Curiosity has driven me to ask, what does everyone like to see in roleplaying? Sure, we all like roleplaying, but what kind of roleplaying do we enjoy? And yes, there are different kinds.
Some examples! Some folks enjoy soppy drama stuff, such as myself, and a few other people who come to mind. Then there are others who would rather pick up something sharp, and stab out some eyeballs.
So which do you like the mostest?
All of these in the right balance should make up a character.
My favorite type is cloak-and-dagger stuff. Both literally and figuratively. I'm a huge sucker for plots and stories and manipulations, especially if I'm the one doing the manipulating. I get a huge charge out of that stuff.
A CAUSE!
FOR THE GREATER GOOD!
I really get excited about:
- Deep intrigue and cloak-and-dagger dealings.
- Struggles for ideals and causes, especially when they collide with those of others.
- Straight up, brazen badassery; especially in the face of overwhelming odds.
- Gritty, realistic portrayal of the dirty sides of human nature and society
I really enjoy playing tragedies. Hence, I love such a grim setting as EfU. Characters with flaws are awesome. "Superman" guys are just boring to me, although I can certainly see why some people like playing them.
Also, and this is really weird, I like playing no. 2. I can play no. 1 when I need to, but my favorite characters have always been just under the top tier. I definately enjoy working WITH and FOR people more than working alone. In fact, it's what made Genevis, Dugbone, and Westmore all hard for me to play at times. They all had badass goals, interesting builds, cool people to interact with, so this is the only thing that sets them apart from my two favorite PCs of all time, Taor and Dentra. Okay, Dugbone is definately up in the top three too, but he sort of served Cyrus.
Lawful is much more badass than Chaotic too, imo. Hopefully, I'll learn to appreciate the wild side sometime.
All of the above!
I am sure everyone knows what i voted for so there really is no need to state it.
Also, and this is really weird, I like playing no. 2. I can play no. 1 when I need to, but my favorite characters have always been just under the top tier.
Snivelling sycophants struggling for power have always been a favourite of mine ever since I watched the Blackadder series.
I voted for inspirational stories of a character's self-improvement, which is odd because I haven't really played one of these yet (Associate Hall's miracle conversion doesn't count, since it wasn't really him improving himself as much as a "road to Damascus" type eye-opening, which is less interesting to me). I've always enjoyed the coming-of-age story archetype, though, and this is in a similar vein. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do a little of this with my next character, since I doubt Agent Ramana is going to have a change of heart anytime soon.
We can only vote for just one? :(
I've a penchant for criminals with inflated egos and plotting obsessions, and their descents into madness.
One of my first impactful characters, albeit short lived, was a businessman tiefling of Beshaba by the name of Kaen Piccoli. He was smarmy and suave, with white hair and deer antlers, until he got angry and his glowing eyes filled the entire room with an unholy glow. With the severing of his hand by his brother Able, He went steadily insane because his visage of "Beshaba's Chosen Son" was sullied by a missing hand, and went on a killing spree of friends and allies with his protege Caleb aka Flea and a friendly Maskarran.
Galmor of the Wyvern, My Werewolf, was my flawed take on Evil Superman. Using the Kill Bill 2 Quote "Batman puts on a costume, Superman is always superman, he puts on a clark kent costume to blend in, acting weak..." etc, Galmor was a natural born lycan who spent a good deal of time doing the sociology stuff of humans, in hopes of finding a suitable, burly, strong in the sense of a malarite city for him to reap infected children from. Lower was his choice, and he joined the Nancies. That being said, A fellow by the name of Horadin drove him mad. A human cleric who outed him, and was slain before he had a chance to kill him after an awesome IC letter forum correspondence, his personality was split between the Natural Lycan "The Fury" and "The Wisdom" that he had inately as an intellegent creature.
Every single one of my characters has a trigger, something that if it happens, will drive them slowly bat shit crazy, and eventually turn them into a rambling maniac who licks the blood from his own stump of a hand while giggling (<_< Kaen did it. It was one of my favorite RP'd moments on EFU, belated <3 to those involved). And I think that is what always made it interesting.
Be you an LG Helmite paladin who is highly militaristic, Or a simple goblin who is always finding his surroundings odd with his strange philosophy, Mental Stability in a setting like EFU is something I always loved.
Its dark. Its dirty. Its gritty. Its in the middle of the earth. 60% of people are escaped from slavery from the worst hells the human mind could imagine. It makes sense it would take a toll on one's sanity over time. Selunites don't have all the fun, and making a character slowly go crazy adds a certain something to a character I've seen over time, that really makes them feel more alive.
Not all of my characters have gone crazy, but those who did really stand out.
Random_White_Guy I've a penchant for criminals with inflated egos and plotting obsessions, and their descents into madness.One of my first impactful characters, albeit short lived, was a businessman tiefling of Beshaba by the name of Kaen Piccoli. He was smarmy and suave, with white hair and deer antlers, until he got angry and his glowing eyes filled the entire room with an unholy glow. With the severing of his hand by his brother Able, He went steadily insane because his visage of "Beshaba's Chosen Son" was sullied by a missing hand, and went on a killing spree of friends and allies with his protege Caleb aka Flea and a friendly Maskarran.
Galmor of the Wyvern, My Werewolf, was my flawed take on Evil Superman. Using the Kill Bill 2 Quote "Batman puts on a costume, Superman is always superman, he puts on a clark kent costume to blend in, acting weak..." etc, Galmor was a natural born lycan who spent a good deal of time doing the sociology stuff of humans, in hopes of finding a suitable, burly, strong in the sense of a malarite city for him to reap infected children from. Lower was his choice, and he joined the Nancies. That being said, A fellow by the name of Horadin drove him mad. A human cleric who outed him, and was slain before he had a chance to kill him after an awesome IC letter forum correspondence, his personality was split between the Natural Lycan "The Fury" and "The Wisdom" that he had inately as an intellegent creature.
Every single one of my characters has a trigger, something that if it happens, will drive them slowly bat shit crazy, and eventually turn them into a rambling maniac who licks the blood from his own stump of a hand while giggling (<_< Kaen did it. It was one of my favorite RP'd moments on EFU, belated <3 to those involved). And I think that is what always made it interesting.
Be you an LG Helmite paladin who is highly militaristic, Or a simple goblin who is always finding his surroundings odd with his strange philosophy, Mental Stability in a setting like EFU is something I always loved.
Its dark. Its dirty. Its gritty. Its in the middle of the earth. 60% of people are escaped from slavery from the worst hells the human mind could imagine. It makes sense it would take a toll on one's sanity over time. Selunites don't have all the fun, and making a character slowly go crazy adds a certain something to a character I've seen over time, that really makes them feel more alive.
Not all of my characters have gone crazy, but those who did really stand out.
....
....
Freak.
Okay, I'm sorry, and I know all the guys out there are going to yell at me for this, but I actually voted for the love story. I like playing characters who are completely badass, killer to the core, but have an emotional center. Like the late Joshua Reynolds. Disciplined warrior, completely emotionless, and yet Senestia drove him to his knees with nothing but a smile. That was fun. The realistic playing of his emotions taking over actually drove him to join the Montezzis, and soon afterwards get killed. Despite his short lifespan, he's one of my favorite characters to date. Who knows, maybe my half-orc writes love poems to his elven lover!
I actually agree with Random White Guy. Insanity is one of the coolest things ever to RP, especially schizophrenia.
I like to see:
- Struggles for interesting ideals and causes, things which go beyond plain good/evil, law/chaos, characters who manage to adapt those ideals and causes well.
- Fighting against overwhelming odds. Startingon the winning side seems just plain boring to me, turning the scales for the underdog seems so much more interesting.
- Insanity. Seeing characters who are notably unstable and can actually melt down and release the awesomeness. Unexpected responses to situations.
Where is the comedy?
Everybody knows I'm a sucker for the romance. But not soap-opera stuff. Not anymore.
I tend to try to make deeply flawed individuals, with deep philosophical outlooks on life, and it's the building and development of those views that I have the most fun with.
I'd love to do the plotting, but I'm not creative enough to come up with brilliant plans.
I'd do the raging badassery more often, but I'm mechanically challenged.
Cloak and Dagger is exciting. I enjoyed playing an Intryzz thrall who just so happened to meet and be told by someone that she was planning on destroying Intryzz. Regrettably, nothing ever came of it, but it was exciting, having such an awesome potential betrayal sitting in the palm of my hand.
dragonfire9000 Okay, I'm sorry, and I know all the guys out there are going to yell at me for this, but I actually voted for the love story.
Nothing wrong with that at all, actually.
PanamaLane Where is the comedy?
I forgot to add that one. :(