How do you play RPGs?

[Minibit]

When you're playing a Roleplaying game, do you act (make decisions, choose items/friends) like yourself? Or do you take on your characters personality?

For instance, in real life, I'm super pragmatic and down to earth, but in my harvest moon game I bring my girlfriend gifts every day and plan to propose on New Years Eve if the game will let me do the quest then. In real life I'm a 'look out for number one' skeptic, but in most adventure games I trust everybody and try to help even if there's no quest reward.

I get my characters to wear clothes I wouldn't be caught dead in, because it seems appropriate while I'm "in character"

But I also know gamers who try to bring as much of themselves - their own unique personality - into the game as they can.

I suppose it boils down to whether you want to feel like the adventure is yours, and experience the world the way you would if you were really in it, or if it's escapism; the fun and cathartic nature of stepping into someone else's shoes and out of your own life for awhile.

What about you guys?

 

[LunaValentine]

I like to play characters with great physical strength as I have literally no motivation to be all in shape nor have much time or patience for it. I play mostly melee characters even though I can be quite strategic. For example in pokemon I set up my team specifically to be able to handle nearly anything thrown at me. However in something like Skyrim, I'll play a character who runs around with a sword or hammer and just run up to smash something's face in. now the PERSONALITY I give to characters varies because sometimes I wanna play a nice healer....other times I make a character for when I want to burn the world to the ground so I tend to be decently well-rounded....though I never get to play games with anyone T_T

 

[captchakiller]

In most games where I can customize my character, I always make them look somewhat like me for some reason. I don't really know why, maybe its just out of habit or just natural. Now, if we're playing a game where it is completely made by the decisions you make (e.g. Skyrim), I always play through the first time making all the choices how I normally would. Everything else is just "How big of a dick/nice guy can I be and what do I get". Usually the dick gets me cooler stuff.

Also I play a LOT of ranged characters. Rarely EVER do I play melee. And I HATE HATE HATE BEING A MAGE OMGWTFBBQ I HATE MAGES >:C

Speaking of Skyrim, I accidentally deleted my OC, that made me very very sad... RIP in peace Garfield, you were the best dual wielding dragon slayer this side of Tamriel.

 

[Seiji]

I absolutely make decisions in my posts based on what my character would say/do. It's not quite role-playing if you're just being yourself (though it is good exercise in writing). I do make characters based on myself, or at least facets of myself, but for the most part I am becoming that particular character for that particular RP.

EDIT: Oh wait, you meant actual RPGs. T_T I end up making choices that I would personally make. I still feel bad when I make ruthless, "evil" choices in video games unless I'm specifically trying to go for an Evil Run or what have you.

 

[Lady Sabine]

My first playthrough of a game I'm always a ruthless pragmatist. I go with whatever makes my life easier in-game. Powerful weapons, fewer monsters to slay, easy money... yes please. I'm a mercenary first time through.

If I play through again, I'll generally pick one of my pre-existing characters so I can get a bit of development with them, imagining how they would respond to certain situations. It can actually be quite thought-provoking and help me figure out some personality quirks or hypocrisies.

 

[Kylulu]

I don't play many RPG's, but when I do, the characters tend to be upstanding citizens. They help whoever they can however they can. Sometimes they do wrong, either through someone else's actions or their own misguided intentions, and it usually eats them up inside. I guess this means I play them as myself somewhat. I'm not proactive by any means, but I don't flat out refuse to help.

In game where there's a strict morality meter, I am usually at the very pinnacle of paragon. I just can't agree with the "Evil"/selfish actions and their outcomes. Mind you, in morality meter games, the outcomes of the "Good" actions are usually better than those of the "Evil".

This all goes out the window when involving Skyrim, however. The first thing I do when playing a new character in the game is to beef up their sneak, pickpocket and lockpicking skills. I have entirely too much fun playing thieves in Skyrim~

 

[Lady Sabine]

This all goes out the window when involving Skyrim, however. The first thing I do when playing a new character in the game is to beef up their sneak, pickpocket and lockpicking skills. I have entirely too much fun playing thieves in Skyrim~

Oh man, I do this. So bad.
Then after you've got sneak up there, you might as well buy a nice bow...
thirty kills later and no one's seen you...
get cocky, equip a dagger...
Insanity wolf comes out, level up last few pickpocketing levels on bandits...
many wasted hours later, level 100 one-handed purely from assassinating people with daggers :c in fact, 100 all across the stealth skill set
much riches, such Nightingale, very Listener
wow

 

[Fluffy]

I customize characters to look as little like me as possible. I'll make them look how I wished I look, or in an outfit I wouldn't be caught dead in. (Like you, Mini!) Why put my lame self into the game when I can be someone else?

I always choose the evil/Sith/dark side if that's something that affects the game. I choose the most snarky dialogue, I kill my teammates, I steal, I pretty much do whatever the hell I want. Because I can't do it in real life, and I'm only hurting pixels. 8] I can remember in Dragon Age, my party members hated me for being such a jerk. And the goody members of my party in Knights of the Old Republic 2 were always like "Dude, what's with that menacing look on your face? Dude, why did you just kill that dude?" And I'm like "'Cause reasons." Mwahahaha.

After that, if I'm not bored with the game already, I'll start over with a character who's more heroic. xD For a change of pace.

When I'm partying with others, I tend to go with the healer/support. I'm good at it. *shrugs* Otherwise, I like to go with destructive magic. All about the magics with this one.

 

[Seiji]

Why put my lame self into the game when I can be someone else?

See, I think of it the other way around. I put my lame self into video games so I can be freakin' awesome!! Can't shoot a bow into someone's face at 50 yards, but I can in this video game! Not allowed to kick someone in the chest out of a window 30 stories up, but I can in this video game! Can't have an orgy with 13 elves, 7 dwarves, a snake-lady, and 3 zombies, but I can in this video game!

It's pretty rad.

 

[NikoMyschaya]

I prefer to take on my Characters Personality and try to do things the way that I perceive that they would.
Respond as they would Respond.
Even do my best to Dress my Character as I would think that they would Dress themselves.

 

[Caramon Zero]

In RPGs, I tend to stick to being full Paragon/Light-Sided/Paladin/Whatever, just because I enjoy helping people, and that's what I'd want to do if it was really me instead of me being me in a game.

In games like Star Wars: KotOR/II, Mass Effect/2/3, and all those other games that let you make choices via conversation, I prefer picking the choices with the outcomes leading to either the fewest caualties, or the ones with the most positive result, often loading saves hours before the decisions, just to see if  can do something to make things better.

In games like Fallout, Deus Ex, etc., that have you use you your actions to determine your 'alignment', I prefer to do things a similar way to the games mentioned above, yet I try to only kill evil characters on Fallout, reloading if a good guy dies, and in the case of Deus Ex, I tend to do what I can to not be spotted, and not use any lethal force on my enemies.

In games as open as Skyrim, I do literally whatever I'm allowed to do, yet I still try to only kill evil characters, as well as reload any time a non-respawning NPC dies, which is the only reason I only have 80+ hours for Skyrim at 1/4 of the way through.

In nearly any other type of RPG, I'll play as if it was actually me, making the decisions I'd honestly make in those circumstances.

 

[C92cool]

I'm a patient player who takes their time. Level grinding and getting the best equipment is what I do and I love side quests to an extent. By the time I get to certain bosses I just end up walking all over them because I am so OP which I don't mind.

 

[The Taleweaver]

I treat it like writing a story. Especially in open-world games like Skyrim; pick a character archetype (mentor, philanthropist, thief, murderer, psychopath) and run with it. My current character is a Vigilant of Stendarr who has taken a strict vow of poverty. Nothing more expensive than steel, all gold other than what I need to survive is donated to beggars or the church.

 

[Minibit]

I'm a patient player who takes their time. Level grinding and getting the best equipment is what I do and I love side quests to an extent. By the time I get to certain bosses I just end up walking all over them because I am so OP which I don't mind.

I play the same way in level-based games I just defeat every monster in the area before the boss and then if it's too hard, I re-do the dungeon a couple times. Grinding helps me unwind anyway :3

 

[C92cool]

I play the same way in level-based games I just defeat every monster in the area before the boss and then if it's too hard, I re-do the dungeon a couple times. Grinding helps me unwind anyway :3

Yup that's exactly how I play with level-based games. Pokemon is a big one that I do it with even with the 6th gen which makes i just a little harder to level grind. For a game more like Dark Souls and it's level system, I still level grind, but I also tested out many strategies and found weapons and armor and spells that fit my playing style.