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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gentlegamer" data-source="post: 5750790" data-attributes="member: 2425">How can your character really be anything other than how you have it act in-game? The dissonance you describe seems like objecting that the player is deviating from a script of some kind. You have repeatedly mentioned 'immersion' as something valued at your table: why are the players acting on outside the game knowledge regarding the character sheet and not the in-game play of the character? That's . . . METAGAMING.If you and the other players stopped metagaming his character sheet, nothing would be wrong with the portrayal. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" />As much as you say you aren't for a player being *forced* in respect to mental and social attributes, you do object to players 'deviating' from them in a way that "breaks immersion." If you can't force a player (as a DM) to 'play right' in regard to mental and social attributes, can't you see that falls outside of what can be adjudicated in practical game-terms? That's why I have arrived at my view over time, it's not because I think play acting and role assumption have no value or place at the table, it's because as DM I have found it impossible to fairly regulate such things. That made me realize I should stop worrying about them, and consequently, care about them in so far as my enjoyment of the game-form is concerned. The end result is that most players will enjoy 'hamming it up' and 'play' their mental and social attributes (or make an effort to) but when a 'Dave' joins the group we don't have to spend time 1) having the DM try to make him 'play right' and 2) give him the sort of 'black looks' and 'roll-eyes' that harm the social vibe of the playing group because he portrays his character in a way *we* don't approve. I've found that if a player is the 'odd man out' in that way initially, the characteristics of the group will rub off on him over time, so it's a 'problem' that generally takes care of itself. There are far more grievous 'role-play' issues out there that are real problems, such as 'Cat Piss Man' or 'Betray the Party Guy.'</blockquote>

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