Play Style Gripe!

[Dannyalcatraz]

The_Gneech, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Personally, the group I've been a part of since 1996 has been about as plain vanilla as can be- since D20 was released, we've been Core + Class Splats in 3Ed (which we do still play), and Core + Completes in 3.5. No psionics. No non-core/campaign world races. No non-core base classes (except possibly in a new campaign).

As a result, many of my D&D PCs have gotten odder and/or more "high concept" than is typical for other gamers in my group- often inspired by obscure or non-fantasy/mythological sources. The last few I created include a monk inspired by a limited edition mini depicting a character from Bungie's Myth series, a multiply-multiclassed Diviner based on Indiana Jones, a cleric shaped by Finno-Russian mythology & the Kalevala, and currently, a Warmage coalescing from Cpt. James T. Kirk, Flash Gordon, and Zap Brannigan.

I don't design PCs to muck things up for everyone, but I DO try to play my PC in accord with his/her/its character 100% of the time. Yes, NPC deaths and bad adventure outcomes have come of this.

But the underlying reason is trying to find a creative way to enjoy the game after 28 years of play, the last decade of which has been done in a fairly small straightjacket.

 

[reanjr]

In my experience, most people play strange character concepts because they A) lack the imagination to spark off an interesting, yet mundane one or B) do not experience rewards for coming up with a mundane, yet interesting concept because their past DMs did not grant opportunities to have fun with it.

First of all, if you want to run a game that is serious, just put your foot down. I have told countless players to change their characters names, backgrounds, etc. Sometimes, it's a nudge, "If you really want to play an ogre, I'll allow it, but you're probably going to experience alot of persecution and possible lynching; just to warn you." Other times, it's an iron wall, "No, you're character is not named Slartibartfast" or "We're playing a horror campaign, you are not playing a mentally retarded prankster who dresses up as a jester and wears purple polka-dotted boxer-briefs on his head."

If the problem is "A" above, help them out with character concept creation. If it is "B" talk with them to convince them that there are serious opportunities for role playing if they'll give it a chance.

 

[Infernal Teddy]

I feel for you. We had a long running group. The GM would almost always GM save during the Christmas rush, so one of us would run something during those months. As a GM he'd make perfectly normal NPCs. As a players, invariably, he'd create some weird off-kilter character that was more joke than anything else.

Aaaah, but the thing is, most of us gm-only types get to play so rarely that we want to do something exotic, just to compensate. It's like "Okay, this is the only session I'm gonna play all year, so I'll play something really freaky."

I know I'm that way...

 

[Meadred]

Basically, Jeeves as a monk. Like, with the bowler hat, tuxedo, and all. In Greyhawk.

The idea of a quiet, respectful butler who can unexpectedly kick butt is a cool idea ... but anachronisms, not so cool.

It's not so egregious an example in and of itself; it's just the latest in a long series of characters who jar. Does every campaign have to be Callahan's Crosstime Saloon? How about a little Tolkienesque cliché, just to be different?

-The Gneech

You haven't read "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer, by any chance? One of the main characters is a butler, cross-trained as a top bodyguard, who can kick major butt!

Anyway, I can recommed "Artemis Fowl" to anyone who wants some change from the "usual" Donaldson, Feist, Jordan, etc.

Cheers,

Meadred

 

[Aeric]

Basically, Jeeves as a monk. Like, with the bowler hat, tuxedo, and all. In Greyhawk.

This reminds me of a friend's short-lived and ultimately-doomed Birthright campaign. History major, very much into the politics and the politics of the world and determined to run a game inspired by GRRM's A Game of Thrones.

All of the characters were as disconnected from the setting, it's politics, or anything resembling heroism or warfare as humanly possible. I don't remember all of the concepts, but the one who stands out in my mind was the kitchen mage. Yep, a kitchen mage. He used magic to make his food taste better. Wasn't interested in controlling a domain, wasn't interested in gaining power and influence with the local ruler, didn't even want to go out and fling fireballs at people (all of which were stated purposes of the campaign). Nope, just wanted to stay home and cook. Oh, and he had a toy poodle named Buton as his familiar.

It's one thing to create characters which happen to not mesh with the story the DM has in mind. It's another thing entirely to be told exactly what to expect from the beginning and choose to completely disregard it in favor of some favorite character concept or just to be weird.

 

[Infernal Teddy]

Agreed.

 

[Fishbone]

I agree with some of the sentiments expressed. To me, the oddball character or even worse, joke character, is grating, not as strong as a straight laced build, and a cop out to avoid serious exploration of a fully fleshed out character. Along with that it can be a very open protest against doing the same thing constantly. The longer a player has been with a group that has emphasized normal characters and the "Big 4"(Full caster, full fighter, sneak, divine caster/healer) the more likely they'll want to express themselves with a hard drinking Vow of Poverty, Vow of Silence Buomann Monk.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Gneech,

If you feel like hiking down to Woodbridge I am in the process of kicking off an Eberron campaign. So far the party has a Human Monk, a Warforged Fighter, and an Elven Rogue. Nice, simple characters. The most oddball thing about the characters is that I allowed the Monk to have Vow of Poverty though he'll be earning it through role-playing. I've made it clear to the player that I am going to hold him to a higher standard than your typical non-exalted Paladin.

 

[rounser]

I personally hate (and never understand) the assertion put up by a poster a few posts ago who claims to have played it all and gotten bored.

Yup, same deal with DMs who assert that they are "over" D&D's implied setting, and resort to setting gimmickry in place of applying the basic building blocks of drama to it (just like a player who can't make an interesting PC unless it's of an exotic race). Throw enough extraneous junk into a setting and maybe they won't notice it has no heart.

 

[3d6]

I'm always amazed how different people's experiences are in different areas with different groups. When we've had a strange character, it's never because they have a bizzare personality. We get some sort of feral regenerating fey thing with at least 5 classes that has a personality that doesn't distinguish him from any dwarven fighter.

Our most odd-ball personality was a troll barbarian, but he acted pretty much how you would expect a troll barbarian adventurer to act, so even that didn't seem all that strange.