Post/Author/DateTime	Post
celestialkin 08-15-07, 06:48 AM	A recent thread just got me thinking about this. Thinking back I realized that my tastes in characters through the years have, at least on some levels, reflected my mindset and life at the times I played them. All the way back from my outsider days as a teenager (lots of half-elves and good drow) to my most recent characters (who have had big death themes). In addition, I have also noticed that I tend to play very chaotic, creative, and artistic characters, while I tend to be very lawful, cautious, and logical in real life. Is it just me venting through my characters, or do other players/DMs here do the same? Are our characters a reflection of what we fantasize about being? A manifestation of who we wish we were? Like the shy guy playing a valorous hero who saves the princes, or the guy working in a cubicle playing a traveling bard who lives from moment to moment never knowing where he will end up next.
gullas 08-15-07, 06:58 AM	Like the shy guy playing a valorous hero who saves the princes, or the guy working in a cubicle playing a traveling bard who lives from moment to moment never knowing where he will end up next. I have made many clerics , to be the center of the groupe or something wich is big part of the group. latley my newest char. concept is revenge and complete'ing things in a very brutal way(something wich I couldn't do) , so yes characters sometimes reflect our inner selves and what we are going through:)
WorldsLargestDungionFan 08-15-07, 08:38 AM	Players just make characterd based on what they want at the time, I've created players That I hate and dispised, Only becouse I "Like" Rolling randomly for the class and race I play, So Characters Are just that, A Character, We can role play with them, But for some people like me, There at times nothing realy but to help out the fellow party members, I Like rolling randomly of my race/Class to see what character Im going to play next, and even my Aligment, Half the time I dont even like the character, the other half, there ok very few times do I like the things I get, But hey I like the challange, So in a way we pick characters we think would be Fun to us, nothing more nothing less, there not realy "Our inner selves" Becouse Theres no way Im clouse to some of the things Ive played There just something we consider fun at the moment, I Like playing Randomly and trying to make it work, I like the challange, to a point
Seeker95 08-15-07, 08:42 AM	Are our characters a reflection of our inner selves?My characters neither reflect nor reverse my inner self. I tend to play a concept that "came to me" through the course of my recent life -- usually as a complete steal from an idea someone else posted on these Boards, then tweaked a bit to make it fit whatever game I am bringing it to. I can play archetypes just fine, and deviation-from-archetype is equally easy. But none of the PCs I play relate to who I am, who I want to be, or who I think I should be. Nor do my characters reflect the "opposites" of these.
Novacat 08-15-07, 09:05 AM	My characters don't relate to me at all. Some of them have been close, particularly when I actually played myself. Others, I would never be able to get along with or agree with.
LCD2YOU 08-15-07, 09:11 AM	Of course. All of my characters are an exaggeration of a small part of me. The simple brute who takes things as black and white. The mage who thinks down deep. All are parts that I get to explore when I'm playing. When it comes on down to it, if you want to "get" to any character get on the nerves, in game, of the player playing the character. No matter what, the character Achilles' heel is always the same as the player's.
rex_subterrae1008 08-15-07, 09:16 AM	My characters have all been a version of myself, or rather, how I wish I were... I started out with a halfling rogue, mainly because I'm relatively small and somewhat dextrous... Lately, however, after getting hit by an SUV, I started considering playing a halfling wizard instead, focusing on mental skills, considering IRL I can no longer run... So, I think that, yes, in some ways our characters do reflect something of who we are or wish we are...
Rogue Shadows 08-15-07, 09:26 AM	Let's see, my characters from major roleplaying ventures... Iliira of Gell's Pass/Iliira Ii'ilmerias Chaotic Good human-raised dark elf Rogue/Thief-Acrobat. Kaya Anaxes Human Jedi Sentinel, with emphasis on stealth skills, and a mounting Dark Side score Veeda Aguni Chaotic Neutral Damon* Flameshaper**. Likes to burn things. Is a superhero. So from the looks of things, I want to be a stealthy, chaotic pyromaniac. And possibly a chick. Hmm. --------------------- *Race I made. Sort of like a genie/djinni hybrid, sort of. But not really. **Class I made. Imagine a Shadowcaster focused around fire instead of shadows. Otherwise, it's the same thing.
elondir 08-15-07, 10:18 AM	For better or worse, yes, my characters have all been reflections of my inner self. And I bet most have been munchkiny wizard Marty Stus or leather-clad womanizing 2nd edition AD&D bards.
IRememberCecil 08-15-07, 10:27 AM	Are our characters a reflection of what we fantasize about being? A manifestation of who we wish we were? Hardly. My current character is a pedophile.
Einvaldurinn_mikli 08-15-07, 10:39 AM	Hardly. My current character is a pedophile. Yes, whereas you are into bestiality. So, no connection there.
Netak 08-15-07, 10:47 AM	A recent thread just got me thinking about this. Thinking back I realized that my tastes in characters through the years have, at least on some levels, reflected my mindset and life at the times I played them. All the way back from my outsider days as a teenager (lots of half-elves and good drow) to my most recent characters (who have had big death themes). In addition, I have also noticed that I tend to play very chaotic, creative, and artistic characters, while I tend to be very lawful, cautious, and logical in real life. Is it just me venting through my characters, or do other players/DMs here do the same? Are our characters a reflection of what we fantasize about being? A manifestation of who we wish we were? Like the shy guy playing a valorous hero who saves the princes, or the guy working in a cubicle playing a traveling bard who lives from moment to moment never knowing where he will end up next. Well it is a interesting question but for me, no. (For someone maybe but not for me I guess). I have played a lot of different classes, and I think that my way of doing it is trying a new class every new scenario or campain. I have been Dread necromancer, Wizard/bloodmagus and Psonic (A lot more but as a lot younger)
Jewelprotector 08-15-07, 02:49 PM	Oh, always, to some extent. Of course, I'm a method actor, so it's very difficult for me to convincingly rp, otherwise. Most of my characters tend to be good--except for one I made during a very dark period of my life. I worked out a LOT of "issues" with him. They also tend to be either lawful or chaotic--very rarely neutral on either axis. The ones that reflect the parts of my self that I like are usually female. The ones that reflect my "darker side" (for lack of a better term) are almost always male. However drastically different from myself they may seem on the surface, there's always an anchor in who I really am, from which everything else proceeds.
Jamesruglia21 08-15-07, 03:53 PM	Most definately, although I cheat in real life and level both Paladin and Monk. But in-game, I like to use the Paladin class. It combines my real-life values and attempts to exercize them and be an example with the perfected, charismatically superior "knight in shining armor" image.
Artifact 08-15-07, 05:21 PM	Over the years, I've favored playing paladin-types. I don't think this is symbolic or reflective of my inner nature; in fact, my inner nature is far from pure and pristine. My biggest shortcoming (as I see it) is: I can be impatient and independant, and this sometimes makes me appear unpleasant or even rude. On the plus side, I've learned to accept others as they are (i.e. I'm pretty open-minded, not too judgmental). Its taken a lifetime, but I think I'm comfortable now with how I am, and that comfort has made me easier for others to deal with. I'm still impatient, but I've learned that even a small bit of pleasantness (sometimes this as much as I can muster up) goes a very long way towards smoothing things out. Anyway, this doesn't seem like a typical "paladin" personality at all. On the other hand however, I have very definate ideas about what is right and what is wrong; you might even say I see things in terms of black and white. For example, I make a personal decision to never, ever steal, no matter whose watching or what the circumstances at the time. Its a strict ethic but its one I follow and take pride in for myself. Why? In my career, I work in a position of trust. It occurred to me one day just how valuable trust really is, how rare it is, and how easily it can be lost. I don't really want to go into specifics, but I made up my mind one day that I might be able to repay such trust by never stealing, not even a penny in the street. Think of how easy it would be to steal a penny. The problem is, it doesn't stop there, because soon, you're stealing a nickle, then a dime, then a quarter. Why? Not because you need to but maybe because its so damn easy. Money isn't the only thing that can be stolen of course, but it serves well enough for this example. In my heart, I've always believed that if you do something wrong (no matter how minor or insignificant the infraction) you will pay a price; at the very least, God knows :). Maybe this isn't realistic, but this is my mindset, and it has encouraged me to live by an unflinching "code of conduct". I guess if you look at things in this light, then yes, playing paladins does reflect on my inner nature. Boy, had to do a bit of soul searching to dig that baby up ;).
Salla 08-15-07, 05:33 PM	To a certain degree, elements of your own psyche must enter a character. If you can't wrap your head around a certain worldview, you won't play a character like that ... or if you do, it becomes a caricature thereof. Role-playing games, in many ways, wish-fulfillment fantasies; the chance to pretend you're doing something dramatic and important instead of day-to-day drudgery.
Skara 08-15-07, 05:42 PM	I would say very much so. A bit like Jewelprotector, All the characters I've designed (regardless of if I've gotten a chance to play them yet) enlarge some aspect of my personality, way of life, aspirations, and so on. It's just so much fun and so easy to play them that way. If I'm playing the volitile, unstable and dark sorcerer Talus, I know exactly what he would do in a situation. All I need to do is think of what I would do, providing I was incredibly irritated at something, like I had just smashed my face into a door, tripped, or something.
TiwazTyrsfist 08-15-07, 06:05 PM	Yeah. D&D is about 70% wish fulfillment for me.
VulcanStormwrath 08-15-07, 06:23 PM	Not all of them. However being a professional martial artist definitely makes my monks more dynamic, and I tend to pick feats related to what I can actually do. My basic nature is very Paladin-like which is probably why whenever I do play a Paladin someone inevitably mentions that it's the first time they didn't hate the Paladin.
IRememberCecil 08-15-07, 06:33 PM	Yes, whereas you are into bestiality. So, no connection there. Exactly.
TimeBandit 08-15-07, 06:35 PM	I have observed the following: 1. Player runs a charcter he would like to be. 2. Player runs a character he thinks he is. 3. Player ultimately runs a character that is himself, despite class, alignment, or races restrictions. 4. Player runs a character very different from himself, sometimes stating it as a 'challenge.' This may be an inner self coming out, or it may simply be the challenge of it. There are others, but that's all I can think of right now.
IRememberCecil 08-15-07, 06:43 PM	My characters are usually very experimental, in terms of personality traits and mechanics. So add a fifth group: Experimental roleplayers. People who add extreme or unsettling elements to their characters to add flavor to them, try to empathize with them, for laughs or a combination of the above. They usually do some research on the added traits so as to not lose authenticity.
Yaeri 08-15-07, 06:45 PM	There's a lot of me in my current character. Then again my current character is my first character. Since I do not want all my future characters to be copies of the same character again and again, they will be different. My next character will probably focus on a few of my traits. The more characters I make, the less they'll probably resemble myself. Because I wouldn't want to keep repeating the same concept. Yes, whereas you are into bestiality. So, no connection there. And one can't be into both simultaneously how? Never mind. Don't answer.
IRememberCecil 08-15-07, 06:47 PM	And one can't be into both simultaneously how? Never mind. Don't answer. I think it was mostly the fact that he's not willing to accuse his friend of being a pedophile without good reason. And I am not a pedophile.
Optimator 08-15-07, 06:51 PM	I think it was mostly the fact that he's not willing to accuse his friend of being a pedophile without good reason. And I am not a pedophile. :incog: IRememberAqualung ;)
Artifact 08-15-07, 06:58 PM	:incog: IRememberAqualung Well, I don't remember any of this. :confused: [Edit]
IRememberCecil 08-15-07, 06:58 PM	:incog: IRememberAqualung ;) Sometimes I wish I listened to Jethro Tull more. That song is too good.
Optimator 08-15-07, 07:00 PM	Word. That whole album was awesome.
DoveArrow 08-15-07, 07:24 PM	I have observed the following: 1. Player runs a charcter he would like to be. 2. Player runs a character he thinks he is. 3. Player ultimately runs a character that is himself, despite class, alignment, or races restrictions. 4. Player runs a character very different from himself, sometimes stating it as a 'challenge.' This may be an inner self coming out, or it may simply be the challenge of it. I think this is a pretty good list. The only thing I would add is: 6. Player runs a character based off of a character he's seen in a movie, or read about in a book. I mention this one, because I've played a couple of characters from movies or books who don't really fall into any of the other four categories. The two that come most readily to mind are a human paladin, based off of Don Quixote, and a gnome wizard, based off of Milton Waddams, from Office Space.
IRememberCecil 08-15-07, 07:27 PM	I think this is a pretty good list. The only thing I would add is: 5. Player runs a character based off of a character he's seen in a movie, or read about in a book. I called dibs on number 5.
DoveArrow 08-15-07, 07:31 PM	I called dibs on number 5. Fine. :rolleye2:
Stormbrand 08-15-07, 07:54 PM	Characters draw their inspiration from somewhere, and it has to inspire the person who creates or plays them to be remotely enjoyable. The character could represent a psychological feature or theme worth exploring, something which intrigues the author/player. Perhaps it is a piece of life to follow through with. For example, the reason to play paladins is simply a love of heroics - protecting the innocent, helping those in need, and a sense of justice - these are the sort of things I live for, yet also things I need to be cautious about in regular life - since civilians are discouraged from chasing down the bad guy. So playing a paladin enables me to be unreserved with those noble impulses. Not sure why I play evil characters as well. Mostly because I like dark and scheming, I enjoy strategy and organisation, and playing a power hungry character indulges that for me. Taking down a city is an intellectual challenge for me, but I am too nice at heart to indulge in terrorism during my spare time.
BlackHalfDragon 08-15-07, 08:20 PM	tend to play very chaotic, creative, and artistic characters, while I tend to be very lawful, cautious, and logical in real life. Im kinda the same. Im good, well I try to be. And help people and I study science and like photography. so Im a neutralish in terms of L N C type stuff as a result my characters tend to be either chaotic and good or evil sometimes lawful evil too. the whole scheming, or randomness of it all. Its the freedom to do stuff we cannot or daren't in real life !
SokenzanMarauder 08-15-07, 08:43 PM	If my characters are my 'inner self' I scare me... -Gene
Jewelprotector 08-15-07, 08:59 PM	I don't generally scare anybody, but my mate does it quite frequently. Both in and out of game.
Salakk 08-21-07, 01:54 PM	YES MAN! TOTALLY! im like 511-6 foot and i play a grugach (wild elf) barbarian named Albram i totally believe that the characters we play some how come to represent us.
Corpus 08-21-07, 02:14 PM	My characters usually aren't anything more than "guy with sword," "guy with dagger," "guy with mace," and "guy with spells." So, absolutely.
Ecalsneerg 08-21-07, 02:18 PM	I have a deep penchant for Chaotic Good types, and I'd say that reflects my attitude to life. However, my Neutral Evil Half-Dragon Barbarian probably doesn't reflect me. Or at least I hope not. (He stabs out eyeballs!)
VulcanStormwrath 08-21-07, 03:26 PM	6. Dartboards a class/race etc. just to see if it's a)Playable b) Fun 7. Plays a character on a dare. (I did this once, argument over "Paladins all suck and are no fun". Shut them up I did.)
Rogue Elendae 08-28-07, 03:59 AM	Well, given that my friends have described me as being something akin to a CN half-Drow (with one friend saying that the other half was actually Elf, just because I'm quite petite) Rogue, but I've never played one, I don't know if all my characters necessarily reflect what most say is the inner me. However, I've played a female CG Elf Rogue who was snarky, brazen, somewhat hedonistic, fond of her wines, fast with a rapier and a dead-eye with a light crossbow. I'm sarcastic, brassy, a bit hedonistic, fond of my wine and other liquors, know a bit about fencing (much of my gang of friends know their way around blades and/or hand-to-hand of some sort...don't ask), and am a good shot with a crossbow or light pistol. Pretty close, though most of the aspects of the Rogue's personality were exaggerated from my own. Second character was a male NE human Ranger (who leaned toward CE at times), who was sadistic, casually cruel, homicidal, vindictive, and enjoyed nothing more than tricking people into situations that made them into his helpless "prey" that he could hunt down at his leisure. Now I've been accused of being sick and twisted at times, but I've never deliberately hurt someone, nor would I do so no matter how often I mockingly threaten it. I'll admit to being vindictive and occasionally enjoying the suffering of others when I'm in such a mood, but it's not my usual mentality. Nor would I hunt someone down like an animal...so again, this might borrow a bit from my personality, but it's taking it beyond real logical extremes. I'd say (as I believe others in this thread have) that some people's characters are exaggerations of their own personalities or inner selves taken to a logical--or even beyond the logical--extreme. I know mine have ranged from simple exaggeration of an aspect of my personality, clear up to an extreme, twisted take on the darkest parts of my nature. However, some people are also likely to just play their characters without any personal investment, but it all just depends on the player.
HouseElf 08-28-07, 04:08 AM	In the real world typically 80% of what you do is either 'as if' or self-destructive. Self destructive stuff means doing things you wish you didn't (if you where honest with yourself) such as eating junk, smoking, watching too much tv, shouting at your wife, being a wimp at work etc. Basically not living up to your potential. 'As if' stuff is stuff you do because in theory its what you should want to do, such as going to work, getting married, having kids, being polite to people, etc. If you where honest with yourself you'd see that you don't actually enjoy these activities, in fact you dislike them. But you realize your life would suck more if you didn't do them. A dnd character is different as everything you do you do because you want to and because they are positive. Which is how you should be in the real world too. Its just a lot easier in DnD. (I admit though in Cathulu I played a house like doctor - before I'd seen house, but thats just because you're innately screwed in Cathulu).