What does roleplaying mean to you?

[DR27]

From the most recent storm wind thread, I noticed that people aren't actually using the same definition for roleplaying. Instead, people are using the word role-play for everything from elaborate acting to decision making. It's an old article now, but I think this article (http://angrydm.com/2011/08/defining-your-game/) is very relevant to the topic, and for creating a framework for people to work within. Excerpted is the general idea:
You are presented with a situation and you (the player) decide how your character reacts to the situation. The action is resolved, creating a new situation, and then you start over. The point is that almost all RP occurs inside the heads of the various players. The act of visualizing the situation, understanding the character, and deciding on an appropriate course of acting is 90% of role-playing. The remaining 10% is about presenting that decision to the other participants. And honestly, if you want to get meta about it, that last 10% is more about helping others role-play than about your own RP.So the question I have is - for how many of you is that 10% the most important part, and for how many of you is that 90% the most important part. Because I feel that many individuals who were complaining about poor roleplaying actually felt dissatisfied about the ability of others to communicate the role-play decisions those others were making, while oblivious to whether or not the inherent decisions were sound. (and many who consider themselves to be great role-players may just be good at communicating with others, not great at putting themselves into their character's shoes to make difficult choices)

What is roleplaying? The act of making decisions by directly placing yourself into your character's shoes - or being able to communicate those decisions to the table? Because I think those are two totally different things, and they get conflated too easily when discussing issues like the storm wind fallacy.

[Sir Chuckles]

In a nutshell?
Making decisions as if you were your character.

[Chaosvii7]

Roleplaying to me is, simply put, being able to tell a story that unifies the mechanical and background elements of my character with the inhabitants and the setting of my DM's world to the point where we can both ask a question that explores the human condition while being able to answer it along the way.

I study theatre and literature, so the human condition is a very important focus of mine. Being able to take something and not necessarily add an unwanted level of psychology to it by making it overly deep and philosophical, but being able to demonstrate a ritualistic sense that helps people who play a character to explore and define their characters and by extension, themselves.

A character is a facet that people can use to try and view the world in a certain way that would then allow them to make a point of a more abstract thought. The DM is the one who helps the character explore that - usually by sticking them in dungeons or throwing giant monsters at it.

A truly good roleplaying experience is one that makes me think very seriously and carefully about my character's story that fleshes itself out in a game of numbers, while also feeling a spiritual attachment beyond that of simply playing a game. A good story will have a question for it's readers to explore and then present an interpretation of the answer to, while allowing it's readers to shape their own interpretations of the answer based on the experiences they go through.

[torrasque666]

I love to roleplay, but due to playing through roll20(or maybe its just the groups) it seems that roleplay isnot really a concern with my groups. In one game I play a semi-nazi-ish Warforged who is a high ranking cleric of the Lord of Blades. He doesn't like the party as they are all "organics" but his boss told him to join them to see if they were worthy of having the Lord's army on their side in a potentially divine battle because screw you Vol. He(and I) goes about it well and despite his semi-antagonistic ways he works well with them and none of the other players have a problem with me being LE.


In a nutshell?
Making decisions as if you were your character.

​Whoa there buddy, that's probably the worst thing you can say around here.

[HammeredWharf]

I consider decision making more important than acting, but I woudln't say it's a 90/10 ration. Maybe more like 80/20 or 70/30. Being able to communicate your RP to others is quite important, because otherwise it's all in your head and no one gets what you did or why. Still, you can RP by saying what your character does ("Bob tries to hit on the waitress") instead of RPing it ("Hey baby, want to go backstage and check out my wand?"). It can be a great idea if Bob is a bard with 24 Cha and the player's Cha is 7.

[QuackParker]

Roleplaying is getting into the mind of a character. It isn't about a two letter alignment on your character sheet, the number of points you have in Dexterity, or the name of your class. You have to see through a new set of eyes.

I divide roleplaying a character into three steps: Layer, Flavor, and Savor.

1. Layer: This is the step where you define who your character is, what motivates him/her, long and short term goals, values and beliefs, why he is a Arcane Duelist Bard as opposed to a Heretic Cleric, etc. This is where you build the framework for a complex character. Why might your paladin abhor lawbreaker, but still look the other way when a destitute child steals to survive? This is where that moral nuance is derived.

2. Flavor: If layering is where we construct a house and its various rooms, flavoring is where we move in furniture. Is your character afraid of bats, does he have a distaste for salmon, or does she have an obsession with the color chartreuse? That's flavor. Does your catfolk bard have an annoying habit of adding "nyan" or "meow" at the end of her sentences? Flavor. Blondes or brunettes? Well, if its a matter of which bar wench you harass, then in its flavor. If you are playing a halfling serial killer that only slices and dices blondes, well it might just be a crucial layer. The point is, many players choose to add lots of layer or lots of interesting flavor, but neglect to do both.

3. Savor: Steps one and two can provide a neat story about a nuanced character with some personality quirks, but if you don't take time to actually savor playing that character, then its only backstory. When the DM puts a duergar (the dreaded foe your character despises), take time to enjoy the opportunity of plotting your revenge. In fact, try to see everything around you as a chance to mold and develop your character. As your letter of the law paladin continues to see oppression, poverty, and corruption in every city she visits, consider why your paladin remains on her current path. When an NPC companion is killed in a bandit raid, try to feel what your character would feel in that scenario. Or, if you were like me, a neglectful cleric with blood on his hands, you might high tail it to the desert to seek forgiveness through suffering. There are limitless possibilities to explore your character and savor roleplay in even the most mundane tavern or dungeon. Too many player write a great origin story and then immediately transform into one dimensional blobs rolling dice.

Last observations: Religion isn't just for clerics and paladins; moral ambiguity isn't the lone frontier of the party rogue. Its more fun to search an ancient library or parlay with a seedy black marketeer than to just roll a knowledge check. Optimization is key to winning the fight quickly; proper roleplaying is key to enjoying the actual game. It's dangerous to go alone, that's why it's a group effort.

Happy roleplaying!

[Seto]

Depends on how you play. I, for one, learnt to roleplay on a post-by-post forum, where you had to have at least a moderately literary writing, and a roleplaying thread was actually called "a rp" for short. In that sort of setting, your 90%-10% switches to at least 60%-40%.

But since we're in the subsection "D&D3.5", I'll also answer as to D&D. It's different because, indeed, you speak less and it all happens in your head. I had problems with the transition, because I'm good at thinking stuff through and writing it, but bad at improvising descriptions/conversations on the spot.
To me, roleplaying in D&D means to play a character rather than an accumulation of data. To make the most coherent decision based on your character's personality, even if it sometimes means making a suboptimal decision in terms of logics or mechanics. To be able to separate out-of-character info from in-character info. To get your character across to other players, so they can be interested in them too (this ranges from cool quotes to accurate descriptions). In short, roleplaying is what makes a character look alive and turns it into a different entity than the player. Particularly good roleplaying is what makes a character be, on top of that, interesting to everyone at the table.

It's worth noting than often, restrictions or obstacles to roleplay actually serve to improve it - if we're talking about a good rolist. For example : the ever-criticized "That's what my character would do" is correct roleplaying. But it's often bad playing. Which means there's a separation between character and player : roleplaying has achieved its basic role - but that makes the player unpleasant to play with. So, roleplaying has to be restricted. Which forces the player to find a way to make his character act differently, which a good rolist will do with in-character reasons, motives, etc. Which in turn, ideally, while stopping the annoyance to other players, will make the character more interesting, and thus lead to better roleplaying.

[Coidzor]

Most of it, to me, involves getting into one's character rather than treating them as an avatar that one tools around in the same way one would tool around in a space ship or tank.

[sideswipe]

i would personally view and practice it as becoming another person. acting and believing you are them. only knowing what they know and only making decisions as they would. we all play this game as a form of escapism, to be honest its 99% of the time the thing that draws us in. so to immerse yourself fully is to use it for its full benefits.

i know there are people who use it only as a competitive exercise but this is for role playing in particular

[Red Fel]

The short version? Roleplaying is everything other than the part where the dice are rolled. When you decide to talk to the shopkeeper before buying something? Roleplay. When you toss out a witty one-liner after decapitating a kobold? Roleplay. When you decide whether you intend to use Diplomacy or Intimidate? Roleplay.

Now, there are varying degrees of roleplay, and mechanical considerations as well. For instance, maybe you gain a bonus to Intimidate and a penalty to Diplomacy, thus influencing your decision; or maybe your DM gives you a circumstance bonus if you act out your actions before rolling on them. But those should merely be an influence, not the deciding factor; what you do, the descriptions you give, those are all roleplay, to varying degrees.

It is possible to play an entire game with virtually no roleplay. For example: DM: You're in a room. Player: I roll Search to find a door. DM: You find a door. It's locked. Player: I roll Open Lock to open it. DM: You open it. There's a kobold. Player: I roll initiative.Or, in a less dungeon-y setting: DM: You're in a city. Player: I roll Gather Information to find the cheapest store. DM: You find the store. Player: I roll Diplomacy to get a discount. DM: Succeed. Player: I buy a +2 Longsword.No roleplay whatsoever.

As I mentioned, there are varying degrees to roleplay. For example, some have to turn every scenario into something Shakespearean. In the second illustration above, that Gather Information check might have turned into a five-minute dialogue with various villagers. Others are roleplaying when they play bloodthirsty beasts; in the first illustration, it might have been completely in-character for the player to roll initiative upon seeing the kobold, although he might have decided to dive on top of it clawing and biting and roaring epithets in Draconic.

But on a fundamental level, in my mind, roleplay covers just about anything that isn't covered by mechanics.

[sideswipe]

snip*

in my groups it is a rule that a player almost never says "i roll this" as this is bad form. the player says "my character does this" and the DM calls out the appropriate roll to make in the situation. if the player can think of a different roll then they suggest it as an alternative which can then be agreed by the DM.

[DR27]

maybe your DM gives you a circumstance bonus if you act out your actions before rolling on them.Oh, that is one of my least favorite things of all time - I agonize over a difficult situation, and then tell the table what's happening in the 3rd person - "bad roleplaying, try to join in on the fun." Theater person on the other end uses no logic or thinking at all as to what their character would do, just does what the person themselves would do, but acts it out complete with a different voice - "good role-play, have a circumstance bonus."


It is possible to play an entire game with virtually no roleplay. For example:DM: You're in a room.
Player: I roll Search to find a door.
DM: You find a door. It's locked.
Player: I roll Open Lock to open it.
DM: You open it. There's a kobold.
Player: I roll initiative.
Or, in a less dungeon-y setting:
DM: You're in a city.
Player: I roll Gather Information to find the cheapest store.
DM: You find the store.
Player: I roll Diplomacy to get a discount.
DM: Succeed.
Player: I buy a +2 Longsword.See, this is what I'm talking about - those decisions might not be very strong role-play, but are still decisions that you need to make for your character. In scenario one, the player could ask for more information about that door, or the room in general. They could try to look through the keyhole or for some way to find out what's on the other side before opening it. But because they are a reckless type, they burst through - roleplaying. Dice didn't kill those decision making points.

[Trundlebug]

It's about decision making and also fleshing out the personality but not making a list and declaring "Bob is a nice guy and is afraid of spiders but not of trolls because when he was a boy on a camping trip with his father they went down...". More not telling any one and simply having the character act as think they would.

Acting like a person is one thing. I know sounds obvious but lot's of player's characters are terrible people "in the name of good". Hence the whole murder-hobo thing. It's real. I try and get my characters to eat, bathe, have likes and dislikes and ease them in to the game, talk to npc's. That one can throw some DM's for a loop. Casual conversation struck up by a often lonely, just evaded death (again), genius/savant, frighteningly good killer. Staying in touch with latest trends, having a home town you write/send messenger...demons to. Insist on diverting the party to go visit some friends nearby if nothing is pressing.

That kinda stuff is roleplaying to me. Now in order to do that, be someone who doesn't always want to experience pain, often agony and who hangs back a bit in certain situations they have to be competent in order to undo their mistakes, save friends and end things quickly, or be powerful enough to take prisoners. That's where roll-play comes in. If he does all the above personality stuff and sucks, well he will cause death, die or at the least lose his contract. I'm no TO guy but I like my characters strong.

A good example of needing optimization to roleplay is if you want to play a hyperactive, bubbly, cheerful almost cartoon character that always pops up with an answer/flowers/candy/music/all of it or does the whole inexplicably fast/appears behind a table laughing while dropping an anvil on bad guy, then popping up behind them to pull down their pants and trip them so the beatstick can kick them into submission while the benny hill theme played in the background for realsies.

That takes optimization. That bad guy was a 15th level wizard layered in defenses and half the party didn't even realize it. Let's see you roleplay that without optimization.

[FidgetySquirrel]

To me it's about giving the character a strong backstory, forming a psychology based on that, and basing my decisions on the character's mindset. Therefore, I don't always take the most sound approach from a player's perspective, but I will make exceptions when acting IC will cause a tpk. Immersing yourself in who your character is fun, but I don't want to go and train-wreck a campaign over it. That's why I like DMing. I get to create NPCs and role-play them based on who they are, without making the rest of the group mad or causing any unnecessary damage.

tl;dr version
In a nutshell?
Making decisions as if you were your character.

[TechnoWarforged]

Roleplaying for me is hanging out with my friends. It also means filling in on a role in their adventure they don't want to play, occassionally bailing them out and saving their asses. At the same time its gets the insanity out of my system and fulfil my deep inner desire to worship cthullhu or some dark elder god (in every single fricking campaign)