Players Playing Themselves?

[wingsandsword]

How to do this. . .

I've seen it done.

First: Ability scores. This is going to lead to arguments and hard feelings unless people are really, really good friends and know each other well. Just give your players 25 points and have them point-buy their scores. If they need some pointers, the old 1 Point of INT to 10 points of IQ is a rule of thumb, they can take an online IQ test, and how much you can lift/carry is an old benchmark of strength. Others are a little harder to estimate, but how often do you get sick, how fast do you heal? Are you a clutz or graceful? Spend those 25 points.

Second: Character level/class. d20 Modern would be better for this, but it's got some guidelines for converting between d20M & D&D. Let's say that the "average" person would be 1st or 2nd level, and just for dramatics sake let's say they had PC class levels (or would once they landed in the realms).

What class to take?

Do you seriously practice martial arts, maybe take a level of monk.
Are you deeply religious or mystical, maybe take a level of cleric.
Are you sneaky, and good with the shady aspects of culture, then take rogue.
Are you an entertainer or musician, or a wanderer who knows a little of everything, then be a bard.
Are you a hunter, woodsman or a regular dweller in the wilderness, then Ranger is for you.

And so on. . . just find a class archetype that roughly mimics your personality or interests. Even if you don't have that class *immediately* you probably do after a little introductory scene with the DM. (I.e. if you're a bookworm and interested in the supernatural, you don't show up with spells in memory and a spellbook, but you might find one in a treasure chest and have a talent for it and quickly figure things out and *bam* you're now a 1st level Wizard).

So, now you've got ability scores, class and level. What items you show up with starting depend really on how generous you DM is. Is it what you have on you in a typical day? Do you have time to prepare and grab that replica sword off the wall, or do you stumble through a portal one day with your backpack and a swiss-army knife?

IIRC, Ed Greenwood has always maintained that laws of physics are slightly different in the Realms, so electronics/computers don't work there (your digital watch stops working, ditto with your cell phone and laptop), and so neither does gunpowder (your gun doesn't work until you find some alchemical smokepowder and replace the powder in your rounds).

 

[driver8]

My group long ago did this in the world of Greyhawk, inspired by the old DnD cartoon. We were even transported by a amusment park ride.

Since PCs are usually heroic, and we well arent, our character sheets reflected idealized versions of ourselves. The in game conceit was that the trip changed us slightly. Athletic types became stronger, more dextrous; bookworms became smarter; etc..

A side effect of this was that we didnt pick out classes. We awoke in the city of Greyhawk with equipment and approriate clothes and we had to discover our abilites. Our DM chose a class for us based on our RL interests. Thre was some degree of shoehorning and steroetyping but it was fun.

It probably would only work in a group that all knew and trusted each other and the DM..

 

[Imagicka]

Greetings...

I once read a book where some D&Ders were sucked into the reality that their DM had created. Where they became the characters who they were playing, but had their own personalities/memories, along with the personalities/memories of their characters...which sometimes conflicted with each other in a multiple personality disorder schizophrenic situation.

However...in this book, one of the characters had his PC-persona nearly die, and was in the process of dying. The rest of the characters then confront their evil-DM who turns out to be a great mage in this alternate-reality. In the end, to save himself, this character chooses that he wants to be 'himself' and not his PC-persona, hoping to be returned to the 'real world'. But what happens is he turns into his normal self, and remains in this alternate reality. For the rest of the story, this character who is an engineering student starts perfecting metal-forging techniques and other such technologies and sciences. The result of which, is that he ends up building firearms and with the help of the other characters starts a systematic attack on slavery in this alternate reality.

Just some food for thought.

I agree with everyone who's said 'buy stats'. Just to keep things fair and not hurt the player's feelings. Or, and this is a little tricky, have all the players assign stats to the other players (and not themselves), and take an average of those stats for each player. Of course, personal affinaties towards players could come into play, giving good stats to people you like, and not to the ones you don't.

Also, I liked what was mentioned about meta-gaming knowledge. In the same vain as what I mentioned above. How do you give skills to players based on meta-gaming knowledge? Like the character I mentioned above, if one of my friends ever got sucked into a D&Desk world, the first thing he would do is figure out what technological advancement would best suit him to become powerful in said world. Be it creating firearms, or just starting with creating gunpower weapons and bombs. Now, how do I measure my friend's engineering ability?

Well, I would tend to use a meta-gaming knowledge rule. If my friend can suitably explain how to refine metal, and make a gun-barrel, and forge parts to make a firearm...great... then I would only make a simple difficult roll to see if the act was successful, not to see if the player/character had the suitable skills/knowledge to perform the act.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Greetings...

I once read a book where some D&Ders were sucked into the reality that their DM had created. Where they became the characters who they were playing, but had their own personalities/memories, along with the personalities/memories of their characters...which sometimes conflicted with each other in a multiple personality disorder schizophrenic situation.

What is the Guardians of the Flame series? I'll take Potent Potables for $200, Alex...

That book had an interesting concept, & it shaped a few D&D games run by a friend of mine (in fact, that, along with the D&D cartoon to a degree, is what pretty much kicked open the door to the concept of running such a campaign in my group).

 

[David Howery]

One of my old groups had us all trade around the DM duties. One of them ran an adventure something along these lines. IIRC, the adventure had our characters moved to our world and meeting ourselves the players. So, each player was playing their PC, stats and all, and themselves (no stats really, just as advisors and the like to the party). I think our PCs were running around the town we lived in (a little college town in MT) and hunt down the evil wizard who sent them to our world, kill him, and take his magical whatzit to get back to their own world. The guy was hiding out as a local. Of course, I suggested that the wizard was actually my boss at the time, but couldn't convince the others Anyway, after running around investigating and sinking a semi-truck into the ground with some kind of quicksand spell, the PCs finally found the guy, killed him, and got the magical whatzit, and returned to their own world. Naturally, seeking every advantage like always, me, playing myself, gave my PC my 20-gage shotgun and a big box of shells for it. But the DM, curse him, ruled that it wouldn't work in the magical world. Darn.

 

[Roman]

Great responses!

To summarise what has been said so far about 'translation' to D&D: If players are touchy it can only work with 'point buy' systems, but if they are not other methods of 'character generation' can work too, such as taking these online tests or having the DM or your buddies or yourself assign you scores based on their perception of you or some combination of these methods.