So, I've decided that I hate roleplaying

[MortonStromgal]

I think what you want is Decent or some skirmish level wargame (ie only a dozen units or less per side). You can certainly do that with D&D, GURPS, Savage Worlds and other system but you have to be upfront about it because I think a majority of other people will be wanting something else when you say "Lets play Savage Worlds".

 

[wayne62682]

I'm NOT saying I don't like any roleplaying at all. I'm just what you all would consider a "hack and slash" gamer; combat is the "best" part of the night. I don't want mindless combat without meaning, but I'm not a fan of amateur theatrical roleplaying, either.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I'm NOT saying I don't like any roleplaying at all. I'm just what you all would consider a "hack and slash" gamer; combat is the "best" part of the night. I don't want mindless combat without meaning, but I'm not a fan of amateur theatrical roleplaying, either.

To me you sound like a "typical" D&D player. You enjoy the combat, you enjoy the adventure and story that create the situation, you like being able to affect the story with the actions of your PC, but you don't want to feel you have to enact what your PC says or does. That is probably 80% of the D&D players I have met over my 30 years of gaming.

My best group had a mix of players. Some enjoyed the roleplaying aspects more than others. Everyone agreed to be patient with each other. Some sessions were more roleplay focused, while others were straight kick-in-the door sessions, but as DM I tried to make sure nobdy felt the entire session was boring. Overall it worked and we had a good time.

 

[wayne62682]

You enjoy the combat, you enjoy the adventure and story that create the situation, you like being able to affect the story with the actions of your PC, but you don't want to feel you have to enact what your PC says or does.

Pretty much. I guess what makes it kind of "weird" is that I enjoy having the roleplaying background; that is, I'm fond of campaigns with very strong themes and tightly woven plots, so I can create a character who fits the tone and style of the campaign. I enjoy coming up with character traits, and personality, and backstory. I just don't like a ton of immersive roleplaying and first-person character dialogue/interaction. I have no problem with exhibiting some of my character's traits and occasionally a quote, but I don't like to saturate the game with IMO overly complex narrative.

For instance, I have no problem having a fully fleshed out character (again, matching the overall plot, theme and tone of the campaign) with a personality, and personality traits/quirks, and interjecting that into the game (e.g. if playing a cleric and fighting undead: "I hold up my holy symbol and yell a prayer to Pelor to smite the undead"), as long as it doesn't require me to "play dumb", but I'm not a fan of narratives (e.g. "O great Pelor, your servant asks you smite these abominations! By sunlight be cleansed!") except very short bursts where it makes sense to the plot (e.g. confronting the BBEG). I think maybe it's the fact I've played in many games that didn't consider the first part "roleplaying", only the second, and I don't feel comfortable doing the second; typically there's always someone, or more than one person, who does the second and then my doing the first seems like I'm trying to avoid roleplaying my character. The current situation is like this - in the WHFRP game I can't get away with doing the first, I have to do the second.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Heh. Whereas I want a much more even balance of RP and combat, and I'd prefer a night of all RP to one of all combat.

But I do agree that it cannot and should not reach the point of cheese. I don't want faux Old English or bad accents, nor do I insist on every interaction being played out in full.

As for your preferences... I don't think you're "bound" to WoW but, as others have said, you need to find a group that matches your preferences. You simply aren't going to be happy in a group that's more RP-focused than you are, and they're not going to be happy if you try to get them to shift their focus. And it may be difficult, since RP is a big part of the draw for a lot of people.

 

[Mallus]

Wayne, it doesn't sound like you hate role-playing, you just dislike the acting/performing part, which is fine.

Role-playing is...

... creating/writing a fictional character.

... performing and/or pretending you're a fictional character.

... kicking-ass and problem-solving using a fictional character, who, if I'm really being honest, sometimes might as well be a board game piece.

You're okay with #1, dislike #2 and are gung-ho for #3. Nothing wrong with that... and plenty of folks play that way.

 

[Doug McCrae]

On voices - I have a rule. Don't do an accent unless one of the following are true

1) You can do the accent very well
2) The character is meant to be humorous or not taken seriously

If its a serious character and you do a bad accent, you'll make it laughable at best or painful at worst. Its okay for goofy characters - if you're doing an Austin Powers inspired spy game and have the Secret South American Nazi general spout off "Vee have Vays of Mayking you Talk!", that's pretty cool. If your wise old mentor from Germany sounds like Colonel Clink, not so much.

Playing Stupid is a perfectly valid playstyle as well.

I think I always prefer a bad accent to no accent. Overall I take rpging relatively seriously, but with comedic elements. Quite possibly I'm playing Stupid but don't realise cause I'm so stupid I don't even know I'm stupid.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I think I always prefer a bad accent to no accent. Overall I take rpging relatively seriously, but with comedic elements. Quite possibly I'm playing Stupid but don't realise cause I'm so stupid I don't even know I'm stupid.

So, I'm curious...what do people in Scotland use for their Dwarvish accents? Do they speak normally?

 

[BlubSeabass]

You roleplay more then most of my players. Heck, one players background used to be "amnesia", and I'm fine with it. Roleplay for me is more about making the world look real and alive, not about talking in first person. Only difference I have with you is that I don't mind people playing dumb (especially after wis/int drain). As said before, you just don't like acting.

 

[Sammael]

I find accents to be tiresome and distracting from the actual RPing experience, but that's just me.