Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Are We Who We Play ?

You'll see this argument again and again on the internet and elsewhere: The type of character someone plays gives yuo some insight into their real personality and behavior.  I think that's an absolute crock and has little merit.

I actually had a DM accuse me of stealing one of his game books once, his chief reason: I played a thief.  Turned out another player had borrowed the book and even had left one of his own with the DM (that player was shocked I'd been accused). I never got an appropriate apology from the accuser because he felt his basic gut instinct had been right in the past that the character a person plays tells you something about the player.
I enjoy playing picaresque rogues whether the class is fighter, magic-user or theif. It reflects a desire for a certain style of adventure and doesn't tell you who I am (might be total opposite of that really).
But I also enjoy playing empire builders who aren't picaresque rogues... I also like playing calculating in nose in the book experiment-prone magic-users, or clerics embodying their faith. When I play a character I do so for the fun and challenge of it and try to find a charcater that will fit into or enrich a campaign in a way that will be fun.

It's not who we play that reveals something about us, it's how we play. 




1 comment:

  1. I agree entirely with you. I have a player whose character is a bloodthirsty thief (throat slitting and ear collection are common themes) but in real life he is a social worker who spends his days saving kids from terrible circumstances. His style of play, though, shows careful consideration and a zesty enthusiasm, which are characteristics that come through in everything he does.

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