Do you "roleplay" in non-TTRPG Games?

[Umbran]

There's a bunch of games out there where one's play piece(s) in the game space represents a person - and any such games are ripe for role-play.

So, Gloomhaven/Frosthaven; Betrayal at the House on the Hill/Betrayal Legacy, Legends of Sleepy Hollow, Arkham Horror, Sentinels of the Multiverse/Freedom Five, Horrified, Aeon's End, King of Tokyo, and even Good Dog, Bad Zombie, all kind of entice you to play the role, because you have a role.

No so easy to do in something like Settlers of Catan, checkers, or bridge, where "you" aren't so much in the game itself.

 

[Reynard]

I think Polygon is 100% correct. An aggregate of D&D and Pathfinder games shows that the overwhelming majority of games are just combat events and combat discussion and combat rules. Which means that per-minute of D&D gaming time, the majority of players are engaging with its combat rules, not roleplay.

With that said, that means that Polygon is looking at D&D from the lens of combat and level up and feats and spells - all of which are combat oriented in such a way that it is a boardgame you talk over.

Interaction with roleplay events in D&D follow closer to boardgamey play, where you are looking for information and details on why the events of the combat occur or are about to occur or how to prepare for them better. Most all early AD&D modules followed this pattern, even more so with "tournament play". As well as Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society going as far as to add some few limitations and guidelines on their event play so as to stabilize expectations.

...

Think of it this way... if you removed EVERY single thing from D&D that did harm, did damage, aided in combat, and was a rule for combat = you would be left with a very very tiny book, of almost nothing. It's main selling point is its combat.

Do the same thing to say... vampire the masquerade, and you still have almost the entire book and game.

This means there is a strong correlation between Gloomhaven and D&D. They are closer together than D&D is to Vampire. And vampire is a game where roleplay is almost the only way to play. Ergo, it's not odd to 'roleplay' in Gloomhaven.

I think there are a couple things wrong with this.

First, it presupposes "how people play D&D" with no evidence. And if we want to look for evidence, what we find are Actual Plays that show, no, the majority of time and effort at the table are not, in fact, focused on combat.

Second, it assumes that the thing with the most rules written is the thing that is most important in the game. That's nonsense. the thing with the most rules written for it is the thing in play that needs the most systemization in order to avoid arguments and sidetracking play. "I shot you!" "No you did not; you missed!" stuff.

 

[John Dallman]

I roleplay unit leaders in miniatures wargames. Something always comes up that their orders don't cover.

 

[Vael]

I make more comments and jokes about overthrowing our oppressors when playing Woodland Alliance in Root, but note the "more" there

 

[Gradine]

This was me and my friends' approach to playing the Lego Star Wars games and it made the whole experience much more fun

 

[Tonguez]

Constantly, I enjoy doing it during boardgames, or playing cards as a cowboy or international man of mystery My nephews and nieces occasionally get annoyed when I play fishy fishy like I'm on the deck of a trawler in the Berring Strait!

Even just in conversation around the house I'll use various voices and take on different roles to entertain myself. I do get funny looks when walking down the street as a dinosaur though...

 

[Kannik]

I've RPed in both tactical games (Battletech, Renegade Legion) and also while playing solo computer games such as 4X games (Master of Orion+), or semi-story games (Battletech, again). There's probably been a "traditional" board game or two that I've RPed at least in my own mind while playing, but I play those very infrequently.* Makes the games more fun for me!

*The more indie/story-based/concept-based board games that I've played are often more geared towards fiction/narrative/characters anyway so I'll say RP is somewhat assumed there.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, certainly. Basically all games have a fictional positioning of some sort, they tell a story.

Almost took that as axiomatic, frankly, surprised by the question to a fair degree.

Some of my strongest "role playijg" psychological experiences are with video games, such as Oregon Trail or Civilization. King of Dragon Pass, where the game trains your brain to think like an Orlanthi village chieftain, has to be one of the most vivid and in-depth experiences of learning to think like someone from another culture I have ever had.

 

[Reynard]

Well, certainly. Basically all games have a fictional positioning of some sort, they tell a story.

Almost took that as axiomatic, frankly, surprised by the question to a fair degree.

What is the fictional positioning of Checkers or Candy Crush?

 

[Parmandur]

What is the fictional positioning of Checkers or Candy Crush?

Checkers is mass combat, pretty clearly.

Candy Crush is eatin' tons of candy...though puzzle games are pretty abstract, getting into mathematical territory. But math is also a sort of narrative.