I want to distinguish between performative and experiential roleplaying. (Maybe somebody else has introduced these terms, or at least the ideas behind them; I will admit I’m not much of a student of RPG theory. I'm sure pemerton will set me straight.)
I’m calling performative roleplaying that which is observable by other people at the table. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s done for their benefit, but it is the visible/audible(/olfactory?) expression of roleplaying. It’s what your character does, and how you convey it.
What goes on in your own head I’m calling experiential roleplaying. Simplified, it basically means you feel empathy with/for your character. When something good or bad happens to your character, you feel like it is happening to you.
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A lot of the behaviors/rules/approaches that people are describing as being absolutely essential to roleplaying I would categorize as performative roleplaying. They are always about what your character says or does. If “you” are brought into it, it’s with the exhortation that you try to get yourself out of the picture.
In fact, I would say this whole conversation, and especially the claims made by Colville (again, I didn’t watch it but am basing this off the summaries) apply only to performative roleplaying.
Oh, P.S.: if we're strictly talking about performative roleplaying, then I'm totally fine with the 1D/3D terminology.
Have you not watched the Colville video? Before I read that bit of your post, I was getting ready to reply that I think you've slightly misunderstood, and now I think I know why.
Colville's "1D" corresponds entirely to your notion of
performative roleplaying. By 1D he means
characterisation via repeated mannerisms, catch-phrases, distinctive voice, etc. I was getting at the same thing when I referred to
the gnome's fear of heights and hatred of fish.
But by "3D", Colville means something quite different. He means an approach to
working out what my character does (he also refers to a GM doing 3D roleplaying, in which case he is talking about how the Gm decides what a NPC does). And the approach he has in mind is
working out what my character does by
drawing on my character's motivations, including possibly conflicting or not-fully-understood motivations.
Now because we're talking about RPGing rather than literary fiction, I don't think we need to talk about Toni Morrison or Graham Greene. But we could contrast, for instance, Chris Claremont's Cyclops, Storm or Wolverine (all 3D) with his Nightcrawler, Colossus or Arcade (all 1D). That first bundle of characters have motivations that drive their actions, bring them into conflict (self-conflict, and conflict with others), etc. Whereas the second group are really just a schtick: Nightcrawler is mostly light relief or a sounding board (reinforced by his sense of how people respond to his look); Colossus is loyal (the X-Men's version of Boxer in Animal Farm); Arcade kidnaps people and fails to assassinate them with his silly carnival games.
The 3D-ness of a character will manifest in play, but not because of the voice or characterisation or witty dialogue; but because of what the player has the character choose to do, or not do. In my personal experience (as a player, not a GM) the combination of
identifying with my PC and
playing my PC as "3D" can create a pretty intense experience.
Question for 3d Roleplayers: do you roleplay your characters conscious motivations and inner monologue, or do you also take into account their unconscious fears, anxieties, and habits, that they would not have direct access to?
For me, this depends on system. A system like Burning Wheel is more likely to force me to think about unconscious fears, habits etc. Eg as per my post not too far upthread, when Aedhros (my bitter Dark Elf) went to kill the innkeeper in the course of robbing him, I failed the Steel check and Aedhros hesitated. So I have to confront the fact that Aedhros is not as ruthless as he aspires to be.
As a BW character, Aedhros also has Instincts:
Never use Song of Soothing unless compelled to;
Always repay hurt with hurt;
When my mind is elsewhere, quietly sing the elven lays. These reveal something about his unconscious inclinations; and they are considerations in action declaration.