Roleplaying As Catharsis?

[dragoner]

So you don’t like, dig into the character in depth?

If it's like a one trick pony, eg with some special ability, no, it lacks depth. A real character should develop naturally without some artificial shtick.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Not really. I'm not into examining the human condition via elves or anything like that. If its been a crappy week and we have a great session of D&D its a nice break from the BS but nothing beyond that. I'm more likely to have my new PC influenced by some character in a book I just read. "Playing a thief like Gray Mouser sounds cool..." etc.

Had a player use his PC as a stand in for him, but unlike real life he now has the power! Didn't end well as suddenly failing a save and dying was an ordeal.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Definitely. I don't necessarily plan it all out during char-gen, but each character is some sort of fun-house-mirror version of myself. Sometimes I play up an existing attribute, other times I'm more aspirational, and every time I'm surprised by what I end up with.

Yeah, exactly.

I do recall in high school (long ago) trying to make a character who was totally unlike me. Complete flop. I had to second guess my instincts too much. And, while as a GM I have no problem making my NPCs do vicious, terrible things, I generally feel a bit dirty if my PCs make such choices.

I design flawed PCs, certainly, but veer away from sociopathic or other traditionally evil traits. I don't usually play games with defined alignments, so we don't need to decide how much greed makes you evil or whatever. It's more about how the game world and other characters react. I like the conflict inherent in a character who thinks of themselves as "good," and does good deeds on many fronts, but also has some blind spots and flaws which make for a messy moral picture.

Yeah I have the same outlook on evil PCs. It’s hard to get into their heads, and I don’t feel great doing it anyway.

When my friends and I get together there is almost always some catharsis. This is true whether we play D&D, video games, or just eat and drink.

I mean the OP contains a lot more than “do you catharsis?”

If it's like a one trick pony, eg with some special ability, no, it lacks depth. A real character should develop naturally without some artificial shtick.

I mean, sure, but the question wasn’t just about “one trick pony” characters.

 

[dragoner]

I mean, sure, but the question wasn’t just about “one trick pony” characters.

Being a one trick pony, such as being "evil" is what prevents me from playing them in depth. I prefer to let them evolve naturally. Plus whatever is truly evil, like the SS, I have no interest in in playing or exploring that mindset.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I enjoy a good evil character now and then. Creating an evil character that's interesting and gets along with the rest of the party can be a challenge. Anyone can play your standard murderhobo, but to make it more interesting than that, that's fun for me. I never play CE, but will gladly play LE. Give me a character with a code of some sort of honor to explore.

 

[dragoner]

I find it's on a spectrum, one can be doing good one minute and evil a few hours later; it is situational dependent. I guess also that I don't find gaming cathartic as much as draining a lot of time.

 

[ccs]

Not really. I'm not into examining the human condition via elves or anything like that.

Exactly.

 

[MGibster]

I typically try to make my games into something more than just killing things and taking their treasure. So I'll cop to exploring the human condition with elves. Why not? I'm no Tolkien, Homer, or even a Sanderson but a story without any pathos isn't a good story. I can't help but think almost any character you create is a reflection of some aspect of your personality. That doesn't mean the dude with a penchant for creating rogues who habitually steal from the party is a sociopath or something. Stories have an importance beyond just entertaining us.

 

[Lanefan]

Do any of you do this? Do you explore, confront, encourage, or otherwise poke and prod at yourselves via your characters?

If you do, does it make it harder to play evil characters or those who simply have no moral similarity to yourself? I find it does.

Where I'm quite the opposite: in the game I can do (or try) all the crazy stuff I'd never be able to get away with in reality even if I knew how.

I can be the no-holds-barred assassin. I can be the criminal mastermind. I can be the fluffy airhead who never thinks anything through. I can be the holier-than-thou my-way-or-the-highway stodge. I can be the hero, or the villain, or even (and best!) both at once. And I can, should I so desire, try to put myself in the mindset and (im?)morality of that character and thus view the game world much differently than I do the real one.

And so can everyone else, and that's the best part.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Where I'm quite the opposite: in the game I can do (or try) all the crazy stuff I'd never be able to get away with in reality even if I knew how.

I can be the no-holds-barred assassin. I can be the criminal mastermind. I can be the fluffy airhead who never thinks anything through. I can be the holier-than-thou my-way-or-the-highway stodge. I can be the hero, or the villain, or even (and best!) both at once. And I can, should I so desire, try to put myself in the mindset and (im?)morality of that character and thus view the game world much differently than I do the real one.

And so can everyone else, and that's the best part.

I mean, we can, sure. It’s just that many of us just don’t enjoy putting ourselves in the mindset of evil characters, or the power fantasy of getting away with stuff we would t do IRL even if we could get away with it.

Or hell, even stuff we want to do but won’t because it’s wrong. Like...I can kinda see why that’s fun for some folks, but having tried it a few times both in TTRPGs and CRPGS, it’s just not fun at all for me. At best I find the Dark Side or other “evil” path in BioWare or similar video games...boring and hollow?

So I guess I don’t really get it, I just...know it’s a thing other people enjoy?

Idk, to each their own.