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Playing Your Player
Alright this is something else that I have been TERRIBLE at for all of time! I make a character (player character) and give him a personality and start to play. Great, sounds like fun. Only one problem: I always make my characters just extensions of me! This doesn't do anything to enhance the game or make my character distinct. It just makes him another of Eric's black wizards.
What are the disadvantadges of just being you? I mean, come on, don't you like just being you? Well, if you always give your characters your own personality, they are never going to develop because you have already developed. Your character won't grow or change and you'll become a lot more interested what the next goal is. This makes your reactions less real in the game. Think about it, you come across some skeletons, your character may be scared witless because he has never seen skeletons. However, YOU have seen lots of skeletons in game life and never any in real life, so your reaction is definitely going to fall short.
Secondly, you'll become so focused on the goals of game that you've missed HALF OF IT! Half of WOV is making a character and playing it out. That's part of the fun! I have seen many a wonderful character played by other people and those are the memories I'll keep, not my lame power-hungry black wizard time after time. This edition of WOV we have really tried to encourage the idea of character development. Please try to do and I think you'll see some rewards.
Like what? If you play your character out you might find that the game suddenly becomes more fun and more meaningful. It's also fun just to pretend to be some one else. Don't you remember growing up and pretending you were a Ninja Turtle? Did you act like you? Of course not! You acted like Donatello! (Because you knew that he was the only worthy Turtle and the rest were just peons, but that is a side note.) Also, well played characters generally have some form of recognition. Look at the first campaign played. Who was the most defined and well-played character? Narkstan. What happened? He got the Bloodwolf Tower. I'm not promising you a tower, but it could happen on your Onin.
One of the problem areas that I've had with playing characters is playing out their intelligence. Most often if we run across a trap or puzzle it's up to us, the real people, to figure them out. The game doesn't have to be run like that. Ask your GM, "Since my character has an intelligence of 20 and my hobby is puzzle, could he figure it out?" In most cases the GM will say, "By golly, you're right! OK, you figured it out!" If you're a real dumb character just ask the GM if you would really know things. For instance, if you're a common adventurer in the Age of the Bloodwolf, you probably wouldn't know the name Kalro. You might know about the War of the Wizards, but not the specific names. So drop your YOU knowledge and just use you PLAYER knowledge during the game.
Again, this whole idea spawned from my own frustration with how I am playing. I hope it has been useful for you, but remember, there is a time to put the game away. Please don't become one of those people who are thinking like your character 24/7. That's just not healthy! When the game is over forget it until the next and live your real life, even if game life is more fun!
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TM