Roll-playing, is it utterly condemnatory?

[Mathew_Freeman]

I'm still mystified as to why people think that players who enjoy creating an optimized character (for a specific role, eg archer) are automatically poor roleplayers.

For me, I've managed to finally get my head straight when designing characters. Firstly, a concept (archer, sneaky type, zealous cleric, whatever). Then, the personality and reasons for adventuring and all that good, fun, roleplaying heavy information.

Then I make the character as well as I can, and the DM will allow. If that means consulting a book such as this - so what? It doesn't make any difference when I get to the table and inform people that Galak of Girru, Cleric of Fire feels that all evil should be roasted in the flames of eternal hell. The roleplaying and the character build are seperate.

This book sounds very interesting to me, although I'm not sure I'd want to pay for it at the moment, being somewhat short of funds. However, perhaps when I'm better off I'd buy it - especially since it would help me enjoy combat more with the details of the special moves (disarm etc) which often pass me by.

 

[Mark Chance]

V:tM and the whole WoD have taught the gaming world a whole lot about the importance of Story for story's sake.

Or so the players of V:tM want us to believe, as they sniff and look down their noses, dividing role-players into sheep and goats, and then condemning the goats to eternal scorn.

Every single time I've played V:tM it quickly degenerated into a hack-n-slash gorefest with every giggling about how unstoppable their min-maxed vamps are.

The emphasis in RPG is on the G. As long as everyone is enjoying themselves, there is no wrong way to play a G.

 

[diaglo]

The emphasis in RPG is on the G. As long as everyone is enjoying themselves, there is no wrong way to play a G.

i beg to differ.

rollplaying plays the G flat....and roleplaying plays the G sharp



you need some of both to play the G at the correct pitch.

 

[Geoff Watson]

Roleplaying is orthogonal to min-maxing; you can play a powerful character as easily as a weak character.

Unlike what some 'elite roleplayers' say, you aren't a great roleplayer just because your character is a wimp.

Geoff.

 

[MerricB]

i beg to differ.

rollplaying plays the G flat....and roleplaying plays the G sharp



you need some of both to play the G at the correct pitch.

Glorious, diaglo!

Cheers!

 

[Zappo]

Roll-Player: I ask the guard about that mage that you said could teach me fireball.
DM: Then ask him!
Roll-Player: I did!
DM: No, no, ask him in character.
Roll-Player: Uhhh...hello Mr. Guard. Where's that mage that the DM told me I could learn Fireball from?
DM: <sigh> Roll a reflex save vs. a bolt of lightning.
Roll-Player: 94.
DM: :\...
Roll-Player: What happens?
DM: :\...
Roll-Player:.....?
DM: You die.

I have never walked away from a game in my life, but if I was the so-called "roll-player" in this game, I would.

Roleplaying is orthogonal to min-maxing; you can play a powerful character as easily as a weak character.

Ditto.

 

[MerricB]

Roll-Player: I ask the guard about that mage that you said could teach me fireball.
DM: Then ask him!
Roll-Player: I did!
DM: No, no, ask him in character.

That's role assumption, not Roll-playing.

Roll-playing is "I make a Gather Information check to find a mage that can teach me fireball... 34!" "I now try to Bluff him into teaching me the spell... 41!"

Cheers!

 

[Psion]

I'm still mystified as to why people think that players who enjoy creating an optimized character (for a specific role, eg archer) are automatically poor roleplayers.

Who thinks that?

 

[Piratecat]

I run into this occasionally in Sagiro's game. My character (a cleric/rogue/lasher) is fairly efficiently designed, even with the clerical levels that are a holdover from 2e. I can produce a whole lot of damage with a whip when I need to. Since some of the other players are primarily GURPs adherents and aren't as adept with the D&D ruleset, there's occasionally some widened eyes at my damage potential. I find that I specifically throttle down my power gaming tendencies in order to keep peace.

That's probably a good thing, though. That game is a delight, and contains nearly the perfect balance (for me) between roleplaying and combat and roleplaying while in the middle of combat. If avoiding the most optimal character build is the tradeoff for making the game fun for everyone, I'm okay with that.

 

[hong]

I'm fine with roll-playing, so long as you actually try to stay in character...in fact, you could say I'm a bit of a power gamer when I'm not DMing (albeit only to keep up with the rest of the group).

Of course you do. And you only read Playboy for the articles.