How do you remember to rp your character and not you?

[Havrik Stoneskimmer]

I'm not a big fan of extensive backstories in games like D&D. But I do a few things when I'm a player to try to create a character that's different from myself.

I'll often use an accent or a voice and maybe a few verbal mannerisms or quirks. For instance, when I was playing a dwarf cleric I made a point of calling everyone "lad".

Sometimes I will explicitly (but usually secretly) model my character after another character in film, TV, or literature. That makes it easy to figure out "what my character would do" because I've already got an established personality that I'm playing.

But mostly rather than come up with a "character" up front, I like to let the character evolve as the game does. The things that happen to my character early on end up defining his personality. Maybe I charged into a fight and got my butt kicked badly; I may end up being more conservative from then on. So rather than start off saying "my character is a little timid in battle" when I'm making my character, this comes out of my character's adventures and thus feels much more real.

 

[Kobold Boots]

The best character actors use the following methods.

1. Take a few minutes to drop in to the character before getting into a heavy rp scene. Think about some event that has minor similarities to something going on in game, then find the piece of your personality that most closely aligns with the strongest personality trait of your character and run with it.

2. When creating your character, find the piece of yourself that when exemplified to the detriment of the rest of you, fits your character concept and make sure that when role-playing your character that you go with that small piece of you.

Nothing is harder than effectively role-playing something that you have no experience with. No reason to make things difficult on yourself.

 

[Quickleaf]

Nothing is harder than effectively role-playing something that you have no experience with. No reason to make things difficult on yourself.

For me, one of the big draw of playing demi-human PCs is the unique perspective they bring. I've got no experience with growing up around ancient 400 year old elves and expecting to live just as long some day. How that one aspect completely changes how a character thinks, speaks, and acts - that's fascinating to me. With my elf PC I would refer to things that happens weeks ago as "just the other day", and instead of referring to age in years I would identify an NPC as being of "bedding age" or "rabbit hunting age".

Much more difficult than playing a human, but very rewarding for the whole group if done right!

 

[jimmifett]

My characters are nothing like me, so it's quite easy.
I am not an ale drinking, tavern smashing, rip rowdy female dwarf, so it's quite easy easy to play that.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Practice, practice, practice. But after 34 years in the hobby, its almost second nature... That said, I still have to force myself to think about it from time to time.

While I don't have any cue cards, each PC I play has something about it that helps me. Most of my PCs these days have some kind of background on the character sheet or on a separate piece of paper. Some PCs were designed with certain pieces of art or music in mind. For those, I try to keep those pieces- or similar/related compositions- in mind. I may even listen to selected music on my way to the game.

 

[amnuxoll]

I've had the best success with having a tagline for each character: something they say that is very much in character. By saying the line, I slip easily into the skin of that alter ego.

I've also had good luck with the Burning Wheel system of beliefs and instincts. When a new situations pops up, I review them and see if I'm doing it right.

Also, don't be afraid to let your PC evolve as you play. Embrace new traits as they emerge and let the ones that aren't taking hold die.


:AMN:

 

[RPG_Tweaker]

As a player what steps if any do you take to remember to roleplay how your character would react as opposed to how you would react?

I create a general persona during character construction, develop a history that made them as they are, and in play, I simply recall it.

As the game progresses, I adapt the persona (and sometimes the history) to better fit the environment of the campaign.

I should point out that my characters tend to be extensions of myself and rarely deviate so much from my own values that internal conflicts arise. In cases where I do play someone radically different than myself, I stay in character out of a sense of intellectual honesty, but I find the effort to be very emotionally draining.

So while I may not regularly "challenge myself" with contrary characters, I don't really play to be an actor mastering their craft. I get more enjoyment playing a "Pseudo-Me" facing extraordinary conflicts in a fantastical world.

As a DM what steps if any do you take to remind players that they're playing as a character and not themselves?

If a character goes against a previously decided character trait, I ask the player the PC's motivation for acting OOC, if they offer a reasonable explanation, I chalk it up to the PC's story-arc growth and move on (e.g. a claustrophobe takes an elevator to save the party). If it comes across as an obvious fabrication in order to bypass their PC's nature (e.g. a claustrophobe willingly hides in a coffin for 8 hours.), then I'm likely to hit them with an appropriate in-game karmic response... but I never say "your PC wouldn't do that".

 

[Kobold Boots]

What I was getting at was that there should be some part of your personality, however small, amplified and put into whatever character you choose to play. I was not suggesting that demi-humans are off limits due to lack of their existence in the "real world".

 

[ExploderWizard]

As a player what steps if any do you take to remember to roleplay how your character would react as opposed to how you would react?

I was thinking of making a 3x5 note card with character traits on it, and to try reading it before my gaming session.

As a DM what steps if any do you take to remind players that they're playing as a character and not themselves?

If for example the player's character was supposedly afraid of being alone, yet suddenly he/she decided to set off from the group by him/her self?

I don't know what to do, I don't want to say no you don't go.

As others have said, if there is no in-game mechanical support for personality traits having an impact upon decision making then I would just let the player have complete control over how his/her character reacts to anything. Roleplaying in situations and reacting as a fictional character should be something fun that a player wants to do.

One of the fundamental rules of rpgs (as far as I am concerned) is that the DM shalt not tell a player how his/her character reacts to anything unless a force that exists within the imagined gamespace makes it so (a PC is dominated through magic for example).

In a system such as GURPS, where a player may receive bonus character points in exchange for physical, mental, and social drawbacks I expect those traits to be implemented during play. The fundamental rule still applies in this case but since the player is getting mechanical benefits from these decisions there will be consequences for failing to play the chosen traits. Fewer character points awarded for the session should be enough incentive to correct the situation. After all, the individual got points up front for agreeing to certain drawbacks. Negating those drawbacks during play isn't fair to those who actually play theirs.

 

[Mallus]

As a player what steps if any do you take to remember to roleplay how your character would react as opposed to how you would react?

I don't worry about it. My characters are me, or at least their fictional characters I am the author of, so I don't sweat it if they're no more than transparent authorial stand-ins occasionally.

Most of the time I enjoy getting into character: terrible accents, quirky speech patterns, and simplistic-yet-outlandish worldview/psychology. But I do it for fun. I don't feel obliged to. Sometimes my character is just a piece on a game board. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

As a DM what steps if any do you take to remind players that they're playing as a character and not themselves?

None. It's their PC. The can play them any way they enjoy, with the caveat I'd prefer them all to play nicely together.

If for example the player's character was supposedly afraid of being alone, yet suddenly he/she decided to set off from the group by him/her self?

I'd hail their PC's personal growth in overcoming their phobia and move on.

I don't know what to do, I don't want to say no you don't go.

Do nothing. Just play.