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Guest 6801328
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Sometimes, the forum needs a voice of reason. People have forgotten what role-playing actually means, so in this thread which is about how to role-play a particular facet of a character, I'm here to offer the simple reminder: do what the character would do.
If you choose to take that as an insult, when it was not intended as such, then that's your issue.
Apparently this thread is about cheating, not roleplaying, but anyway...
The problem with your definition is that who gets to define "what the character would do"? The player, and only the player. So it's kind of a meaningless criterion. You may have a really strong opinion of how, say, an Elf with 5 Intelligence will act, but that and an empty soda can will get you 5 cents in some states.
Roleplaying becomes interesting when it becomes:
1) Describing actions for your character that contribute to a rich fictional narrative for others at the table. That's it. Just leave out anything that doesn't reinforce in a useful way* the narrative you're weaving.
2) Immersing yourself in the role, in the sense that when your character is afraid, you are afraid. When your character feels betrayed, you feel betrayed. When your character savors victory, you savor victory.
So, assuming that a player isn't actually cheating and reading the adventure (or, heck, let's assume that the player HAS intentionally cheated and read the adventure) here's what this means for roleplaying:
1) If other people have NOT read the adventure then, yeah, keep your mouth shut. Why? Because if you give any of the secrets away you're going to be robbing them of the immersion (#2 above) of being surprised by the scary BBEG, or panicking when the BBEG isn't dying properly, or of feeling elation when they solve the puzzle. Don't be a jerk...let them experience that. But that's not about roleplaying, it's courtesy.
2) If other people HAVE read the adventure then what exactly is the point of pretending you haven't? You've already robbed yourselves of any of the actual excitement and challenge...what's the value of playing make believe at this point? Is that seriously what you consider worthwhile roleplaying? That you all put on a pretense of ignorance and pretend to not know the BBEG's secret vulnerability? Why exactly is that fun or interesting? Is that really what you consider "good roleplaying"? That's like defining "good driving" as adjusting your mirrors and locking your seatbelt.
God save me from such a table.
*To elaborate on "reinforce the narrative in a useful way" I mean taking those key actions (or inactions) that actually contribute to the perception of your character. If your character is the noble protector who charges into the fray to protect his companions you don't need to always announce that. Heck you don't even need to always even do it. But if you do it at key moments, when it will be particularly dramatic, that aspect of your character will be reinforced.
I play a lot of PbP, and some of the participants feel like they have to narrate every single (expletive deleted) sword swing in character. "Ajax charges in recklessly, singing the war song of his people, heedless of the spears....etc." You know what I mean. Frankly I can't recall the specifics of very many of those posts, because they don't really contribute to the narrative.
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