Do you role-play in MP games and why or why not?

[moderation]

Also, if you do role-play your pretender/nation, what is your style?

Another fun poll of the week. Credit goes to Sheap for phrases borrowed from his MP tips post.

[quantum_mechani]

It really depends what you mean by role-play. I would pretty much never make a tactical or strategic decision for role-play reasons, but as far as diplomacy goes I generally try to weave what's going on into as sensible of a role-play perspective as possible.

[moderation]

Well, yeah by role-playing, I basically mean whether you send a message like "The Lord of Oceania sends these blood slaves in hopes of continued goodwill between our nations", instead of "Here's some gems and gold, please don't attack me, kthx."

Making a strategic decision for thematic reasons though, that's crazy!

[Endoperez]

I almost always take a small "role" that doesn't actually affect the game, in the form of naming my pretender something outrageous.

Devourer of Apples the Manticore, or a death god named Hakkarainen after a sleep-walking goat appearing in Finnish children's books, or a Tien Chi pretender named Lord of the Seven Teas (I drank insane amount of tea during that game to keep warm and awake).

[Edi]

Always some role playing, especially on the diplomacy side. Tactical and strategic decisions are never affected by the role playing, though. My gods don't hire incompetents so the commanders are left to figure out the conquest on their own. As in, "Thus it was ordered and so it was done!" type of field leadership and the choice of methods whatever was most efficiently at hand.

[kasnavada]

About the second question, of course : clear distinction. Even when acting lawfully, I'm still acting.

[Aezeal]

Well backstabbing is backstabbing and anyone doing so will hear so too... I remember a vivid discussion in my first MP game about it. I said someone was a backstabber and then the host insisted I shouldn't do that but I had to call "the god of ... " a backstabber.. same difference to me. Of course that made me call the god of whatever a bit more than a backstabber. (Hey what can I say, my god is just like me and dislikes backstabbing unless he's doing it himself.. and my god just has numerous ways to let his displeasure be known

And about RP in MP games in general.. no.. I just want to win a game for once ... I to tend to send a few message and post in the threads "in character" but usually noone follows my lead so I forget about it.

--> though I said never I think both examples above show that I do talk a bit RP but it affects nothing in game really

[DonCorazon]

I always try and throw a little role play into the mix. Usually in the form of (attempted humorous?) explanations to explain my strategic decisions.

Really quiet games are never as fun or as meaningful as ones with lots of great posts.

I have been impressed as well with the quality and eloquence of many players posts - clearly some budding fantasy writers play Dom.

[PvK]

"Making a strategic decision for thematic reasons though, that's crazy!"

Not if you look at it as making fun and imagination more important than optimization and winning.

I'd rather have imaginative fun than optimal winning any day (except maybe if there's a mighty prize involved, like a magic cursed trident... ).