Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Majick 06-29-07, 01:23 AM	I have been having this issue for some time now and just thought i'd bring it to light to see if anyone had some possible solutions - In ever game i have ever played and with every group i have ever either DM'ed or been a player in i have always found that peoples ideas of their characters seem to always match their own a little to heavily. Understandibly people play from what they know and obviously have preferences towards certain classes but i find that people almost invariably end of playing the same 'character type and personality' with every class and race they choose, despite different alignment and 'apparently' different backstory. This is not true of all my games of course but in one of them i am currently involved in there is a player who, for lack of better wording, simply cannot play anything but Chaotic Neutral. They simply don't know anything else. I do not believe it is beyond them mentally or above their ability to roleplay, but they seem to always 'slip' into a chaotic neutral mindset despite the fact that they might very well be Lawful Good. Has anyone else had this issue? And if so, ideas on how to approach the player and DM about what to do about it?
OleOneEye 06-29-07, 01:36 AM	All problems in the game should be dealt with in the same manner. An honest, open, non-confrontational conversation.
Rerecros 06-29-07, 01:49 AM	I don't really see a problem with players typecasting themselves, they seem to be having fun so why rock the boat :)
Ioosef 06-29-07, 02:28 AM	The same thing happens in my group, there's this one player that keeps playing this CG character, and after a while it gets kinda annoying, I mean all other character are different, except his. Perhaps you should try to work with him and create a new and different personality for one of his characters and make him stick to it, and may be that way he'll stop playing the same old personality.
Nor'Morgwae 06-29-07, 03:41 AM	As a DM if I had a problem with it I would ask each player to, on a notecard or the like, jot down the characters basic moral code and then use that to help them stay in character. As a player I tend to occasionally raise and eyebrow and ask them "What alignment are you?" if they are WAY out of their alignment. Don't nag about it though, and if they don't take the hint let it slide. You can also try playing completely against yourself. Play a character that does things that are way out of character for you. The others may notice and try to follow suit or they may just think you're being weird and continue with business as usual. However, if you are the only one who has a problem with it, then the most likely solutions are: 1) Get over it. or 2) Get another group. I don't mean that with any malice, it's just that people don't respond well when you ask them to play the game differently just because they aren't playing the way you would like them to. So, if the group doesn't agree with you, they are unlikely to change the way they play or even make one player play differently just to suit you. Even from the DMs chair you can't change the way someone plays the game unless they want to play differently. All it does is make the game less fun for everyone. I have one player who is the exact same way, all of his characters are him with pointy ears, purple skin or whatnot. I do feel your pain.
Azezel 06-29-07, 07:31 AM	As a player I tend to occasionally raise and eyebrow and ask them "What alignment are you?" if they are WAY out of their alignment. Don't nag about it though, and if they don't take the hint let it slide. Morbo? http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q101/MCP1/Alignment.jpg Thank you, Morbo. Alignment is not how a character should act, Alignment is how she does act. If a character consistently acts against her alignment, just tell the player t change what is written on the character sheet.
mato_hibiki 06-29-07, 08:34 AM	Ah Morbo... The go-to guy when you need to apply a point with a rubber chicken... :D Love him, or he WILL DESTROY YOU! I tend to play mostly similar characters myself, mostly because I find a CG alignment the most acceptible to me. My characters never do anything overly wrong, and aren't too hung up about wearing the shiny armor and riding the horse through town. Not too many compunctions about helping themselves to the contents of said horsemen's saddlebags, however... There is another reason for this. My party complains when I try out other alignments. You could be in this area, and unaware of it. For example, I played a LG paladin. And- hey, you in the back, quit booing! As I was saying, paladin. I stood out in the open when I stumbled across a pack of goblins (by myself, as the campaign was just starting) and pretty much challenged them all to combat. Dumb? Well, maybe. Any of my CG characters would just sneak around, do some back stabbing perhaps. My paladin, however, felt that not only would his god guide his hand, but those dead gobbos should tell whoever handles the souls who's foot was firmly planted on their backsides when they bit it. The dynamic with the party, an hour later, was not as smooth. FYI, I always play with the same group, have been for years. Now, the other end of the spectrum. LE. I killed people who opposed me, and I actualy took orders from a LG cleric a few times. the Lawful part came in as my personal code of honor. If they were going to oppose justice, I was cutting them down, plain and simple. No schemes, no villan-esque laughing. Just stab, slash, clean off my sword, on to the next job. I think I ended a few plot hooks this way, but the campaign was short, because one player has... Issues. Personal issues. Moving on. I played TN once. Nobody ever offered me cash, so a metric ass ton of plot hooks went away. CE. One time. Took joy in describing horrible ways of maiming and torturing any guys who attacked us, then just flat out killed them. Come to think of it, that campaign ended because all they players agreed, I was just to good at playing that role. It scared them, they said. :D A very fond memory, that day. The whole point is, perhaps there isn't the problem of bad acting (though, I have had my share of games utterly ruined by one player, who no matter what he had on his sheet, always played NE/TN. Sad but true.) but it could simply be a problem of the group not liking the dynamic being changed. My group prefers that I play CG, and that I tend to jump in and 'save' the day, or at least their skins. The typical hero isn't always a desired role, some prefer the sage advisor, or the cunning forester who's leery of city types, or... Ugh, the loner who can't get along with ANYONE. The point of this long, and drawn out .. uh, thingy, is, maybe you need to open it up to the whole group. Ask them what they all want out of the experience? On the off chance I'm right, I'll add this; it could be a game mechanics issue. LG to use that holy avenger, or human just to squeeze out an extra feat, or elf because they want a character to be around longer. Side note and off topic, I love playing skillful rogue types, but I HATE filling out all those damn skill points... Though, I tend to out muscle the fighters with sneak attack ploys... Should I use a scout or ninja or something instead?
Forfeit 06-29-07, 09:38 AM	How old are they? If they are like 14, they really wont be able to act in any way diferent from what they really are. I dont expect anyone younger than 18 (or 20) to have a consistent grasp on what allignment really means, and how the ideas you have about the world really change your perceptions and actions. Ok, someone mature enough can know that when he is 15, but those are few and far between. So, I doubt anyone that is not mature would be able to play an alignment they doesnt follow in real life in any way that is not completely shallow. Also, if your players dont like to read much (both fiction and non-fiction), dont ask for much. There are people that have never readed a book out of school.
bob_the_great 06-29-07, 02:47 PM	I want to thank Morbo for making a great point. What's the problem again? My wife almost always plays CN (not chaotic stupid, actual CN) because that's what she finds most natural (and therefore fun). I on the other hand jump around the alignment spectrum because I enjoy challenging myself when it comes to alignment/character type. Also, I wouldn't care if all of her characters were the same (which they aren't). I'm busy enjoying my character. You can't force variety on others, you can only ensure that you bring variety to the table.
Eater_Of_Souls 06-29-07, 03:46 PM	If everything is working as it should be why change things ?
Salla 06-29-07, 09:15 PM	I have known two players who always play the same character, regardless of class, race, abilities, or genre (his fantasy characters are the same as his superheroes or his Jedi ..). It gets irritating, though it's nice from the GM perspective (well, I can predict HIS actions easily enough). In the end, you can't force someone to RP a particular way.
Caelic 06-29-07, 09:35 PM	I have been having this issue for some time now and just thought i'd bring it to light to see if anyone had some possible solutions - In ever game i have ever played and with every group i have ever either DM'ed or been a player in i have always found that peoples ideas of their characters seem to always match their own a little to heavily. Understandibly people play from what they know and obviously have preferences towards certain classes but i find that people almost invariably end of playing the same 'character type and personality' with every class and race they choose, despite different alignment and 'apparently' different backstory. This is not true of all my games of course but in one of them i am currently involved in there is a player who, for lack of better wording, simply cannot play anything but Chaotic Neutral. They simply don't know anything else. I do not believe it is beyond them mentally or above their ability to roleplay, but they seem to always 'slip' into a chaotic neutral mindset despite the fact that they might very well be Lawful Good. Has anyone else had this issue? And if so, ideas on how to approach the player and DM about what to do about it? It tends to happen; certain people just play certain types of characters better than others. F'rinstance, in one group I used to be in, people called it "Midland Karma." The idea was that certain players could start out to play saints, and would still wind up coming across as sleazeballs in character; others could set out to play an evil assassin and wind up as heroes. I was one of the folks the latter was pointed towards; at the time, I was playing a craven goblin poison-maker who ultimately wound up as the Chosen of the Goddess of healing and mercy...and, yes, one of the heroes of the piece. In my case, I recognize my limits. I don't do treacherous well. I don't like doing treacherous, particularly to other players. I can screw over an NPC without too many qualms, but I feel genuinely bad if I screw over another player. So: I tend to play heroes much more often than villains.
kelvinaw273 06-30-07, 03:14 AM	It happens, particularly in an RP-lite campaign, that players will essentially 'play themselves' a lot more. Invariably all characters we play have at least aspects of our own character in there, so this is understandable. The golden rule: Are you having fun? If the answer is Yes, great. The only time this is a problem is if you are more flexible player and want to do something different now and again, and can't because the rest of the party always adopts the same roles, leaving you with few choices.
Radijs 06-30-07, 09:21 AM	At the moment I am playing a TN character, or LN somewhere leaning towards that end of the spectrum. He's fun to play because unlike me, he is not nice. He is a mercenary to the bone. Sure when someone is in his way he would avoid hurting him if he could but he has no qualms against cutting his way to whatever he is supposed to do for money.
Pegasos989 06-30-07, 10:07 AM	How old are they? If they are like 14, they really wont be able to act in any way diferent from what they really are. I dont expect anyone younger than 18 (or 20) to have a consistent grasp on what allignment really means, and how the ideas you have about the world really change your perceptions and actions. Ok, someone mature enough can know that when he is 15, but those are few and far between. Ah, I love the people who think they are mature but still live in assumption that age and roleplaying skill are somehow related... I know that when I was 12-15 years old, I played half a dozen completely diffrent character concepts in a very deep immersion WoD games (as in, we had no DM and practically never combats. No automatic plots either. Players, when decided to play each spent 10-60 minutes writing a turn in which they would describe their characters actions, words, tones, feelings, attitudes... And then the next player would do the same. All plots were player created as the characters plotted against each other trying to gain more power and control... Or avoid getting drawn into those schemes.). I am fairly certain that in my current DnD group (in which practically everyone has played DnD since they were 7 or so) of about 20-25 (and a few 30ish) years old people, none would do that. Some might not be capable, others just not like it. And I know for a certain that my father, who also plays DnD and is about 50 years old, would never be capable of such. Am I one of those rare exceptions then? No! In my WoD group, everyone has played like that since they were around 14 (add or remove a few years). It all depends on the enviroment and style preferrations and is not tied to age. If you want to say that you or your friendss weren't capable of anything but always the same concept at that age, okay. Just don't generalize.... Well, back to topic. Does it matter if they always play the same concept? If they like it, what is the problem? Their gaming is too low quality for you to participate in? ;)
Fuzzly 06-30-07, 10:14 AM	Just gonna pop in here to say- One group of players doesn't change that most 14-15 year olds aren't very mature.
BW0222 06-30-07, 05:21 PM	Majick, A few things to start... First, most folks are not professional actors able to improv long scenes in character - especially when you are worried about the current situation. Second, it isn't always fun to do so even if you can. It take a lot of effort, you have to pause and think, etc. Some alignments and character concepts take a ton of work to pull off with good results. It is hard playing a crazy person in a way in which isn't going to get you tossed from the party. It may be hard to place a 'peace activist' bard when folks are getting killed. Third, often it is hard to play 'dumb', 'intelligent', 'wise', 'un-wise', 'charismatic', 'ugly', etc. if you yourself aren't. Honestly, most 12-year-olds can't play an 18 wisdom character. It just isn't in their nature. Likewise, it is hard for someone who is naturally cautious, cunning, etc. to play a 6 int, 8 wis, barbarian. It is hard not coming up with the riddle answer or realize who the bad guy is... when you know it. Same with charisma. It's hard to be an outgoing, ladies man, bard if you are young or shy. Forth, most folks don't enjoy playing certain characters because of the above reasons. It you like smashing folks, playing a bard negotiator isn't going to be that fun. Key... because a campaign lasts for months or years, folks can be unhappy for long periods of time. Fifth, campaigns and other players can force players into 'shells' when things aren't going right. If you are trying a diplomatic character, and you end up doing ten sessions out in the wilderness, you don't get much encouragement. You tend to return to comfortable roles. As for things to help folks... 1. You can't force folks do play different types of characters, nor should you try. If it is beyond their abilities, or they just don't like it, you'll have a much worse campaign than dealing with the same type of character. 2. You can recommend to that DM that players provide him/her with written backgrounds and personalities on their PCs. Ensure that the player keeps a copy. It is easier to act a certain way if you have a personality write up. (It is easier to act with some type of script.) 3. DMs can encourage good roleplaying through XP rewards. 25XP here, 50XP there, etc. and folks tend to work a bit harder on it. 4. Players can encourage roleplaying by talking to each other during camp breaks or forcing times when less skilled players need to roleplay outside of their normal comfort range. Examples, hold a costume party at the inn, ask characters about their family, play fetch with the druid's dog, have the PCs take turns making dinner while travelling and ask what everyone is making. 5. Have the DM put in some individual plotlines for each PC. Have someone's mother come visit the inn, have the druid's council ask a druid to be on the look-out for some rare herb on his travels, have some woman at the city guard think the rogue is cute, etc. This allows folks to plan what the might do in the next few sessions. (Again, easier to act when you can have a script - even if mental.)
Callista 06-30-07, 10:39 PM	It could just be that they're new at D&D. At first, after I got the hang of role-playing, I tended to play an "idealized me" sort of character... NG, intelligent, resourceful, quick and small. Mostly rogues and magic-users; mostly halflings. It takes a while for a player to get over that wish-fulfillment stage; but they do eventually get over it. I'm playing more diverse characters--flawed, annoying, eccentric, even downright evil. (I don't recommend Evil for newbies. And honestly, I don't particularly like playing Evil--there's something about an evil guy not getting punished that just feels wrong to me.). My first really deep character was a paladin who started out as yet another rogue; but then grew into something more, a creature with flaws, personality, and a belief system different from my own. I think it'll just take time. Eventually the people will mature and start to play more diverse charcters. How long it takes depends on how seriously they take the game. There's a difference between the Saturday night role-player who just wants to relax, and the hobbyist who's interested in creating a realistic, interesting person who happens to live in a fantasy world.
Forfeit 07-01-07, 12:49 PM	Ah, I love the people who think they are mature but still live in assumption that age and roleplaying skill are somehow related... I know that when I was 12-15 years old, I played half a dozen completely diffrent character concepts in a very deep immersion WoD games (as in, we had no DM and practically never combats. No automatic plots either. Players, when decided to play each spent 10-60 minutes writing a turn in which they would describe their characters actions, words, tones, feelings, attitudes... And then the next player would do the same. All plots were player created as the characters plotted against each other trying to gain more power and control... Or avoid getting drawn into those schemes.). I am fairly certain that in my current DnD group (in which practically everyone has played DnD since they were 7 or so) of about 20-25 (and a few 30ish) years old people, none would do that. Some might not be capable, others just not like it. And I know for a certain that my father, who also plays DnD and is about 50 years old, would never be capable of such. Am I one of those rare exceptions then? No! In my WoD group, everyone has played like that since they were around 14 (add or remove a few years). It all depends on the enviroment and style preferrations and is not tied to age. If you want to say that you or your friendss weren't capable of anything but always the same concept at that age, okay. Just don't generalize.... Well, back to topic. Does it matter if they always play the same concept? If they like it, what is the problem? Their gaming is too low quality for you to participate in? ;) Sorry man, but if you dont believe people can get wiser and more mature from being 14 to being 18, I guess you must be pretty young. People change a lot from 14 to 18, and change a lot from 18 to 22. After that, the changes arent as radical, but they still happen. And that changes your roleplaying capabilities too.
DrMorganes 07-01-07, 10:15 PM	It could just be that they're new at D&D. At first, after I got the hang of role-playing, I tended to play an "idealized me" sort of character... NG, intelligent, resourceful, quick and small. Mostly rogues and magic-users; mostly halflings. It takes a while for a player to get over that wish-fulfillment stage; but they do eventually get over it. I'm playing more diverse characters--flawed, annoying, eccentric, even downright evil. (I don't recommend Evil for newbies. And honestly, I don't particularly like playing Evil--there's something about an evil guy not getting punished that just feels wrong to me.). My first really deep character was a paladin who started out as yet another rogue; but then grew into something more, a creature with flaws, personality, and a belief system different from my own. I think it'll just take time. Eventually the people will mature and start to play more diverse charcters. How long it takes depends on how seriously they take the game. There's a difference between the Saturday night role-player who just wants to relax, and the hobbyist who's interested in creating a realistic, interesting person who happens to live in a fantasy world. Well put, as always, Callista!
Mock26 07-01-07, 10:32 PM	Don't do anything about it. If every one of Bob's characters has the same quirks and mannerisms and personality does it really matter so long as Bob is having fun? A player's obligation (in regards to his character personality) is to himself and not to anyone else. If you have a problem with Bob playing the same character over and over then, no offense, the problem is not Bob, it is you.
TheDarkLord 07-01-07, 10:34 PM	Sorry man, but if you dont believe people can get wiser and more mature from being 14 to being 18, I guess you must be pretty young. People change a lot from 14 to 18, and change a lot from 18 to 22. After that, the changes arent as radical, but they still happen. And that changes your roleplaying capabilities too. That is correct, I've been around enough family members and other young people long enough to know this. My brother-in-law is 14 years old as well and is currently staying with us while my In-laws are on their second honey moon. I've posted this on the boards before and during an argument with my brother in law, told it to him as well; "There is a difference between a 14 year old that is mature for his age, and a mature 14 year old, if you don't understand that, then ask your parents" :D. As a side note, My great grandmother had her first of 16 children at the tender age of 14, my great grandfather at the time was 17 when they married and 18 when the first child was born.