Immersion/Being in character

It was recently pointed out to me that I have misunderstood what people say when they talk about immersion RPGs. One of them mentioned it being the same thing as being in character.


I am curious how immersion or being in character works for others. For me being in character has nothing to do with the rules or what other around me are doing. I pop in and out of character at-will and it doesn't really require any effort. Here is an example of how I play (assume I am playing Bob the Rogue).


Me: I scout ahead to see what is in the next room.


DM: Okay make a stealth check.


Player 1: anyone want something from the fridge?


Me: (grabbing dice) Yeah grab me a coke. Let's see now (rolls dice), my stealth check is 27.


DM: Okay you apparently move down the hall very quietly and get to the doorway. There are three orcs in there but they don't appear to notice you.


Me: Thank for the coke. Bob attempts to return to the group quietly (rolls dice), crap I rolled a 1.


DM: The orcs suddenly notice you as you kick a rock across the room and a door drops behind you in the corridor sealing you off from the party.


Player 2: Man you are screwed.


Player 3: We can hire a new rogue when we get back to town.


Me: I attempt a Jedi mind trick on the orcs by saying "you do not see me." (The mind trick fails since Bob doesn't have an ability like that).


(Several Jedi mind trick jokes erupt and laughing ensures).


Me: I surrender to the orcs. You guys better come rescue me.






So that is a typical session for me. How do things work for you? Do you say in character for the entire session? If so how does it work when you roll dice or reference a rule? Do those things bring you out of character? How immersive do you get?

For me, the only way to stay in character in the game is through Method Acting. In other words, I stay in character as my halfling rogue 100% of the time. I ask people who want to talk to me to stand on chairs so I will feel shorter. I filch office supplies when no one is looking. Backstabbing is a little problematic, but I've substituted attaching 'kick me' sticky notes for actual daggers through the spine.

Sure, this has cost me a certain amount of dignity, not to mention several friendships and my last three jobs, but it's a small price to pay for sitting at the table and believing that I really, truly am Zodo, adventurer and thief-for-hire!

I was never all that good at being in character. Probably why I'm a DM.

To me immersion doesn't mean I never break character or view the game as an exercise in acting. All it means is I play the game and make my choices from the character's point of view, I interact with the setting through my character. Being immersed just means I have the feeling of being my character in the setting. It doesn't mean I can't pause and tell a joke or get up and eat a slice of pizza. There are things that will mess with my sense of immersion, but I think this is different for everyone. For example, one thing that has always jarred me as a player is stuff like wish lists. Things where it feels like the setting is shifting to accommodate the desires of the player, when it is apparent that is what is happening, disrupts immersion for me. This varies from person to person though, I have people in my group who value immersion but are fine with wish lists.

Immersion for me means it's like I'm there. I'm looking for an experience like when I went to see part 2 of The Hobbit a while ago. Of course I'm aware that I'm in a theater with my wife holding my hand and my friends down the row. Still, my mind is entirely occupied with the action onscreen. I'm not thinking about work or kids or other hobbies; it's the next best thing to being right in the movie. (Okay, better than being in the movie if you count not having a dragon chase you.)

Immersion is one of the big things I'm after in an RPG. If I can't get it I won't continue playing.

Lots of things help with immersion. Method acting is a big help but it's not the only thing needed, and some folks can probably get immersion without it. Lack of distractions and interruptions is important. Playing with friends who are after the same thing is pretty important. A DM who's a good storyteller is key. I also find the rule set important. I want to interact with the game fiction as much as possible. If I'm planning my actions in terms of what's optimal for the rules rather than what my character thinks would be the best idea in terms of game fiction, my immersion goes SPOING.

For me, immersion is about making decisions from the point-of-view of the character. I consider the character's goals and values - what is he trying to accomplish in this fantasy world? What is important to him? Are there any lines he will not cross to achieve his desires? What are his instinctual reactions to new events? I tend not to be overly concerned with whether I am describing the actions from a 1st person or 3rd person perspective. Or even if I am describing the actions in mechanical terms! What matters is what does the character do when he sees the orcs?

From my current stable -

My Dwarf Crusader of Moradin's natural instinct is to prepare for battle, then ask questions. So, upon seeing three orcs in a room, he would likely draw his axe, ready his shield, and then call out to the orcs using either Diplomacy or Intimidate in an attempt to assess if the orcs are adversaries, or to cow them into submission. (Which he uses would depend on why he is in this dungeon.) He is also a practitioner of Realpolitik.

My Human Wizard of Vecna by way of Fraz-urb'luu, and formerly of Delleb (long story), is the current wielder of the Staff of Fraz-urb'luu and, as such, his primary concern is the safety and security of the staff. His instinct is to turn invisible and reassess, possibly with a readied action Teleport should events turn against him. He is also willing to sacrifice his allies to further his agenda.

My Human Druid of the Velaeri is fairly laid back and lets events resolve themselves. If forced to act he takes his guidance from whichever wind is most prominent at the time, if any. If, for example, the west wind is blowing, he'd act based on the ideals of Wenta. On the other hand, if it is the north wind, Telchur would be the guiding philosophy.

Immersion might not have been the best word choice to have start the other thread with - and maybe in character or something else is a better word.

I was aiming at something like these:

Bedrockgames said:

To me immersion doesn't mean I never break character or view the game as an exercise in acting. All it means is I play the game and make my choices from the character's point of view, I interact with the setting through my character. Being immersed just means I have the feeling of being my character in the setting. It doesn't mean I can't pause and tell a joke or get up and eat a slice of pizza.

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Mishihari Lord said:

If I'm planning my actions in terms of what's optimal for the rules rather than what my character thinks would be the best idea in terms of game fiction, my immersion goes SPOING.

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We certainly have our share of beer and snack getting and spend half of the night in side conversations and juvenile humor. But when we're in the middle of a scene/encounter/combat/whatnot that usually gets put aside. The rules and die rolling should be a distant second to the action of the characters.

And like this description of watching a movie...

Mishihari Lord said:

... my mind is entirely occupied with the action .... I'm not thinking about work or kids or other hobbies; it's the next best thing to being right in the movie.

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... at some points I want to be able to visualize the setting and, like @pemerton said in the other thread, get some emotion from the scene in line with what the character is experiencing.

[MENTION=80924]fjw70[/MENTION] My games are similar to yours. I find that what helps is to avoid saying things like "I make a X check" and just try to describe what I'm doing and only then rolling dice. When talking with other people about magic, I don't say "Oh, prepare Spell S" but instead I'll try to say things like "Pelor grants his most powerful servants the ability to ....".

What breaks immersion for me is when there are people at the table pulling out the monster manual or something and going "Oh man, these things are weak! I can totally one shot it if I power attack for 8."

fjw70 said:

So that is a typical session for me. How do things work for you? Do you say in character for the entire session? If so how does it work when you roll dice or reference a rule? Do those things bring you out of character? How immersive do you get?

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Pretty much the same for me. Extended rules discussions and/or side conversations are big distractions and take me out of character, but brief distractions aren't an issue.

Bedrockgames said:

To me immersion doesn't mean I never break character or view the game as an exercise in acting. All it means is I play the game and make my choices from the character's point of view, I interact with the setting through my character. Being immersed just means I have the feeling of being my character in the setting. It doesn't mean I can't pause and tell a joke or get up and eat a slice of pizza. There are things that will mess with my sense of immersion, but I think this is different for everyone. For example, one thing that has always jarred me as a player is stuff like wish lists. Things where it feels like the setting is shifting to accommodate the desires of the player, when it is apparent that is what is happening, disrupts immersion for me. This varies from person to person though, I have people in my group who value immersion but are fine with wish lists.

Click to expand...

I endorse this position and the candidate for president.