How do you usually play your character(s)?

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

So this is kind of an offshoot to my other thread about evil campaigns in the RPG general area found here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...vil-campaigns-how-do-you-feel-about-them.html

I was curious as to how people generally play their character(s) in video games which have choices which impact the world they are playing in. A few examples off the top of my head: Dragon Age Origins and the Fallout games.

If you make evil choices or good choices, the NPCs and the world see your character as good or evil.

So how do you normally play your character(s) in these types of games?

Me? I'm usually a jerk, I will kill, steal and destroy anything in site my first time playing through (I don't know why, I just like to for some odd reason), then the next play-through I may go more of a neutral or good route.

 

[Croesus]

With RPG's, whether tabletop or video, I play the hero. I'm not really interested in taking on the role of someone evil, or even amoral - just not my preference for escapism.

That said, some video games make this harder than others. I remember playing Ultima III and one of the most common ways to make money was stealing from merchants. You didn't have to, but it really helped get a starting party off the ground.

Similarly, the new King's Bounty games (mostly strategy, but with RP quests) don't have a good/evil path for the hero. For example, you go to the lich, he offers you a quest to bring him test subjects. If you do it, you get a reward. If you don't, you get nothing. Since the final score is partly based on how many quests you complete, the game encourages the player to complete all quests, whether good or evil. Creates a bit of disconnect when I'm playing the game, though the games are good enough, I still play them.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Good guy or neutral, generally.

 

[Asmo]

Always good, without fail.

Asmo

 

[Pentius]

I generally make a conscious decision at the beginning of the file.

"This time I will be a good guy."

"This time I will be a bad guy."

The same way I might decide whether to be a melee character or ranged.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I suppose I tend towards good but I do tend to play the games through with good and evil characters. The rules tend to encourage you to be consistent, so for most games I'm picking to play a 100% good (or evil) character and nothing in between.

 

[Jack7]

I don't think I've ever played a video or computer game where I could be evil. I don't think I have any. I have played games, like Metal Gear, or Splinter Cell, or Deus Ex, where I could make moral decision in various shades of gray.

For instance in Splinter Cell or Metal Gear, if I can accomplish a mission without killing someone, I'll try and go the non-lethal route if at all possible, and it doesn't endanger the mission or my comrades. If it does I don't mind killing bad guys. I'll look for any opportunity not to kill an innocent.

I don't mind killing if I think it absolutely necessary, but it has never been a preference of mine.

I guess that's why I don't play games where you play an evil character. I got no taste for killing to kill, or harming just for the hell of it. I won't even kill an animal or an insect just to do it. I like for things to live if they are no danger to others. And I guess that is sort of my personal definition of evil, harming others just to harm, or to see suffering, or to take pleasure in the destruction of another.

Killing I don't consider good, per se, as much as necessary sometimes. I'd rather kill a murderer than see the murderer kill another innocent. So I don't consider that evil. In an ideal world it wouldn't be necessary, but it's not an ideal world.

On the other hand I do like tough moral dilemmas though. I actually prefer that in any kind of game I play. I often enjoy them in real life too.

So I guess no evil or neutral for me, but I like tough choices.

 

[Dragon Sin-Camealot]

It's fiction so it depends on the game's set-up. It also depends on how thorough you are. I do go as far as checking stats and things.

 

[begR]

Good or neutral most of the times.
But if I feel like replaying the game I go evil to things up.

 

[drothgery]

Either all-out 'good guy' or 'good-intentioned but a bit selfish'. Made a few attempts at Dark Side play throughs of KotOR, but couldn't stick with it, and eventually end up making choices that gave me a really high light side score despite a rather dark start.