Tell us about your playstyle

[El Dorado]

When you play an RPG, you shine a spotlight on yourself that illuminates your likes and dislikes. What cool new things have your learned about your playstyle during your time as a roleplayer?

Some of mine:

I like skills. This causes me to drift toward bards, rogues, or simply a character with a high intelligence. Even if the class isn't known for its broad skill set, you can be sure my character will have somehow have a handful of skills.

I prefer spellcasters over nonspellcasters. Spellcasters are cool. They have *options*. Most importantly, they are more likely to turn the tide when things go south.

I cannot play a Lawful Good character to save my life. I've tried. Paladins, knights, clerics---I like the idea of honor and loyalty and being a shining example to the masses. Invariably, I 1)lose interest or 2)take the Nestea plunge into the Darkside.

I enjoy playing a character who is his own worst enemy. I have the most fun when my character is selfish, arrogant, greedy, and/or ruthless. Flaws are great. My best characters are heroic in spite of themselves. These flaws are even better when the DM runs with them.

I will not play a dwarf. Dwarves aren't pretty.

[Private-Prinny]

I've found that I hate Paladins with a burning, fiery passion. Lawful Good characters are all well and good, but the Paladin's *ahem* "class feature" gets annoying and old really quickly.

I also prefer spellcasters. I can not, however, play an unoptimized wizard. I just can't resist the urge to go for ultimate cosmic power. So, I pull back and play a sorcerer instead.

I can only play two alignments, Chaotic and True Neutral. I have a complete and utter inability to be lawful, and I fluctuate too much between good and evil, so I end up in the middle.

[Jack Zander]

My favorite role to play is the dashing, charismatic swordsman. I've played this role several times as a bard, rogue, fighter, and paladin. My favorite of all of these was a rogue whom I named Perry Fenserson. Straight rogue, optimized for AC to go through the roof and could only deal any significant damage through feint and sneak attack. He was definitely not the strongest character, or optimized for a rogue (he actually was trying to fill the fighter's role, rather than skill-monkey) but by golly, was he the most fun. His fighting style mimicked real-life fencing very well, as one on one combat with him typically took several long rounds as he dodged, feigned for an opening, and struck.

I also enjoy playing spellcasters of various types, just for the infinite number of options available. What I do not like playing is brute strength characters. Something that charges and attacks is boring and plain, and I like my characters to win through skill and tactics rather than brute strength.

[Yukitsu]

The only repeated "archetype" I've ever used is the paladin. Every one of them was played completely differently however, so I can't honestly say that I have any particular play style. I usually try to create a character, and act out how they would.

The most I can say that unifies them is they are all very goal oriented. They all want to see an end, and most of my RP is portraying my character choices on what I'm willing or not willing to do to see that end.

[Amphetryon]

Given a choice, I gravitate to 'debuffer' types: Warlocks, Hexblades, Dread Necromancers or just necro-focused Sorcerers.

That said, most groups I've been in need a tracker-type when I sign on, so Swift Hunter archetypes and beastmasters in one form or another are common themes in what I actually play.

[Superglucose]

Battlefield Control wizard, casting ~ 1 spell per encounter and daring the rest of the party to make my contribution last. "There, 3/4ths of them are blind. I'm done for this fight, now kick their ass."

Turns out I'm one of the few "pushers" who push games forward. This usually leaves me in a "party leader" roll, which, ironically, I don't like.

I have patience with newbies, but I do not have patience with newbies who refuse to learn (that's just a general thing, but it applies triple to RPGs).

I can't stand people who don't try to do something in combat. Example: for the past three encounters we've been against undead with DR vs piercing and the rogue is a xbow wielder so there's absolutely nothing she can do, and that's fine. She doesn't suicide her character and doesn't want to waste time shooting arrows that do nothing. On the other hand, I have lost count of the "I move to here but don't hit it because my character is against violence!" that have been pulled at a table I'm sitting at, which makes me want to throw things. Be useful if you can and problem solved.

[Gamgee]

It depends on game... and who I am playing with.

I have found that I can adapt to most situations, and learn how to roleplay my characters individually.

Regardless there are some trends.

At least in Star Wars and other Sci Fi/Modern games I love to play the bloody tough soldier, or gunslinger. Usually the soldier, and I... heh... like to optimize a little. So what if I can take down a Sith Lord with a fork... ;)

In most other games I seem to have some sort of random bad luck to always being shoehorned into the cleric role. Even when I role random characters I always seem to land on Cleric. It's so sad. At least I am getting really good at building clerics.

My favorite role to play when I can get it, the quick talking wise ass noble. Not necessarily a noble itself, but the skill set they get. I managed to swindle a Droid Shop owner out of his top of the line combat droid (capable of killing armies) at level one. I believe I "got hurt" in his store. Prompting a costly lawsuit, or a fair trade. Suffice to say he was happy to come out of that with anything.

I went on to go rampage around town with the authorities helpless to defeat my robot. Then I made some major BS and tricked them into bringing me under pay to bring it down. I did easily since it was under my control. Made an easy hundred thousand and never looked back. I also left quickly in a newly purchased and highly illegal modified freighter that day before they found out.

Then I made a jump to Tatooine and got into smuggling and made a crap ton of money in a single day. Modified my ship earlier, and bought all my party members the best **** ever. Even upgraded my combat droid.

In the span of a day I made SAGA's minimal WBL rules weep to themselves in a corner.

Consequently I'm never allowed to play one of those character again.

Also played a Barbarian more like a Paladin and tried to not kill as much as possible. Oh boy, did I piss that GM off. It was funny because I was succeeding.

[Deca]

I enjoy playing spellcasters usually, ones with lots of SOD spells and little of any other variety. They are suprisingly un-useful in a lot of situations. But I love them anyway.

Have been trying to branch out into non-spellcasters lately though.

[Gamgee]

Also I forgot to mention I can't play anything not good. It's ingrained in my blood or something. I think the best I ever managed was a short run neutral evil jackass wizard. Boy that didn't go well.

Several attempts to not be good have ended in equally disastrous consequences.

I usually play Neutral Good. Rarely Lawful Good, as it can be such a dumb alignment. Chaotic Good is just too.... anti hero ish for my tastes.

[Superglucose]

I don't have an alignment restriction really. I can do any of the nine alignments, it's just a matter of putting myself in the proper mindset. That being said, I can't stand kick-the-puppy so my evil characters are more selfish and driven by internal desires than anything else.

[Harperfan7]

I always play CG.

I usually play humans or elves; half-elves in pathfinder.

I like woodwise skillmonkey gish-lite speedsters (scout/wilderness rogue/swordsage/wizard/ruathar/swiftblade). That's really specific, but it's just what I love to play. I would rather play a guy who focuses in a couple things than a guy who specializes in one thing.

I'm the type of player who stabs the BBEG in the face when he tries to give a monologue. I prefer to act when others debate. I'm not egotistical, but neither am I sensitive - really, really thick-skinned.

I identify more with the protagonists of the Last Mythal series than any other story I can think of.

I can play anything, but if it lacks stealth/perception/athletics/nature and good will saves, I feel kinda stupid and vulnerable.
I don't like playing low int or wis characters. I don't like winning through charisma, it feels like cheating. I don't mind playing a below average charisma character, as long as they aren't ugly (it's just a little psychological quirk of mine, it doesn't even have to matter, I just don't like it).
I think I would have a hard time enjoying non-good characters and I imagice I can handle playing lawful, but not for 20 levels.

Admittedly, I just want to play competent me in various situations.

[Vulaas]

I enjoy making characters intentionally gimped in their main function (deaf engineer, orc warlock, the like), and then finding clever ways to excel regardless (or make people work in roles they shouldn't, like a dungeoncrasher fighter being used as the party scout). Alignmentwise, I generally gravitate more towards chaotic, or if I have to be lawful, either Neutral or Evil. Never have managed to stay LG for very long.

[Vitruviansquid]

I gravitate towards the Brock Samson type of characters. My group does a lot of talking and screwing around, so I tend to roleplay characters that can say "screw that, I kick in the door and barge in"

Besides, I find the 4e Fighter extremely fun to play.

[valadil]

I like variety. Once I've played a character I'm hesitant to reuse that type of character again. I break this rule though only when I didn't complete a character. We've done a few 4-5 session mini games. I'll happily recycle characters from those, or characters who died early so I can try to play them out again.

Build-wise I like having options. In 3.5, that means I almost always play casters. Tanks just don't do it for me. OTOH I'm perfectly happy playing a melee character in GURPS or 4e because they have enough options that melee is interesting.

I like to keep my characters at arms length from myself. Any closer (say, elbows length) and they're too similar to me. I get bored if I feel like I'm playing myself. Farther than arms reach and I can't grasp the character.

I feel my characters from the inside out. I try to understand their basic psychology and get inside their head. Then quirks, habits, and speech patterns emerge. This is my natural state and it works pretty well as a PC. But this has failed me as a GM. GMs switch NPCs like hats. So I'm trying to learn to play up the noticeable traits and learn from those who character is inside. This is a lot harder. My NPCs are more colorful for it, but I haven't really found a character this way.

I like optimizing. But I don't like comparing optimized builds with people. I usually optimize when I'm bored at work. It's like a solitaire puzzle. Fit these two prestige classes into 16 levels. That's entertaining. But for me it has nothing to do with roleplaying. I don't need to see that build play out in a real game.

In real play my preference is to come up with a person and then represent him with the system. When I play with powergamers I choose the closest representation that's still viable. It's not fun for me to feel like I'm not contributing to the game. I'd like to think that I'd hold back if playing with newbies, but I don't encounter them very often so I don't know for sure.

What I need in a game, what ultimately determines how well the game entertains me, is to leave my character's unique mark on the world. I'd like to think that if I played through the game another time with another character it would have gone differently. The worst situation I can be in is a world so robust that I can't affect it. Prewritten modules seem to be done this way. They have to be stable enough to handle any group of PCs without any additional work on the GM's part. I know a few GMs who write this way too and it irks the hell out of me. When I reach the point where I don't think my character makes a difference I pretty much stop roleplaying and treat the game as a series of puzzles and tactical combat scenarios.

[Mastikator]

I enjoy characters that create things. This could be a warrior who crafts his own arms.
Or a artificer type (not necessarily artificer class) who creates various magical wondrous items.

I find alignments burdensome so I'd prefer neutral, and then just add real descriptors, like "crafty" or "greedy" or "happy go lucky", or what have you. I suck big time at acting so there's only so much I can do, but I'm working on bettering that. I like to try different types of characters. I've played charming scoundrel like warrior, stoic rational and military like armorer, devious and vicious devil worshipper, I want to try many more than I can invent.

I also like exploration, plots don't interest me much as landscapes and cultures and people.


Too bad it's hard to find enough people who are willing and able to play simultaneously. :/

[Crosswinds]

I enjoy the kinds of characters that I can customize/adapt as the campaign goes forward. Although that might or might not be possible depending on the system.

I prefer using characters that can cast magic or have a supernatural feel, although if I do play a nonmagic character, s/he'll usually be based more on skill and finesse than brute strength.

For example:

D&D: I'm drawn towards Wizards and Druids here, especially, although I have been known to use Rogues, Rangers, and whatever class tickles my fancy when I buy a new book. As far as races go, I'm a big fan of Tibbits.

Anima: Again, I try to be a caster if I can help it, but it's not unusual to see me playing something less squishy like a Tao (Think Dragonball Z) or a Thief. I almost never play a human, instead opting for the Nephelim races, my favorite being the Daimah and the Ebudain.

Warhammer Fantasy: Since my friends and I use the random class table for this, it's a crapshoot. I optimize best I can with what I roll. I'm very partial to classes like Smuggler, Fence, and Grave Robber in this system. Humans tend to be my go-to race here.

Final Fantasy (Returner Version): Being a big FF fan, my characters are all over the place here, with greater emphasis placed on Summoners, Archers, and Engineers than anything else. My characters are usually Moogles or Humans, though I have been known to play the occasional Ronso Dark Night.

[Toric]

More than anything I like to play characters with fantastic culture barriers, like a dwarf who literally cannot reliably distinguish non-dwarf females from males lacking facial hair. Or an elf who tends not to waste time bonding with party members possessing particularly short lifespans. I gravitate toward good alignment, and vertically-challenged races.

Build-wise, I like PC's with useful out-of-combat skills. This means rogue or fighter with high intelligence, or cleric/druid focusing on utility spells. Despite this, I have never played a character with any classes in Wizard or Sorcerer.

[Deepblue706]

I never use recommended builds for anything. Not only must my character be creative, but the mechanics it uses must also be creatively applied. While I might borrow an idea or two from others, I find taking well-known paths for characters to be unstimulating. I need a challenge, and I need something different.

I explore new ways to define heroism in characters and I try to never do the same thing twice. I try to be distinctly different from most other PCs, and most PCs that I imagine most people have ever played as. I'm don't want to just play a hero in a fantasy world; I want to play a memorable one, and perhaps give people a fresh perspective.

[El Dorado]

I'm also a glutton for punishment. I try to make less optimal classes "work". Like the monk. Core 3.0. Point buy. PHB feats only. Did well against drow. Not so much against a dragon.

I still want to make the core monk work.

[Emmerask]

I'm also a glutton for punishment. I try to make less optimal classes "work". Like the monk. Core 3.0. Point buy. PHB feats only. Did well against drow. Not so much against a dragon.

I still want to make the core monk work.

Yep thats where the fun really is

[Totally Guy]

I like to try to get my voice heard in the narrative. So I try to tell the GM that I'm ordering a specific drink.

I'm frequently frustrated though.

If the campaign was to start with "After a long time on the road you finally reach the Castle." With no other explanation I take that to mean "you can make up why you are here and to an extent, what's inside". So I'll start talking about how great my uncle that lives in the castle is and about his conflict with the dwarves. I don't like backstories so I can do this kind of thing. I like to fill in the blanks that the GM leaves.

Then I end up looking dumb when the GM declares a completely different reality.

And when I GM I expect my players to act in the above fashion. They know this and seem to enjoy it. But I always feel sad that I don't get to play in this way.

Eventually I get fed up and I write an amazing backstory to make my own creativity into canon. They're usually pretty good. But generally the more backstory I've got, less satisfied I am with the game.

[Kol Korran]

to me the real surprise came from finding out i have entirely different Player desires when roleplaying than when i DM. i have started being a player only about 8-9 months ago, still in my first character, but so far i found that:
- i like playing inspired characters, most times ones with some track with religion. my current character is a cleric troubled about his faith, and i also have another PbP character which is an invoker ( 4E, a messanger of the gods basically).
- i like taking a buffer/ debuffer role in combat. i really like it when my allies succeed due to my help, or my enemies fail due to my "help" as well.
- i like to talk, converse, and so on. sometime a bit too much. as well as describe different aspects of my character's doing. i like roleplay.
- i'm a semi-optimizer. i try to take usefull feats, butnot game breaking ones, and most feats should really add to the character's concept. i do try to avoid utterly bad feats if i can.
- as to items, i find the "adding a fixed bonus" items quite boring, and i barely consider them. i like items who demand creative thinking (like Quatll feathers and the like). i HATE Ioun stones. they feel beyond silly to me.
- strangely as a player, i'm utterly detached of DM-mode: being concerned about balance, CRs, and so on. the only part that's left is making sure the party works together, and that everyone has fun.

that's my player's experience anyway, i DM completley differently...

[Jon_Dahl]

I like to plan my character very carefully. But I'm not a real optimizer (see below).
I like unusual characters. But not too obviously unusual, such as half-orc paladin. More like a bard with a giant club... "Wtf, a bard with a greatclub?!" I like my characters kind of unique and funny.
I like to be a team-player. Even though my character is more or less excentric, I like to play a helpful role in the team
I want to be on the same side with GM and help his story
I'm usually pretty quiet and I like to have brief but funny moments in spotlight
I want to surprise everyone in a positive way
I keep things secret until the last second
I don't like really complicated games

And the most important thing:
If others (GM included) enjoy my character and have fun, I enjoy playing.

[Totally Guy]

I don't ever keep secrets anymore. I can get exactly what I want from the game by telling people what I want from the game. If I've got a secret agenda, everyone knows it already, even if in character they don't.

When I first played World of Darkness I had another player completely screw my guy over. Framed him for murder and everything. And he called me dumb for falling for it.

And then we had "I was only roleplaying what my character would do" to absolve all responsibility from him.

I'll use that one. Never.

[Greenish]

…a dwarf who literally cannot reliably distinguish non-dwarf females from males lacking facial hair.

You can easily distinguish a female dwarf from a beardless male dwarf, because only the latter lacks beard.

[potatocubed]

Hmm. I play whatever character springs to mind, really. I like to play against type, which often comes back to bite me in the ass (especially in 4e - halfling wizards don't work well).

I like to play goblins. Yay goblins.

I like to play characters who can solve problems with stealth or negotiation, not just punching things until they explode.

I don't play evil characters - I just can't summon the requisite malice or cruelty, even for fictional beings.

I build characters who will follow along with the story and get on with the other PCs. I'm not out to disrupt things. (In sandboxy or PvP games, all bets are off.)

I don't play clerics. I find them unspeakably tedious.

In 4e, I play controllers (and occasionally defenders). I love to slide people around the map.

[weenie]

I like playing characters, who have lots of options in and out of combat. Casters, gishes, skill monkeys, multiclassed skillmonkey casters.. Not so much love for the divine.

I have no problems with playing any alignment, but I don't enjoy playing overzealous characters. Even if I play a LG character, he won't charge every undead he sees, if it seems under someones control.. And when I play someone who's Evil, they're never dedicated to the "evil cause", but are usually selfish, or sometimes sadistic people, minding their own business.

[herbe]

Elf-gnome bastard wizard with various template. Skillful wizards is the best who can solve most of the problems if he in good mood . Most of my characters are Netural Evil.

I have the most fun when my character is selfish, arrogant, greedy, and/or ruthless. Flaws are great.

Same as mine
I also prefer templates(without phisical change) because it makes my chars unique with special abilities as they arent a normal base creature but look like as base creature.

I hate halfling and i dont play as NG, LG or CE character.

[Graymayre]

I'm an inquisitive and a support character. I like investigating something more than anything else. I normally play bards and artificers.

[Aharon]

I prefer humorous guys. What they actually do in battle doesn't define them, more often, their interactions with others are what's important. I do optimize though, to prevent feeling useless during fights. People with access to magic seem to be better able to take this attitude towards fights, in my opinion - at least in D&D.