/tg/, save a chronic murderhobo. I wanna try out a more role-play defined playstyle, but I don't really know how to do that. I mean, besides making the character's defining trait "is a murderhobo".
When you make characters, and then play as those characters, what's your creative process like? How do you "get in character"?
Gonna just dump art of cool looking characters until people post, feel free to also post characters that make you wanna RP.
Depends entirely on the campaign. Tell us a few details about your campaign.
>>47233413
>>47233426
None atm, just sorta thinking for next time I happen to get into some game. Obviously since there's a relationship between game type and character type, I generally end up playing games suited to murderhobo-ness, so it's not so much that my characters are ill-suited to the games I'm playing as much as I just wanna find some other kinds of games.
I guess "kill shit and be big" is a pretty universal "character" though so. Mostly thinking of something that's still based in adventuring and killing shit, just a lil more "serious"?
>>47233426
This. Generally speaking though, determine what the character personality is supposed to be. Pick out the defining features and always keep them in mind when it's your turn to engage an NPC/player.
Once, I played a bitter paladin who had lost a leg prior to joining his Order, and despite moving on and joining a quest with some new friends, always let that get to him. He tried to hide it with a very expensive and high function prosthetic, but he always seemed to be gloomy.
To prepare for sessions, I would rewatch things like Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Jarhead, etc.
On the flipside, I also played a charming rogueish type with a flair for gunpowder, who had a twin sister. They were bounty hunters and the player to my twin (a coworker irl) and I had a really fun dynamic between us. To get into this character, I'd watch a lot of Archer before going to the game.
>>47233498
Thanks for the advice. I guess getting "in character" is part of the weirdness of this whole concept for me - like I'm used to just goofing around in games, basically just verbal shitposting.
Watching films for inspiration seems like a good plan, though. Always feel hyped about some character coming out of a good movie, so it'd make sense to channel that into this.
If you know what system you'll be playing in, just read the splatbooks. Go through all of them or the obscure ones until you find something really interesting: class, race, region, whatever and go from there. I play DnD 3.5 and happened upon the binder class in Tome of Magic and immediately starting thinking up backstories . Half an hour later I've got a character who's been cast into exile for stealing his knowledge of outworld spirits from the catacombs of a church and is desperately trying to escape the inquisitors they've sent after him. Just have fun with it.
Although the movies for inspiration thing is probably way more efficient time-wise.
Any articles about developing characters in fiction should be helpful. Having some basic sense of motivation and personality is often enough to get into the right headspace and treat the setting as an actual story.
>>47233413
It's not about the character anon, it's the group.
It doesn't matter if you spend time on your deep, thought out character with cool background and motivations if the rest of your groups just want to murderhobo.
>>47233558
Are you sure you want to get into role-playing though? There's nothing wrong with just being into the gaming side of things, if getting in character, the core concept of the exercise, is weird for you, maybe it's just not for you?
Also, don't spend too much time obsessing over background. The important part is how you play your character, not what it says in some background story that the rest of the group doesn't care about.
Every time you make a choice, think about whether you're making it because it's the obviously best game move, or if it's what your character would have done.
To the rest of your character is what you play him like, not where he's coming from. This is fairly important, since in role-play that cares about story, immersion and acting the part, your most important contribution to the group is how well you portray your character and how much you aid the immersion for the other players, not what your combat role is or anything like that.
Do you play your character in a way that makes it feel like a real person in the setting you play in? If yes, that's all you need to worry about, if no, it doesn't matter how much background you wrote.
>>47233811
>To the rest of your group, your character is what you play him like*
dropped a word there.
>>47233662
>>47233664
Thanks for advice, will think about this next time I'm looking to read something.
>>47233811
Yeah, definitely get the idea that it's important to match to the group. Like, I have a history w/ murderhobo groups, I know exactly how some over-developed talking-based character would go in those games, lol. My thinking making the thread was just "shit, I don't really know where to start" when I decided to try to think up a PC that wasn't like that on a lark. So like, all things being equal, if I got in a group w/ a bunch of dedicated RP-loving folks, how could I pretend to be one of them, lol?
I guess I might sound hesitant, I'm not - I'm just trying something new to me atm cuz I wanna try new types of games when the usual gets boring.
Your tips here were really helpful to get me thinking though - I was getting hung up a lot on developing a character the way a DM might - like, this is their background, this is what they do for a living, etc, esp cuz of the stereotype of that one guy w/ a ten page file on who his character is. Getting past that and thinking of it more as... I guess almost a play style makes it a lot more intuitive, in a way. So thanks for this post.
>>47233873
>>47233498 again, I find that characters who break the typical molds help get creative juices flowing. Then, once you're better at getting into new characters, you can channel it into even the most cookie cutter characters.
Pic related, I played an Orc who worked a boring desk job as a corporate clerk. He was so fed up with his mundane life that he went out looking for adventure.
>>47233426
I feel this is wrong. This depends entirely on the campaign if your Gm has planned a campaign. There are however Gm's who rely on improvisation and player input. Then the character comes before the campaign.
>>47233873
Glad you found it helpful. Don't be shy to talk with the rest of your group about this, even if it's tricky. In a lot of groups there is this kind of attitude or mood that gets you stuck in lolrandomness or murderhoboing, but at the end of the day, you're playing a game about imagination and playing roles, if nobody wanted to get in character or try to imagine living in the world and seeing things from the characters perspective, they'd just be playing WoW or Talisman.
Try to get a dialogue going with the rest of the group about what you want to get out of the hobby, that's a good thing no matter what it turns out to be.
It can feel awkward or even a bit embarassing for people to actually try to put themselves in the shoes of some wizard or paladin instead of treating them like videogame characters, but you're a bunch of nerds, the cool ship sailed and you're not on it, so just go balls-out and live that shit anon.
In a lot of games, it's up to the DM to set the tone, but the players need to do their part as well. A DM or player who is checking his phone or bringing up off-topic stuff or checking reddit while playing is going to ruin the moment for the people who want to stay in it, so talk about that and agree on what's okay and not.
ALSO, try to get in the habit of making characters together with the rest of the group together, on session 0 of a new campaign. This way you can help each other, talk to the DM about what kind of mood and themes he's going for, and you can figure out shared backstories.
It's a lot easier to get in character if you're playing 5 buddies who left your bumfuck village to join the army and got stranded in some exotic city than it is when you're just 5 random edgy badasses with no reason to stick together or like eachother.
Also, discuss what game you actually want to be playing. D&D is popular and very good for gamey dungeoncrawling, but it's not ideal when you want to play something that feels believable.
>>47233413
My standard MO--especially for comedy or at least light-hearted characters--is to take one particular (usually negative, often minor) aspect of myself and exaggerate it to the point where it dominates their personality.
For example I'm usually an optimistic person, but my pessimistic, misanthropic thoughts gave rise to a demon unwillingly bound to the body of a human it'd killed and who thus had a callous disregard for the life and well-being of others. On the other end, my idealism lent itself to a paladin inspired by Silver Age Batman and Don Quixote; obsessed with being the perfect hero, always charging headlong into danger, having her foot permanently implanted in her mouth.
The advantage of this is that while you're not just playing yourself (which is boring), you can still draw on your own thoughts and instincts; just the ones you'd normally ignore. The disadvantage is that it's easy to slip from "entertainingly unlikable" to just "unlikable".
While it's not really a long-term plan, if you have trouble getting a feel for the character, just play one that you did not create yourself. Just copy-paste the personality over to your own, change the name and leave out some of the backstory. It's not as fun as creating something entirely of your own, but becasue teh character you are playing already exists, they have already gone through a lot of "example"-situations, and it really helps. The next time a goblin begs for mercy you just have to ask yourself "what did X do in a similar situation?".
Heck, I played a character with the personality of Don Rosa's Scrooge McDuck once. I offered to take people's shifts for silver coins, during feasts I would stuff everything that wouldn't rot in my pockets (together with the wine that I would pour in flasks) and always tried to make a profit while having a lust for adventure.
>>47233988
If your GM literally has no plan and improvs everything then he is a bad GM or a professional (as in likely not only classically trained but highly proficient) improvisationist. I suspect the first.
>>47233873
>the stereotype of that one guy w/ a ten page file on who his character is.
When you're on a first date or something and someone asks you, "So, tell me a little bit about yourself," how much information do you give? You need about that much for your character. Where you're from, what you do for a living, some of your hobbies, and your best anecdote.
>>47234407
The whole idea that the DM needs to plan everything in advance is just what Wizards tells you so you buy more pre-written adventures.
Do players need to know in advance what their characters are going to say or do? No! They act according to their personality, capabilities and inclination.
Just like the rest of the world. The DM just has more characters to worry about than the players, that's all.
If you just let the people the players encounter act in the ways they should, instead of treating exactly everything like just another chance to try to rope that players back on track, you can have crazy chains of events crop up organically.
We spent like 8 sessions playing out the events resulting from an ill-advised argument and fight with a horse merchant in cahoots with the local village headman. Our DM just makes some shit up initially, takes a lot of notes then keeps building on it. Making shit up as you go along and then sticking to it can be a lot of fun, and a lot more flexible. It's a good way to stay sane instead of worrying about your players skipping over that big thing you had planned. Or even worse, just pretending that their choices matter and having everything unfold anyway and make them believe it was their choice. That's worse than Hitler.
Many people have already said bits of this, but this is the way I look at it when I make a character.
Collectively, the players and the GM are creating a story. So imagine your character like someone from a book or movie. They very rarely start out fully developed, they usually start with flaws, goals, traits both good and bad, all of which mold over the course of the story. You don't need to plan your character's entire being, only the starting point. The game itself is how your character evolves and grows, where their motivations might change, their flaws acknowledge, or perhaps their good traits or beliefs have soured from some traumatic event.
You don't even need to have an entire backstory written up for your character Day 1 (unless your GM is restrictive or really needs EVERYTHING ready for some reason). I once played a down on his luck former Mercenary captain, me and my 2nd (another PC) didn't really have a plan on where we came from or what exactly happened, but the other players understood that we were warriors for hire, that we somehow fucked up, and our basic skills and personalities are that of soldiers. Over the course of the campaign I discussed with my GM about my heritage, how my goal of becoming a recognized leader across the lands was out of frustration of being a bastard of some noble, and never being as respected as his half-brothers back home.
All you need to know to begin a campaign is how your character behaves, and what is CURRENTLY driving them, you don't even need long term motivation until it's brought up. Fill in the blanks later once you get a handle on roleplaying.
I start by thinking of what my characters goals are, then I go to what are their beliefs and morals, and from there I think about why. What event made that their goal, and why do they believe x. Another thing I find helpful is the virtue and vice system from nwod. Even when I'm not playing a game that has it built in I tend to think of it when making characters, because it helps to set up complex motivations in my opinion if you take a moment to consider what is good about them, and what their flaws are and how it effects their personality.
>>47233558
>like I'm used to just goofing around in games, basically just verbal shitposting.
Thank god there are games that quarantine you people so you never have to end up at my table.
>>47234615
>The whole idea that the DM needs to plan everything in advance is just what Paizo tells you so you buy more pre-written adventures.
FTFY
>>47234782
What do you consider a good game, anon? Or a good player?
>>47234615
>Or even worse, just pretending that their choices matter and having everything unfold anyway and make them believe it was their choice. That's worse than Hitler.
Why? You don't KNOW that's happening. You might suspect it, sure, but who gives a fuck? How would you tell the difference between "real choice" and an "illusion of choice"?
>>47234407
https://data.desustorage.org/tg/image/1444/33/1444331968460.pdf
I am neither of those.
>>47234842
How would you feel if you spent hours and hours playing a game with your friend, feeling great about how you're improving and then afterwards you found out that he was letting you win the entire time?
I get where you're coming from, but I think it's a terrible way of thinking. It's basically a mild form of "Well doing a bad thing is only bad if anyone finds out".
It's disingenuous and more importantly, it's boring. Why even bother with a group of players if you're just going to use them as an audience for your predetermined, unfolding story?
>>47233413
Ok so you've had some advice here... that is pretty. BAD.
Heres how I go through making a character. First off i start off prepared to act. Like, ya'know. A character actor. So i pick a character that i know i can do the voice of, that i have a pretty good embryonic idea of the motivations of. Usually its just a variation of my own character. I tend to go for characters who have a high degree of emotional control, like your typical Agent archetype. You wanna find a character which is an element of your own personality that you think wants further development. To this end i try to do the accent of characters in game. I can do a passable Aamerican accent even with inflections of Bostonian.
Secondly. I do a small peice of creative writing based around a scenario/simulation that acts as a resume of my characters personality and, more specifically, the things his pesonality lets him do and the things it does not. The key thing here is not the abilities which your giving your character, but the limitations. I could wax lyrical about how limitations are more interesting to defining your chareacter that abilities.
The writing will actually help you rationalise your character, trying to cram as many of your threads of ideas into one creative writing is a good way to realise what your character probably thinks about WHILE hes using his various talents.
I may have used what sounds like allot of buzz words here, sorry. But the key principles are; creative writing, simulation, resume, limitations.
Continued 1:
>>47234886
>Usually its just a variation of my own character.
>I tend to go for characters who have a high degree of emotional control.
You sound so cool anon, teach us.
>>47234881
>It's disingenuous and more importantly, it's boring.
No it's not, not even remotely. There's a reason DM screens exists, and it's specifically because hiding details from the players is an inherent part of running the game. Otherwise, why do they need you at all? To RP the monsters and NPCs? Why not just hand them your notes so they know what's going to happen and can specifically avoid it/not do it?
How is it boring? For who? If you played to the end of a campaign and had a great time, what exactly changes when you learn that the DM was guiding you to make the choices yourself to keep along the plot path? You weren't bored during the session, so why are you claiming you were afterwards?
>Why even bother with a group of players if you're just going to use them as an audience for your predetermined, unfolding story?
Because that's what a campaign is? A fucking unfolding story.
And because the one that you're being guided through has drama and action and cool characters and things to do and accomplish, while the one you insist on improv'ing has dick jokes and pop culture references and random tangents of fancy that lead nowhere because "lol it was a good idea at the time".
Either you want to experience a campaign, or you want to drool at a table and throw dice at eachother. Pick one.
>>47234782
He's making a thread about wanting to improve and get deeper into the role-playing side, and you take time out of your day to just come here and tell him you're lucky he's not in your group.
You know what, we're all lucky we're not in your group, fuck you.
>>47234886
Oh look it's that guy who always plays the same character over and over again. Well he does have a point, the method he is describing, putting a small twist on your own personality and then using that as your character isn't a bad way to get started when your figuring things out, but it gets boring and eventually you want to branch out a bit once you have some experience under your belt.
Also voices are not necessary and can puss off your group.
>>47234886
Continued 1:
Lastly, i picked this trick up from the game Silent Storm. In the game, the squad you choose will occasionally come out with snippets of wisdom. Like, if you give them a new gun they might sat "it will be veeery useful", and when they finish shooting a guy they might say "YES, it was ME". If the character is a female and get shot in the abdomen she might say "I hope i can still have children.".
So basically i do this. I write down a list of eventualities, such as passing or failing tests; Awareness, Shooting, dodging etc. Then i write down a response to each one. I'll have this list in front of me in game and i like to think that it adds something to the quality of my acting.
I also try to cram in some of my favourite quotes from various leaders and philosophers. I specifically like Churchill, but also British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery and G.K. Chesterton.
Im gonna dump one of my creative writings just because no other human soul has seen it and it might give someone a giggle. Hope that helps.
>>47234975
>He's making a thread about wanting to improve and get deeper into the role-playing side
And yet by the end of it, he's still exactly the same person.
>You know what, we're all lucky we're not in your group, fuck you.
#triggered?
>>47234975
Seconded.
>>47234972
>I can't improvise so people who do it are playing the game wrong, and I like misrepresenting their arguments.
Not everyone uses a DM screen, not everyone fudges rolls, not everyone plays campaigns like a guided tour.
Like, I get your point of view, but you're projecting so hard you're just coming off as an asshole.
>And because the one that you're being guided through has drama and action and cool characters and things to do and accomplish, while the one you insist on improv'ing has dick jokes and pop culture references and random tangents of fancy that lead nowhere because "lol it was a good idea at the time".
Improvising: pop culture references and dick jokes. Listen up everyone, you need to follow the adventure, or anon will have to fall back on the dick jokes.
Your inadequacy is hanging out man, tuck that shit back in and shut up.
>>47234996
B8? This feels like shit post. Anyone else getting that vibe?
>>47235024
>Not everyone uses a DM screen, not everyone fudges rolls, not everyone plays campaigns like a guided tour.
Everyone pretends they're amazing at improv because they can somehow keep the attention of 4 or 5 murderhobos on a freeform, dungeon-of-the-week plot-free sandbox adventure that they make up as they go.
The truth is, very few people are actually good at improv, and as such pretty much all games where are based on it, and all DMs who say it's their style, are bad at what they do. Just because you insist that you're good, doesn't make it so.
I'm not saying you can't have fun that way, in fact I know you can. But it's certainly not good advice, and it doesn't help that every new DM seems to be indoctrinated into this "all improv all the time, sandboxes rule, having a plot is bad, DMs who roll behind a screen are Hitler" mentality that ruins potentially good DMs forever.
>>47234996
>>47234886
I also forgot to add, i always get a picture of my character from a movie or historical war image or something. To give it an extra layor of credibility. I generally NEVER use hand drawn characters.
>>47234996
That isn't really roleplaying, though. You're describing how a computer might simulate roleplaying, at best.
Also
>If the character is a female and get shot in the abdomen she might say "I hope i can still have children.".
Is that what you say every time you get kicked in the balls? I'm pretty sure she'd say something like "HOLY SHIT, I'VE BEEN SHOT."
>>47234996
>>47233413
So, basically here it is.
Light... Golden light... Breathing in... just this breath coming in...... Breathing out... Just this breath going out... Just... staying with the breath... And now... Imagining that with each breath... golden light coming in... coming through you... just absorbing through you... and now... w-(Vibrations) (Vibrations).
Allan opened his eyes. Removing the earbuds from his ears. Looked down at his phones reminder. It was time.
Slowly getting up from the sitting position hed been in, Allan Newman went over to the pair of binoculars on a tripod over by the venetian blinds and looked through them. The image was of a studio apartment. Over in the right hand corner the front door swung open and there was William Goldhurst. Taking off his jacket and laying it on a chair he went and stood over to the desk and the computer on it. He hit the power button and went over to the fridge.
Allan had been following Goldhursts movements for just over a week now. He knew his movements, his appointments with his publisher. His dislikes, his likes and what he found funny. Goldhurst was a creature of habit... we all are. With that thought Allan turned and went over to the plastic box that had been delivered by courier today.
Allan knew what was inside it and he delicately opened it on the unused coffee table. He carefully removed the contents, It was a doll. He frowned. Looked at the address on the box. It was definitely addressed to him. The next thing inside the box cleared the matter. It was a large knitting needle.
Continued 2.
>>47235160
>>47233413
Continued 2.
He had spent most of this week collecting 'parts' of Goldhurst for the organisation. An eyelash from his pillow. Some hair from the drain in his shower. The blood was difficult, until he'd cut himself shaving one morning. Goldhurst was a journalist, by all measures an extremely gifted one. He'd been researching biker gangs in the southern united states. He'd never expected what he was to find. His first phone calls were intercepted with wild rants about a secret amongst bikers. A secret that could change, forever, what was thought possible. He claimed he'd found a biker gang who suffered from a strange malady. That they could change into wolves, that they needed it. It wasnt just the facts but the sinister implications... and Goldhurst was convincing.
This is what caught the attention of the Illuminati. When an operative approached him about buying the story and keeping it a secret, Goldhurst accepted, took the money and ceased his research. But hed already found enough. He'd been in contact with his publisher again, talking about selling the story. If he was gonna play the game, he should atleast know who hes playing with, Alan thought. The illuminati were not against information coming out, no, infact their whole purpose is to enlighten humanity, but it has to be controlled, in a measured way. The truth released to them slowly through tv programs and drama, so they can build up a resistance to it. If the whole truth just appeared on CNN... there would be riots, and riots are bad for... well... everyone.
Continued 3.
>>47235146
Pretty sure it was implied to be said later.
>>47235180
>>47235160
>>47235115
>>47234996
>>47234886
Is this what autism looks like?
>>47235180
>>47233413
Allan looked over the doll. It bared a passing resemblance to Goldhurst. He thought about the needle. He could easily slide the needle through the doll... all it would cost him is eternal damnation... but then, they say moneys good wherever you go.
This was another test. Would he do it? Would he kill for them? He placed the knitting needle down in the box and his hand brushed another object. What he had actually ordered in the first place. He took out a syringe, filled with a brown liquid. benzo-fluro-pentathol. A memory wipe. Goldhurst would forget all about the story... the faces of his two estranged children... everything for the last major period of his life. Such are the stakes when dealing with the Truth. The Truth is more important than one mans fame.
Allan took the syringe and injected it into the doll. Over through the binoculars, Goldhurst lay unconscious.
>>47235160
Just put it in a PDF.
>>47235091
New dm here. I do have a plot, I do use a screen. Players do things I never expected, and I have to deal with it in the moment. That's what I think of as improve personally. I do promote player agency though, I just prepare for contingencies, and if they pick something I hadn't expected I repurpose things from other ideas.
>>47234886
>>47234996
>>47235115
>>47235160
>>47235180
>>47235203
This guy's fucking with you op, just disregard him.
>>47235197
I come on here just to post my own ideas, just because i know most of you arnt serious about acting out your characters and are just meme lords ingame.
... and i get called autistic.
Shit, i know posting my own creative writing was going a bit far, but like i said, no ones ever seen it, and otherwise it would just be sitting on my hard drive..
Also, fuck you. I guess i should have led with that.
>>47235194
That's nevertheless a very secondary concern.
>>47235253
>>47235197
I posted this because i knew that most of you dont take the effort to act your character, and are just meme lords at the table.
Shit... i know posting my creative writing here was going a little far, but otherwise it'd just be there sitting on my harddrive taking up space.
Also, since when have you become so rump rustled by trolls that you think some guy giving an extra detailed explanation that has some integral logic in it is somehow fucking with you.
Anon please.
>>47235257
>>47235378
Anon, are you OK? Are you having an autism attack?
>>47235091
Jesus, dude, do you hear yourself?
>all DMs who say it's their style, are bad at what they do
I'm sure you've met and played with every DM.
>Just because you insist that you're good, doesn't make it so
What if your players insist that you're good?
>every new DM seems to be indoctrinated into this "all improv all the time, sandboxes rule, having a plot is bad, DMs who roll behind a screen are Hitler" mentality
You're certainly giving that strawman what for, anon.
I would like you to take ten deep breaths, then go to your kitchen and have a glass of water.
>>47235411
>Anon, are you OK? Are you having an autism attack?
No. Whenever i think im having an autism attack i generally tell your mother.
>>47233413
Anon, here's the trick: talk to the players at the table you're joining. Build connections, acknowledge the themes, and make a guy who is both flawed and compelling.
>>47235463
>What if your players insist that you're good?
What if people insist that Adam Sandler makes good movies? Does that make it true?
>>47235503
Anon, here's how you become a master chef: cook food that's really good.
>>47235505
It's only been three minutes. Did you get that glass of water?
>>47235180
Your story is too front-loaded. Pretty much everything you're saying is background--it's stuff that's already happened. Remember: "Is this the most interesting part of your character's life? And if not, why aren't we hearing about that?"
>>47235942
>Pretty much everything you're saying is background--it's stuff that's already happened.
Basically this is true up until the point at which he injects the dummy. Which is what i intended.
>"Is this the most interesting part of your character's life? And if not, why aren't we hearing about that?"
Because its building suspense. The actual game is supposed to provide that.
>>47235378
I think it's you fucking with him because the examples you were giving seemed terrible and meme ridden, and I assumed it was a joke. While there is nothing wrong with a new player playing something close to tjeir own personality (though i do question if this counts as Role playing, since yoyr not really getting into a ROLE )I gave you the benefit of the doubt and assumed you were better than that, aND since this terrible thin you were posting couldnt possibly be your modus operandi ypu mis be joking.
Everything in your post screamed terrible player, especially that bit about pre prepared stolen quips and quotes.
The fact that you stand there and think you can accuse anyone else of being a bad player is laughable, and making sweeping generalizations like "everyone on 4chan just plays memes and doesn't know how to make a character and play them" is a logical fallacy.
>>47236027
Wait, this is a game? It reads like a novella. That's even worse. Then you're just making everything opening narration.
>>47236177
Which other posts are yours?
>>47236357
Your just going to tear into what I have on principle, but hey why not im kinda curious to see what you have to say.
>>47234767
Here you go m8, knock yourself out.
>>47236652
I'm not the guy to whom you were replying, I'm >>47234307 >>47234583. I was just curious about your own views.
This is the downside to anonymity.
>>47236177
>Everything in your post screamed terrible player,
Amazing. Because i always seem to be one of the best players in whatever group im in.
I mean, ive tried to understand the american perspective before. (Assuming your amrican, like most players). They always seem meme ridden and laugh at saying things like "over 9000" and yet you cant even do your characters accent and come up short of things to say in character. Its like you think everything good is somehow lame, unlike your fedora and sonic t-shirt. What am i supposed to understand here? Because its getting closer and closer to me saying you have no taste. Or maybe you are just criticising me because you cant write your own role playing recomendation. I mean, how could ideas taken from actual acting and major video games be lamer than what i see the rest of you posting? I almost done trying to undersand you. The only joke is that i really tried.
>that you stand there and think
Im sitting actually. Now i know your a troll.
>logical fallacy.
>generalizations
Except thats wrong you retard. If you knew anything about critical thinking, you would have been taught that saying "a generalisation is false" is itself a generalisation. So to avoid that, you must say "a generalisation is sometimes false". Ive played with upwards of 50 people by now, and very few of them ever even try to act the voice of their characters, or they think their so edgy by playing a character different to their personality that it becomes a hackneyed trope. Which i will list; russian guy, ww1 german guy, guy playing a girl- girl is hypersexualised and im sure there are more.
>>47236191
>Wait, this is a game? It reads like a novella. That's even worse
Oh, quite while your ahead.
I explained earlier what it was. You must have missed that.
>It reads like a novella
Didnt you just tell me that this didnt read like good writing? Now its a novella?
My writing style is heavily influenced by Sherlock Holmes, thats why.
>>47237042
Being a novella does not make something good. It makes it longer than a short story and shorter than a novel.
>>that you stand there and think
>Im sitting actually.
AAAAWWW SNAP, SON, THAT'S A HELLA BURN
HIS COMMON EXPRESSION IS NOT FACTUALLY ACCURATE TO YOUR TECHNICAL SITUATION
DAAAAAAAAAMN
>>47233413
Ok, let's see if we can transition you from murderhobo to dramaqueen. ...yeah let's go with that...
So let's take Bob the Human Fighter. Often seen as the most boring character with the charisma and acting skills of a stale ricecake.
Now, he is born as a human, but being a Fighter is a choice. Why is he a Fighter?
Is he a squire? Did he learn it from a warrior? Did he practice in secret with his fathers blade? Was he the best man at a wedding and failed his task in protecting his friend? Lots of options to explore, just think of that for the class you pick.
Then he needs a goal. So that could be riches, but what is he going to do with the riches? Pay his debt? Buy some land? Women? Beer?
If he wants revenge he would be looking for someone with distinct characteristics. So ask about those when in a tavern or something.
Perhaps he wants a legendary sword, the one his father talked about. Anything can be a goal.
So you need to think about why and how. Now to add a dash of realism: a flaw. The easiest and most fun flaws are fears. He could be afraid of heights, or the dark, or spiders, anything. Other flaws could be impulsive behaviour, compulsive lying, distrusting, misplaced priorities etc.
Just add family and friends, and you're done with basics.
I turn around for like a minute and this thread gets big enough to have it's own drama I feel so accomplished. Just gonna respond to everyone, basically.
>>47233912
Helps that orcs are rad. Thanks for the tip.
>>47234079
This is also good advice, I feel like. Will seek out good groups for this/talk to my groups about this to make things easier haah. I feel like having more people involved would honestly help w/ the mental block I have re: getting in character - I'd imagine that shit's easier when everyone's doing it.
>>47234307
Might try this, though hopefully this won't turn the game into a re-run of my therapy sessions.
>>47234583
>implying I don't come to all of my dates w/ a ten page file detailing my backstory
>>47234760
This is also helpful perspective building, along w/ the "don't worry as much about backstory" from earlier - takes off creative pressure, really helps me see how RP is a playstyle and a process instead of just being a good author haha
>>47234782
np man feel free to join us sometime too
>>47234886
>>47234909
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>>47235488
fucking lol
>>47237136
>So you need to think about why and how. Now to add a dash of realism: a flaw. The easiest and most fun flaws are fears. He could be afraid of heights, or the dark, or spiders, anything. Other flaws could be impulsive behaviour, compulsive lying, distrusting, misplaced priorities etc.
I'll admit this is a bias formed during my DeviantArt/Gaia Online years, but I hate when people talk about their character's "flaws". I understand why they do it, but I've always found it more satisfying when characters have personalities that are sometimes positive, sometimes negative. That is, confidence and arrogance are two sides of the same coin; so are friendliness and gullibility; and loyalty can be good or bad with equal ease.
Again, I'll admit I can't be impartial here. So many goddamn people "can't swim".
>>47237176
These threads are like fires. They can give warmth and heat but then they get out of control and start generating their own storm systems.
>>implying I don't come to all of my dates w/ a ten page file detailing my backstory
On the first date? That's a little forward, don't you think?
>>47237429
I guess you're right - bringing the 10 pg'r sorta assumes it's gonna go well. Should take the unabridged version next time, let her really get to know me.
>>47236760
Well I think that you shouldn't explain everything about your character from the get go. By all means you should know your characters intricacies but other players should discover them through interaction, thats fun in my opinion, and its more realistic iny opinion. If a guy starts by giving me his characters life story I admit I dont have high expectations.
As for the guy referencing comics an whatnot...well his personal examples dont sound all that great to me, I cant say for certain cause I haven't played with the guy, but it sounds like special snowflakes and memery. Taking inspection is fine, but keep it subtle, and applicable to the setting your in. If your playing batman, no one should know your playing batman, if they figure it out you were to obvious.I dont like bats, just an example.
>>47237042
Im going to ignore the fact you just put up a strawman to try and justify your position and respond to your as if you were a reasonable individual capable of entertaining a intellectual debate.
Are you an actor? If you have training or are competent then I do not mind accents or voices, but most people I see trying to do voices tend to 1.fail 2. Be playing the very stereotypical 2d characters your raging against.
Pulling inspiration is fine, but if your literally taking lines and copying verbatim then its not your character. Furthermore pulling from video games is often in poor taste memery (Dark souls, full stop)
I wrote a role playing recommendation. I pointed it out for you, you didnt reference it. I am left to wonder why? Did you find nothing to criticize?
Stereotypes and genralization are logical falicies as are ad hominum attacks, I notice you use both.
>>47237320
If their flaw is that they cant swim their missing the point. Your bit about confidence becoming arrogance is exactly the right way to do a flaw.
>>47237870
I think we're roughly on the same page. "Tell me about yourself" is the character's background, but the date(s) itself is the game, and that's where you really get to know the character/prospective smoosh-buddy.
Cursed character who believes that the only way to lift the curse is to kill the psycho-witch who cursed him.
