Playstyle Poll

[Kalphoenix]

I realize this doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room, but that is the point, to pick the one you would rank first if given a list. I didn't start this to get an argument going, I'm just curious what the ratio is of members on this board. I'm also not trying to change anyone's mind. Please pick seriously. I'm also going to run this poll on the Winterhaven boards; by all means vote in both if you play in both and pick different answers if applicable for that site.

I am asking for you to pick from a player's perspective and enjoyment, not a characters.

[Torakhan]

I could (and, well, do) go through a whole LARP event without having to swing a sword. For me, there are plenty of other ways of being in conflict without combat. Now, I don't mind it from time to time... but what bothers me (and I'm spoken to others about this too) is that it often takes 20 or so minutes of character-to-character roleplaying before the emotion of the characters and the scene really gels. A good scene often takes time to bloom. Unfortunately "the safety of the town" or "the safety of our friends" usually breaks up most roleplaying scenes because 90% of folks' characters would run out to save their hide. The character would run out to do it, even if the player really wishes they could stay behind and just enjoy the scene they were spending so much time trying to create. Those who enjoy the combat can get their satisfaction so much more easily and so much more quickly than those who must take time to cultivate a scene and make it grow. Yes, RP happens on the battlefield, but I would say that the fighting is part of that "time to grow" period...
For me, it's still much easier to sit and interact with folks in character and lets me immerse myself as the character. The idea of then going out and having to play a mechanical game where I swing at people with foam-covered sticks and make calls and keep track of math and rules, then when it's over, get back into that pure roleplaying again without the mechanical rules that augment the roleplay. For me it just seems like oil and water, so I don't enjoy it.

Puzzle Solving isn't my schtick either, but I deffinately do not fault anyone for enjoying it! Anyone can be a part of it... putting clues from plots together to make sense of what is going on, or actual puzzles to solves to get the asnwer to plots. While I've been a part of a few, I enjoy the roleplaying of trying to come up with a solution even if I'm not helping much.

OOC hanging out with friends does happen (When the plots die down, when nobody is in the building and I'm just sitting there...) It's the reason I even showed up to the first FH I came to. You mean all of my friends are in one location at the same time and I can't talk to them? F-that! But pick the place and time that's appropriate... during combat, or during a town-meeting or intense RP scene ain't it. *Laughs*

Those are just my thinkings, and not meant to persuade or influence others... I'm just stating why I chose "Roleplaying" as my answer. We all play for our own reasons. I do wish people who voted would also post what they posted here too, because I'm sure there's more to it than just "i LIke 2 Arpee!"

[dier_cire]

guess what I chose!

puzzles. bet you didn't expect that did ya? In reality it's a balance between that and combat but that wasn't an option. Puzzles ususally involve some combat to either get to and/or solve them which is why I went there.

I really do go just to hang out with my friends since it really is my only chance to see quite a few of them, but I can do that while we do the other stuff.

The most fun are the ones that have the wrong solutions...

[Wyrmwrath]

1) I voted Role playing

2) you reffer to "pure roleplaying"; and id say the player that runs out to save friends because the PC would to that IS acting based on pure roleplaying.

3) I think if your goal at a game is to sit and talk in character the entire weekend, then meeting up at a coffe shop is likely easier. I drive several hours to LARP BECAUSE its active and action oriented RP.
Its REAL in the sence that if my PC would get pissed and attack, he can, as opposed to just ranting impotently cause there is no live combat. If he would stand by and watch the demon plant eat the basterd that just beat him in checkers; that is a possability because its a live action game rather than a game where combat is as intensly immersive as pointing a finger and saying bang your dead, or rock/paper/scissors.

[GM_Chris]

I would like to agree with both of you. It is why we tend not to run plots constantly and alot of the plots we do run always start with some sort of RP'ing with NPC's

Plus we rarely rarely ever attack inside a building.

[dier_cire]

Rock paper scissors is intense!

http://www.rpschamps.com/ The quote is great...

"The World Rock Paper Scissors Championship is like a high stakes Star Trek convention except with binge drinking and better looking women"

[WayneO42]

I think a big problem is the fact that people are seperating combat from role-playing. Who says that when combat starts roleplaying stops? Combat is one of the best opportunities to get to the meat of your character. Lives are on the line, blood is flowing, people are dieing....THATS DRAMA!

I think people get lazy while in combat. They say stuff like "Hold Ground at the door" instead of "Hold that door with your life!" or:

"How hurt are you?"
"I'm at 2 life"

instead of

"Are you injured?"
"I am weak and fear I can only survive a few more blows"

Role-playing is the foundation of a LARP. The entire game rides on top of it. Seperating it out as its own entity hurts the game. If you want more role-playing, it starts with your fellow players. Its YOUR game. We as GMs can only do so much.

[GM_Chris]

Eirc that contest does not exist. Not in my universe.

Hey I should mention that the Funeral, which I think we a great RP moment, happend because of combat.

The Ball was cancelled early due to combat but then we had the trial which was a great RP moment. Again it grew out of conflict.

There are alot of these examples, but those are the ones that enter my mind at the moment

[Wyrmwrath]

im in TOTAL AGREEMENT with Wayne on that....

...and it hurts!

[GM_Chris]

Yeah that was a good one Wayne, Im getting tired of people using skill names when telling each other what to do.

Sometimes it makes sence, other times it does not and it is lazy. I think NPC's and PC's alike have been lazyin that regard

[Atrum Draconus]

Since I have 3 profiles on here and there is no I come for a combination of everything, I wouldn't come out for just one aspect of the game option I'm going to log in with all 3 of my idents and vote once for combat, puzzles and role-playing. HA!

[NewGuy]

My WH character (who'll stay at WH) role plays her combat. She is a prissy little B!%@H who didn't even know what side of a sword to hold when she first showed up.

She runs around like a chicken with her head cut off, swinging once or twice at an enemy, and if it doesn't die at that, she'll run to a different one and try again.

When feared, she just screams.

So yes....you can RP in combat

[Slisk]

Can't answer this one. It depends entirely on character focus. Reginald was all about RP. With Dallid I enjoyed equal parts RP, Puzzles, and Combat - though if I had to chose I'd probably list them in that order. Amagus was also all RP. Slisk was all about combat.

[NewGuy]

But what about you and not your character motivation. Which playing style did you most enjoy?

[Tullus]

There were many moments in roleplaying that I remember with Ravinal. Even though Ravinal was quite terrible in the animalistic part of the roleplay, the plot with his family made me feel like an actor. It was as though everyone around concentrated on those moments with me. As though Ravinal was the center of attention, which I'm not very use to in my life. As though I could feel the emotion pouring from me and moving to others. That was a great experience for me that hasn't happened since Ravinal's death.

Out of the three combats I remember well in the game, one was lame and is witnessed/laughed at by multiple people who put larp in the youtube search engine and the other two were only witnessed by npcs. Ravinal's Death was terrible. I wanted an epic battle and I got an "Oops! my patch slipped.."

Though I wouldn't bring Ravinal back. I still won't. There's a point in a characters history where they will have to move on, whether death or retirement. I firmly believe that the best stories are those that know when to end. If I was still playing Ravinal to this day, I would think, "When the heck is this guy gonna die!", or "Ravinal should just leave town for some important reason. His story is no longer engaging or fun."

The two scenes I remember after that are combat related and they both have to do with Tullus. The first was in WH where Tullus went out near npc camp to collect alchemy materials. Ice Wolves attacked him on his way back to town. So, he ran and as they started to catch up, one rooted him to the ground with ice. He pivoted and magic feared them all then continued to run. I don't know, just something that was fun about that. The other scene was outside of the inn at FH. There were these dieased creatures attacking the town. Tullus notices that he's been abandoned by the entire freaking town. No one yelled to him, "Hey! Get inside the inn!".

So there are four of them attacking him all at once. I stood there for a solid three minutes before I fell, parrying the majority of attacks. And I only fell to continue the tradition of the feign death tactic. They walked away, Tullus popped a few potions and with determination, eased his way over to the inn. I got an out of character, "Dang!" from Jim on that one. Lol. I know others have done it, but that felt like character survival at it's best.

I guess roleplaying just gets me closer to that escapism I need occasionally. Combat, although invigorating, is a instant gratification or misery. As it should be, for combats shouldn't last hours; but minutes.