Player personalities and PC personalties

[Tinker Gnome]

Have you found that your players personalities have affected their PCs personalities? I have a bit in my group. One of my players out of game is a real nice guy, but when he plays. The best he can do is Chaotic Neutral. In real life I am a rather shy, and can often think of something to say, but i never have the confidence to say it. I am also rather oblivious, dont try and Innuendo check on me., cause I will miss what you are trying to tell me completely. Oddly enough, I find it easy and fun to play arrogant, and overbearing characters.

So, have you had similar experiences?

 

[ThoughtBubble]

Well, not in the way you meant it, but in one of my previous playing expierences one player played a strong silent type simply because he hated another player, and refused to do anything that could lead to having to interact with the second player.

 

[dreaded_beast]

I find myself playing an extreme over-exagerration of both the qualities I like and dislike about..."myself". In other words, I normally play an over-glorified "extreme" version of myself.

I'm the type of person who mainly enjoys playing certain types of characters. I wouldn't have fun playing certain character types: dumb fighter, klepto rogue, etc. Nothing wrong with these character types, just my personal preference.

 

[Telperion]

Hm...where to start? Well, personally I'm very versatile. I take great pleasure in being able to portray a whole range of different kinds of characters.

Mr. Necromancer: As for some other people that I have played in the past. There was this guy who had a thing for necromancy. It showed in every character he made, no matter what he played. It was rather funny at first, but by the third or fourth character that I saw him play it became really old.

Ms. Gothic-Horror: from some obscure reason she always played this gothic-esque, life-sucks, let-me-die-in-pieces, blah-blah-blah -characters. The player/character always had lots to say, but rarely anything constructive or positive. To this day I wonder why she played such characters, because she seemed to hate them herself. The rest of the group didn't really appreciate them either, but she seemed to purely detest them. And yet she played the same archetype over and over again. Even worse than the necromancy-guy.

Mr. Leader: Not only did he have a very authorative voice and feel about himself, but that natural charisma went into every character he ever made. On the plus side we never had a problem with picking the party leader. It was just simple enough to point at Mr. Leader and leave it at that. Mr. Leader was also known for some other less than endearing traits, but that's besides the subject right now...

 

[Li Shenron]

Have you found that your players personalities have affected their PCs personalities? I have a bit in my group. One of my players out of game is a real nice guy, but when he plays. The best he can do is Chaotic Neutral. In real life I am a rather shy, and can often think of something to say, but i never have the confidence to say it. I am also rather oblivious, dont try and Innuendo check on me., cause I will miss what you are trying to tell me completely. Oddly enough, I find it easy and fun to play arrogant, and overbearing characters.

So, have you had similar experiences?

I have seen players roleplaying their character quite like themselves in the real life, but I have also seen other players who mostly play a character as they WOULD LIKE to be in real life. Both things are very normal and very human

Also it is inevitable the other way around as well, that what you roleplay will affect somehow your normal behaviour in real life.

A close relative of mine is a doctor/psychologist researching in psychodrama which is basically a therapy that through roleplaying (not necessary orcs & elves in a fantasy setting... ) tries to help people's insecurities, complexes, mental disturbs... more or less an alternative to psychoanalysis. It is obviously based on interaction between the real self and the character you are roleplaying.

In case someone wants to take a look (in Spanish): http://www.fvinculo.org.ar/psicodrama.htm

 

[Babette]

I have seen players roleplaying their character quite like themselves in the real life, but I have also seen other players who mostly play a character as they WOULD LIKE to be in real life. Both things are very normal and very human QUOTE]

I've seen that as well,also i found it depended on who GM, in regards to the level of roleplay. the long time group i used to play with had phases where we had a lot of roleplay or just went on biff fest (those biff sessions were short or matter of factly curbed by the GM).

As for myself i liked to roleplay my characters...but i'd need someone who has played with me to tell me if my roleplaying echoed my personality or not?? :\

 

[Orryn Emrys]

Have you found that your players personalities have affected their PCs personalities

I was having a discussion with one of my players yesterday about this very phenomenon. My group is exceedingly RP-oriented, and their character portrayal is consistently subject to self-analysis and criticism... consequentially, the impact that the player's personality has on the character's is a matter of significant concern. In fact, the player in question seemed resigned to the idea that their characters will be consistently subject to a form of multiple-personality disorder, as the player's own thoughts, words or ideas will invariable sneak into the character's pattern of behavior or response.

I explained to him that I tend to think that, for much the same reason, given the nearly unavoidable infinite distractions that can easily infect a player at just the wrong moment (read as any encounter, discussion, or decision-making scenario in which the character is even inspired to think... much less open his/her mouth), the player's personality is inexplicably a part of the character's, and treating them as philosophically unrelated ideas can only lead to frustration.

Consider, for example, that, regardless of your intentions or personal perceptions, the character you portray requires the gaming table in order to develop. In fact, unless you commit the PC's personality and presence to writing, which is a viable medium but altogether separate from the unique RPG experience, the only truly fertile ground for your character's growth is the perceptions of your fellow players... after all, how they perceive your character dictates how they interact with him/her. Thus, the organic character is one who leaves a distinct, and consistent, impression in the minds of his compatriots... conflicts of personality can cause serious havoc with this "consentual" perception.

Accepting the aspects of a character's personality that derive directly from your own can, in my opinion, minimize this issue severely, as even the most accomplished role-player will occasionally lose his/her immediate grasp on the alien mind they are attempting to retain possession of....

In the immortal words of Mallethar, our group's esteemed Litrorian Totem Warrior... "That sucks...."

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Mr. Leader: Not only did he have a very authorative voice and feel about himself, but that natural charisma went into every character he ever made. On the plus side we never had a problem with picking the party leader. It was just simple enough to point at Mr. Leader and leave it at that. Mr. Leader was also known for some other less than endearing traits, but that's besides the subject right now...

That pretty much describes one of my players.