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View Full Version : Player Help "To thine own self be true" - playing yourself



Altair_the_Vexed
2014-11-23, 06:34 AM
I was talking with a mate about how he has trouble getting into character when gaming, and I came up witha bit of advice: play yourself.

Here's my blog on the topic (http://running-the-game.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/playing-roles-revisited.html) - but the short version is: "Start out by making characters who are like yourself, so you know how to act - the rest will come naturally."

What I'm interested in is what experience my fellow Playgrounders have with this - Have you done that? Did it help? Did you never play like that?

Amphetryon
2014-11-23, 06:59 AM
I was talking with a mate about how he has trouble getting into character when gaming, and I came up witha bit of advice: play yourself.

Here's my blog on the topic (http://running-the-game.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/playing-roles-revisited.html) - but the short version is: "Start out by making characters who are like yourself, so you know how to act - the rest will come naturally."

What I'm interested in is what experience my fellow Playgrounders have with this - Have you done that? Did it help? Did you never play like that?

My experience is that most RPG players I've known play as a form of escapism, to which playing themselves runs counter to the core of the reason they're playing.

Secondarily, my experience is that those who do run self-insert characters, regardless of system, have the hardest time dealing with any adversities the characters encounter over the course of playing the game. They're more likely to get upset with the GM if the character fails at a task, or gets seriously harmed during a fight, and are more likely to rage-quit should their character die - even in a system where 'death' is essentially a status condition.

Madfellow
2014-11-23, 08:39 AM
I was talking with a mate about how he has trouble getting into character when gaming, and I came up witha bit of advice: play yourself.

Here's my blog on the topic (http://running-the-game.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/playing-roles-revisited.html) - but the short version is: "Start out by making characters who are like yourself, so you know how to act - the rest will come naturally."

What I'm interested in is what experience my fellow Playgrounders have with this - Have you done that? Did it help? Did you never play like that?


My experience is that most RPG players I've known play as a form of escapism, to which playing themselves runs counter to the core of the reason they're playing.

Secondarily, my experience is that those who do run self-insert characters, regardless of system, have the hardest time dealing with any adversities the characters encounter over the course of playing the game. They're more likely to get upset with the GM if the character fails at a task, or gets seriously harmed during a fight, and are more likely to rage-quit should their character die - even in a system where 'death' is essentially a status condition.

This is actually how I play the game 99% of the time. Most of the characters I've played have had an alignment and personality that matches my own, for the most part. These characters usually end up being more impulsive and assertive than me (see my avatar for a perfect example), but I guess that's where the escapism part comes in.

I've had a few characters die over the course of my games. None of them really ruffled my feathers, except for that one time I got team-killed by the party wizard. :smallannoyed:

BeerMug Paladin
2014-11-23, 08:41 AM
I'd add one caveat. Make the character like you, but with one important difference.

For example, if the player is shy, suggest they try having their character be assertive and go up to complete strangers. If the player is assertive, suggest their character try to do things without directly talking to others if they can avoid it.

Once there's some success there, more differences can come later.

jedipotter
2014-11-23, 03:02 PM
I always try to encourage players to Not play themselves. It is much better for them to play a character.

The first problem I find when a player ''plays themselves'' is you get too much real world stuff mucking up the game. And having a fighter tell a king ''you should raise taxes on the rich, give everyone free cleric care and build more windmills'' can really ruin the spirit of the game.

The second problem is most players are not ''tough'' in real life, if they encounter a problem they would run or ''dial 911'' or worst of all, just shut down. But you don't want characters acting like that, the characters are the ones that have to do things.

The third is the fighting and killing. The real person would never hurt even a fly. They might even as bad as ''I'd try to talk to the bad guy until he killed me''. And, again, this does not work for most characters. And it can really mix a poor person up as ''they'' don't want to admit that ''they the person/character that IS them'' would do something they see as bad, wrong or evil.

The fourth is you get the setting problem. The real person grew up safe in the suburbs, has never used a weapon, and has never done anything even slightly dangerous or exciting. So they have the personality of a 20 something liberal arts major who works at a coffee shop. That personality does not really fit ''Densora, Daughter of Hell, the Devil spawn sent back to the mortal world'' or ''Vina Ace Super Space pilot'' or ''Jenno the cat woman warrior''.

The fifth problem is it's no fun to play yourself. The whole point of a character is escapism.

So ''playing yourself'' is not the best idea.

Vitruviansquid
2014-11-23, 05:54 PM
I like to think of it more as "Play yourself if ___" like "Play yourself if you were an elf" or "Play yourself if you were a knight."

Science Officer
2014-11-23, 11:24 PM
Aside: I once ran a GURPS campaign where the players all played as themselves ... albeit with stranger histories and powers. Made for some fun scenes where they encountered my DMPC (or more like a DMNPC, it didn't really have an active role in the game. It just happened to be an NPC that was me.)

Zrak
2014-11-24, 02:43 AM
Back in the days of rolling 3d6 in order, I rolled some pretty awful stats and made a character who was basically just a parody of myself. His general ineptitude at relatively crucial adventuring tasks and his unwillingness to resort to lethal violence were actually two of the hallmarks of the character, oddly enough. To be fair, I think most AD&D characters with physical stats like his would do everything they possibly could to avoid a fight to the death, too. He was the only character to go the entire adventure path without dying, though, mostly thanks to his abject cowardice and surprising situational awareness.

Seto
2014-11-24, 04:16 AM
Personally, I have to go with what jedipotter said. It's not only that I don't find it fun to play myself, I'm actually no good at it, for some reason. And I get bored out of my mind. That's why I like to play very different characters : if I get the impression that they have distinct personality traits and are a separate entity from myself, I can actually take an interest in them much like I would take an interest in someone I've gotten to know.

But I'm not sure it works for anyone the same way. For example, my best friend recently started playing for the first time, and wanted to go with Paladin. When I explained to him what it was about, he started thinking about playing the annoying Paladin clichés (without identifying them as such). But, as he's one of the rare persons I know who actually, in real-life, looks like a well-played Paladin, I advised him to just play himself and treat people like he would in real life (if real-life had demons and crusades). It's going well so far.

Kelb_Panthera
2014-11-24, 05:53 AM
I always try to encourage players to Not play themselves. It is much better for them to play a character.

The first problem I find when a player ''plays themselves'' is you get too much real world stuff mucking up the game. And having a fighter tell a king ''you should raise taxes on the rich, give everyone free cleric care and build more windmills'' can really ruin the spirit of the game.

The second problem is most players are not ''tough'' in real life, if they encounter a problem they would run or ''dial 911'' or worst of all, just shut down. But you don't want characters acting like that, the characters are the ones that have to do things.

The third is the fighting and killing. The real person would never hurt even a fly. They might even as bad as ''I'd try to talk to the bad guy until he killed me''. And, again, this does not work for most characters. And it can really mix a poor person up as ''they'' don't want to admit that ''they the person/character that IS them'' would do something they see as bad, wrong or evil.

The fourth is you get the setting problem. The real person grew up safe in the suburbs, has never used a weapon, and has never done anything even slightly dangerous or exciting. So they have the personality of a 20 something liberal arts major who works at a coffee shop. That personality does not really fit ''Densora, Daughter of Hell, the Devil spawn sent back to the mortal world'' or ''Vina Ace Super Space pilot'' or ''Jenno the cat woman warrior''.

The fifth problem is it's no fun to play yourself. The whole point of a character is escapism.

So ''playing yourself'' is not the best idea.

Simple yes/no question: do you live near a college campus? I get the feeling you live near a college campus. Getting a large enough cross section of players to get this, specific personality breakdown for a "typical" player strikes me as rather odd, given that my experience has been -vastly- different.

All but one of my current players -loves- to fist fight for fun and any of the rest of us have in the past, and would again, take violent action against others under the right circumstances. Three of us have spent at least a year or longer homeless. The above description doesn't fit -any- member of my current or several of my previous groups. I've seen it here and there but certainly not often enough to assume it to be typical.



Anywho, I see most people that play themselves do so as idealized versions of themselves and are willing to make adjustments to fit the game. If they get pissy about bad things happening to their character I tell them in no uncertain terms, "This is a game about adventure and adventures carry risks. If you can't handle that then you need to seriously reconsider whether you want to play with this group. We're gamists and noone is here to live out a power trip. We play a -game- to test our skill as players and our luck as adventurers. If that's not what you're looking for, please move on."

That's not to say I don't occasionally throw the group some worthless mooks to mow down but on the overall we play for a challenge. The story is important and you can't have a decent story without conflict. Risk is a -big- part of external conflict.

chainer1216
2014-11-24, 06:26 AM
The way I make characters is that I take a part or two of my personality and I crank it up to 11 as my base, and then add whatever the characters been through as a modifier. That usually churns out a suitably different character that feels real that I can also roleplay well.

Jay R
2014-11-24, 09:36 AM
Do you wander through the sewers trying to find things to take home? Do you go out into the woods, kill what you find, and take their stuff?

Unless the PCs are about to sit down and play D&D, you are clearly and obviously not playing yourself.

----------------

I think the real point you're trying to make is "Play somebody you understand."

A great actor like Russell Crowe can play an insane mathematician, or a Roman slave, or a Robin Hood. Maybe you'll get that good. But start with something you understand.

But don't play "yourself". For your first game, play someone you would enjoy being, and who is similar enough to you that you can play him well. Eventually, start playing someone based on a favorite but easy character. I don't have to actually be large to know how to play Fezzik. But I should understand feeling a little awkward and out of place.

Then with each new character, go a little further afield.

Valefor Rathan
2014-11-24, 09:48 AM
I was talking with a mate about how he has trouble getting into character when gaming, and I came up witha bit of advice: play yourself.

Here's my blog on the topic (http://running-the-game.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/playing-roles-revisited.html) - but the short version is: "Start out by making characters who are like yourself, so you know how to act - the rest will come naturally."

What I'm interested in is what experience my fellow Playgrounders have with this - Have you done that? Did it help? Did you never play like that?

When I first got into RPGs I did this. Played as I saw myself. Over time I moved away from it.

It's a good starting place for new players, I think. It's easier to wrap your head around.

Every so often my group will make "ourselves" and play a scenario as if we had been transported into the game - like Erfworld's premise.

Red Fel
2014-11-24, 10:42 AM
I think the real point you're trying to make is "Play somebody you understand."

This, so much. Disagreeing with Russell Crowe's acting ability, though. "Great actor?" Laurence Olivier was a great actor. Russell Crowe murdered Javert.

One of the great not-really-a-secrets of storytelling, and by extension of roleplaying (which is essentially cooperative storytelling) is creating characters who are understandable and sympathetic. Characters in whom the reader/listener can see aspects of himself. One of the best ways to do that is for the writer/storyteller/player to weave aspects of himself, or concepts he understands, into those characters.

Think about it this way. Let's suppose you, in real life, are a charming, charismatic, witty person, adored by the masses. You've never been otherwise. You've never been without something clever to say, never been ignored when you wanted to be noticed, never stumbled over your words or balked at attention. Playing an awkward, shy character might prove difficult for you, because it is beyond your personal experience. However, it isn't5 impossible; you just have to frame it in terms and concepts you understand. For example, anybody understands the idea of quiet or soft-spoken. Everyone, even the most charismatic people, can comprehend embarrassed. There are concepts upon which you can draw, concepts which are not alien to you, that can enlighten a character and make it real.

All that said, playing yourself, in my mind, is dull. Playing an aspect of yourself - like taking your rage, or curiosity, or fondness for languages and cultures, and turning it into a central defining feature - is fun, and awesome when done well. But playing the actual you - with all of the physical and mental imperfections that make you who you are - is not only a bit dull, it's hard. Introspection is challenging. Truly, fairly, and accurately appraising yourself is difficult, and often painful. Why would you want to do that for a game? That way lies madness.

Take something you understand. Take something that's a part of you, if not the whole. Then build a character around that.

obryn
2014-11-24, 10:52 AM
There was a hilarious RPG.net thread a while back about the worst games you've ever been in. Almost the first whole page was some variation of, "okay, you're playing yourselves in a (fantasy/horror/etc.) campaign..."

For some reason, they seldom end well. Or start well. Or have a satisfying middle bit.

Raphite1
2014-11-24, 11:59 AM
I think the real point you're trying to make is "Play somebody you understand."

Yeah, this exactly. Just as though you were writing a book or making a film; your characters don't need to be anything like yourself, but they'll seem boring, flat, and unfun if you don't understand them.

I would never Never NEVER play a character like myself. Ugh. I get to be myself all week, why would I spend my three hours at the game table doing the same thing? Might as well skip the game and go hunting or something.

Altair_the_Vexed
2014-11-24, 12:02 PM
I think the real point you're trying to make is "Play somebody you understand."

A great actor like Russell Crowe can play an insane mathematician, or a Roman slave, or a Robin Hood. Maybe you'll get that good. But start with something you understand.

But don't play "yourself". For your first game, play someone you would enjoy being, and who is similar enough to you that you can play him well. Eventually, start playing someone based on a favorite but easy character. I don't have to actually be large to know how to play Fezzik. But I should understand feeling a little awkward and out of place.

Then with each new character, go a little further afield.

Yes, that's it. That's what I said in the blog. I was trying to summarise in the OP, not replace what I wrote in the blog.

Jay R
2014-11-24, 02:34 PM
There was a hilarious RPG.net thread a while back about the worst games you've ever been in. Almost the first whole page was some variation of, "okay, you're playing yourselves in a (fantasy/horror/etc.) campaign..."

For some reason, they seldom end well. Or start well. Or have a satisfying middle bit.

Actually, I had a great game once, when the GM built us characters based on who we really are. But his idea of my fencing skills, acrobatic skills, and tracking skills were much higher than I think they should be.

If you have to play in a game as yourself, the number one asset is a GM with an unfairly high opinion of you.