Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 wafflecop Apr 16, 2009 19:26:54	When your playing with your friends do you speak in first person (in character), third person, or do you describe your character's actions?
#2 salla Apr 16, 2009 19:31:06	I typically use first person when speaking, unless there's going to be some confusion about whether or not it's in-character or out-of-character. I'll usually just go 'Name says,' and then give my speech in those instances.
#3 tcg_researcher Apr 16, 2009 19:41:34	At our table we default to first person. I try to address others by whichever name is appropriate (IC or OOC). Dialogue will usually be said in-character, unless the actual words are unimportant and it could be a long conversation. ex. "I swing at the minion. 15 versus AC. I hit?" "DM, I look off into the distance. What do I see?" "[Name of Player], can you go get me some Cheetos?" "If you move here, [Name of Character], you'll be able to charge the orc." "Hey, [Name of Character], how many hit points do you have?" * "I interrogate the town guard to see if he knows anything about the bandits." * a bit metagamey, but w/e.
#4 williamhm75 Apr 16, 2009 19:43:22	I usually say the characters name then say they do the action rather than using first person.
#5 Joseph_Silver Apr 16, 2009 20:01:34	I usually describe my actions in the third person. Here are some actual stuff that I've said while roleplaying (not word for word, but close). 1. "Aron finds these priestesses very beautiful. Therefore, he thinks they're trustworthy." 2. "Let's see if my title can help us here. Argent walks up to the guard and says, 'Good afternoon. I am Marcus Victor Meridian II of Waterdeep, and I would like to speak with the Master of the House.'" 3. "Argent commands to get out of the way with Knight's Move, and then blasts the area with a Color Spray."
#6 kitsunegami Apr 16, 2009 20:04:49	First person as much as possible but sometimes I have to revert to third because a couple of our players have great difficulty keep in- and out-of-character separate. One of the GMs in the group has started only calling people by their character's names both to help us all remember each others' names and to help people stay in character. I plan to start doing the same thing in the next session of my HackMaster game.
#7 Webster Apr 16, 2009 20:23:23	I find I play with a mix of methods.
#8 Nai_Calus Apr 16, 2009 20:34:42	Almost always first person. Most of my characters end up having an accent or speech style different from my own to make it clear what's IC vs OOC - My elf in Shadowrun, for example, is from a snobby upperclass family from the Elven nation of Tir Tairngire, so I use a snooty quasi-british accent and speak rather formally when I play him to both differentiate him from myself and to make a statement about the kind of mindset he has. I only use 3rd person when I just have no idea what I would actually say and am trying to laze out and handwave it. I also usually preface actions with 'I...' or 'I'm...'
#9 Krusk Apr 16, 2009 20:37:47	I usually go entirly in first person, and do my best to address party members in it as well. "I move up to flank behind the orc" "I think we ought to push onward, we don't have time to waste on a rest right now"
#10 w00f Apr 16, 2009 20:43:53	First person almost exclusively for my group, except of course when describing out characters' actions (I attack the orc, I hide in the shadows, etc. etc.). Although I must say that one player joined our group briefly who RPd using the third person method, dscribing his characters actions and expressions and such with it, and I found it very involving.
#11 zaresaria Apr 16, 2009 20:47:26	We usually use a mix of 1st person when we need to talk to an NPC or when we need to talk to the main boss of a given adventure. Usually the longer a group plays, the less they start doing 1st person which is sad because it is essential to roleplay properly and enjoy the full potential of the game. "Just my two cents"
#12 sigil_beguiler Apr 16, 2009 21:01:54	I find I am always flipping back and forth between third and first. I find though the farther away from my own beliefs/actions a character is the more I use third. This is for describing my character's actions. Speaking I always switch back to first person.
#13 mithmurr Apr 16, 2009 21:09:44	Never really thought about it, but looking back I think I'm like sigil_beguiler. I switch back and forth, more likely to be third person the further away from my personality the character is. Now that I'm thinking about it, next time we have a silly day, I think I'm going to go with second person. (I occasionally already after bad rolls. "You idiot, do you even know how to hold a sword?" "Do you want to die?" "What? Do you need glasses?")
#14 trailfoot Apr 16, 2009 22:39:36	I generally use voices for my characters, so it's obvious when I'm speaking in-character. When I'm describing actions, I try to stay third-person, though if a scene's really exciting or gripping I sometimes slip into first.
#15 decivre Apr 16, 2009 22:55:58	Speech in 1st person, action in 3rd person. In a sci-fi game I played way back when (can't remember which... maybe Alternity?), I played an android which spoke in 3rd person with "one" used as a pronoun to reference everybody, which was pretty hilarious as it caused entertaining dialog. "One was wondering if one could give one some ammunition." "Wait, are you talking to me?" "One is talking to one." "Which one?" "One, of course. One simply needs some ammunition for one's sidearm." "My name is Maria!" "One knows one's name. One has known one for some time now." "ARGH!" "Is one angry at one?"
#16 alane Apr 16, 2009 23:38:24	I played an android which spoke in 3rd person with "one" used as a pronoun to reference everybody, which was pretty hilarious as it caused entertaining dialog. :heehee Decivre, that is *hysterical* and also sounds like a fun roleplay opportunity! My group uses a mixture of first-person description ("I'll charge the bandit") and in-character acting ("Foul dog! For such insolence I shall slay you, then raise you from the dead for the pleasure of slaying you again!") I can't recall ever hearing the third person ("my paladin will hit the bandit") used at our table. - Alane -
#17 Ith Apr 16, 2009 23:39:53	We all use first person when describing actions and play the role in-character when speaking. Anything else would just feel weird.
#18 vaelan Apr 16, 2009 23:49:28	I tend to sprinkle in a good bit of third person in the first session with a new character to help people remember names. Other than that, first-person unless I'm making a comment about how I'm doing something stupid in accordance with tradition or other people's perceptions of the character.
#19 Elemental_Elf Apr 17, 2009 0:11:06	Like most, I switch between both. I use first person to talk and third person to describe. Of course I mostly DM, so the view point is too scattered to stay first person for very long (outside of actually talking directly with PCs or other NPCs (who are with in ear shot of the PC's)). My players tend to hover closer to the extremes; one does just about everything in 3rd person except when having an in-character convo with other player characters; another plays very boisterous characters and thus likes to do almost everything in first person, only using third when something confusing comes up. From what I've seen at RPGA events, a fair majority of people prefer 3rd person though my sample size is limited.
#20 mouthymerc Apr 17, 2009 0:30:05	I tend to refer to myself in first person. When it comes to actions I try to play out most of them like giving a speech, while at other times I describe the action and what type of effect I'm going for. Depends on how easily acted out the action is.
#21 zakhari_dup Apr 17, 2009 1:33:56	I like to speak in FPV while playing, but during combat I use TPV and say what actions the character takes.
#22 zerotwo Apr 17, 2009 5:39:36	Mmm. In combat I'll use a lot of third person... similar to... Me: Okay, it's time for the chest cannon. I'll target that guy and use Radiant Delirium. DM: Roll. Me: Leyland throws his arms wide and bellows; "Corellon, through me!" unleashing a blast of pale orange light from the center of his chest. *Rolls* Me: Which promptly misses... DM: The kobold sorcerer dives forward when he hears your cry and the blast narrowly clips him but succeeds mostly in scorching the wall some fifty feet behind him. In town or when struggling with puzzles or mysteries, I try to put on a voice but I remain mostly in the third person, with statements like; "Leyland looks to Eliza and says..." or "Leyland will lift the lantern with awe and the suspiciously eye the rogue's often busy hands." It helps if I think of my character as part of the story and then dictate his actions as though I were writing as well (DM'ing).
#23 Cpt_Micha Apr 17, 2009 7:15:48	When your playing with your friends do you speak in first person (in character), third person, or do you describe your character's actions? First person when interacting with NPCs. Usually third person when describing my character's actions.
#24 CCS Apr 17, 2009 9:17:05	When your playing with your friends do you speak in first person (in character), third person, or do you describe your character's actions? Yes.
#25 ekio Apr 17, 2009 9:51:52	Back and forth. :\ No rhyme or reason to it.
#26 runcdfirst Apr 17, 2009 10:02:32	All of them, often switching halfway through. Though, combat is always description. It's weird otherwise.
#27 arderkrag Apr 17, 2009 18:47:27	When your playing with your friends do you speak in first person (in character), third person, or do you describe your character's actions? A combination of the three. Sometimes, especially when I've had a rough day, I would rather just say, "I ask the king which way the bandits took the princess." instead of acting it out word for word.
#28 Alex_ Apr 17, 2009 22:54:15	When your playing with your friends do you speak in first person (in character), third person, or do you describe your character's actions? I do the first mostly for laughs most of my characters are blowhards, or at the very least EXTREMELY confident in their abilities and mission (justified or not). I do the last one more often. Interestingly, I never refer to my character in third person unless I'm playing online, in which case, it begins to feel more like writing a story.
#29 trei Apr 18, 2009 11:59:47	It depends on the intensity. When there's a ton of stuff going on, I'm usually in first-person roleplaying mode. (The heavy RPers in the group suggested raising a hand to indicate OOC speaking, so we can assume all other dialogue is in character.) During low-key times, I'm in third person, describing actions or paraphrasing dialogue, ie, "[my character] explains to the city guard that there was a robbery last night..."
#30 Arcane_Guyver Apr 18, 2009 14:47:53	Mostly 1st person, though in combat I might describe something in 3rd. If the group is doing background info ("What are you doing for the rest of the night"), it usually devolves into 3rd person as well.
#31 oxybe Apr 18, 2009 15:48:07	when interacting with other characters/NPC = 1st person when interacting with the world = 3rd person generally speaking (no pun intended) i'll talk to NPCs like i would with anyone in real life... it just helps me get into the game easier. the few instances where i don't is when it's not an RP heavy moment: purchasing rations, getting my weapons/armor repaired, renting a room at an inn. i won't always have a thick accent or whatever. mah dwarrrf Dolph speakhs wit a wee ahkcent but nothing too far from my casual speech. my warlock Shump shlurrsh hish wordsh a bit but that'sh about it. just something that might add to the character and helps distinguish when talking IC or OOC. for others like my iconic fighter-type, Edward, has normal speech so there's no indication other then the speech is more blunt and "to the point" at times. when interacting with the world however, i follow one simple rule: show, not tell. -Edward rummages through his backpack and whips out his trusty pry-bar, gripping it firmly in anticipation in the treasures that reside in the chest. -Dolph solemnly inspects the worn stone casket, muttering a few prayers. -Abe silently makes his way across the floor and swiftly brings out his picks and starts working the lock open.
#32 green_girl Apr 18, 2009 23:54:20	Of course, if you're a sort-of-but-not really-really method actor like me, you're bound to speak in first person. You can always know I'm speaking in character. They turn into WHITE ORBS OF NOTHINGNESS THAT IS THE ESSENCE OF MY MAGICAL POWERS.