21:07:52 |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 21 Mar 2003 : 02:45:21
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| Took the words right out of my mouth. I'm exactly the same way. Well, maybe a little more goody-two-shoes, but mostly the same. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 21 Mar 2003 : 13:23:49
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| I understand what you mean both of you. I don't feel myself evil but i don't have any problem playing evil characters (maybe theatre helps!) |
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branmakmuffin
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 21 Mar 2003 : 18:17:43
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zemd:
quote:
I understand what you mean both of you. I don't feel myself evil but i don't have any problem playing evil characters (maybe theatre helps!)
When you do play an evil character, do you really play a truly evil person? I mean, a character that really enjoys hurting others? I have kniown players like that, and they are almost always socially repressed, awkward men stuck in perpetual adolesence. |
Edited by - branmakmuffin on 11 Apr 2003 21:10:37 |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 21 Mar 2003 : 22:52:52
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quote:
Originally posted by branmakmuffin
When you do play an evil character, do you really play a truly evil person? I mean, a character that really enjoys hurting others? I have kniown players like that, and they are almost always socially repressed, awkward men stuck in perpetual adolesence.
Yes i do, but i don't see myself has perpetual adolescent! |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2003 : 04:52:14
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| I don't think I'll ever do that. I can create an evil character, but I can't put myself into it, not even enough for me to role-play it. Acting, yes, because I have a script. But . . . I don't think I could put effort into making him succeed. Either that, or I'd be automatically making decisions that were, if not good, then at least neutral. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2003 : 14:38:39
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| An evil character doesn't necesserly (sp?) needs to be pointlessly cruel. You can create a sophisticated evil character. Futhermore, i have to roleplay evil, afterall the DM roleplay everyone who is not a PC |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2003 : 20:11:19
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| Yes, but that's different. I'm talking about a PC evil character. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2003 : 21:53:22
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| I don't think you must see evil as a whole. Evil is as various as good, you can add depth to an evil character, like Cyric in the Avatar Trilogy |
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What is better, playing your role or yourself?
