Do You Role Play Without Realising it?
By
Diggis,
Posted on: 2009-06-18 09:56 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
There's nothing crazy about roleplaying, even if you're doing it subconciously!
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
I think a lot of players do without realising it (even those that knock RP/IC), Its somewhat inevitable if you really get into the spirit of things with your character, Although I think we need to clarify the subtle difference between Roleplaying and just being 'In-Character'.
Could you define the two for us Mothers? I'd reply, but would like to know the difference before I do.
Well, personally, for me...
If I'm on ML then I consider it In-Character. I'm not bound by my ((talking out of character)) - (with the brackets) or worrying whether its a topic that is relevant or not.
I'll reply on all channels In-character as if its ML sitting at a keyboard playing the character herself. That probably sounds a little odd - but I've found it easiest to (in this case) create a recognisable character and be available to help all level ranges from 1-50.
Roleplay is a skill that is much more about the social setting and weaving a narrative in-groups. There are rules, there is ettiquette, and there are somethings that (although not banned) are certainly frowned upon.
I've leave it to the seasoned Rp'ers among us to clarify further. I have RP'ed in the past, but It really is hard work!- rewarding!, great to watch and take part in!, but its a skill that I'm not sure I could of kept up consistently for my 4885 hours of duty.
'In-character' or 'Roleplay-lite' as I like to think of it, has been (as I said) easier for me to maintain an Image or brand of a character and (hopefully) still be approachable enough for total newbies straight off the boat to Paragon.
EDIT: I'll also add that Roleplayers are not un-approachable, most are more than willing to include you and show you the ropes of Roleplaying, although a good place to start would be familiarising yourself with the basics on the EU/US forums under the relevant forum section. There are (or were the last time I looked) some good guides there for beginners.
Roleplaying is easy. All you need to be able to do is place yourself in the shoes of whatever character you're playing. It also helps if you can do "stream of conciousness" story telling, where you just make it up as you go along. Writing helps a lot with that.
As for the rules/guidelines to it. They are many and varied, but the only one that is likely to get you ostracised by other roleplayers is god modding (forcing an action or consequence on another player without their consent).
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Mumsie has pretty much hit the nail on the head, there.
Now, I'm a roleplayer. Not utterly hardcore, in that I don't play him as his character all the time, but when I knuckle down of an evening and start interacting with other roleplayed characters, I'm not playing the game in character - he has a life of his own, his own emotions, desires, thoughts and relationships, and those are what I'm playing.
Having said that, though, if you say things "in character" while playing the game, then you are roleplaying. Sure, not as seriously as some of us take it, but you are, even if only on a very limited scale. And speaking for myself, that's a good thing. Not every roleplayer is interested in wrapping themselves up in their character 100% - I like to crack the occassional in-character joke when I'm teaming with other roleplayers, but most of the time I'm just playing the game to be playing it. On the other hand, when I'm RPing, I have to insert my character's thought patterns into my head, and that can take a lot of work, sometimes.
Yes, you're roleplaying; no, you're not crazy; no, there's nothing wrong with it; no, roleplayers won't think you're not "hardcore enough"; yes, it's a lot of silly fun, but that's because this is Pretendy Fun Time Games.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise 
; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
Thanks Mothers, clears it up nicely. You're pretty much spot on (and I know the frowned-upon things of which you speak, which I shan't delve into).
I spend my time wholly in-character unless I'm on a team that I know isn't composed of fellow roleplayers (RPers for short). When with RPers either in my supergroup's base or in Pocket D I'm roleplaying, with emotes, custom keybinds and in-character text all flowing easily to help us either immerse in the experience or just tell a good story for an evening. Think of it like a freeform piece of fiction written by more than one author a paragraph or more at a time.
So to the OP, no; I am always aware when I am roleplaying or not.
Edit: Shadowe says a lot I didn't think of at the time. ;thumbsup
I wasn't suggesting that roleplaying is crazy, in fact I'd love to have a go at it, although perhaps my toons are on the wrong server for most of it.
I was more questioning my subconscious behaviour and I guess it's perhaps more about about being "in-character". However I do seem to be getting more and more wrapped up in these characters.
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I'd only start worrying about it if you start doing it in RL.
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
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I'd only start worrying about it if you start doing it in RL.
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In that case I think I'm ok...apart from the vodka and womanising.........erm hold on
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All my characters have a greed for money, so i guess you can say im kind of "in character" always looking for more money
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
I tend to role play all my characters even if people dont realize it, it's easier to notice on some than others. For example, Valiant Red my stalker is hydrophobic and will avoid water at all costs, and complain miserabley if forced to get into a submarine (which naturally team mates attempt to push her off.
My question is this, is it sad to roleplay your characters when your all by yourself? Valiant Red avoids water even when she's solo, and I've caught myself saying (in a basterdised mix of irish and scottish accent) "Cooey!" when Archer's Paradox attracts the attention of his next punching victem using his bow...
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Valiant Red my stalker is hydrophobic
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Small matter of pedantry; she's probably aquaphobic. The rule for phobias is usually that you use the Greek root rather than the Latin root, and in that case 'hydrophobia' would be correct, but hydrophobia was already the name for a symptom of rabies, so they had to call a fear of water aquaphobia instead.
On the topic at hand, yes, I do that. I often type IC threats to the mobs in local when I'm soloing a mission >.>
there is only one flaw in mothers theory about RP, not every RP character is made to group.(which is also the whole reason why this game is not made for solo play, to slow progress.)
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I tend to role play all my characters even if people dont realize it, it's easier to notice on some than others. For example, Valiant Red my stalker is hydrophobic and will avoid water at all costs, and complain miserabley if forced to get into a submarine (which naturally team mates attempt to push her off.
My question is this, is it sad to roleplay your characters when your all by yourself? Valiant Red avoids water even when she's solo, and I've caught myself saying (in a basterdised mix of irish and scottish accent) "Cooey!" when Archer's Paradox attracts the attention of his next punching victem using his bow...
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Nah, not really that weird. I find I try not to get my costume dirty when in the sewers. I mean who the hell wants to walk through sewerage.
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I tend to role play all my characters even if people dont realize it, it's easier to notice on some than others. For example, Valiant Red my stalker is hydrophobic and will avoid water at all costs, and complain miserabley if forced to get into a submarine (which naturally team mates attempt to push her off.
My question is this, is it sad to roleplay your characters when your all by yourself? Valiant Red avoids water even when she's solo, and I've caught myself saying (in a basterdised mix of irish and scottish accent) "Cooey!" when Archer's Paradox attracts the attention of his next punching victem using his bow...
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Nah, not really that weird. I find I try not to get my costume dirty when in the sewers. I mean who the hell wants to walk through sewerage.
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I do that too 
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I tend to role play all my characters even if people dont realize it, it's easier to notice on some than others. For example, Valiant Red my stalker is hydrophobic and will avoid water at all costs, and complain miserabley if forced to get into a submarine (which naturally team mates attempt to push her off.
My question is this, is it sad to roleplay your characters when your all by yourself? Valiant Red avoids water even when she's solo, and I've caught myself saying (in a basterdised mix of irish and scottish accent) "Cooey!" when Archer's Paradox attracts the attention of his next punching victem using his bow...
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Nah, not really that weird. I find I try not to get my costume dirty when in the sewers. I mean who the hell wants to walk through sewerage.
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I do that too
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Same!
I always use emotes that suit my character when I'm waiting for something, like on my magician themed character I always use /e jugglemagic
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there is only one flaw in mothers theory about RP, not every RP character is made to group.(which is also the whole reason why this game is not made for solo play, to slow progress.)
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Mumsie wasn't talking about teaming - it was a note that RPers tend to RP in clusters of characters. I have yet to find any RP character who has never had a single IC interaction with another character. In fact, I have no idea how such a character could be considered an RP character at all.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
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Nah, not really that weird. I find I try not to get my costume dirty when in the sewers. I mean who the hell wants to walk through sewerage.
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I will always "complain" if it's a sewer mission and about the cost of the dry cleaner...or WHY they couldn't get a nice office for once...just once.
And indeed, avoiding the water in the sewer.
The M.A.D. Files - Me talking about games, films, games, life, games, internet and games
I'm not good at giving advice, can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?
@Lyrik
no
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I tend to role play all my characters even if people dont realize it, it's easier to notice on some than others. For example, Valiant Red my stalker is hydrophobic and will avoid water at all costs, and complain miserabley if forced to get into a submarine (which naturally team mates attempt to push her off.
My question is this, is it sad to roleplay your characters when your all by yourself? Valiant Red avoids water even when she's solo, and I've caught myself saying (in a basterdised mix of irish and scottish accent) "Cooey!" when Archer's Paradox attracts the attention of his next punching victem using his bow...
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Nah, not really that weird. I find I try not to get my costume dirty when in the sewers. I mean who the hell wants to walk through sewerage.
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11 milion Blizzard customers?
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Yeah I play my characters differently here and after a while, WoW too. Most people don't realise who my healer or tank is until I say or someone calls me Fraz in chat due to me being more chilled out for some reason on my healer or talking in character for the sake of it on my tank xD
I think after playing characters and using their abilities for a certain amount of time you get connected to them and attached to them that much that your mind subconciously expresses yourself through them in subtle ways, regardless of whether you're a roleplayer or not.
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I tend to role play all my characters even if people dont realize it, it's easier to notice on some than others. For example, Valiant Red my stalker is hydrophobic and will avoid water at all costs, and complain miserabley if forced to get into a submarine (which naturally team mates attempt to push her off.
My question is this, is it sad to roleplay your characters when your all by yourself? Valiant Red avoids water even when she's solo, and I've caught myself saying (in a basterdised mix of irish and scottish accent) "Cooey!" when Archer's Paradox attracts the attention of his next punching victem using his bow...
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Nah, not really that weird. I find I try not to get my costume dirty when in the sewers. I mean who the hell wants to walk through sewerage.
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11 milion Blizzard customers?
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Heh, but instead they release new content with quests that involve you searching through giant rhino poop, or felboar poop, or big cat poop, or elephant poop, or swamp giant poop and then... YOUR OWN POOP!
I am being completely 100% honest here. These quests all exist.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Quest:Mmm..._Amberseeds!
I'm not a role player...
But I often play a role...
Take for instance Snipers. I (nearly) always try and kill them if I see one. And I actively look for them even if I'm massively out levelling the zone (Crey's Folly). Because most of my characters have a severe antipathy to being shot by some ne'erdowell who just happens to see me flying past.
And some of my characters will kill grey-conning mobs who are mugging old ladies. 
In the wider world I won't play evil characters as I find it repugnant, can't play Forsaken in WoW as their reason for living (well not living they're undead... ) is against my personal beliefs. (IC and RL)
And if I meet a real RPer I'm quite happy to play a long.
A friend told me the other day that I tend to play some of my toons a little differently. He didn't mean my style of play as after all they are different AT's, he meant that my chat and emotes etc are subtly different. After thinking about it, he could be right, could it be that I role play a little, without really knowing it?
A lot of my toons have detailed back stories and have featured in a comic book series I write about my SG.
Although the differences can be subtle, Im starting to think my friend was right.
Some examples to illustrate what I mean:
Night Hornet - In his back-story he is a boarderline alcoholic and a bit of a womaniser. Whenever I play as him I tend to make lots of jokes about vodka and make more risky comments/jokes in the sg/team chat.
King Kirby - In his back-story he is a golden age hero, very proper and straight while being a little fatherly. When I play him I'm usually much more sensible, balanced, very team focussed, give out lots of advice and Im a little protective of players.
Major Mystery - In his back-story he is a reformed villain, the silent type and shrouded in mystery. When playing him I tend to be quieter and less involved with chatter only joining when I need to.
So my question is - am I a little crazy are do any of do this kind of thing too?
My deviantART page (warning some images nsfw)
GGRRR Comic Series GGRRR Comics on Facebook