Poll: Hatred Towards Roleplaying

[Jitters Caffeine]

I actually play quite a bit of tabletop games and D&D, so it comes with the territory. But the only videogame I can get into enough to want to play a character is the Fallout series, specifically New Vegas.

 

[loc978]

I refuse to play tabletop any other way, though I'm not one to insist that my players are always in character... I'm more about the little things, I prefer them to roleplay their character's strengths and weaknesses more than their alignment and backstory. So yes, I will make you roll for very basic common sense decisions if you have 4 wisdom... but I'll also let you roleplay a half-demon lumberjack if you want to.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

I don't do it that often (I usually just insert myself and my own personality into the game)...

But when I do role play, it's often really fun.

When I started playing morrowind with the intent to not give up in the first 20 minutes this time, I role played an air headed kajiit who saw everyone as friends and had no concept of personal belongings and believes that everything belongs to everyone. (to the point where I got mugged by a common highway thief, and I was like "Oh, friend just want money? Sure! Everything belong to everyone!". I also don't take ALL the loot from people.). It was REALLY fun. I didn't finish the game, but I'll get back to it soon.

I also have been role playing an evil corporate civilization in Galactic Civ 2 recently, and I've been typing up "in character" reports on what's been going on.

Spoiler: Click for a few excerpts from my reports.

(FYI, for the lulz, I sometimes make the Koopas and the ponies as custom enemy races. The ponies were...puny this time, and the Koopas...Oh gosh the koopas...I hate them so much.... >_<)

***********
And then...My scientists, in some kind of dare, I assume...Researched ZOMBIES for crying out loud. Actual. Freakin. ZOMBIES. Apparently there was some sort of poofy moral problem some scientists had with the zombies, saying that their lives would be full of suffering or something. Well, I read the damn owner's manual, and right there under c2.28 ("do not leave with small children"), I read that zombies cannot think. Ergo, they cannot suffer. Ergo, those flimsy contradictory scientists need to shut up and get me some more zombies! Revive ALL the Zombies! And the zombies of our enemies too! We'll make that puny Terran "umbrella corp" look like amateurs! ALL THE ZOMBIES!

****************

And a good thing too, because a few turns later, one of my random worker guys killed King Bowser. Let me repeat that. SOME. RANDOM. WORKER. KILLED. BOWSER. I have no idea how he managed that, but I have immediately put him on the nearest warship. This guy is GOOD. In the meantime, I have one world and one wayward starbase that I know the koopa can hit. Otherwise, I don't think they have the range to hit my main empire. Thank goodness for that. I know the starbase is beyond saving, it's too far to upgrade with weapons. And I'm buying tons of my new large class ships tha tlook like CD players on my vulnerable world. ...Oh, and for some weird reason, the next ruler of the koopas looks EXACTLY like bowser, but is named Azurelas. 0_o Weird.

********************

Well, my ships finally repelled all the Koopa ships, and made it to their worlds. Many, Many, MAAAANY weeks of endless battles were fought. It was getting quite tiring. And then, we reached a pair of their worlds, and I started to clear the way for my master stroke of genius.

Finally, after months of waiting, my constructor caravan and escorts exited the slow-moving Yor space and reached their destination. Now, BUILD ME A TERROR STAR! LET'S FRY THOSE-

.......WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THE STAR IS OUT OF RANGE?! IT'S RIGHT THE HELL IN FRONT OF YOU!!!!! AAARRRGH!!

My escorts converged on the useless Terror Star and managed to save it while I sent a super super super fast constructor to build a base and extend my range. And at last I had the range I needed. NOW, Terror star time to....WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S "WARMING UP"? IT'S A STAR! HOW MUCH HOTTER DO YOU NEED THE BEAM TO BE?!?! ....FINE! I'll wait the 8 turns left that it'll take to mobilize that thing! Argh!

Then the altarians found an amplifier crystal that will make them super strong someday.....Screw 'em. They're way behind. I'll deal with them later, I have time. And even so, they begged for help against the Tekk. ...You know what? NO! NO I AM DONE WITH THE FREE HANDOUTS! NO MORE! If they can't handle the Tekk, that's their problem!

Then, I heard an alert from my world in Yor space....A koopa ship had managed to get there...And I only had a pack of those battery powered small craft to defend it....And some troop transports....All of them got wiped............I bought more grand blasters. ....Now, is that damn Terror star ready yet? It is? FINALLY!

I swiveled my chair around to face this ominous glowing red button I had installed for this day. I looked left, and right, UP and DOWN for any other hitches in the plan. None? Good. All ships. Get out of range. Now. I raised my hand....Thought for a moment about what kind of witty one liner I wanted to say...I settled on a simple "Fire." as I slammed my hand down on the button.

Well, that was satisfying.

I called up the Koopas.

Alright Azurelas. You've seen what we can do, and what we are willing to do. If you want to avoid this fate spreading to all your worlds, you will give me 5000 BC, and five of your greatest techs. I am being NICE. I am giving you a chance to postpone your inevitable doom by fire. Am I not Merciful? AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!?! Do it. Now!

Azurelas chuckled, looking totally nonchalant on his throne. "You been drinkin' again? Hell no."

I leaned forward slowly. I was no longer the satellite comm signal repair guy I once was. No. I was now the leader of the Korx. A hard, nasty, vengeful lifeform. A role model to the Korx. And I looked Azurelas in the eyes and said "So be it. You will beg for mercy. ...My name is Kralax of Korx. I killed your father. Prepare to die."

I turned to my military advisors. "YO! I need more range to send my Terror star to their main territory. We're taking that class 25 near that system I just vaporized. How much longer till our new ace in the hole is ready?" He replied with "We have massive hulls, and we are 7 weeks away from the next psionic gun...but...You could just take them now, sir, why do you want more tech?".

I shook my head and looked back at my map of the Galaxy "Because I don't want to just blowthem up. I want to atomize them like the scum that they are. I want to crush them so conclusively that they will look upon us and see doom itself. THAT GOOD?"

Just a few more weeks...Just a few more and I will move on their home zone. I will take their good worlds, and vaporize the rest. And then...Then I will move against the Tekk. then The drath...Then the ponies. Then the terrans, altarians, and finally the Yor. Unless one of them suddenly becomes a superpower too troublesome to bother with, then I am not going to bother making an alliance. I will RULE this sector, or I will see it BURNT TO ASHES AROUND ME.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I tend to roleplay a little with my characters in TES games, mostly just a bit of background or something. Other than that, I don't really. I feel like a bit of a tit if I get into it too much.

 

[Flames66]

I love to role play and do it in most games I play. I usually role play as a super handsome, heroic version of myself. Recently, I started playing New Vegas again and have been RPing as a contract killer/bounty hunter character who tries to start his own town.

I don't. But then I mostly play sims or RTSs so it would be a bit strange. I get asked to RP in chatrooms on the seldom instance I venture into them but I just can't be bothered. I tend not to want to write a story when I'm trying to relax.

I like to RP in RTS games. I always have a unit which represents me in command of the troops.

 

[babinro]

I don't role play as I don't find it particularly fun.

I play RPG's and D&D 4E for mechanics first and foremost. First playthrough is as a stereotypical good guy, the second as the bad guy.

In D&D I don't roleplay, but I do assign my guy an alignment and adhere to that alignment when deciding on party goals.

 

[DanielBrown]

"Hell no, that shit's weird."

Sorry, RPers, that's how I feel. I understand that it can be fun, but it just seems a bit crazy to me.

 

[MetalMagpie]

So with all that said and done...How many of you actually roleplay in your games? Like really roleplay with backstories and personalities, and maybe even talk to yourself like you're voicing your character.

I often talk to the character I'm controlling. Usually to curse them for not taking cover, or apologise if my cack-handedness gets them shot in the head...

OT: I write fiction is a hobby, so I've never felt any need to role-play. When I tell a story, I want to control everything, so I can make it the best story I can. Roleplaying games are (to me) a bit of an annoying compromise (like paint-by-numbers).

So when I'm playing a game, I either want to be told a story (in the same way a book or film would tell me a story) or just left alone to shoot things. Either is fine with me.

 

[Gabanuka]

I always keep my character consistent when it comes to conversation, if that's what you mean, and I have been trying to get a D&D group set up. However LARPing is just stupid and should never be undertaken by man,

 

[JMeganSnow]

I find video games a weird place for role-playing, personally. Now, if you're using a game that actually supports that sort of thing (like, say, the Neverwinter Nights toolset), go for it. I'd like to have better tools for role-playing, sure.

If you're doing it kind of randomly in a MMO, why not just take it to a chatroom? There are "role-players" in Dungeons and Dragons online, and all they do is sit in the tavern and blither. Some people actually use DDO as the chat for their tabletop games! Why, I do not understand. DDO uses up a fair bit of system resources that you could instead devote to all kinds of other chat and image sharing software to let you realize the game you're *actually* playing. And you won't have random people running through your game session on the way to the vendors.

If, on the other hand, you're just in a mood to play some make-believe while you're questing, I don't see a problem with it.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I find role playing in a single player game to be more than a bit odd. Doing it with a group is one thing, but making up a story based on what you did in a videogame, with no intention of writing it down[footnote]like an after action report in a strategy game or space trading sim; they're still a bit odd, but at least it's writing practice, plus people like to share them[/footnote], just seems weird to me. Then again, I find the concept of actual roleplaying (as opposed to roll-playing) in D&D to be a bit odd; most of the people I've known to do it would have been better off with either community theater or the SCA.

I personally love some of the Sword of the Stars and Aurora (both 4x games) roleplays.

I have written a few of my own from where my little fledgling planet went from earth circa 2000 to an interstellar empire, then was crushed back to sol by an alien race before slowly fighting their way back to dominance.

if done right it can read like a good book with main characters popping up in the game (Aurora has all of your ship captains and ground commanders have names)

Playing these kinds of games (which at times can seem like spreadsheet simulators, particularly aurora) can get quite dull unless you have an active imagination and think about the happenings in a greater context.

It was 4X games I was mainly thinking about when I made the footnote; it's always kind of interesting to see a good after action report. The difference for me is that writing down a characterized version of a 4X session is a neat little creative writing exercise, while just doing it all in your head is... well, odd. Also, I completely get what you're saying about them being spreadsheets: the game. Ever play Space Empires V? It's the most spreadsheet-y 4X game I've ever played, and one of the best.

Hm, never heard of that one, will have to pick it up on Steam when I get home come monday.

If you are fan of 4x games you should check out Aurora, it is the dwarf fort of space based 4x games. It has very, very limited graphics, but the pure amount of options is astounding.

Though I have to disagree with the coming up with the stuff in your head is strange part, I would never have thought to write it down if I first hadnt come up with the stories and adventures of my officers in my head first. I am still rather depressed that the save game and the stories I had written for them imploded with my flashdrive

Fair warning about SEV; it uses an old version of direct X that doesn't play nice with Windows 7. It'll work, but modern versions of Windows emulate most of the features in software, which means it's a pain in the butt to get a decent framerate, even on a relatively fast computer. I've heard some good things about SEIV, which had most of the same features but was done in 2D, and ironically works better with modern versions of windows as a result. I got my copy for a couple of TF2 items thanks to a friend of mine getting it from the last Christmas promotion on Steam but not wanting it.

Moving on, when you say Aurora is like the Dwarf Fort of 4X games, does that mean it's some sort of freeware? The way you're describing it reminds me of Anacreon, which is this really early ASCII based 4X game from the 80's, with all sorts of cool features that aren't common today. The original developer released a couple of freeware ports to modern systems in the early 2000's, which is why I know about it. Space Empires is closer to Anacreon than it is Civilization, and it would be interesting to find another 4X in that vein; most of the other ones I've seen really ape Civ.

As for the roleplaying thing, like I said in my edit, what you're describing with kind of characterizing the emergent narrative of the game isn't what weirds me out; it's people who do the kind of thing dyre and I were talking about earlier in the thread, but in a singleplayer game without any sort of audience that really weirds me out.

Ahh I see, perhaps I shall still pick it up from Steam to get the deluxe SEIV copy, then wait for GOG to do a windows 7 update and release it there as well

Aurora is indeed freeware, it doesnt use ACSII graphics though, just a map with colored dots, orbits ect.

Here is a link to it http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php I have put more hours into that game alone than Mass Effect and Skyrim combined xD

And I see, makes sense now,

Whoah, cool, thanks for the link to Aurora; that sounds awesome. As for SEV/SEIV, just so you know, the original developer went out of business, so an updated version that fixes the Windows 7 bugs is unlikely, barring a fan patch. Also, it works, it's just a pain in the butt to get it working properly; it took me 45 minutes just to get it to run the first time, although that was actually Steam's fault and as far as I know that specific bug is no longer a problem. Getting a decent framerate is still a problem, but it's also doable if you know what to do; oddly enough, one of the steps is turning off clear type text in windows, which gives a good 10 or 20 FPS boost.

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

I don't dream up backstories or anything, but if I'm playing a game I make a conscious effort to fit in with the world around me. Is that role-playing? I'm kind of fuzzy on the definitions here.

 

[Trivun]

I never really used to, but sometimes I kind of enjoy inserting myself as a secondary character (sort of as an interacting observer, if that makes sense) to games and such, alongside the protagonist. For games like Oblivion and so on, I prefer to create an original character based on one of my own usual OCs, and roleplay as them.

If you want to roleplay anyway, then I recommend a game called Mitadake High. It also has a spiritual successor from a different developer, Pyrce High, and in both roleplay is pretty damn mandatory. I've created some pretty interesting characters and scenarios through both games, and enjoyed it all greatly. They're murder mystery games, kind of a cross between the real-life LARP game 'Killer' and the Death Note/Higurashi/Battle Royale franchises. Just look them up on Google for more info

 

[The Pinray]

I RP in the Bethesda games. But it's all in my head. I'm not writing anything down or talking for anyone. That's a tad odd in a single-player game. But yeah, walking to Ivarstead with the werewolf twins is usually a boring, silent affair. So I spice it up with imaginary conversations. I just inject some damn personality into the world.

Don't need to as much with the Fallout games. Especially New Vegas. Those games practically bleed personality.

I love making backstories for my characters. It's part of the fun. Just meta-gaming and doing ever quest possible and getting the best gear/weapons does not interest me in the slightest.

It's a ROLE-PLAYING game so I may as well role-play.

I used to in some MMOs, but everyone is so obsessed with the meta and their imaginary little numbers. They're so boring. It's a game! Have some damn fun!

 

[kyogen]

I love rpgs, but I find that I really only do any kind of additional character rp'ing when a game starts to lose my interest for one reason or another and I want a little bit of a hook to keep playing. I don't look down on gamers who have fun doing full-blown roleplays--if it's fun for you, awesome!, keep it up--but it's not my thing. I'm more interested in seeing how far the game itself goes and where its limitations are.

 

[BENZOOKA]

The closest I get to role-playing are single-player PC games, and even with those:

I never create a backstory, I always base the character on myself. What characteristics, at the time, I feel like to stress the most, give some variety though. Sometimes after playing a longer time, the choices and actions I've made, can create a kind of backstory. So I might play the character based more on previous things in the game, rather than what I'd choose in the moment or what seems the most beneficial. But that's about it. RPG mostly stands for additional freedom of what to do, for me.

 

[Shuguard]

I don't really do any type of role-playing instead i just make the games harder for myself, since being able to use every tool i have (usually all of the ones available) makes a game too easy. So i'll do something dumb like i can't used ranged attacks, melee, or magic only, or i can only jump-attack, etc.

I still can't understand how one role-plays in Minecraft though. That one still perplexes me.

 

[ZeroMachine]

I find it impossible to roleplay in any multiplayer game.

But in single player games, I BECOME the character I'm playing, whether it's a custom character or John Marston or Ezio Auditore or John-117 or whatever.

Roleplaying it how you properly immerse yourself.

It is awesome.

captcha: Describe this brand (National Geographic) with any word(s).

My answer: boobs.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I love it! Roleplaying is half of the reason I buy Elder Scrolls games. They are so incredibly good for it.
It offers nearly unlimited amount of replay and it is as fun as you allow it to be.

 

[Kizi]

I don't do it but I can definitely understand why people enjoy it. I used to play around doing something along those lines when I was a kid and playing video games but I gradually stopped doing so.