How Do you Game? First Person or Third Person?

[Nifft]

Depends.

First, on how many people I'm speaking for in a scene.

Second, on how comfortable I am self-identifying with their actions. As a DM, you play more than a few baby-eating psychopathic murder-monsters. I'm much happier using the 3rd person for their ickier actions.

Cheers, -- N

 

[jmucchiello]

As a DM, you play more than a few baby-eating psychopathic murder-monsters. I'm much happier using the 3rd person for their ickier actions.

That and love scenes, right?

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

That and love scenes, right?

Yeah, third person is advised.

Maybe even fourth person, if the players are really creepy.

 

[olshanski]

I speak in 3rd person for my character when I am not really into the gaming, when my character is behaving badly, or when the situation seems silly.

If I find myself getting immersed into the game, I slip into 1st person whether I want to or not.

 

[karlindel]

Usually first person, although I shift to third person for things that are not worth the time. Examples of third person are when the party is filling in an NPC on lots of recent events and when getting ordinary directions such as to the village's inn or tavern.

I try to keep the players in first person as well, although if they speak in the third person to speed something up, it generally just means that they don't think it's interesting to roleplay. Because of this, I usually push for first person only if I think it's important or if I plan to make it more interesting (i.e. getting directions is a chance to meet an interesting local or get the flavor of a new territory they are visiting).

However, I do try to keep from glossing over too much, as doing that can make the game feel like a loosly linked series of encounters, rather than a fun roleplaying experience.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

On this issue, I flip/flop on both sides of the screen, depending upon my mindset at the time.

 

[Scribble]

On this issue, I flip/flop on both sides of the screen, depending upon my mindset at the time.

This.

I also notice the more tired I become, the more likely I am to switch to 3rd person.

 

[avin]

As a player, roleplaying, "I".

As a player, talking about my character, "he".

As a GM, just like Piratecat said.

 

[Argyle King]

I'll speak in first person unless, as a DM, I'm roleplaying an inconsequential NPC (or I need to summarize information quickly.) Then I'll switch to third.

As a player, always first-person.

As a DM, always third-person.

These answers pretty much sum up what I do.


As a player, I usually speak in the first-person. If I'm speaking for my character, it's first person, but there are occasions when I just want to communicate something quickly to somebody else at the table; in those cases, I might speak in third person.


As a DM, important NPCs probably get the first person treatment the majority of the time. Unimportant NPCs vary between first and third depending on the situation.

 

[Chainsaw]

Game like I live: 1st person plural or 3rd person. My wife's a big fan.