Do you roleplay in 1st or 3rd person - why?

[reanjr]

1st person, because everyone I ever played with is bad with names.

Actually, as DM, I usually play in second person

 

[Gothmog]

When I play or DM, I only use 3rd person to describe actions, like "Valdemar moves in the shadows along the edge of the courtyard behind the guards until he is 15 feet away, then charges them." Occasionally when I need to convey a certain action that doesn't require excessive motion (a posture, or demonstrating how someone is standing in front of a door trying to disarm a trap) I'll act it out.

However, for dialog with other PCs and NPCs, its all 1st person. To me, there is no such thing as "unimportant conversation" in the game- all of it can potentially be important and useful info. I don't know how many times the PCs in the games I run have talked to a random NPC that has later become a fixture of the campaign due to mannerisms I made up on the spot, or the NPC has passed on some bit of info I improvised. Its also a lot of fun to watch the players talk to each other's PCs in character- some hilarious misquotes and verbal misunderstandings have occurred due to this- and it really adds to the fun of the game for us. In addition, by acting out my PCs or NPCs actions, you can roleplay through things like Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive, etc checks by behaving appropriately and put them in context. If the NPC rolls badly on Bluff, I'll act uncomfortable, shift my posture often, and dart my eyes around, while if he rolled well on Diplomacy, I might try to play it off by projecting a confident demeanor with articulate language and coherent arguements. This adds a lot more to the game than "I make a Sense Motive roll of 23- is the merchant lying?" junk. True, some folks have a little trouble getting in character or are embarassed, but I've found even those people get a lot more comfortable and enjoy it in a short time if the rest of the group encourages them to keep trying and congratulaing them on a good job or portraying their character.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I usually roleplay in the first person. Only when I am playing more than one character do I roleplay in the third person. It makes the transition from one characters actions to the other(s) seamless.

 

[malladin]

I feel a mix of both is best. However, this is not only for pacing reasons but to allow players choice of character. Not everyone who wants to play a witty bard ,for example, is going to be able or feel comfortable to come up with a constant stream of 1st person dialogue. It's strange that many roleplayers have no problem with people who possess no fighting skills relying on their character abilities but do not extend this to social skills within the game. Personally, if a character can explain what their trying to achieve I'll let them use their skills. If they can explain a stratergy, e.g appealling to an NPC's vanity or arrogance, or do some good 1st person roleplaying then I'll throw in a small circumstance bonus. This approach also evens out the discrepency between tactics in combat often being seen as the justification for non combat trained people legitimately playing fighters but less 1st person orientated players being penalised for playing socially orientated characters. Ultimately, we should want gamers to explore options without feeling constrained by their natures and too much focus on role-play vs roll-play counteracts this goal.
Nigel

 

[Numion]

1st person as a player. 3rd as a DM. Everyone I've gamed with did that, and I thought everyone did ..

 

[Blue]

Almost entirely 1st person. Some 3rd person from the DM of course, but they (or me, if I'm running) will drop into 1st person for specific interactions.

 

[shilsen]

1st person as a player, and usually 1st as DM (sliding into 3rd when needed to save time).

 

[KSoo Do]

I roleplay in only first person point of view. I only do it this way because, in my opinion, third person pov is merely writing a story.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Usually first person

 

[S'mon]

First person tabletop, always. Online, normally third person.