Poll: Role-playing in Role-playing Games

[pocru]

With Dark Souls eating at my life and Skyrim just having been released, there's been a question that I've started pondering on- how many people actually RP in a RPG? Pretend you're someone else, imagine what its like in their shoes, make up a personality, ect...

If you do, please share your story. If you don't, please tell why.

thanks!

 

[Jakub324]

I did a bit in Fallout 3. When talking to the Brotherhood of Steel people, I chose the conversation options that said "You're a bunch of holier-than-thou types, but I'll work with you because it benefits me."

 

[Zen Toombs]

I do this in every RPG that I play more than once. In general, I play the first time as myself but create a new personality for every additional play through.

 

[Vrach]

I do it in pretty much any open world game and definitely in TES, they're my favourite games to RP in because they leave so much of the character to you.

So yeah, it's not about the genre, more about whether it's linear. Dragon Age: Origins is an excellent RPG, but it's linear, so I don't RP in it. GTA is not an RPG at all, but I still RPed in it loads.

edit: Actually, in linear games where I have choice, I do roleplay a bit in terms of creating a character morality. But the potential for RP in linear games is still miles smaller for me than in open world games.

 

[Cpu46]

Video games, no. I play as myself and do what I want.

Pen and paper RPGs, depends on how the rest of the party is playing. If the rest of the party isn't getting into character I tend to only role play enough to make things a little different but not uncomfortable for those who don't want too. If at least one of the members is getting really into character then I tend to match their level of RP which tends to draw in the rest of the party, even if it's only so they can get in on the rather hilarious conversations that the rest of us are having in character.

Spoiler: storytime

When I RP my character usually somewhat eccentric and tends to divert blame (generally botched rolls, which I have a lot of) to other people meaning I get into back and forth arguments with party members pretty often, he is also horrible at arguing. He also does not argue with the party fighter because the fighter floored my character after I attempted to blame a failure on him to get him to RP since he was the only one not getting into his character. We decided he was the stoic, meaning his lack of interactivity was actually RP, so everyone wins.

Favorite character to argue with is the party wizard (I play a swordmage) and a lot of the disagreements we have aren't even about meta things like dice rolls and out of character comments. We got into a 5 minute argument about magic which amounted to me and him inadvertently making up rules to magic that our DM wrote down and streamlined. Now if me and the wizard have spells that pass through the same square during one round there is an explosion in the square that they meet. This was supposed to be a hinderance that limited me and the wizard from picking targets. We turned it into one of the parties greatest offensive tactics, essentially turning the two of us into artillery, especially since the DM let me pick up magic missile and another wizard at will power without having to multiclass.

My character has a deep distrust of the party rogue despite him being the most friendly of the characters. I often go out of my way to describe my character counting his possessions before going to sleep, making up strange and useless items then increasing the number of them when there was really no easy way to explain how I got more. Favorite one was my character saying he had 1 pinecone one night and then 3 pinecones the next. We are playing a desert campaign and were in the middle of nowhere. When someone brought up the obvious impossibility of this I acted just as confused as everyone else and spent the entire night experimenting on the multiplying pinecones, forgoing the benefits of an extended rest. Never did find out what was happening with them.

The DM is great because he will let the rules of the game break in order for something funny or unexplained to happen and likes to make things people say about the world impact what actually happen. He also never nerfs or stops us from exploiting the world without some real reason for it to happen. He realizes that the game world is just as much our creation as it is his.

 

[Olikunmissile]

I do. I own property in Skyrim. I live there, trade my wares around the town and make money to put food on my table and feed me and my wife. I wear fashionable clothes as a status of my wealth and success as a trader.

Call me sad if you want but I have fun.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I RP in Oblivion (don't have Skyrim yet, dammit!), but I didn't the first time I played. Usually when I start a new character I create some vague backstory, then use a mod as soon as I get out of the sewers to edit my stats and give me a bit of basic equipment (it's easier than using the console, it means my stats and my level match) and take it from there. I don't usually have much detail in the backstory, but I always think about what that character would do. The first time I played through I was completing the game, so I didn't do that.

 

[StorytellingIsAMust]

Always RP. Always.

 

[The Pinray]

I'm currently RPing in Skyrim as a Dark Elf orphan, former Alchemist's apprentice in the Imperial City that accidentally killed his Master with a potion gone wrong. He fled the guards and was caught crossing the border into Skyrim. Now he's just trying to get his bearings and forge a new life for himself as he slowly discovers who he truly is.

The game is great fun so far!

 

[DanielBrown]

Never. My intrest in RPGs is only based on the leveling/finding sweet loot that's a core mechanic in pretty much all of them. I do make a choice to be either good, evil or neutral before I start though, but that's just for trophies/achievements.

 

[Saltyk]

The closest I come to RPing in a game is doing what I want to do. Later, I might go through as an evil jerk or a kind hero, but that's not really RPing in my mind.

I'm not against it, though. Seems like it could be fun, but not really my interest.

 

[The Harkinator]

Role playing as Lucas the Breton. Once the Rogue/sneaky/thief member of an adventuring company from Cyrodil, when they were accused of a crime they did not commit (or perhaps did, I'm keeping that ambiguous) they turned on each other, a group once numbering 15 fought until only 8 remained. Those still alive fled from each other and turned to all corners of the map. Morrowind, High Rock, Black Marsh, Valenwood, Elsweyr, Skyrim, Orsinium and Daggerfall were the destinations. When travelling to Skyrim, Lucas stopped off in Bruma and met a group that was planning to head up through Pale Pass, thinking that the journey would be safer in a new group, he joined their expedition.

Lucas is charming, with a bit of an eye for the ladies and a small frame that makes him all too easy to underestimate. While Skyrim is famous for its tall and mighty Nord warriors few suspect the unimposing Breton to be capable of defeating them. Lucas fights with finesse rather than strength, his combat ethos 'Its where you hit them, not how hard your swing is.' and this approach leads him to win many battles, bringing his opponent to the ground with carefully placed strikes or an unseen arrow. He has taken down forts of bandits without anyone realising they were under attack. He could be described as 'Chaotic Good' and won't let that stony faced jailor or locked door stop him interrogating a prisoner. He drifts from place to place, still trying to rekindle some sort of purpose in his life. If he can find a home and start a family he feels like he has to finish his life of adventure and retire with the wealth and fortune of a nobleman.

This is his ultimate goal, to find a fortune to last a lifetime and retire to a peaceful life.

 

[jthwilliams]

With Fallout I did multiple play throughs and each time, I played it a bit differently mostly around my motives. Out to save the world, In it for myself, evil bastard.

Mostly, I play slightly tranished good guy. I'll steal and I'll cheat (lie or take advantage of some poeopl not put in cheat codes) a bit, but I don't level cities or kill none enemy characters.

Though, i was curious and tried to kill a kid at the beginning of skyrim. They appear to be immortal again. Which I find silly and funny because if you were playing evil bastard, you would leave behind a whole lot of "lord of the flies" towns.

**EDIT**
I mean unless you go around stealing and killing and using magic all day, then it is role playing. I mean I get what you mean as do you roll play more in a RPG than in a FPS, but I think RPGs are called RPGs not because you roll play more, but because they share a lot of properties with the old D&D and Roll playing board games.


*EDIT*

SNIP

Damn, you have put a lot of thought into your character. Do you have a character sheet for him?

 

[Auron225]

Not usually. I did when I played Runescape a little, but it was just with what I'd typically use in combat, etc (more often than not, a 2-Handed sword and fire magic if it was available). For dialogue, I wouldnt usually go with the jerk option as opposed to the nice one.

 

[babinro]

Voted - No.

I tend to just run the spectrum based on gameplay mechanics. I will choose all good choices regardless of decision in a first playthrough. All evil ones in a second run.

The only exception to the above rule is when the game is boring and I know I wont be playing it through again. At this stage I'll often choose the option that feels most fun.

 

[Father Tunde]

Only in some games, but manly in the way I act/missions I take. The most 'die-hard' roleplaying was in Oblivion, where I would create a different character for each guild/mission line, and tried to go against the characters strength, e.g having my Orc join the Mages guild, Altmer in Fighters Guild, etc. Wasn't too strict, I walked most places, and slept if I could, but never had eating schedules.

I've even done a bit in some non-RPG games. GTA IV was good for this, stopping at traffic lights, not killing civilians/unnecessary antagonists, keeping the original car (and not stealing others pointlessly), going home to sleep at nights. Made the social aspect of the game less of a strain, and even made me invite a few people to go bowling!

 

[Bobbovski]

In computer RPGs no, or at least rarely. I usually more or less play myself.

In P&P RPGs I roleplay as much as possible.