What is role playing?

[Col_Pladoh]

I agree with what you say but how do you express a desire to have more of the storytelling and less of the other stuff?
If you say you want more "role-playing" an argument on semantics seems most likely to ensue. Any tips?

Heh, and that's done by whatever means best suits the siituation. As the GM you present opportunities to *not* use attacks to resolve situations. As a player you attempt to do the same when it seems combat is the obvious answer.

Now if you are speaking to others to convince them to have more non-conbat activity in the RPG activity, I ask why? If little story and much action is desired outside your own group, who cares? The same is true if other groups want a lot of drama and little in the way of combat.

It seems to me the contraversy arises mainly when someone starts to preach, or pontificate, as to how "real" roleplaying is done.

Now when someone asserts that it is "storytelling," that counts, I do speak up and poiint out the fallicy of such a claim. The GM isn't "telling a story," he is managing a game, and whatever sort of story comes from that must be one in which the players, through their game personas, have the leading roles, and final direction. What sort of "story" evolves matters only to the group. It isn't art, its a game.

How a group plays the RPG is up to them, and for them, not necessarily for any other group.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Wicht]

It seems to me the contraversy arises mainly when someone starts to preach, or pontificate, as to how "real" roleplaying is done.

Absolutely.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Yep, just like I said. If a GM is trying to tell a "compelling story" then he is denying his players the ability to make their own way in the game world by railroading them into his storyline. I always hated adventures where I was expected to do what the GM wanted me to do.

 

[Jerrid Al-Kundo]

Well, I just re-borrowed RttToEE because of this thread. I hate to say it, but I couldn't play a PC in it without feeling extremely rail-roaded. But that's often a failing of packaged adventures (anyone remember the end of A3: Aerie of the Slave Lords? 'Nuff said...), so I don't spend my money on them (hence, borrowing them from the neighbor's kid to gleam spells and monsters from).

Originally posted by Joshua Dyal:
Y'know, that's why I despise folks who just dismiss social skills and say "roleplay it out."

Now, I consider my style of play to be exceptionally RP heavy. But that doesn't eliminate the need for Charisma, Diplomacy and Bluff. If anything, these numbers are more important. They reflect how good my character is at these act and thus is a consideration in all Role-Playing situations.

Thus, the situation is "role-played out", based on the numbers, and with appropriate rolls used to determine appropriate outcomes.

Granted, there are more than a few that ignore these Skills, which is their right, more or less. It kinda makes sense that this stance exists, though... After years of handling things without such rules, the presence of these rules now is kinda like being told, "We do it this way and now you must, too." I feel they are free to role-play it through, but they should still assign Ranks to these Skills, as under the new system, whether they roll or not, these are quantifiers to how good a character is at it. If they aren't putting points there, than this frees the points for other "physical" Skills, which opens the door to overpowered characters (PCs that are great diplomats without the Ranks and good adventurers/combatants due to excessive points for Skills associated to that aspect of the game).

While I made minor alterations to these rules (culture-specific Diplomacy, for instance), and my group "roles" it before they roll it, we took to them rather well since we've always used Charisma vs Wisdom since 1E.

 

[LostSoul]

Don't think so. Meta means beyond, transcending. I guess the word meanwhile can be traced back to meta.

Perhaps the three stages of playing range from Roll to Rule to Role?

I gues you're right. I must have been talking about Rule playing, the same sort of game you get when you play Monopoly or a war game.

 

[Simon Magalis]

Roleplaying to me involves speaking in character. It has nothing to do with the prominence of or the lack of combat. My experience however is that in combat heavy campaigns, people do not focus on a character but rather on dealing the most damage or on being the most effective. Things like a Sorceror with a level of Paladin to take advantage of the saving throw bonus and for no other reason. Its a tired old debate really. I think that people who get angry when others want more "roleplaying" are not really into characters and are uncomfortable by others becoming someone else in an intense sort of way. On the other hand, those that become angry at the LACK of roleplaying do not fully understand the appeal of D&D. Moderation in all things, unless you have a group that knows what they want.

 

[Frosty]

Heh, and that's done by whatever means best suits the siituation. As the GM you present opportunities to *not* use attacks to resolve situations. As a player you attempt to do the same when it seems combat is the obvious answer.

Now if you are speaking to others to convince them to have more non-conbat activity in the RPG activity, I ask why? If little story and much action is desired outside your own group, who cares? The same is true if other groups want a lot of drama and little in the way of combat.

It seems to me the contraversy arises mainly when someone starts to preach, or pontificate, as to how "real" roleplaying is done.

Now when someone asserts that it is "storytelling," that counts, I do speak up and poiint out the fallicy of such a claim. The GM isn't "telling a story," he is managing a game, and whatever sort of story comes from that must be one in which the players, through their game personas, have the leading roles, and final direction. What sort of "story" evolves matters only to the group. It isn't art, its a game.

How a group plays the RPG is up to them, and for them, not necessarily for any other group.

Cheerio,
Gary

No one is preaching. Flexor asked an honest question and I tried to answer it. I used the word storytelling because you did and I never said storytelling is what counts. It's none of my business how others play the game - they can play it whilst standing on there heads for all I care.

Many publishers read these threads. If they learn that many gamers wish for more drama perhaps they will publish such adventures. If they do I'll buy. This might be of some interest to publishers.

If you enjoy D&D then obviously you enjoy a good battle, so do I. I also enjoy the sort of encounters I described earlier from Freeport or the Giovanni Chronicles. I'll have some more of that, please.

 

[hong]

Roleplaying is like a box of chocolates.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I gues you're right. I must have been talking about Rule playing, the same sort of game you get when you play Monopoly or a war game.

I do hope you are jesting, for otherwise the inclusion of war game is rather ill-advised. One plays the rules in a chess game? What a novel concept, for that implies the most rules-knowledgeable would win, or there would be many draws... Chess is a game of tactical thinking, albeit it is quantified by rules. That is so regarding RPGs. They are games, and they must have rules. Otherwise you have cops & robbers and let's pretend...

Firthermore, tabletop wargames, and board war games too, require considerable tactical and some strategic thinking.

Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Many publishers read these threads. If they learn that many gamers wish for more drama perhaps they will publish such adventures. If they do I'll buy. This might be of some interest to publishers.

True enough. Howeever, the best measure of what is and is not desired by the RPG consumer is the marketplace. That's the test of a particular product, or type of product. Clearly, the combat-oriented ones are more desirable to a greater number of persons. This holds true in computer agmes and in paper ones, as the success of 3E indicates.

Gary