Post/Author/DateTime	Post
zioth 08-12-03, 01:25 PM	For the past seven years, I've been DMing a PBeM. The remainder of my RPG experience has been with a free-form game I made up, where the characters don't come with built-in personalities (so you're basically role-playing yourself). Last night, I played a PC for the first time in a live D&D game. I wrote up an elaborate character sheet, complete with history, description, personality, quirks, and an outline of the character's thirty years as an adventurer (starting level was 10, so I decided he'd been around for a long time, taking it slow). Now in the PBeM-style that I'm used to, my preperation would have been perfect. The character would have been internally consistant, reacting in ways appropriate to his personality and history. In this live game, though, I had a problem; there was no time to think. I ended up putting so much effort into remembering the rules and responding spontaneously to situations, that I couldn't really role-play well. Naturally, when I reviewed the session in my head later, I knew how my character should have responded to situations he encountered, but that's still the PBeM way of thinking. Now I expect that as I play more, I'll become more comfortable with the idea of a live game, but my question for now is this: What do serious role-players do to get in character? How do you avoid spending all your time scrambling to respond at all, let alone IC?
Darok 08-12-03, 02:06 PM	I try to act with all the mannerisms of my character, down to the littlest detail. If my character has a tendency to bite his knuckle when he is thinking, I acquire it. If he has lost his left arm, I stop using the left arm for anything while I'm playing the game (which makes for weird ghost-limb effects for me after the game is over, but thats another matter entirely). The more that you pick up and incorporate into your being for that time, the more it will work, and your character will become a sort of persona/mask you assume while in game. Try to even use those mannerisms out of character. If s/he has lost their left hand, don't use yours for anything save as a stumpy limb would be used. The little things add up. But... that may just be me :behold:
rayan4d2 08-17-03, 10:39 PM	Darock has the right feel for it. In a live game you cannot look at a situation and think to yourself "how would my character react to that?" You need to immerse yourself in your character so that you become that character, and think just as that character would. Its going to take some practice and you will need to find the comfortable spot where you are acting like your character but its not over the top.
Alrunic Silverfyre 08-18-03, 12:38 AM	It's basically all been said by those two who posted before me. Very good advice guys. Now, it would be nice if I only had to worry about playing one or two characters when I head over to our group's twice a weekly sessions. Over 4 years, we have all, collectively, incorporated 120 characters into the game. I have most of them (about 42 at last count) simply because I am also the DM and a big time fan of making characters to explore different types of personalities and characteristics. I too did internet free form and AOL role playing...as well as email role playing. Now to get into character, definitely become that character. How does one do this? Simple. For the rest of that evening, you are no longer you. You are that character. I know this sounds kind of weird and everything but you cease to exist while this other "part of you" becomes apparent. All your mannerisms should be that character until you leave that session. Your habits are gone and replaced by his or hers. It really is as easy as it sounds...just take to your character's mind and leave yours behind.
Trydan 08-18-03, 10:58 AM	For a newcomer, these things sound pretty daunting. So the trick is to keep it really simple, and as you gain gaming experience, expand your style. For me, I prepare a little booklet with my character stats, and the relevant sections of the SRD, cut-and-pasted into it. That saves me diving into the PHB everytime I need to do something. E.g. if I'm playing a Bard, my booklet has not only my character sheet, but also the rules for Bardic Song and the entries for each spell I can cast. Also included is my character background. Now from that, I derive 3 mannerisms. E.g.:[list=1] Each time the character makes a suggestion, he begins it with a hesitant "er.. er.. er.." Whenever I declare a combat action, always add "... shouting Have at thee!" Whenever something goes wrong, I cover my eyes with my hand and say "Why me? Why today?" [/list=1] Then, I write one of these mannerisms on the top of each page of my little booklet in large font (or felt-tip pen). Thus, every time I go to the booklet (which is often at the start of the game), I see this large reminder to throw in a mannerism. Sure, I miss a lot, but after a while, the other players get to know that passionate bard, uncertain at times, but enthusiastic and stout-hearted. The next trick is to make a point of declaring your name - especially at the beginning of the game. Don't just say "I'll attack the orc". Instead say, "Taq the bard attacks the orc, shouting Have at thee!". Soon, you'll find the others will have learnt your name, and will start calling you by it. (Make sure that you call the others by their character name too.) Yes, this is simple. Yes, it is not very sophisticated. However, for a newcomer, it will quickly get them to a point where they can start to seriously immerse themselves in the game. And others can readily latch on to something that sets the character apart from the player. I hope that helps.
Campeador 08-19-03, 05:25 PM	Trydan: I love your suggestion, and I'll definitely am going to try it out for my characters, starting with next session. So thanks a bunch!
Golem1972 09-01-03, 03:29 AM	I've been playing for about 20 years, and that is one of the best ideas I've heard in years. For me as well as the rest of my players, this will be a real help. Especially some of the ones that either have a hard time with the rules or with their roleplaying.
Liemannen 09-02-03, 10:30 PM	Wow... finaly a way to get everyone in the group to learn eachothers names and more roleplaying. This have to be the best tip ever :) When you talk about books... how many papers are your characters on and about how long does it takes to make the character from start till you are finished with a lvl 1 char about?
PhaedrusXY 09-03-03, 06:41 AM	Heh, I'm kind of wondering how easy it's going to be to role-play my next character. He's a ninja with alot of ranks in Bluff and Disguise, and the ability to change his appearance at will (as per the 3.0 version of Alter Self). He is also on the run from various organizations and individuals, and so always goes by assumed identities and has an item that lets him be constantly under the effects of a Mind Blank spell. I'm thinking I'll start out with several identities to use and a few details about each of them, including how they look and quirks about their personalities, and add more later as the game goes on. I was also thinking of saying he uses the identities of real people that he's met and studied, so that if anyone tries to scry for him using one of his false names, they'll get the real person instead of just having the scrying fail (from the Mind Blank). This might get some innocents killed, but he's not exactly a nice guy (formerly NE assassin trying to reform, now TN) and it will act to further confuse his pursuers and keep them off his trail. I have a few personas I've come up with so far, including an aged human male monk who is kind and wise, an attractive and spunky half-elven rogue girl, and an absent-minded gnomish male rogue. I'm thinking a surly half-orc or ugly human male might be good too, for when I'd rather not draw attention and be left alone in the less than savory parts of town. The character has a combination of monk and rogue abilities, so he can pull all this stuff off convincingly. He also has some magical powers, but I'm not sure if I want to try convincing people that he is even a multi-classed mage of any kind, and that would probably draw more attention than any of these identities. As far as interacting with the rest of the party, I'm not sure how to handle that exactly either. It would probably be better if they didn't even know out of character about the details of my character's history or who he really is, since it would reduce their urge to metagame when interacting with him and would force me to roleplay his paranoia more thoroughly. I'm thinking I'll pick one of the personas and just assume it while I'm with them. Of course, this might let my pursuers catch up with me eventually, and force me to either lie or come clean with the party at least partially. But I have compelling reasons to want to remain in their company (and no, it's not to kill them :smirk: ), and don't want to let them know that I can change my identity any time I want... at least not until I learn to trust them and think they can trust me, which might take a while. ;)
Liemannen 09-03-03, 10:19 AM	well PhaedrusXY it might be fun but we had a character like this in our group once... we trusted him less and less for each time he made a mistake and now he is so very dead :behold: But that is just our group... the guy who had this character is used to get killed before he gets too mighty because of his strange characters he makes all the time. Hope you make it better than he did :rolleyes:
Mr. VanderMeer 09-03-03, 10:44 AM	Getting in character becomes quite easy after you've played a couple of times. It comes naturally to most people. I can change from one character to another in a split second, as a DM, and as a player I can act in character in any situation. It is mostly a question of knowing your character.
PhaedrusXY 09-03-03, 07:41 PM	Originally posted by Liemannen well PhaedrusXY it might be fun but we had a character like this in our group once... we trusted him less and less for each time he made a mistake and now he is so very dead :behold: But that is just our group... the guy who had this character is used to get killed before he gets too mighty because of his strange characters he makes all the time. Hope you make it better than he did :rolleyes: I hope I do too. :D This party is not evil, so hopefully they won't just kill me outright even if they do get a bit suspicious. I'd hope at least the palladin would step in if that were about to happen, hehehe. And the game I'm joining is already in epic levels, so no need to worry about getting killed before I come into my power. ;)
Trydan 09-09-03, 04:25 PM	Originally posted by Liemannen When you talk about books... how many papers are your characters on and about how long does it takes to make the character from start till you are finished with a lvl 1 char about? I'm an enthusiast, so I generally put a lot of time an effort into these things, ending up with 20 pages of typed notes (including illustrations). This generally takes me several evenings. However, it doesn't have to be like that. Generally, the real essence of a character is written down in a single paragraph. It doesn't take long to jot down the germ of an idea. Then to make a first level character can be done pretty quickly too. Add a bit of time to consider his "future", and jot the notes down onto a piece of paper. In truth, I think it would take 1 hour and 1 piece of paper (or short text file). Mind you, note that I start with the concept first and then go on to mechanics, background, equipment, etc. That seems to be the most natural way to do it... we for me at any rate. I hope that helps.
Liemannen 09-10-03, 05:19 PM	mechanics? explain that please :)
Trydan 09-18-03, 08:54 AM	Originally posted by Liemannen mechanics? explain that please :) Suppose I have this idea for a Rogue/Bard who works for the Town-Criers guild as a reporter. That's the concept. I now explore this a bit further, and come up with some basic ideas. This results in a paragraph or a few bullet points of the basic traits of the character. In the case of this example, I posted the concept in the first message of the thread: Background for investigative reporter (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70343). It's a bit verbose, but it doesn't have to be. Just a few points will do. So then I come to the mechanics. What I mean here is the numbers on the character sheet. This usually means several sections. Note that these are "planning" notes, and not simply just filling in the boxes on the character sheet. This makes you think about the character and not the numbers. This makes a big difference.[list=1] Abilities - Consider each in turn, write down "high" "medium" or "low" depending on the priority of the stat for that character concept. Don't roll them, don't assign them. Just "high" "medium" or "low". Feats - Which are a "must-have" for this concept. Write them down, including any prerequesites. For the reporter, it was skill focus (gather information) and alertness Skills - What skills are a "must-have". Write them down, including the basic ability for them. For the reporter, it was gather information, followed by bluff, listen, search and spot. Spells - If appropriate, note your "must-have" spells. For my reporter, it was expeditious retreat and detect thoughts. Abilities revisited - now go back and bearing in mind the prerequisites of your "must-have" feats and skills, roll/asign your stats, keeping in mind your original ideas on "high" "medium" and "low". If you find that you are changing them around at this stage, it means you are being driven by the mechanics, not the concept. This is okay, but think carefully if this is what you actually want. Class progression - This may be just your starting class, but try to think a few levels ahead, and write them down. [/list=1] By now you'll have half a page to several pages of scribblings/typing. This then constitutes the "mechanics" section. I usually then pad it out to make it readable. I also include notes as to why I made some of these choices. It is a good idea not to throw these notes away at this stage, even though you have neatly copied the numbers to your character sheet. Why? Well, these notes provide the rationale behind your choices. And you should refer back to them, when you are deciding about going where to allocate new points on an increase in your character level. The other thing that goes into the mechanics section is a cut-and-pasted copy of any relevant rules from the SRD. As these notes are kept with the character sheet it may make it easier, rather than ploughing through the PHB each time. After the mechanics are done, I then move on to the other sections of the notes, e.g. equipment, background, etc. Sometimes the background is a vignette, instead of a history. That is a snapshot of a day-in-the-life of the character, enough to be a good introduction to the other players in the campaign. The vignette for the report er character is given here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70343#post1206924). I hope that helps. If anyone is interested, I could write a full article about this character generation technique. Or, if someone suggests a concept, I could show you how I would work it into a character - sort of a worked example. Just let me know...
Golem1972 09-18-03, 02:08 PM	Trydan, your approach to the whole character development problem sounds pretty good. It's a little more involved than anything I usually do, but very well put together. I run a small to medium gamers group(s), and I was wondering if you would mind making a text or .rtf of your system in a sort of guideline format and sending it to me at glmabry@yahoo.com or uploading it to the files section of my main group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ForgottenRealmsOnline ? I'd really appreciate it. I've been thinking of uploading the random background generation tables from the heroe builders guidebook to the group. They are kind of bland, but may give some of the guys ideas at least (or help make backgrounds for those players that are new or creatively challenged).
Liemannen 09-19-03, 10:16 PM	Originally posted by Trydan I hope that helps. If anyone is interested, I could write a full article about this character generation technique. Or, if someone suggests a concept, I could show you how I would work it into a character - sort of a worked example. Just let me know... Wow... are you a god of some kind? :bow: :bigeyes: :drool: I have to say that this techniqe kills the "make a uber character" stuff... If you realy want to write about it it would be very very welcomed by me and my group (I hope:)) I belive it will become more and more fun to play if you make stuff like this... ohh... always save all the notes of the character. It is always fun to read later sometime :)
Trydan 09-20-03, 06:03 AM	:blush: Err... I'm not that good, really. However, I enjoy what I do. Of course, writing up a really detailed "how-to-build-and-then-role-play-a character" will take a little bit of time, so please be patient. However, it shouldn't take more than a week, I guess. My first dilema, though, is deciding what character to write up. Well, following my own guidelines... start with a "concept". For that I have three at the moment: Bard/Paladin - starts off as a bard, learns of a story that stirs his heart, thus making him abandon his vagrant life and take up "the cause" of his own tale. Master Alchemist - A magic-user who specialises in poisons, potions and acid-damage magic. Roaming executioner - Rather than stealthy assassination, this is the overtly-ultra-just force of the ruling government. The first, being a multiclass, would need to start at a higher level (probably level.4, which is what we do in our campaigns). it also has the complication of an alignment change, which would required cooperation with the DM. The second could start at level 1, and perhaps that would be more suitable for a general article. The third is another straight-forward character, but then there'd be no opportunity to explore the area of magic/spells. Hmm... I think I'll go with the Alchemist, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions?
Liemannen 09-20-03, 09:50 AM	Alchemist would be nice. it isn't a base class and is not so very common... not what I know anyway :) The executioner could be good too since he got some problems to survive in the world I guess :rolleyes: Bard to paladin sounds alittle strange since... well... atleast I think it takes awhile for someone to be trained as a paladin but it wouldn't be any problem if you start at lvl 4 like you said. Just choose one. All is good :)
Ikoma Otekai 09-20-03, 01:02 PM	I must say, I love Trydan's ideas. That's brilliant advice. Promote that man. I like the cut of his gib. :D I'd like Trydan to use the Alchemist idea, myself. It's a cool concept.
KismetRose 09-22-03, 02:36 AM	I can give you a few ideas given what I've done (hope they help!): It is good to start out with some idea of where the character has been; I started gaming with Vampire, where a backstory was a requirement, not merely a request. I found that I could get really carried away if nobody stopped me, however, and that a lot of the work I did was left for naught. I try to monitor myself when I'm creating backstory so that I don't get superfluous. However, it is one thing to know the major events of your character's past - it is another thing to try to imagine and experience what they feel about those events. I try to do a little bit of that, and it often leads me to realize little details about the character. I've found that it can be very difficult to find the character's voice when you're too busy fretting over your own goals as a player. Sometimes you have to just quiet your own wishes long enough so that you can consider what the wishes of the character are. It should be all right to ask for a moment to think when a really important decision comes up. It helps to consider the kind of person the character is when you're making split-second decisions, so that even if you don't have much time to think through the details, you're at least acting along the lines of what your character is like. I try to give myself a few game sessions to really discover the character's voice. It is very difficult to get a character down pat during the first real-time session of a game, especially when you're playing in a format where you have to handle a bit of voice, body language and so forth. And it can be very easy to be hard on yourself for not living up to the performance you feel you should've done. I find that being hard on yourself only makes things worse. I do my best, when I am playing, to personalize the abilities and the details of my characters. My bard had rhymes to go along with every spell he knew, for example, and he had specially made clothes. I try to think about the equipment and the weapons and the spells as my character would regard them. What would they consider fun, a chore, boring, a necessary evil, etc? I address other group members by their character's names rather than their own when we're playing, and I try to get them to call me by the name of the character I'm playing. Eventually, getting in character becomes an automatic process. The thing is, it can be difficult to jump from one kind of character to another if you've been playing one character for a while. You may have to go back down to the detail level with a new character even if another one automatically comes to you.
Liemannen 09-24-03, 02:40 PM	Thinking and acting as the character is the hardets I know in some parts of the game. Thanks for the tips KismetRose :)
Trydan 09-25-03, 04:33 AM	Right. I'll start writing up "creating a role-playing character", using the Alchemist as the example. I'll probably get it finished on the weekend, so watch out for it early next week.
Trydan 09-26-03, 12:43 PM	Done. It ended up a little long in the end :blush: so I've created a new thread for it: How to create a role-playing character (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105563) I hope it helps.
Liemannen 09-28-03, 08:21 PM	Thanks alot Trydan :D
Dragan_Timeripper 09-29-03, 04:31 PM	Hello all. Now for my $0.01 (I'm too poor to pay $0.02). I find that it's much easier for me to get into a character if I listen to a 'theme-song' beforehand. For the White Wolf games, I use a bit of their Songs from the Succubus Club CD or other gothic music. For DnD, they have a theme CD as well from Midnight Syndicate, but I haven't heard it. I sometimes use Tsikovski (sp?) or Electrics or Ashley MacIsaac. For getting into character, I also like to sit off to the side in order to think like he thinks. I played a paranoid character once, and sat to myself to envision that the whole world was against me. As long as you can differentiate fantasy from reality, this is a great technique. Another classic technique is to go to a heavily-populated conversation area, such as a bus stop or busy restaurant. Don't draw attention to yourself, but watch other people talking, and notice their facial expressions and hand signals. Also, mix it up, taking various people as the subjects. I hope this helps. Happy gaming.
Trydan 10-27-03, 03:39 AM	Just on character voices, let me recommend Creating Npc Voices: 6 Techniques & Tips From Subscribers (http://www.roleplayingtips.com/issue80.asp), and in particular, scroll down to point number 6. The relevant issues of that great "E-magazin" are: NPC Speech Patterns (http://www.roleplayingtips.com/issue172.asp) 8 NPC parley tricks (http://www.roleplayingtips.com/issue25.asp) Creating Npc Voices: 6 Techniques & Tips From Subscribers (http://www.roleplayingtips.com/issue80.asp) I hope they help...
Dragon Bloodthirsty 02-27-04, 12:41 PM	when I roleplay, I become my character. So that I am convinced that I am my character; it disturbed my friends when I played a female good-girl cleric, so I'm banned from playing girls with that group now, but other than that I've found it rather rewarding (they also think that me playing evil characters is scary, as I never feel like I'm actually being evil -- while I'm in character).
zioth 03-01-04, 10:23 AM	You're scary... and that's exactly what I'm trying to figure out how to do. Maybe I just need to start with characters I can relate to better. The game I started with dissolved after two sessions (though it had been going for a year before I joined), so I never got a chance to really play that character. Soon thereafter, I joined another game, which I've been playing in for a while now. I'm still having trouble getting in character, but I'm working on it... Do you have any pointers on how to get in character, or does it just come naturally to you?
Raene Jagad 10-12-05, 08:40 AM	I have to admit that my tactics for getting in character are similar to some mentioned above but beyond having a thorough knowledge of my characters abilities my main one is to visualise the character themselves. It sounds simple but it can be anything but! I start with the character concept and build a character but then jot down some details from my attributes and think “Why do I have a charisma of 6?”. Pairing that up with the details of the character like race I conjure up an image of them in my mind and then write down what I see. That image I find carries through to how I play the character in game and makes it MUCH easier to describe them in a way that allows others to visualise what I look like. After all being able to get in character is one thing but if others see them completely differently than you you’re on a hiding to nothing. I personally rarely use mannerisms and stutters etc as that deflects attention to me and therefore away from my character. I do however think through very carefully how the character speaks and what specific references they use. At its simplest, it might be that my wood elf ranger speaks softly and calmly or that my pelorite cleric speaks boldly and strongly. Taking that a stage further I have semi catch phrases or things I reference, e.g. nature for my ranger or religious invocations/references for my cleric. They don’t have to be hugely specific or complete but if you slip them into your speaking people react very well. In the name of Pelor I abjure you (turn undead etc) Behold the wrath of Pelor (flamestrike!) My lord Pelor I beseech thee to (aid us in this struggle/heal thy servant ____/etc) Easy to drop into your speech and constantly reinforces what is the focal point of that character (hint it begins with P). If you haven’t done it before I’d strongly suggest you test run a few phrases while alone BEFORE you unleash yourself on the group. Saves choking and embarrassment and also means you can hit the gaming table with the right attitude etc. One thing you may want to do as a caster is to arrange with your DM for certain catch phrases to represent certain spells, e.g. in rage at the abomination standing before us Bogreth calls on the very earth to rise up and assault it (summon earth elemental). Its more of use if you have trademark spells and is far more pleasing that just saying “Bogreth is going to cast Summon Earth Elemental”. Takes a bit of practice and co-operation but really adds to the roleplaying atmosphere. Three last comments: 1) Be comfortable with your character and you’ll role play them far easier and enjoy yourself far more. I find that some characters I am just more comfortable at playing and that is clearly visible when I play them. Still to this day my main groups reminisce about Lady Lysanthir Ahmquissar (aristocratic airs) and Kamal Attaturk (mad megalomaniac vampire). It was simply that I found a niche in which I was very comfortable and everything flowed from there. Many times people reacted to what I said and how I said it and just assumed I could carry through what I said (bluff!). Other characters I have played have clearly had very little impact in the role playing arena and while they have been supremely effective (yes I’m a dirty min-maxer!) I have never felt satisfied with them. 2) No role playing character survives contact with your DM and fellow adventurers unscathed. Its almost inevitable that within a couple of weeks of starting a new character you will start adjusting mentally and changing how you act as you interact with everyone. Don’t worry about it and just go with the flow (unless you’re a paladin but that in itself just sets up interesting interplays as to your inflexibility). Even after all my years of roleplaying I am still prone to writing 20 page backgrounds and then changing my characters personality and behaviour within the first session! 3) Above all – BE DESCRIPTIVE. Don’t say “I’ll rage and hit the skeleton in front of me”. You might say “Seeing the skeletal abomination before him Bogreth feels the familiar red haze of his rage overcoming his senses. Screaming with fury he lashes out with his blade.” Yes its longer and more cumbersome but thumbs up for descriptive roleplaying. One important thing is that if you say something like “I’ll lash out with my blade at the skeleton’s head” it gives the DM the chance to actually react and also be far more descriptive making it more of a cinematic experience than a wargaming session. Start simply with describing what you're doing and then expand and elaborate on it to add a unique personality. Most of all – have fun! Oh well thats my 2p (sorry for the waffle)!