Anime Role-playing vs. avatarism

[DraQ]

The problem is that the standard cRPG model always favour the good guy because the developers are unimaginative or have no time.

CDPR, at least in TW1 is an exception - a lot of quests gave the best rewards for being an asshole.
Amusingly enough Bethesda also seems to reward assholery - ganking NPC for their stuff in MW, daedric quests in Skyrim, etc.

 

[Curlbrah]

In RPGs like Deus Ex or Witcher with a set character I try to play the character as genuine as possible.
Meaning I figure out what kind of character they are and play accordingly. Doesn't make sense for
Gerald to refuse sex with beautiful women because he has a crush on that Redhead and wants to stay faithful.

If it's a character with no back story like in Morrowind I make up a character and play accordingly.
At the moment I'm doing a Legion Frumentarii run in F:NV. The only quests I do are the ones
beneficial to the Legion. Why would a Legion soldier help the BoS for example?
Also no chems, only melee/unarmed and several other restrictions.

Having things like XP or loot in mind just takes me out of the game and and creates too much meta thinking.

 

[Somberlain]

Pretty much a mix of options 1 and 3. Depending on what the game allows, I almost always play as a greedy thief (or other kind of stealthy character, if there are no actual thieves/rogues in the game) who does whatever gives the best rewards.

 

[Andnjord]

Number 2 and 3 the first time then 1 in subsequent playthroughs where I deliberately pick an extreme to see how far the game allows me to go in one direction. That being said even after 4 playthroughs I still can't bring myself to play evil in Planescape Torment . I would never be able to be mean towards Dakkon for example, he's too much of a bro. Damn you MCA for making me actually care about the characters!

 

[Durandal]

I ALWAYS play as me (a stoic fuck who steals everyone's shit behind their backs) on the first playthrough, only do I try to roleplay as a different character in multiple playthroughs afterwards.
When random civilians have good shit lying around in their chests which I can easily steal, then there's no reason for me to not do it unless some invisible karma system could make bad things happen to me in the future, or unless I'm playing as a goody two-shoes character.
I like you, NPC, but I like your hidden items even more.
The only series where I wasn't a greedy thief is the Ultima series, probably because I just can't bring myself to do things the Avatar normally wouldn't do.

 

[Xathrodox86]

I usually try to play as a specific character, but with some of my personall traits. That way the game becomes more interesting to me.

 

[Jaesun]

I've always had to roleplay as a heterosexul man for years, becuase I didn't really have any choice.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

I've always had to roleplay as a heterosexul man for years, becuase I didn't really have any choice.

seems like Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 2 would be your favorite titles in recent years did you fuck Kaiden or Steve?

 

[Hobo Elf]

I roleplay as myself.

 

[Lurker King]

CDPR, at least in TW1 is an exception - a lot of quests gave the best rewards for being an asshole. Amusingly enough Bethesda also seems to reward assholery - ganking NPC for their stuff in MW, daedric quests in Skyrim, etc.

Yes, but in most games you still have to be the hero in shining armour in the end. Take DA:O, for instance. You can behave like an asshole in many circumstances, but none of this will matter because in the main quest you still have to kill the Archdemon in the end. It is almost as if we have a bunch of side content to role-play, but we are forced to stick to the script of the main story. W2 is a mediocre game and can be criticized for a lot of things, but at least it let you be an asshole all the way. Too bad that the writing sucks. I imagine that the few games that provide CNC, with the exception of W2, have these problems: they only let you role-play in the side content, and even in these situations your alternatives are presented in a manacheistic, stereotyped and childish view. At least AoD achieve this herculean feat of implementing meaningful CNC all the way and with good writing.

 

[razvedchiki]

2 pages and not a noble knight arises?

Evul metagaming filth

 

[profreshinal]

Play as yourself? What kind of a crazy suicidal mofo do you have to be to agree to vanquish some ancient evil, actually believe it exists and then try to complete your quest by directly confronting it at its lair?

Questgiver: We need you to slay this elder vampire. Will you help us?
[actual response]: Oh look at the time! I promised my mother-in-law a foot rub, I can't make I'm afraid. Well, gotta go, nice to have met you. Don't call me, I'll call you.

 

[Jaesun]

seems like Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 2 would be your favorite titles in recent years did you fuck Kaiden or Steve?

As soon as I found out that there was a mission where one person would die, I was so damn happy. I IMMEDIATELY chose Kaiden. I can't stand him.

Steve was OK. I wouldn't kick him out of bed in real life.

 

[Metro]

I don't E-Larp when playing RPGs. As far as how I act/have the protagonist act... just depends on what I feel like doing. Sometimes I'll do a benevolent playthrough and sometimes I'll be a dick.

 

[Delterius]

I've always had to roleplay as a heterosexul man for years, becuase I didn't really have any choice.

I always had this funny thought where you tell the newfags that the Ultima games already catered to gays since at least U7.

 

[Jaesun]

I always had this funny thought where you tell the newfags that the Ultima games already catered to gays since at least U7.

Ultima VII: The Serpent Isle is the only Ultima game where you could engage in a lesbian sex scene. I'm not a Lesbian.

 

[Duckard]

I make the decisions that I think will be the most beneficial or the most humorous. Sometimes I may use roleplaying as a justification for my choices, but I can never maintain this facade. Instead, I create a personality for the character based on the choices make rather than the other way around. Usually this results in sociopathic and unstable individuals, but it's just a video game so it doesn't matter.

Honestly, I prefer party based games over single characters. It's less personal and more like you're playing as some kind of overmind that controls these pawns.

 

[Gozma]

I pick video game multiple choice shit at the start basically based on whimsy (or if I know the game, to do shit I didn't do in a previous game). Then in a good game those decisions start to integrate into a picture of who the guy is and I start making decisions based on what would go with that nascent character. I don't start off thinking, "This is a poor boy from a poor family, he loves lasagna and hates Mondays" when I'm sitting in the main menu hovering over the start game button.

If the roleplaying in the game sucks it never integrates and the PC just stays a mannequin, and the RPG mechanics usually burden the game.

 

[sigma1932]

Fuck self-imposed restrictions and other LARPing, dress-up dolly bullshit in the goat ass. That's been the biggest factor of stagnation/decline within the RPG genre since at least the early 2000's.

The only time I pay any remote attention to character themes, morality alignments (good/evil, law/chaos, etc.), or any of that shit is when it's actually reflected in the gameplay mechanics. If it isn't reflected in gameplay, then I do whatever the game legitimately lets me do and instead focus on a min-maxing/completionist approach to the game.

 

[Commissar Draco]

It depends of game; if its good and offers multiple playthroughs I role play a specific characters with specific goals; Age of Sails, KOTOR2 and FNW come to mind; when its more good for what it was one playthrough only game like Pillows of Banality I stick to my favorite Diplo-Swordsman Noble or more grim dark Inquisitor char; whatever my mood is. But yes if game lacks Judgement of Gods/Carma System My char would acquire/confiscate the shinnies especially when they lie unprotected and undefended in Commoners Houses; What Merchant needs this cool sword for anyway? I need gold and loot to vanish this Great Evul after all not him. So I am prone to 3rd path as well.

 

[Innsmouth Dweller]

I RP a pre-designed character, the design comes down to character's occupation and motivation, sometimes very specific details - like panic fear of soap. I choose one of my ideas while I watch intro. Sometimes I go for something entirely new - because of one small detail I focused my attention on.

I develop this char through the game for some time - mostly because I am more frequently constrained by dialogue/quests choices. Sometimes the choices are so limiting I need to "reroll".
"Evil" chars are most fun, even the most basic and cliche ones: self-righteous religious zealot, sociopathic druid that brutally kills children trespassing the forest, opportunistic shadowrunner who'd betray his mom for a profit, power-hungry slave who doesn't want everyone to be free,...
Because I like the act of character creation so much (personality, not stats or looks) - I have a hard time getting use to games with set protag.

But I rarely do self-inserts, probably because I'm a very boring person.

 

[Rahdulan]

Complete self-inserters are the worst kind of roleplayers, in both video games and tabletop. They're the type that gets offended by something minute because they perceive it in their heads as a personal attack. I know most people I played with would argue that roleplaying isn't really about extending your OWN persona into the character, it's about playing as the character you CAME UP with.

 

[bloodlover]

I made a similar thread last year and just like then, I am picking the first option. Of course it depends a lot on the game but I don't find it interesting to play as yourself in an RPG. You can play SIMS if you want to be shitty white male with a shitty job, annoying wife and two kids in a video game.

Whenever I can I am going for the diplomatic female character, preferably talking my way or sneaking around rather than killing everything in sight. Sticking to a specific character is kind of hard since in many situations it is better to be a good guy and it's not like many games offer you a real advantage to being a cunt.

 

[Delterius]

I always had this funny thought where you tell the newfags that the Ultima games already catered to gays since at least U7.

Ultima VII: The Serpent Isle is the only Ultima game where you could engage in a lesbian sex scene. I'm not a Lesbian.

Didn't the first U7 have a male gay option at a brothel?

 

[Lurker King]

This thread...

Because of such stupid questions, too many RPGs are not party-based, or without custom party.

What is stupid is to want to play a roleplaying game when you just care about combat. Go play a strategy game, your fucking retard. I’m sure that is an industry that will feed your simplistic appetites.

I don't know enough crpg larping people, but would't hardcore rp fags also roleplay parties? Is that even possible

If you think about it, games that provide role-play such as BG1&2, DA:O and KOTOR 1&2 already has a inbuilt personality system for the NPCs. They have dialogues of their own and causal talk. In BG2, for instance, they can turn against you depending of your choices and reputation. That way you don’t need to actually role-play the team because they will role-play themselves, the exception being the battles. This thread just made me notice how much admiration I have for BG2. I want to dismiss the teenager writing of Bioware, but the game has a simplicity and a self-indulgent fun that is unbeatable. This made me want to play it again. I think this is the real mark of a classic: you can’t discuss about it without having an itching to revisit them again.

Roleplaying != LARPing. You roleplay in cRPGs if there's character defining choices to make in the game. If the game doesn't give a choice and you pretend like there is, then you're larping. And that's fucking dumb. Dumber than LARPs in real life, 'cause at least in LARPs your actions have reactions by the other larpers.

Look, you can call me a retarded, but I LARP the hell of every game I touch. I throw a fireball and shot “Die, your filth scum!!”. I larp even in race, plataformer and soccer games. Of course, I barely play these games anymore, but I know that I would larp them if I played them. I can’t help myself. I also imagine a lot of additional stuff that my character has in the game world, in every game. I just can’t help myself.