What type of roleplayer are you in MMORPGs?

Kram8ion · December 2016

The closest I get to roleplay is picking a race and a class

I don't think I'm a Rplayer but it's great that people are passionate about it and really get into the game

Sengra · December 2016

Other (please feel free to elaborate in the comments)

I think I've never seen discussions like these outside of ESO boards, and it is difficult to answer for me. I do roleplay (the social kind of RP where you meet up with other RPers in order to interact, develop your character and play though whole story arcs), but when I play the game I am not always completely immersed or 'in character', so you can see me jump around, make silly emotes while waiting at dolmens and just have fun.
That being said I do care a lot about my characters' look, their names, their personalities and their potential as RP characters (other chars typically get deleted after a while), and when I'm out there alone I do feel different whether it's my orc or my breton or my khajiit fighting and questing. My orc would never play through DB or even TG, and I actually have a hard time deciding who could play DB, because to a certain degree I guess I am in character ... just not to the extent that I start hating people who throw mudballs at me or ride into Cyrodiil in a wedding dress.

Mwnci · January 2017

Medium immersion (lore name and short background just for me)

I like to think of believable backstories ( even if nobody else knows about them ).
I always choose lore appropriate names for my characters. It's actually a pet-peeve of mine to see people not doing that, lol .. "TerminatorPewz" as your character name? I cry for your lack of imagination.
I even try to figure out how all my characters are interconnected ( ie: shared bank ).

Bryanonymous · January 2017

Other (please feel free to elaborate in the comments)

My character is built as a powerful wizard and also a cunning merchant who crafts epic armor. The character dresses to impress, and works hard to increase their power as well as their wallet...

However, I am not my character, nor do I ever pretend to be. In chat, my personality is always who I am irl. My role play is from a third person perspective as I control a character through a fantasy. Perhaps the only first person playing I ever actually do is buying and selling.

This is where I believe many are confused about the idea of role playing. It does not necessarily require first person interaction. I can role play as the 'god' who guides 'Bryanonymous', the unique hero whom I have no intention of pretending to be myself.

Though, I will admit, there are many similarities between the character and myself, however there are many differences as well. If I decide to murder someone in a video game, it's because that was the decision made to progress an interesting story, not some underline desire to actually murder anyone irl.

In my honest opinion, so called 'role players' try way too hard to immerse themselves, or pretend to. It really is as easy as watching a movie if you just drop the preconceived expectations put in place by others. You don't need to impress other people by playing by their 'rules' of how to role play. Make your own fantasy, not theirs.

I can see how some couples might have fun role playing though. Speaking in purple emote chat as someone else could be fun, however I'm not the kind to do that with random snobs.

Stania · January 2017

Medium immersion (lore name and short background just for me)

I usually play a character from a "guardian angel" point of view. I define some basic traits, like a lore-friendly name (using a generator), some background story, very few personality traits and preferences (some are the same as mine, some aren't), and let the play-through do the rest . This may sound strange, but it's like my character takes life on his own and I discover more and more things about him that I never defined in the first place, based on the decisions made and sudden actions taken, which I may not agree irl.

I use the chat as a mere communication channel to my guild mates. Perhaps I could roleplay a little more, but my English vocabulary is quite limited for narrative.

Mwnci wrote: »

I even try to figure out how all my characters are interconnected ( ie: shared bank ).

Sometimes I imagine my two characters as pen pals that share the same bank space to lower costs, but never see their faces. Occasionally sending each other letters with short tales of their adventures and stuff the other may find useful.

Bladerunner1 · January 2017

Dedicated roleplay (lore name, background, persona play, keep track of stories/arcs, the whole package)

I roleplay with measured dedication to the shared stories and ongoing developements among other player characters in Tamriel.

Like a lot of other roleplayers I also enjoy the other aspects of the game, PVP, PVE vet dungeons, questing and mastering all forms of crafting, but I separate most of the gameplay from the roleplay. My characters have been almost everywhere and done almost anything there is to do in the game out of character, but In-character they tend to be simple people who don't know much about Tamriel beyond their own small scope. They vaguely know about the planemeld and they don't have a clue about a majority of the work done by the vestige. They don't know how to craft a burlap sack, let alone a sword.

The whole roleplaying experience is more interesting for me if I limit my character's abilities and knowledge. They have to be clever in most situations and they occasionally must rely on others for help.

So when I take my characters out for PVE or PVP gameplay, I've more or less flipped off the RP switch unless there's action-oriented RP taking place with other player characters.

FleetwoodSmack · January 2017

Other (please feel free to elaborate in the comments)

I'm dedicated, however I'm not so dedicated that I end up alienating people out of their experience.

Niko1987 · January 2017

Medium immersion (lore name and short background just for me)

Sort of medium immersion, but it depends heavily on how serious other RPers are. Too often I come across RPers who either don't take their roles seriously enough for me to stay focused or break character way too often for me to remain interested in the RP.

Druachan · January 2017

Minor persona play (you sometimes interact, fight, or chat based on things like race/class/background/whatever)

Its important to me that my characters have some kindof background, even if its just for me. Most of the time I am probably playing the game as I would personally, not based on a moral code created by my characters race and background.

Most of the time I'm solo anyway so roleplay is generally with the world.

BlackSparrow · January 2017

Dedicated roleplay (lore name, background, persona play, keep track of stories/arcs, the whole package)

I'm a writer, so yeah, I am very much immersed in my characters as I play them, developing and changing them according to their experiences through the game, both scripted and radiant. Each has an in-depth backstory and complex personality, and every choice they make is informed by those. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to create complex characters and set them loose in the world to see what happens.

However, I rarely roleplay in the social sense. I'm not part of a roleplaying guild, and I am rarely "in character" when chatting with someone. It's mostly a case of being surrounded by people who don't roleplay their characters, so I don't see much point slowing down a dungeon run or something with that.

But actions in-game while questing and whatnot? All character-based.

Ajaxandriel · January 2017

Major persona play (you often interact, fight, or chat based on things like race/class/background/whatever but don't always worry about keeping track of a story)

Very interesting, @tinythinker !
How did you construct these types? Are they made according to evidence from your own experience or from some kind of litterature theory? I had to ponder some time before recognising myself in one, as I am primarly "heavy immersion type" with some "dedicated" features...but since I follow the game mechanics, my story arcs are "as broken as the Dragon" haha.

I am not aware of the state of english-speaking roleplay that much. These types make quite sense though!
As a french player who observed tendances for some years in MMO I've got a similar pattern with slightly different types:

A range from "integral" (fulltime natural roleplay) that rely on maximum immersion, often informal interactions, lawfulness regarding gameplay and NPC schemes - to the opposite, "purist" (session-driven formalized roleplay) that rely on rp-gamemasters and regular events but not playing the game in immersion nor taking the game into account.
While the integral is making the game a world, the purist is shooting some sparks of "pure coherent" roleplay like on a cinema set.

Of course between these two kinds of dangerous extremists (lol I must confess I am of the former type) there are subgradients... And maybe another axis for "dedication", from ultra-casual to hardcore.

Cadbury · January 2017

Light immersion (lore friendly name)

I just try and make sure my name is lore appropriate or close enough. That's pretty much the extent of it.
I don't RP but I respect those that do. Guess it comes from playing with them on City of Heroes and LOTRO.

Sk1zzard · February 2017

Dedicated roleplay (lore name, background, persona play, keep track of stories/arcs, the whole package)

Dedicated and as immersive as possible.

Lynx7386 · February 2017

Heavy immersion (lore and long background just for me or maybe a few others too)

I don't role play in games much anymore, but I used to back in my star wars galaxies days and even a little in warcraft.

However, I always have some form of background for my characters, even if nobody else is privy to it.

In eso, I have three characters (well, one is a placeholder for a future warden, but that's besides the point). All three are khajiit siblings, they look very similar to fit that (all use the same base fur color and pattern, all have varying shades of green eyes, and they all have the same nose marking).

My future warden is the eldest of the three, and has a slightly aged look to him. He's the warrior of the trio, and as such is the tallest and bulkiest. He has longer hair and a big beard, with wide/staunch features. I'm hoping we'll eventually get some kind of brawler/warrior personality to use for him, but for now it's just the commander one.

My stamina nightblade is the middle child. He looks significantly younger than the warden, has more richly colored/saturated hair, a smaller beard/goatee, slightly more angular features, and a medium height/build. He's the thief of the group, and uses the assassin personality for a sly deadly attitude.

My female magicka dragonknight is the youngest, made thin and short with more rounded features to give a younger look. She's the mage of the three, and uses the duchess personality for lack of something "cuter".

WiseSky · February 2020

Spontaneous/Random roleplay (like persona play but more fluid, there is no persistent persona)

I love to make a character with restrictive gameplay.. with skills and custom leveling system and make the story as I go

Iccotak · February 2020

Medium immersion (lore name and short background just for me)

I only make a character if I am excited by the idea of that character
out of 8 character slots - I have 4 argonian characters, 3 nords, and one Dark Elf.
Each character was a specific race/class combination with a backstory & theme in mind.

I have ideas for 2 other Dark Elves but they can wait.
1. I need to level my other characters
2. I only make one character for each chapter added

4 of them are the base game characters
templar, nightblade, dragonknight, and sorcerer.
the other 4 were added one at a time per chapter (the 4th made ready for the Greymoor chapter)

dazee · February 2020

Dedicated roleplay (lore name, background, persona play, keep track of stories/arcs, the whole package)

Dedicated when I can, otherwise Major Persona.

Zulera301 · February 2020

Other (please feel free to elaborate in the comments)

I don't roleplay every little thing I do. Like, all my characters in-game are crafters and do a lot of contract/daily quests, but not all of them would do these things in-character.

But when I switch to "roleplay mode", I keep fairly lore-friendly names and have rich, detailed backstories for my characters that tie into the bigger picture but without being like "my player character has altered the TES lore" or anything godmodding like that.

DarcyMardin · February 2020

The closest I get to roleplay is picking a race and a class

I write fiction for a living, so I’m always creating characters and developing their stories — that’s my job. Games are a way for me to relax and to enjoy *someone’s else’s* story. So no role-playing for me.

Aendruu · February 2020

Heavy immersion (lore and long background just for me or maybe a few others too)

newtinmpls wrote: »

Kinda got the idea from reading 'The metaphysics of Morrowind' <snip>

@newtinmpls Thank you for mentioning this. It's an intriguing piece of writing.

[Edit] Added a link to the article.

newtinmpls · February 2020

Other (please feel free to elaborate in the comments)

Amazing work that article, I go back and re-read it every so often.

WiseSky · February 2020

Spontaneous/Random roleplay (like persona play but more fluid, there is no persistent persona)

newtinmpls wrote: »

Amazing work that article, I go back and re-read it every so often.

I went back to 2015 and read all the articles, the ones on the front page you see are the best I have seen so I commentate on them since they are never gonna be out of date with the game I think.

I was thinking of doing that with the General Discussion too.. but 4550 pages.. lol no way

Scion_of_Yggdrasil · February 2020

I like to make a backstory, even if I don't really share it with others, and create their life aspiration, to make what I do in the game make sense, or to compliment my play style (I like to explore, appreciate scenery, pose and use emotes to makes scenes, act like its just another day in Tamriel, decorate and collect multiple homes, etc.).

Delric Yggdravitus: A studied Breton Warden from the Daggerfall Mages Guild. He recently purchased a townhouse in Summerset to continue his studies abroad at the Alinor Mages Guild. He has an unmatched affinity for nature (Healing Thicket is my favorite skill!) and loves traveling with his animal companions (wolf mount and wild guardian... deciding on a pet). An adventurer and scholar, Delric prefers hands on studying in the field: exploring dungeons, tombs, ruins, uncharted regions, other realms... Restful vacation? He'd rather travel across the world and uncover its secrets.

Delric gradually adds to his collection of books, trophies, and more with each adventure. His goal is to one day open his house to all, forming the Guild of Scholars, dedicated to seeking out and studying lost knowledge, ancient ruins, and forgotten relics, sharing his discoveries with curious minds. Magick, history, crafts, combat... no subject is off limits.

Since some knowledge is best kept secret... Delric formed a secret sect of the guild, the Council of Scions. Comprised primarily of esteemed scholars and loyal guild members, each appointed for their specialized experience/knowledge, they represent and advise on their particular field of study. This council embarks on expeditions to retrieve dangerous relics, tomes, and more, to protect Tamriel from itself. The Scions meet in secret to decide what knowledge is shared, and what knowledge is locked away. At times, they have been known to study/hunt dangerous monsters/Daedra.

Thats all I have thus far. The more I play the more I naturally add to each characters story. Started an Altmer Templar.... excited to begin cooking up his backstory...