In light of the stir I caused yesterday, I just couldn't resist...I must be in an essay-writing mood. So here's another one, friends, and I hope that it is more appropriately geared towards the new player crowd (though, with me, apparently you never know, eh?). As always, don't pull your punches; let me know what you think (yes, even you, Actana 
).
Essay #3: Role-Playing Done Well: Don't Play You
An often-overlooked aspect of role-playing games is the near necessity to play a character unlike yourself. If you roll up a PC (let's call him a half-elven ranger who cracks wise and flirts with the ladies day in and day out), ask yourself: Is this me? Because if the only difference between you and your PC is a pair of pointy ears and a sword, things may need to change a bit.
Please note that this is not to say you should never do this; it's just a head's up to not do it all the time. Because some folks will do this. All. The. Time.
Remember, the idea of games like DnD is to play a character, not to play yourself with a sword. You've given the PC a name; you've given the PC a class and race; now it's time to give him or her a unique personality. So how do you do it? How do you play someone unlike you?
I refer to the immortal wisdom of George Costanza here for an easy, first tip: Have your character do/say/think the opposite of what you would see yourself doing in the exact same situation.
Other ways to move away from you and move closer to a fully-realized, independent PC:
1. Play the opposite gender from you own. That's a quick and easy way to diversify the game and mix up your own role-playing. It allows you to really step outside yourself. If your DM/GM allows for romantic subplots and such, giving a PC a sexual orientation other than your own can be a great way to add flavor to a PC and to separate him/her from yourself as well. For example, when I roll up a more-or-less stereotypical PC (half-orc barbarian, for example), I almost always try to play a different gender than my own or a different sexuality than my own. That way, it isn't just 'me' dressed up as a half-orc barbarian; it ends up being a character completely separate from my own distinct personality.
2. Give your PC a flaw that stands out (and one that does not afflict you personally in real life). Note that I wrote another essay on this topic alone; check it out, if you're interested.
3. Play a middle-aged or elderly PC. Some of my favorite characters that I've seen in games are not the stereotypical twenty-year old warriors. Old halfling bards...grizzled clerics...retired fighters forced to don armor once more...those are the ones I tend to remember.
4. Try to use as many different classes as possible (races, too, if your DM allows it and the game's tone allows for catfolk to be running around with humans and such). I'm a melee-type player, generally. I'd be happy to never cast a spell in DnD; I just like to play the game and enjoy the story without worrying about a spellbook. But to avoid a rut, I throw in sorcerers, wizards and clerics now and then, just to keep my role-playing skills sharp. Plus, oftentimes, folks don't want to play a healer role anymore than they want to be a DM (Cailano is a notable exception to this not-at-all-hard-and-fast rule), so if you are willing to take on many different roles in different games, it simply makes you a more desirable gaming companion.
5. If all else fails, the internet has some wonderful random character generators out there. If you're drawing a blank on a PC concept, but you know you're willing to try anything, try a random generator. One of my favorite PCs I've ever had the privilege of playing was created this way. I said to the DM that I'd play anything; he called me on it and had me promise to stick with what the random rolls gave me. I rolled up a gnome paladin. That little guy is still going strong nearly a year later, and he's a wonderfully complicated character that I never, ever would have come up with on my own.
In the end, this is not a game about you. It's a game about made-up folks in made-up lands doing extraordinary things. So when you sit down to create a PC, ask yourself: What wouldn't I do? Who aren't I? Those mind-bendy questions are a good place to start.
Good luck and happy gaming!
).Essay #3: Role-Playing Done Well: Don't Play You
An often-overlooked aspect of role-playing games is the near necessity to play a character unlike yourself. If you roll up a PC (let's call him a half-elven ranger who cracks wise and flirts with the ladies day in and day out), ask yourself: Is this me? Because if the only difference between you and your PC is a pair of pointy ears and a sword, things may need to change a bit.
Please note that this is not to say you should never do this; it's just a head's up to not do it all the time. Because some folks will do this. All. The. Time.
Remember, the idea of games like DnD is to play a character, not to play yourself with a sword. You've given the PC a name; you've given the PC a class and race; now it's time to give him or her a unique personality. So how do you do it? How do you play someone unlike you?
I refer to the immortal wisdom of George Costanza here for an easy, first tip: Have your character do/say/think the opposite of what you would see yourself doing in the exact same situation.
Other ways to move away from you and move closer to a fully-realized, independent PC:
1. Play the opposite gender from you own. That's a quick and easy way to diversify the game and mix up your own role-playing. It allows you to really step outside yourself. If your DM/GM allows for romantic subplots and such, giving a PC a sexual orientation other than your own can be a great way to add flavor to a PC and to separate him/her from yourself as well. For example, when I roll up a more-or-less stereotypical PC (half-orc barbarian, for example), I almost always try to play a different gender than my own or a different sexuality than my own. That way, it isn't just 'me' dressed up as a half-orc barbarian; it ends up being a character completely separate from my own distinct personality.
2. Give your PC a flaw that stands out (and one that does not afflict you personally in real life). Note that I wrote another essay on this topic alone; check it out, if you're interested.
3. Play a middle-aged or elderly PC. Some of my favorite characters that I've seen in games are not the stereotypical twenty-year old warriors. Old halfling bards...grizzled clerics...retired fighters forced to don armor once more...those are the ones I tend to remember.
4. Try to use as many different classes as possible (races, too, if your DM allows it and the game's tone allows for catfolk to be running around with humans and such). I'm a melee-type player, generally. I'd be happy to never cast a spell in DnD; I just like to play the game and enjoy the story without worrying about a spellbook. But to avoid a rut, I throw in sorcerers, wizards and clerics now and then, just to keep my role-playing skills sharp. Plus, oftentimes, folks don't want to play a healer role anymore than they want to be a DM (Cailano is a notable exception to this not-at-all-hard-and-fast rule), so if you are willing to take on many different roles in different games, it simply makes you a more desirable gaming companion.
5. If all else fails, the internet has some wonderful random character generators out there. If you're drawing a blank on a PC concept, but you know you're willing to try anything, try a random generator. One of my favorite PCs I've ever had the privilege of playing was created this way. I said to the DM that I'd play anything; he called me on it and had me promise to stick with what the random rolls gave me. I rolled up a gnome paladin. That little guy is still going strong nearly a year later, and he's a wonderfully complicated character that I never, ever would have come up with on my own.
In the end, this is not a game about you. It's a game about made-up folks in made-up lands doing extraordinary things. So when you sit down to create a PC, ask yourself: What wouldn't I do? Who aren't I? Those mind-bendy questions are a good place to start.
Good luck and happy gaming!
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