Have you ever role-played in SWTOR or any other mmo?

[Raphael_diSanto]

If you think I was using the clinical definition of "narcissistic," I'll just add that I am not a mental health care professional.

 

Happy?

 

Here's a definition of egocentric from m-w.com (given as a synonym for narcissistic): limited in outlook or concern to one's own activities or needs (the definition for narcissism was simply given as "egocentrism"). Sounds pretty much like solo role playing to me.

 

 

No, it's the pinnacle of bizarre. RP is a social activity, By definition, you cannot perform a social activity alone.

Mm. You want to play the dictionary definition game? Sure.

 

From m-w.com as well:

 

role-play:

 

1. to act out the role of

2. to represent in action

 

Neither of those definitions require other people to be present, do they?

 

If you think solo roleplay is egocentric, I think you have the wrong idea of what roleplaying is in a video game. You RP in RPGs. There's millions of solo RPGs in which you, well, roleplay. On your own. Without anyone else present.

 

So, m-w has 2 definitions for egocentric:

 

1. having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things:

2. having little or no regard for interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than one's own; self-centered

 

I see no evidence that the solo RPer regards himself or herself as the center of all things. I mean, unless you think all roleplaying is about being the center of all things.

 

... for the record, it isn't. Just sayin'. For my money, if you're RPing on your own, it kinda demonstrates that you don't care about being the center of attention. You know, since no one else is there....

Edited February 8, 2015 by Raphael_diSanto

[oJebuso]

Mm. You want to play the dictionary definition game? Sure.

 

From m-w.com as well:

 

role-play:

 

1. to act out the role of

2. to represent in action

 

Neither of those definitions require other people to be present, do they?

 

If you think solo roleplay is egocentric, I think you have the wrong idea of what roleplaying is in a video game. You RP in RPGs. There's millions of solo RPGs in which you, well, roleplay. On your own. Without anyone else present.

 

So, m-w has 2 definitions for egocentric:

 

1. having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things:

2. having little or no regard for interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than one's own; self-centered

 

I see no evidence that the solo RPer regards himself or herself as the center of all things. I mean, unless you think all roleplaying is about being the center of all things.

 

... for the record, it isn't. Just sayin'. For my money, if you're RPing on your own, it kinda demonstrated that you don't care about being the center of attention. You know, since no one else is there....

 

☐ Not rekt ☑ Rekt

[Raphael_diSanto]

☐ Not rekt ☑ Rekt

 

Um.. Is that agree or disagree? I'm a little confused.....

Edited February 8, 2015 by Raphael_diSanto

[oJebuso]

Um.. Is that agree or disagree? I'm a little confused.....

 

Lol, I was agreeing with you.

[SelinaH]

If you think solo roleplay is egocentric, I think you have the wrong idea of what roleplaying is in a video game. You RP in RPGs. There's millions of solo RPGs in which you, well, roleplay. On your own. Without anyone else present.

While this is true, in my experience people who self-identify as "roleplayers" typically consider RP a collaborative activity, while folks who make their way through a solo RPG often view character and immersion as simply part of playing the game rather than "role-play" per se. I personally don't know anyone (that I'm aware of) who considers him/herself a roleplayer because "I played Mass Effect."

 

As always, YMMV.

[oJebuso]

While this is true, in my experience people who self-identify as "roleplayers" typically consider RP a collaborative activity, while folks who make their way through a solo RPG often view character and immersion as simply part of playing the game rather than "role-play" per se. I personally don't know anyone (that I'm aware of) who considers him/herself a roleplayer because "I played Mass Effect."

 

As always, YMMV.

 

From what I've seen, most people who RP alone, do so because most group RP in my experience is pretty cringe worthy.

 

But you're right, ymmv. Everyone is different.

[Raphael_diSanto]

While this is true, in my experience people who self-identify as "roleplayers" typically consider RP a collaborative activity, while folks who make their way through a solo RPG often view character and immersion as simply part of playing the game rather than "role-play" per se. I personally don't know anyone (that I'm aware of) who considers him/herself a roleplayer because "I played Mass Effect."

 

As always, YMMV.

 

Ah, no, I'm not saying that

 

I'm not saying that any random gamer who plays through Mass Effect would consider themselves a roleplayer.

 

But someone who already considers themselves a roleplayer might also regard what they do in a game like Mass Effect as roleplaying.

 

I was really just saying that, strictly speaking, the activity of "roleplay" does not require the participation of others. One could argue that RP without others is pointless, but that does not mean it isn't still RP.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Raphael_diSanto

[Criosdh]

It's entirely self-focused, with no input from another person. It's tantamount to staring at oneself in a mirror and saying "Dayum, I am hot!! Tell me, self, have you ever seen such a hottie in your life?"

 

Yeah that makes no sense what soever and I have no idea how you came to the conclusion that staring at yourself in the mirror and saying "dayum I am hot" is even remotely similar to solo roleplay. You also didn't give any reason for why they are comparable so there is really nothing there to work with even if I were trying to agree with you.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Criosdh

[Criosdh]

Ah, no, I'm not saying that

 

I'm not saying that any random gamer who plays through Mass Effect would consider themselves a roleplayer.

 

But someone who already considers themselves a roleplayer might also regard what they do in a game like Mass Effect as roleplaying.

 

I was really just saying that, strictly speaking, the activity of "roleplay" does not require the participation of others. One could argue that RP without others is pointless, but that does not mean it isn't still RP.

 

I personally don't see why Mass Effect wouldn't be considered RP. You have choices based on attitude or character type, you can change the looks of the character. The only thing that prevents that game from being a "put yourself into a space fight" RP game is the fact that you can't choose the name used in game. Honestly if I had been BioWare I would have used a generic term like "captain" or "general" just to prevent someone from being permanently attached to the name. The name of the character is never really that important and there's only a few cases where identifying him without a proper name would have been difficult.

[branmakmuffin]

Yeah that makes no sense what soever and I have no idea how you came to the conclusion that staring at yourself in the mirror and saying "dayum I am hot" is even remotely similar to solo roleplay.

If you can't see how they are similar, I can't explain it to you any better. It's like I say "Driving a car and walking are similar in that they are both ways to get from point A to point B," and you say "No they're not similar."

Edited February 9, 2015 by branmakmuffin

[ImmortalLowlife]

Guess it depends on how you see it... If I'm playing a SP RPG (or swtor for that matter), that lets me create my character...say dragon age or my lvl 60 inquisitor...I usually spend waaaaay to much time making sure that character looks exactly like ME. And I make choices based on how I would respond. Here on swtor, all the characters in my legacy (Immortal) are based on members of my rap group. They look like them...tho some are alien lol But I play them making decisions in game like they would.

 

Is that what you'd consider RP'ing?

[Criosdh]

If you can't see how they are similar, I can't explain it to you any better. It's like I say "Driving a car and walking are similar in that they are both ways to get from point A to point B," and you say "No they're not similar."

 

Uhhhh no because walking and driving are the double mint twins compared to the comparison you made. Solo RP has nothing to do with admiring oneself in the mirror. Your comparison made no sense at all. You may as well be saying doing anything alone that is fun is like admiring oneself in the mirror. Like it makes no sense what so ever.

 

How you have come to the conclusion that solo RP is admiring oneself at all is what makes no sense. RP is not about admiring yourself or impressing yourself at all.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Criosdh

[Beltane]

This thread is really weird and confusing and most of the replies have absolutely nothing to do with RP.

 

Roleplay in an MMO sense refers to writing custom /emotes (I.e. /emote picks up a glass and takes a drink) and interacting with other players in a collaborative in-character setting.

 

It doesn't mean playing the game as your character and never talking to anyone else, being in character 100% of the time, or whatever else. Just because you play an RPG doesn't mean you are role playing.

 

Roleplayers generally are NOT in character all the time. I play the game like a normal person and then very deliberately choose when I want to RP, i.e. when I wish to collaboratively write stories with likeminded players. When I PVP I am out of character, for example, because it makes no sense from an IC standpoint.

 

It's considered bad form in RP to take the game storyline as IC as well. People create their own backstories for characters.

 

Go to the fleet cantina on a RP server and you'll see what MMO RP is.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Beltane

[Beltane]

While this is true, in my experience people who self-identify as "roleplayers" typically consider RP a collaborative activity, while folks who make their way through a solo RPG often view character and immersion as simply part of playing the game rather than "role-play" per se. I personally don't know anyone (that I'm aware of) who considers him/herself a roleplayer because "I played Mass Effect."

 

As always, YMMV.

 

Yeah, this, exactly.

 

Playing an RPG is not roleplaying. You might call it that, but roleplaying has a vastly different definition in online/MMO communities.

 

Not everybody who plays this game is a roleplayer despite the literal game having RPG elements.

 

Roleplay is collaborative writing, I don't know how else to define it. You don't even need a game to RP--you just create a character and write out its actions, personality, dialogue, relationships, etc etc. There's tons of text based RP communities in chat rooms and on forums. MMOs just add the visual element to something that's been happening since the dawn of the internet.

 

 

If you want an idea of what RP is, look at my guild site. We have a guild storyline that meshes with the lore of the game and clearly defined IC and OOC interests. That's what RP is, not Mass Effect.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Beltane

[LoverNoFighter]

I only roleplayed one character in SWG: a Wookiee Entertainer named 'Arr.'

That's all she ever said in spatial with the emotional tags.

 

Arr curiously says 'Arr?' (or something similar along those lines.)

 

In whispers/tells it was only busineess in re buffs.

 

It was a challenge to do, but rather fun some evenings.

 

That's why speech bubbles are so wonderful. It was so easy to do a little bit of RPing in SWG.

RPing in chat channels just feels ridiculous.

[Macetheace]

From what I've seen, most people who RP alone, do so because most group RP in my experience is pretty cringe worthy.

 

But you're right, ymmv. Everyone is different.

 

that's some good discussions between you and Bran - and you are both right, if you go by what was intended to be said. Bran, I hear what you are saying, and what you are saying is right once you described the context you were saying it in. Not sure narcissitic was quite the right word to use to describe what you were meaning.

 

Now you got me curious people, how would you solo RP? if i'ts just going on in your head with nobody to see, is it even roleplay? - hmm, I guess it is, I keep trying to you know, imagine myself as my character, and wanting to build something of it, etc, but with no one to share it with, or interested, it just ends up seeming pointless and i quit and continue viewing my character in the 3rd person rather than in the first person

 

i gues that's the difference between roleplaying in RPGs and non-roleplaying, it's jsut that while both are roleplaying, the commmunity as come to call first person roleplaying roleplaying for some reason thinks that the 3rd person view, is not roleplaying, when it is, and to some extent everyone playing is roleplaying, and you some how getting off on the fantasy of being a powerful warrior/sith/agent/smuggler or a useful one if not powerful - cos you don't necessarily have to be powerful, but the lure is you do pretty amazing things right?

 

the difference is that you don't have to make all of it up, the game story has a helathy does of that.

 

So i'm thinking, how can you add to that in a multi environment without taking away from your character? i want to roleplay as my class character, but then it's kinda silly since not everyone can be /do what you did in the class story...which is why i thought of two tiers of involvement.

 

Tier 1: Your core group of 4, within your core group of 4, you are the only one of that class and you can freely roleplay, outside that group is

 

Tier 2: everyone, here you can roleplay too, but when coming across people of your own class, you just don't bring up class story related events, or things related to your class' involvement. You can if it's members of another class as long as one of your core group's members isn't there, which if he/she is, then his class also cannot invovle class story role plays.

 

everyone follows these roles,

 

e.g. i can roleplay my class story if no one else in the group is my class, so can they if they're the only one of their class, if not, then they can't, they can also not roleplay class story of the class any other member of my core group is as long as that member is in the group. so if my friend was a smuggler, and there was another smuggler and a trooper in the group, me the knight and the trooper can pull our class story into the role play, but the smugglers can't.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Macetheace

[ItachiZaku]

I really only RP in WoW. #TrueHorde #IronHorde I have toons that are 100% on Gary's side, and I've caused... uh... I guess a total of 150ish wipes in raid finder for the Siege of Orgrimmar raid with those toons. Before nerfs, it was pretty cool, since they would NEVER get past Nazgrim, ever. lol lol but gear and nerfs, it was hard to wipe people there. Still pretty decent chance to wipe on multiple bosses though.

 

SWTOR, only the legacy family tree. Which doesn't really mean anything, but it is still a cool addition.

[VitalityPrime]

I RP in Champions Online with my supergroup.

 

However, for games like SWTOR, Dragon Age Origins, and Mass Effect...I don't "RP"...but I do immerse myself in the story and the character I create.

Edited February 9, 2015 by VitalityPrime

[Criosdh]

Yeah, this, exactly.

 

Playing an RPG is not roleplaying. You might call it that, but roleplaying has a vastly different definition in online/MMO communities.

 

Not everybody who plays this game is a roleplayer despite the literal game having RPG elements.

 

Roleplay is collaborative writing, I don't know how else to define it. You don't even need a game to RP--you just create a character and write out its actions, personality, dialogue, relationships, etc etc. There's tons of text based RP communities in chat rooms and on forums. MMOs just add the visual element to something that's been happening since the dawn of the internet.

 

 

If you want an idea of what RP is, look at my guild site. We have a guild storyline that meshes with the lore of the game and clearly defined IC and OOC interests. That's what RP is, not Mass Effect.

 

By defining role playing as "collaborative writing" you're limiting the actual definition of a much broader term to just your earliest experiences with something that adopted the term role playing. Role play has a much broader definition that covers much more than "collaborative writing". Everything from Dungeons and Dragons Pen and Paper to a technique psychologist use to communicate with children even as far as just children pretending to be a cop or an indian is role play.

 

That being said I find your limited definition of RP, which basically in the MMO genre boils down to IC conversations at the cantina, to be an absolutely terrible representation of the broader definition of RP. IMO role play servers would out number non-RP servers IF the potential light to medium role players didn't associate the term with that verbal trash that takes place in the cantina or tavern settings of MMOs.

 

Yes I partially refer to the ERP which is most definitely a big part of Tavern RP but more than that is the complete and utter lack of skill that those people tend to display in their "writing". I don't know if being in a tavern setting just makes for very limited subject matter and thus the "role players" are fighting an up hill battle to make it happen or what. Either way I have a 5 year old and a 4 year old that carry on more interesting dialogue when role playing as super heroes or adventurers. I don't mean to insult the people that are doing it personally, there's no rule that says you have to be good at it anything to enjoy it. But DAMN if fantasy books were written by the people that tavern RP I'd rather smash my pecker in a door than read the first chapter.

[Beltane]

So i'm thinking, how can you add to that in a multi environment without taking away from your character? i want to roleplay as my class character, but then it's kinda silly since not everyone can be /do what you did in the class story...which is why i thought of two tiers of involvement.

Why RP as your class character though? Like I said, it's considered bad form to RP as what the game story says you are in just about any game. In TOR it's even worse since the roles are so defined with super detailed story.

 

It's way more interesting to come up with your own character. I have 5 inquisitors that I RP and not one is similar, character wise. RP is an exercise in creative writing. I can't see the appeal of RPing as Darth Nox and the Emperor's Wrath when you could create something new and unique.

 

Like I said, if you're genuinely interested in RP I recommend going to a RP server and observing RP for a while. Nobody who was RPing as their class story character would be taken seriously by the community. It's even considered bad form for every single character in RP to be a Darth just because you have the title. If you want to RP your best bet would be to find a RP guild and go from there.

[Beltane]

By defining role playing as "collaborative writing" you're limiting the actual definition of a much broader term to just your earliest experiences with something that adopted the term role playing. Role play has a much broader definition that covers much more than "collaborative writing". Everything from Dungeons and Dragons Pen and Paper to a technique psychologist use to communicate with children even as far as just children pretending to be a cop or an indian is role play.

 

That being said I find your limited definition of RP, which basically in the MMO genre boils down to IC conversations at the cantina, to be an absolutely terrible representation of the broader definition of RP. IMO role play servers would out number non-RP servers IF the potential light to medium role players didn't associate the term with that verbal trash that takes place in the cantina or tavern settings of MMOs.

 

Yes I partially refer to the ERP which is most definitely a big part of Tavern RP but more than that is the complete and utter lack of skill that those people tend to display in their "writing". I don't know if being in a tavern setting just makes for very limited subject matter and thus the "role players" are fighting an up hill battle to make it happen or what. Either way I have a 5 year old and a 4 year old that carry on more interesting dialogue when role playing as super heroes or adventurers. I don't mean to insult the people that are doing it personally, there's no rule that says you have to be good at it anything to enjoy it. But DAMN if fantasy books were written by the people that tavern RP I'd rather smash my pecker in a door than read the first chapter.

 

I have literally no idea what you're rambling about. I RP every day and I don't ERP and I don't cantina RP.

 

You can call it whatever you want, but if you go to a RP server and talk about RP people are going to assume you are referring to... roleplaying, since words have meaning. In this case, roleplaying refers to creating a custom character and writing custom emotes for said character.

 

No RP guild I've ever encountered, in any game, would accept a roleplayer who doesn't want to interact with others or write custom emotes, because that's not RP... it's just playing the game.

 

When games talk about roleplay features they are talking about social, immersive features that aid in the creation of roleplay, not just playing the game.

 

Seriously, this is extremely bizarre to me. My interpretation of RP isn't limited--it's accurate. Sorry.

 

BTW, your elitism is extremely offputting. Not everybody who RPs in a cantina writes "verbal trash" and I have no idea why you'd judge other people so harshly for engaging in a creative social activity that harms no one.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Beltane

[VitalityPrime]

Why RP as your class character though? Like I said, it's considered bad form to RP as what the game story says you are in just about any game. In TOR it's even worse since the roles are so defined with super detailed story.

 

It's way more interesting to come up with your own character. I have 5 inquisitors that I RP and not one is similar, character wise. RP is an exercise in creative writing. I can't see the appeal of RPing as Darth Nox and the Emperor's Wrath when you could create something new and unique.

 

Like I said, if you're genuinely interested in RP I recommend going to a RP server and observing RP for a while. Nobody who was RPing as their class story character would be taken seriously by the community. It's even considered bad form for every single character in RP to be a Darth just because you have the title. If you want to RP your best bet would be to find a RP guild and go from there.

 

Yeah, I see what you're saying.

 

However, that's also the reason I would never RP in this game...and rather just immerse myself into the storyline given. Taking the "RP" as far as choosing the dialogue options that best suit my character.

 

There is way too much "suspension of disbelief" needed...and "plot holes" to RP your character as anything other than what the storyline says you are. (for me at least)

Edited February 9, 2015 by VitalityPrime

[TUXs]

Nope. I'm glad others can, just not something I enjoy.

[Criosdh]

I have literally no idea what you're rambling about. I RP every day and I don't ERP and I don't cantina RP.

 

You can call it whatever you want, but if you go to a RP server and talk about RP people are going to assume you are referring to... roleplaying, since words have meaning. In this case, roleplaying refers to creating a custom character and writing custom emotes for said character.

 

No RP guild I've ever encountered, in any game, would accept a roleplayer who doesn't want to interact with others or write custom emotes, because that's not RP... it's just playing the game.

 

When games talk about roleplay features they are talking about social, immersive features that aid in the creation of roleplay, not just playing the game.

 

Seriously, this is extremely bizarre to me. My interpretation of RP isn't limited--it's accurate. Sorry.

 

No sorry but your interpretation of RP is limited to only the kind you participate in. I could post the definition of role play if you want but I have a feeling that would be redundant.

 

You're also assuming that one can't step outside the boundaries of what the class story gives them. If you have any imagination what-so-ever that is completely untrue. Especially in SWtOR where you can choose dark or light choices on either side. I have a gray Jedi who married because he believes making nuns out of all the force sensitives will eventually lead to none existing in the Republic. That's just a snippet of his personality/story but it has nothing to do with my class story. I also have an Imp Agent who went a-wall by faking a KIA and is camping out as an incognito pirate in Tatooine.

 

However I do agree that trying to RP within your class story severely limits your ability to do anything unique and I think unfortunately it's a side effect of people whining about "the grind" in MMOs. It used to be understood (DAoC glory days) that YOUR ADVENTURES are the main quest line. Now days the new MMO players all want their damn rails to ride instead of going out and making their own way like we did on Nimue.

 

BTW, your elitism is extremely offputting. Not everybody who RPs in a cantina writes "verbal trash" and I have no idea why you'd judge other people so harshly for engaging in a creative social activity that harms no one.

 

I find this statement about "elitism" extremely ironic seeing as how you are the one putting a very limited definition on what is role playing and not only that but accusing any variation from that definition to be incorrect.

 

I'm pretty sure you'll find nobody gives a two bit rip about whether a small group of tavern RP'ers (ok who don't RP at the tavern but stand around "RPing" somewhere else) consider their RP to be kosher or not. Like I said, it might almost be different if the people that do the kind of RPing you're talking about where even remotely good at it but I think I might have seen one conversation in the Prancing Poney in the years I've been playing MMOs that didn't sound like the drivel of some 10 year old with a social disorder.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Criosdh

[Beltane]

Yeah, I see what you're saying.

 

However, that's also the reason I would never RP in this game...and rather just immerse myself into the storyline given. Taking the "RP" as far as choosing the dialogue options that best suit my character.

 

There is way too much "suspension of disbelief" needed...and "plot holes" to RP your character as anything other than what the storyline says you are. (for me at least)

 

I can definitely understand not wanting to RP, and just enjoying the RPG aspects of the game. I only argue that it isn't RP in the MMO sense if you aren't interacting with anyone else, or if your character is the game story character. Does that make sense?

 

Most of the posts in this thread are using RP in a way I've never seen it used... and I think I'd know. I've been involved in online RP since 1998, have RPed in around 10 MMOs, and visit a large variety of RP forums. I think at this point I understand what MMO RP is...

 

For what it's worth, the way we avoid plot holes is to take the lore as a base and go from there. For example, when the Korriban flashpoint came out, my guild RPed it having huge effects on our characters. Lots of people we knew died (we even offed some of our own alts) and we then RPed our way through the Revan expansion story from the perspective of a 'normal' group of Sith rather than the heroes of the galaxy. It can be really fun, but I understand it isn't for everyone.