Role play or action?

[EDM Entori]

This thread is meant to be constructive once again.. I will call those being unconstructive out.


After the "why do you adventure post" I've been reading replies and it's got me thinking.

What do you, or we; as I am a player, beleive is the primary difference between an action and roleplay server?



My opinion is:


Action: Kill stuff, to gain gold to get better stuff, to gain gold to get BEtter stuff to kill better creatures and theres an eventual end all be all boss you kill, and you go try it again.


Roleplay: Actions and motives are directed from story line, characters are derrived from cannon (here) FR knowledge, and of course brings this all into context. They have feelings deities who in FR are Real and effect the world, racism sterotypes, etc etc etc.

if you characters main motives, is to gain gold and get better stuff, where is the roleplay?

Note: this is to say that the roleplay leading to gaining gold and getting better stuff is not incorrect, only that the story and the overlying roleplay, dictates how and when this is acheived.

[DM Justicar - Creator of FRC]

From my perspective FRC attempts to deliver the best play experience possible for the widest variety of players. If FRC were "strictly" a role-playing server then wouldn't we just have a welcome area where players could just log in and role-play anything they wanted? A DM could stand there and we could do old PnP style adventures, each player rolling and explaining their actions to the DM. Actually, this gives me an idea, but I'll share that later.

The point is that FRC attempts to be a living world in which every player can explore their characters either with a group or independently. In my opinion nothing should be completely black or white... some players like a little more action, some like nothing but role-play, some just like gaming and socializing... the good news is it's all available here.

I think we should be careful here and all remember our roots. Some of the people you will meet on FRC have been role-playing the better part of their lives... some maybe longer than you have been alive. Some people have never role-played a day in their lives and FRC is their first attempt; maybe they have never experienced anything like it. Allow me to just ask though if it were your first attempt at something and the person teaching you said, "you're doing it wrong and that's not the way I would do it", you would get turned off pretty quickly. Same goes for role-play, it's an art.

Bear in mind that we are all here for the same reason, which is fun. When I'm having fun I usually don't stop and ask deep philosophical questions about the nature of that fun... I just roll with it. If it continues to be fun, I keep doing it... if not, I go find the next fun thing. FRC could only be better if everyone would do this.

[rhjmas]

Feb 15, 2010 12:04:45 GMT -5 EDM Entori said:

After the "why do you adventure post" I've been reading replies and it's got me thinking.

...

if you characters main motives, is to gain gold and get better stuff, where is the roleplay?

The question Frosty asked is akin to asking someone in modern times, "Why do you work?" as opposed to, say, "What are your goals in life?" Surely a great many people would honestly answer that their main motivation in working is to make money. Either that or an awful lot of people are fibbing when they say they hate their jobs.

As it relates to the thread topic, I view Action servers as being almost exclusively focused on work, i.e., the acquisition of wealth, gear and prestige through adventuring, Social servers as diminishing that activity to an afterthought and RP servers occupying a vast middle ground between the two. Some RPers, as in RL, will be more oriented toward riches and stature, either to further some non-work related goals or simply from motivations of greed and/or pride. Others will be nearly ascetic, working just enough to survive while pursuing their primary interests.

I agree with Justi, have fun with it. I'll add the caveat to be cognizant of other people's fun as well. It's a large community; if someone's play style doesn't mesh with mine or my PC thinks their PC annoying it's easy enough to find plently of others to interact with. That doesn't make either of us right, just having fun in different ways.

[The Supreme Watcher]

The difference between an action server and an RP server? Well...

On Action servers you could have a character named ~!!ARTEMIS ENTRERI!!~, wouldn't have to be in character, could run around smashing things to bits to get better equipment, and then just PvP until oblivion comes.

THe main difference for me (and, you know, why I'm on a RP server) is the in-character interaction. I don't play NWN to get phat lewtz and show off my e-peen with how good I am at powerbuilding (spoiler: I can't powerbuild for my life). I play it to become someone else, Garum Glandash, Kalak Glandash, Gerard Rakurno. They're more than blips on some computer's hard-disk for me.

So, in summary: The difference is being in character.

[kerym]

I define each of the three different server playstyle types like this:

Action:
Player and mechanics are the driving motivator of all actions, no concept of character aside from those who want to put on a fake face. Even those concepts are based on game mechanic desires, more loot, better gear, xp grind.

Roleplay:
Player constructs a character persona and then that character's persona drives the actions and goals. So the 'RP' itself is not the goal it is merely the playstyle. But then again I view the term Roleplay not to be defined by interaction, but merely the constant focus on remaining in the character's mindset and responding accordingly. Characters still have goals, like gaining wealth, getting stronger, crafting, making alliances, etc. but they are based on the character's persona not the player's.

Social:
Where the main goal is 'RP interaction' at various levels. Often players are IC and their characters are very deeply considered but its essentially using NWN like a chat community in a way. That sounds harsh and I don't necessarily mean it to be, to each their own, but it seems to sell the game short for me.

But on an RP server their is plenty of room for 'hack and slash' as that is the way adventurer's earn their stripes and their gold. It is totally valid as long as it is handled in an IC fashion in terms of frequency, etc. Adjusting your tactics based on your character's persona instead of using what is OOCly the most effective is an example of action on an RP server. Plenty of room for crafting, intrigue, alliance building. spying, etc. as well. More or less anything a character can wish to do (that is allowable by the server rules) is fair game.

That is how I view the difference between what a server's playstyle is (and there are multiple shades of grey within each category really): What is driving the character or the player and are the goals OOC or IC?

[Savoie Faire]

Way back before the ten level rule was a hard rule I heard a player say, "I got zero exp but had a blast!"

That player expresses my feelings on this subject. If you are having fun, why bother keeping score? The player was fighting monsters and interacting with his fellow players and, unless there was some awesome loot drop, getting nothing for it except the fun.

There was no either/or about it. Action and roleplay are not mutually exclusive, and exp and gold are not the only rewards.

[Deleted]

Sometimes i get the feeling FRC is a social server. other times i get the feeling it is an action server. But most of the time FRC shows a high level of roleplay that is incredibly hard to find elsewhere. Sure it has its faults... but doesnt everything?

As people have said... an action server is where you go to just PVP the crap out of nubz or to just grind like you would on any MMO.

Social servers, to me, are just a place people can lay around and get their pixel funk on.

And a roleplay server sits in the middle. You can pvp, you can PVE and most of all, you can rp your character and make them as detailed and as three dimensional as you want.

~Sio

[828stingstingneo]

I'm no expert since I've never played on an action server before, but I largely agree with what kerym said. My impression is that the difference lies not in what a character can achieve (power, gold, items, knowledge, allies, etc.), but in the nature of the struggle to achieve.

I imagine in action, a character's goals are the player's own. The journey to the goal is typically the most direct. The goals are all.

In good roleplay, a character's goals are the character's. More thought is taken about the whys. Why does my character have these goals? The journey to the goal may be indirect. How the character would proceed takes precedence over efficiency. The goals are important, but also the details. Time can be spent focusing on rest and relaxation in between adventures but also on a deeper meaning or greater level of detail within them:

-Action
Rogue: Come, Fighter. If we pool our efforts, we'll be able to go deeper into the dungeon and get better treasure.
Fighter: Okay.

-Roleplay
Rogue: Come, Fighter. If we pool our efforts, we'll be able to go deeper into the dungeon and get better treasure.
Fighter: *thoughtfully fingers his empty coin purse* Very well. I do have debts to pay. *rises, loosens his sword in its sheath, and strides confidently after Rogue*

[DM Justicar - Creator of FRC]

Feb 15, 2010 18:25:38 GMT -5 @mnichols said:

FRC is both an action AND a role-playing server. These things aren't mutually exclusive.

I don't think it's right to put some stigma on those who really love and spend most of their time out in the field instead of hanging around Greatgaunt making small talk, as long as they are role playing and following the server rules. It's just as valid as making a character who does nothing but hang around town chatting, or who exists only for a role playing reason and barely adventures.

Action is how you advance in levels, it's how you use your character's abilities, it's (in many ways) how you bond with each other. It's also where the "game" aspect comes in, as well as all of the challenge and joy of teamwork and all those great things. There's absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying this aspect of the game.

That said, role playing should be first and foremost and you should be in character at all times. Of course. And you should be making an effort to interact with other players and creating a deeper storyline and immersive world for yourself as well as others. BUT that's not exclusive to having fun fighting things as well.

And I do want to add.. Playing someone who rarely "adventures" and who has a deep and involving story is great, if that's what you enjoy doing... But if someone else- meaning, in this case, myself- wants to play a rogueish mercenary sort who lives only for the next meal and adventures purely for the thrill and camaraderie, what's wrong with that? It doesn't mean I'm a powergamer because my character prefers to be in a group trading wisecracks and tackling challenges instead of having 4 hour long conversations in town about my tortured backstory or greater troubles threatening the realm.

I'm hoping this is what Justicar was saying as well, that we're here to have fun and there's many different ways to do that. And that there's room here for both those who want to inhabit a deep and convoluted novel, and a lighter swashbuckling action film. If there's not, let me know now so I can find somewhere more accomodating.

If it wasn't clear, yes, this is pretty much exactly what I was trying to say.

The very roots of D&D were based on a war game called "Chainmail". They decided to replace the enemies of the players with monsters and creatures of lore and thus was born and role-play as we know it.

[soulfien]

I adventure for many reasons depending on circumstances, my mood, who's on, what's going on in game... etc...

Sometimes I'll hop into a dungeon because I can't find anyone around. Rather than sit in a chair or lean against a tree for 3 hours I'll just either log or hop into a dungeon or 2.

Level up. Leveling up can only be done by adventuring. More gold, more xp equals higher level and more gear- not only weapons and armour, but more healing kits, outfits, spare cash for caravans, etc... Our pc's need gold. And levels means a more in depth character development story. So every once in a while, you just have to dive into a dungeon.

RP- My druid will patrol the forest. My mage will seek out lore in a dungeon. etc...

Parties- Getting dragged into a dungeon by a group of friends. These are fun, but usually end up as a loss in gold.

Also: If I just can't come up with anything to RP. Writer's Block- bad day and something is occupying my thoughts and I can't push it out to get a good storyline going- it's time to go kill stuff.

That's pretty much why I adventure and why I do so in an RP server.

[sandman]

Looks out from the sand dune...

Long Ago i played on a role play server where in the start area they had a switch * called Timed experience* and if one pulled this switch and then entered the game world every 10 minutes in real life that player character would receive a certain amount of experience so that instead of going out and ( Hack & Slash)

They could go into the Local shop and further there skills of trading or building up there talents * like appraise..

Or the wizard could stay inside and role play brewing potions or making scrolls ..or researching names for binding spells or calling forth familiars and sending them to gain knowledge of surrounding planes or area

Or the priest who could sit in his Temple and speak on his deity or do special services * Holy Days*

This also allowed many to gain experience at low levels when many where well above there character so that one would'nt need to as we say Farm certain area's for experience since they could only travel to certain spots at such low levels ( cause we all know after awhile even the most hard core player hates to see the same map over and over )

I am not saying this switch was not with out its problems at first but ( some would log in and click switch and then hide somwhere and soak up experience with no interaction) but the DM,s there would boot them if the played away from computer and had the switch on...( and if it happend again they were marked for non use of switch and if caught Banned) * plus the switch would not work if dead*

But all in all this created more role play and less worry about how am i gonna get experience ..

Now if one pulled this switch and entered the game and actually went out and killed a kobold or any other creature they would not receive experience for the kill as they choose the Timed switch in start area..

Just somthing to munch on ...

* dives back into the sands*

[maeglhachel]

Oh, yes ...
that's what I was thinking after my first days/weeks on FRC.
I used to MUSH (yes, I'm that old ;-S ) ... um ... and as an elf in Rivendell on Elendor.
I have never seen a single fight that was not staged, there. Game mechanics were present, but hardly anybody cared. Most people you'd meet were NOT adventurers but singers, carpenters, gardeners, scribes ... depended a lot on the culture you were part of, of course. I became a diplomat on an assigment to Lorien at some stage.

Guess what I'm trying to say is that the fact that almost everybody on FRC is an adventurer is quite an immersion issue ... one that I can manage to ignore, but still. Honestly, after joining the academy, would I continue adventuring? Wouldn't I just be studying, there? Trying to get some kind of job, there? Or in town? Wouldn't I just go and craft wands to sell them? (If the craft wand economics weren't against it) And if I needed something from a dungeon, hire some sell-swords? ... don't have a real good solution, because of NWN and D&D being what it is and what's been posted before ... but I do sometimes wish there was some way that made more characters get a life (not the players, though ;-) )