Characteristic Establishment, and Reformation, in RPGs and ARGs and PRGs

[Jack7]

In gaming what personal characteristics do you prefer to transfer to your player character, and what personal characteristics do you prefer to greatly modify, reform, or even avoid in character development?

For example, in a role playing game I prefer to create a character with professional characteristics similar to my own. Such as a good ability to track, detective capabilities, good at science, and psychology.

But behaviorally I often prefer to create characters who are very different from me, or who have behavioral characteristic which are very dissimilar from my own. Psychologically as well I might very well prefer a character who is different from me in many ways. (I would say that typically I am equally at ease in both introverted and extraverted situations, but I very much prefer to work alone, yet in game I might prefer to create a very social character who prefers working as a team member to operating alone.)

But when it comes to general worldview or moral outlook I much prefer to play a character equivalent to my own outlook and moral nature.

I know this probably varies much by individual temperament, but what parts of your own nature do you prefer to transfer to your character, or basically retain within your character, and what parts of yourself do you like to reshape or reform or experiment with or play differently from your own personal nature? And what do you think this might mean, if anything?

 

[Cor Azer]

The closest trait I can think of as being nigh-universal in my characters is snarkiness. I've tried playing the non-snark, but it always creeps in.

Loyalty tends to be big in my characters too.

As for what it means? I dunno. Mostly it means that the character is one I don't mind spending a few hours with here and there.

 

[Jack7]

As for what it means? I dunno. Mostly it means that the character is one I don't mind spending a few hours with here and there.

That's a good point. I wonder how many people are really comfortable playing a character totally different from themselves? Aside from being a lot of work (psychologically speaking - to being so different from yourself), are most comfortable being someone else, or is it not true that the natural character traits of the player just creep back in over time and the PC ends up transforming back into the Player?

As for me I don't mind being different at the margins, but I'm so confortable working the way I normally work that I don't like to change my methods just for PC purposes. My methods usually stay pretty much the same.

 

[Pentius]

I don't mind playing a character who differs from myself in a lot of ways, but one area I usually don't stray far in is age. I can go younger, but if I try to go older, I always find myself doubting whether I'm doing a decent portrayal.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I know this probably varies much by individual temperament, but what parts of your own nature do you prefer to transfer to your character, or basically retain within your character, and what parts of yourself do you like to reshape or reform or experiment with or play differently from your own personal nature? And what do you think this might mean, if anything?

It depends. Nearly all of my PCs have some element of myself within them. Some PCs are like me in terms of their chaotic creativity. Others are like me as a rational intellectual. Others are as strong and athletic as I was at my peak of fitness.

But on occasion, there is almost nothing of me in a character and I'm exploring new territory.

 

[saskganesh]

I don't mind playing a character who differs from myself in a lot of ways, but one area I usually don't stray far in is age. I can go younger, but if I try to go older, I always find myself doubting whether I'm doing a decent portrayal.

If it's any consolation, the older you get the easier it is to play older characters.

Last year I resumed playing a character in a campaign who I had rolled up in 1991 or thereabouts. He was 34, and at the time I was 24...34 seemed ancient. When I resumed play in that game I was 43, and 34 was a youthful walk in the park. My conception of 34 when I was 24 was , shall we say, rather inaccurate. I found this rather amusing.

Right now I am pretty confident I could play a convincing 60 year old. However, my latest character is a "wizened" 23 (!). However, the shoe is now the other foot...I don't know if I could now play a convincing teenager! Early 20's is about as low as I feel I can go.

Who knows what the situation will be like when I am 60. Maybe I'll only be playing elves or something.

 

[Jack7]

However, the shoe is now the other foot...I don't know if I could now play a convincing teenager! Early 20's is about as low as I feel I can go.

Who knows what the situation will be like when I am 60. Maybe I'll only be playing elves or something.

Made me laugh.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Since I'm the GM 98% of the time, I'll play anything called for that I think I can pull off. There are practical limits.

On those rare occasions when I get to play, I nearly always find what is needed in the group, extrapolate a personality from some NPC that I've DM'd before, and run with that. Basically, I want to just explore deeper into an interesting character, now that I have the opportunity. It may or may not correspond to something in me.

When I'm handed a pregen at a con or the like, I'll do a combination of playing off what other people are doing and building on a prior NPC personality. I'm pretty sure more of "me" unconsciously emerges in such a character, because is difficult not to for someone who doesn't play much, when making everything up on the fly.

 

[Cor Azer]

That's a good point. I wonder how many people are really comfortable playing a character totally different from themselves? Aside from being a lot of work (psychologically speaking - to being so different from yourself), are most comfortable being someone else, or is it not true that the natural character traits of the player just creep back in over time and the PC ends up transforming back into the Player?.

Depends on what you mean by comfortable. I have no problem playing characters that are as different from me as I can imagine (from the young, shy, naive runaway girl to the crippled bombastic protoplasmic alien and all points in between and on several different axes). My "true" personality only really creeps in when I'm tired or in a rush. Part of that influx of "off-characterization" is also due to my personal taste of comments relating to in-game stuff should be said by my character - so snark slips into my character when someone (including myself) does something ill-advised, but chatting about last night's new Mythbusters does not become anachronistic.

Of course, that's not a rule I force on others, just a way I play so I stay in character as much as possible.

 

[Hand of Evil]

A characteristic I have been looking at off and on (and trying to add to my games) is Emotional State: mostly how stress will effect the character, this could be reflected in NPC interactions, inititive rolls (stress = quick to anger), to even plus/minus in combat.

I think this is do to somethings I have going on in my life.