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Sajiri
2015-04-05, 04:43 PM
After nearly a year, my DM has finally convinced me to try a solo game in his made up future terraformed venus setting. Im not a fan of sci fi usually, so that alone is pretty new to me, but the main requirement for my character was that she (and it had to be a she) is an android. The bonus here is that I was told she was newly created and fresh out of the tank, a few days before she was mentally ready, and so my own lack of knowledge and understanding for the setting can translate to her, since she doesnt understand much around her either.

The thing is, beyond naivety, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to roleplay an android character. Supposedly she's still meant to be able to feel human emotions and such, and the DM has made some reference to ghost in the shell and ghosts....but as I dont know that series either that goes over my head too. We've only had one session so far, and for the time being I've treated her as being somewhat confused and just going along with what she's being told to do, sort of like a person that's only just woken up, and gradually developing her own thought and emotion. Beyond that..I don't know what to do.

Bonus, the what was meant to be a quick reference doodle of the android I made up that I ended up spending 6 hours on yesterday morning


http://orig06.deviantart.net/1809/f/2015/094/f/e/anima_reference_by_sajiri-d8ogp4w.png

The sexy clothing was already a joke in the session, she did not understand the concept of decency

Red Fel
2015-04-05, 05:21 PM
The thing is, beyond naivety, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to roleplay an android character. Supposedly she's still meant to be able to feel human emotions and such, and the DM has made some reference to ghost in the shell and ghosts....but as I dont know that series either that goes over my head too. We've only had one session so far, and for the time being I've treated her as being somewhat confused and just going along with what she's being told to do, sort of like a person that's only just woken up, and gradually developing her own thought and emotion. Beyond that..I don't know what to do.

It sounds like the character strongly resembles Data, from Star Trek: The Next Generation. If you have any familiarity with the series, consider steering in that direction. (And if you don't, it's worth exploring. Although it is sci fi, it explores a lot of very human and personal themes; it's very high quality acting and storytelling.)

My advice would be to view the character as a being with the intelligence of an adult, but the emotional maturity and experience of a child. Imagine a child, who sees the world with wonder and novelty, who constantly wants to understand things like "What" and "Why," but add the intellectual capacity of an adult. Imagine a child who takes everything at face value, who doesn't quite grasp facetiousness or sarcasm, but who has enough basic sense to observe, for instance, in response to a particular sarcastic colloquialism, "I do not think that I am actually capable of eating you. For one thing, you are quite large, and for another, I lack a digestive tract."

This is a character who would want to know what people are doing. Not just academically - the basic mechanics are obvious - but emotionally. For example, Data took up painting. Although he had a perfect ability to reproduce artwork, given his precise mechanical movements, he wanted to develop an understanding of the emotional reactions artwork and the artistic process evoked.

He also adopted a cat. Nobody quite understood why.

For example, if you see one of your friends at a restaurant, ordering an item of food, you might inquire why they ordered it. If they make an observation about its dietary value, you might respond with an analysis of the more nutritious items on the menu; if they make an observation about taste, you might respond with the classic juvenile inquiry, "Why?" "Because I like cheeseburgers." "Why?" "Because they taste good." "Why?"

Also, your character would do well to develop a sense of "Are my inquiries annoying you?" Because they will, but if you do it right, they'll still be somewhat endearing.

Basically, the mindset of the Pinocchio-esque android is a mechanical one. She wants to be more humanlike, more alive, but she thinks in terms of the quantifiable. And as any human can tell you, there are simply some aspects of human behavior that cannot be quantified. So she will attempt to reproduce those behaviors she can quantify, and to study those that she cannot - areas such as taste, humor, emotion, and affection.

And maybe adopt a cat.

Sajiri
2015-04-05, 05:33 PM
Thats useful :) He did mention something about Data too, but beyond my asking 'thats the really pale character, right?' I dont know much about that one either (yeah.....Im terrible)

She's already been having trouble trying to work out emotions, she's been taken in by a man who hates androids (but did it because he was friends with her creator who died), trying to do as he told her then not understanding why he is angry when she did what he told her sarcastically

erikun
2015-04-05, 06:54 PM
Well, I would note that "fresh out of the tank" could mean any number of things, especially if the DM is leaving the decisions up to you. It could mean that the character is similar to Data, as Red Fel outlined above. It could mean that the android character was based on a person, and so she has a personality but none of the memories - she realizes she behaves a certain way, but has no clue why she has a specific reaction or personality. It could mean that she already has a fully programmed personality, but has no clue how to act another way or why she was given a particular personality.

In other words, there are a lot of ways to play the character. Beyond having a good idea of how you want to run her, it might be worth your time to think about how she could have a particular personality, as a way to look at how the character would react to different situations. Perhaps she has an allergic reaction to cats, because (being an imprint of a human mind who was allergic) she has the instinct to avoid or sneeze in their presence. How would the character treat such an unusual reaction?

Of course, that was just an example of one of the options.

genmoose
2015-04-05, 09:37 PM
Some excellent points covered so far.

Another idea for character development is morality. Some androids in fiction have laws and morals programmed in but others do not. A big one that comes up is killing. Data was programmed with a lot of moral traits more as law than guidelines. If I remember right I don't think he could lie.

Unless an android is programmed (in one way or another) with some morals they could come off as a little sociopathic. Sure there may be some programming to 'obey the law' but there are many immoral things that are perfectly legal. A mechanical mind might even favor some immoral methods as the most efficient and expedient to accomplish a mission. Discovering a sense of 'wrong and right' and not just 'legal and illegal' could be a great path for growth.

Since it was said that the character has no sense of modesty that could be a good example of where legal doesn't match with moral. Let's say that she wants something for whatever reason. She could quickly realize that she can use her body to get people to give her things or services. We might see it as slutty or immoral but her mind might not see the difference between that and manual labor. IE "I wanted to get the best assignment so I slept with the boss to gain his favor. How is that any different than when you get him coffee every morning?"


To switch gears a bit, another interesting part about playing an android is the rapid acquisition of knowledge; to use more D&D terms intelligence without wisdom. If your body is 'online' you would have access to almost every bit of data out there at a moment's notice. However you might not understand it in context. You may also not understand how to properly utilize that data when with other humans. For reference think of that know-it-all you have in your life; everybody has one. The guy that knows far too much and is very willing to correct anyone yet thinks he is doing the world a service. Now imagine that person actually does know everything.

For example:

Jim: Hey Bob, I have to go get an M67 power converter to fix the furnace. Is there a hardware store around here?

Bob: Yea the Depot is two miles south of here on Main Street.

Android: Actually you want a M67A power converter for that furnace, the M67 is 7% less efficient. Also the Depot is 3.7 miles from here in a direction of 190 degrees. However the Large Barn currently has an advertised sale on power converters. It is 8 miles due west but the cost savings on the part would be greater than the added mileage.

Since the plot device is that you may not know everything that may be an extreme example but as your character acquires knowledge she could be all too willing to share it.

Sajiri
2015-04-05, 11:40 PM
What little I know of my characters background was that she was apparently created FOR the man that's now taken her in, her creator designed her specifically to the man's tastes, but he was apparently going to try and pass her off as his real daughter rather than an android (being that this guy hates droids). So she's now with a guy who knows she was meant to be passed off as a human to him and has taken her in out of respect for her late creator, but despises her for what she is. She was a few days off from being ready.

I think Im also going to go with the fact she saw the holo message of her creator claiming she was his real daughter, so even though she's aware she's an android, she thinks of herself as 'real' and a person. Maybe I should read up on Data, it sounds like he has similarities to what I was thinking of for her already.

Flickerdart
2015-04-05, 11:44 PM
While we're on the whole Star Trek bent, the EMH from Voyager isn't a bad example for the whole "being a person but also a machine" thing - he's different from Data in that he acts perfectly human, but is treated like a machine (at least at the start, and in some later episodes by newcomers). Also, obviously, Blade Runner for a more hostile take on artificial humans.

goto124
2015-04-05, 11:51 PM
I read that as Roleplaying an Android (the OS for smartphones, other than iOS).

Maglubiyet
2015-04-06, 12:08 AM
In scifi, androids range from robotic, barely human personalities to those fully indistinguishable from humans.

It's kind of hard to RP one without knowing where you're supposed to be on that continuum.

Suichimo
2015-04-06, 12:16 AM
Honestly, if you can, watch the film Ghost in the Shell. It is very good and was highly influential. I don't know if it is on Netflix or not, though. The character you're likely being referred to is the Major.

Karl Aegis
2015-04-06, 01:02 AM
You could go with the "Too Human to be Human" approach. You basically are an ideal human, but you have skills and knowledge nobody actually cares about. You know the histories and cultures of every civilization up until the past 400 years or so due to not having finished your education in the tank. Not everyone will care your style of dress is derived from the doodles of a particular 21st century artist nor will they care that you quote the works of the Greek poet Homer nor will they care about your master calligraphy skill. You feel the same emotions as a human, but suffer from the knowledge that you will never be human or know what it is like to have a childhood. You have beauty no human could possess, but are jealous of those that don't look so different from normal humans.

goto124
2015-04-06, 03:11 AM
Not everyone will care your style of dress is derived from the doodles of a particular 21st century artist

I see a hole in the fourth wall!

GoblinGilmartin
2015-04-06, 04:26 AM
All this Star Trek talk, and no one is going to bring up the best series 4000 mechanoid of them all? Kryten 2X4B - 523P?

DigoDragon
2015-04-06, 07:31 AM
I read that as Roleplaying an Android (the OS for smartphones, other than iOS).

Now there's a character concept. AI in a smartphone. :smallbiggrin:


I RP'd as an android once, a doctor on board a small transport ship within a Star Trek style campaign. Except for the flexible cat tail, he looked like a human and had a personality like everyone else (The captain refused to believe my character was a 'droid because he'd hit on ladies at the bars regularly. As the captain once said, "No machine in this galaxy ever goes chasing that much tail.")

The quirks I picked out for him weren't big cliche ones machines seem to love having in stories. Maybe the biggest was that, like Data, he didn't use contractions in casual conversation (He could say them, but he'd have to actively think about it ahead of time). He never understood abstract art (then again, not everyone does) either.

He could be creative, but if he found a particular routine that worked, he'd stick with it until it stopped working, so he was a bit predictable in combat. He was aware he was a machine, but he never found a need to "become more human". He felt human enough and was fine with himself. Instead his longing was that he wished he was built as an engineering droid, not a doctor. He liked working on mechaical things. however, he was terrible at it because he had no programming, so he had to learn the skills like anyone else did.

Sajiri
2015-04-06, 03:17 PM
Admittedly, before I made this thread I googled 'roleplaying an android' and was met with pages of just 'RPGs for Android'

We had our second session last night, where she connected to the memory core of one of her 'brothers' and saw a memory of her creator when he was still working on her, and learned she is 'special' like that specific brother, though beyond that she knows nothing else, other than that brother seemed to act perfectly human and seemed to have a romantic relationship with someone. So now I guess she's going to take what she can from that memory core and use that brother as a role model.

She also got trolled online by one of her 'sisters', but she is apparently too oblivious right now and so is untrollable....yay? Playing an android so far is somewhat more amusing than I thought it would be