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

[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.

[Aezeal]

I would love to write a fantasy book, but my job (which I love) doesn't allow it.

[DonCorazon]

Aezeal said:
my job (which I love)

Those are some rarely heard words - congratulations.

[Aezeal]

hehe I still have a goal I'm working towards and already am what I wanted to be, and do what I wanted to do.

I think I have one of the best jobs around.. making quite some hours and then some on the side and don't really care

[cupido2]

I myself do a bit of roleplaying by picking a thematic pretender, like the Sacred Statue for MA Agartha. And I do the "Hail Lord of"-thing in diplomacy. I think you have to talk and write this way in a game like this.

Put really acting in a role and do the thematically and not the (imho) strategically right move, I only do when I'm on the losing side in a game. But that's nothing in an elaborate way or high art of roleplaying. More something silly to keep myself interested in the game instead of going AI. Like the Godfather in Radiance or the megalomaniac Agartha in Fallacy. Don't know if others thinks that the things I write are entertaining but it does the job for me and I always fought to the last province in the games I was in.

[Omnirizon]

I always roleplay, though it usually just figures into the flavor of my posts and diplomacy.

When forming a theme or personality to roleplay, I usually utilize how I feel the direction of my nation is going in the early game; rather than having a personality in mind from the outset. This is only natural, since culture is formed through historical events/accidents/black swans, whatever. In this way, the roleplay becomes usually intrinsic in my diplomatic and sometimes even military strategy.


EDIT:

I also hate when players metagame. they send communications relevant to game while referencing things outside of the game, or saying things that would be non-sensical given a nations position as an existing entity in the imaginary game world. They act outside the illusion being created for the game to take place within. I think metagaming is also very dangerous for the integrity between game and RL and between two different games; what Sheap discusses in his tips. In this way I suppose everyone should roleplay to the extent that they avoid metagaming. So roleplaying is not only fun, but necessary for the game to function.

[moderation]

Omnirizon, what do you mean by metagaming?

Things like carrying a grudge from one game to the next of course are really absurd should be avoided at all times. As for out of character communication in a game's discussion thread, I've been wondering why there isn't a more clear distinction between out of character and in character communications. I could actually do a better job of this myself sometimes, but I've found in some games, people don't RP much or don't try to unless someone else does. So it seems like a rather tricky thing. I've been wondering if some sort of roleplaying template would be useful (think of the diplomatic negotiation screen in Civilization, or Master of Orion or Master of Magic, where you're just talking to the computer, but everything is very much in characters). In those situations it's not so much what is being done, but the language that it's couched in that makes an event more convincing. So I think it's mostly a question of language, but maybe it's also a question of attitude.

I'm not sure I could perform the "high art of roleplaying" in Dom 3, to quote cupido02; I often like the idea of role-playing more in the vein of Steve Jackson's goofier games. An off-beat approach referencing pop culture outside of the game can also be fun. For instance, Zoidberg, Pretender God of R'yleh, who tries to heal afflictions, but sometimes also causes them with his pincers. Of course this depends on the setting and wouldn't work so well during a more serious good vs evil type game.

So in general, I think role-playing in Dom 3 can often be complicated, (e.g. is it a good idea to pick a thematic pretender if it will cost you extra design points?) but it also adds some depth without which the game just feels like an exercise in crunching numbers and memorizing spells and strategies. Granted, memorizing spells and strategies can be fun, but I like it more if there's a compelling reason that I am doing it (aside from becoming the number one pretender god). Anyway, I've been mulling over some good vs evil role-playing ideas in this thread, so feel free to throw in some more ideas.

I guess the basic question I'm getting at is more like: "What is fun about role-playing in Dominions? When does it work? When doesn't it work? How can it make the game more fun?" Something like that.

[Lingchih]

I always role-play to an extent, in diplomacy and such, unless the other player doesn't seem to like it, in which case I will drop it.

I took it to another level in a game I am playing now though. I'm playing Neifelheim, and I figured, hey, these are hugely powerful Giants, who can kill entire armies by themselves. They are not going to meekly ask another nation to "please sign an NAP with us", or whatever. They are going to demand things.

So I started bullying all my neighbors. I told them to stay the hell away from so-and-so province, that my Jarls would go wherever they pleased, that we did not believe in NAPs with tiny beings we could easily crush, etc. Not actually declaring war, but being very rude. I was really role-playing.

Anyway, they all eventually ganged up on me and attacked me. So I think I will just leave it at diplomatic level in the future.