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<blockquote data-quote="Guest 6801328" data-source="post: 8189066">That we agree on.That we agree on, too.Here I disagree somewhat.&nbsp; Or, at least, I disagree with what others seem to mean when they say similar things.&nbsp; I'll elaborate below.Most of this I agree with.&nbsp; The point of departure is in determining &quot;what would this character do&quot;.&nbsp; Because there is no one thing.&nbsp; Minds are not that deterministic.You say, &quot;the player honestly believes that they would not know to use fire...&quot;&nbsp; I mean, sure, the player could believe that.&nbsp; But I prefer to ask, &quot;What's the coolest thing this character might do, and is there a reasonable justification for it?&quot;&nbsp; You can decide what your character believes, there is no right answer.&nbsp; And even if you could know the most likely thing your character would believe, wouldn't that also likely be the least interesting choice?I like to use the example of Bilbo going on an adventure.&nbsp; That was actually not what a Hobbit is most likely to do.&nbsp; A Hobbit is most likely to refuse to go on an adventure.&nbsp; (And the rest of the story was full of things that Hobbits are unlikely to do.). I'm really glad Tolkien did not restrict himself to asking &quot;what is the most likely thing a respectable, middle-aged Hobbit would do in this instance?&quot; because it would have been a short, boring story.&nbsp; Sure, oftentimes, especially early in the story, Bilbo did do the most expected thing.&nbsp; But that changed throughout the story as he increasingly did more and more surprising things.&nbsp; Especially when it mattered.&nbsp; Bilbo continued to act like a respectable Hobbit, in order to portray his Hobbitishness, but primarily on inconsequential thingsThe response I often get is, &quot;No, going on the adventure was actually the most likely thing to do, because Bilbo isn't just any Hobbit, he...&quot; and then they list the reasons Bilbo is a special Hobbit.Exactly.&nbsp; And your character is not just any commoner, he/she is a protagonist of the story.So, again, while I acknowledge that it is a form of roleplaying to decide what your character &quot;would&quot; do, I think that &quot;would&quot; is entirely subjective.But it is just as much roleplaying to ask &quot;What might this character do, and how would their personality explain that choice?&quot;&nbsp; And, &quot;How does taking this unexpected course of action help me to flesh out this character, and make him/her more real?&quot;&nbsp; And even, &quot;How does this choice suggest that my character is evolving into something different than he/she was earlier in the story?&quot;And I find that sort of roleplaying to be much more interesting, and to result in much more engaging stories, than to simply ask, &quot;What would he/she do?&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Guest 6801328, post: 8189066"] That we agree on. That we agree on, too. Here I disagree somewhat. Or, at least, I disagree with what others seem to mean when they say similar things. I'll elaborate below. Most of this I agree with. The point of departure is in determining "what would this character do". Because there is no one thing. Minds are not that deterministic. You say, "the player honestly believes that they would not know to use fire..." I mean, sure, the player could [I]believe[/I] that. But I prefer to ask, "What's the coolest thing this character [I]might[/I] do, and is there a reasonable justification for it?" You can [I]decide[/I] what your character believes, there is no right answer. And even if you could know the most [I]likely[/I] thing your character would believe, wouldn't that also likely be the least interesting choice? I like to use the example of Bilbo going on an adventure. That was actually not what a Hobbit is most likely to do. A Hobbit is most likely to refuse to go on an adventure. (And the rest of the story was full of things that Hobbits are unlikely to do.). I'm really glad Tolkien did not restrict himself to asking "what is the most likely thing a respectable, middle-aged Hobbit would do in this instance?" because it would have been a short, boring story. Sure, oftentimes, especially early in the story, Bilbo did do the most expected thing. But that changed throughout the story as he increasingly did more and more surprising things. Especially when it mattered. Bilbo continued to act like a respectable Hobbit, in order to portray his Hobbitishness, but primarily on inconsequential things The response I often get is, "No, going on the adventure was actually the most [I]likely[/I] thing to do, because Bilbo isn't just any Hobbit, he..." and then they list the reasons Bilbo is a special Hobbit. Exactly. And your character is not just any commoner, he/she is a protagonist of the story. So, again, while I acknowledge that it is a form of roleplaying to decide what your character "would" do, I think that "would" is entirely subjective. But it is just as much roleplaying to ask "What [I]might[/I] this character do, and how would their personality explain that choice?" And, "How does taking this unexpected course of action help me to flesh out this character, and make him/her more real?" And even, "How does this choice suggest that my character is evolving into something different than he/she was earlier in the story?" And I find that sort of roleplaying to be much more interesting, and to result in much more engaging stories, than to simply ask, "What would he/she do?" [/QUOTE]

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