Should people roleplay the class choices taken?

[*Kiljaedon]

I am wondering if people think that if you choose a class in the game if you should roleplay the class out or be allowed to just add it in to your bag of tricks learned on your persona adventuring in the planes. Seeing a string of Stormlords not worshipping Talos is just one of the types of people I have seen in the game and was just curious what people's thoughts were on this matter.

[*Mr_Otyugh]

Considering Talos is practically a nobody in the planes, so are Thayans, Harpers, Kelemvor... well, lets say Primers in general are nobodies in the Planes :P yeah, it's allowed to use your creativity to mix classes to create more Planescapish combination... what I mean is roleplay flexibility when it comes to classes, what I don't mean is "don't roleplay what you have"... just that sources where the talents are gained from can be different.

[*Infernalhavok]

I understand that point of letting players make choices that are flexible considering the infinite expanse of the planes. What I really do think though, is that it leads to powerbuilding. There are an insane amount of overly powerful builds that are hard to justify in a PNP sort of way, but I guess if you ignore the class name (which is really FR based and not totally relevant to this setting) you can turn a blind-eye and excuse the cheesiest of builds.

But what I see alot of times are players who are concerned with leveling their toon to acheive this level of indominable power and neglecting the RP that would explain the choices that they make. I really enjoy the benefit of leveling at your leisure and not suffering desparately to gain experience to advance, but it feels like alot of players have this mentality that leveling here (since it is accessible and easier than other PW's) is the primary function as a player in Sigil rather than developing an actual character to RP. I really love the occassional group raid on a plane, but what I feel is disturbing is how everyone (regardless of alignment, race, faith, even class) seem to get along with no conflict whatsoever all for the sake of group grinding/farming. I understand that Sigil is enforced to be a neutral area for the multiverse (strictly kept in order by the Lady of Pain and Harmonium) but outside of the cage it is a free for all and some races should never really get along, unless everyone is willing to play the "exception".

This kind of RP, really removes the conflict and ultimately the drama in the story telling and personal character development. However, I truely enjoy playing here but at times it feels like MMORPG when everyone talks OOC during a raid, not staying in-character (which I did not see as a requirement to play here) and plays the "exception" to all the suggested rules set aside regarding Race, Class, Alignment and Faith. I know Stormlords are always a hot-topic because built the right way they are very very powerful characters in any environment PVE or PVP, but I am also regarding some of the small things, like domain choices that players take that are not of their chosen deities, things that are basically "exploits" imho.

I mean does a cleric of tyr take war, time, and earth domains??? I really don't think that the god supports this, and since we are using these god's as actual faiths shouldn't a player be accountable for the RP of their choices? :blink:

[*Mr_Otyugh]

Power building will always happen... regardless of what restrictions you do, they just take it to next level, domains restricted to deity? People pick the most optimal deity and perhaps not roleplay it, then comes the entire matter of how many domains are missing in NWN 2. There's nothing you / we / or anyone can really do to stop it, because that's just what players are, no offense. ;) Some players want power, others are flexible. As long as there's option, there's power building... so unless you all want to play a fighter with same feats/stats etc...

Also what's definition of overly powerful build? Lets take the four full level 20 base classes into compairing:
1) Fighter, pretty base fella... kinda description of averageness.
2) Rogue, good flanker, plenty skills, just not too good otherwise.
3) Wizard, a boss specialist, within their grasp is minute of god-hood-like power.
4) Cleric, aah wait... these makes the above three go to Starbucks mode and let them gaze at the awesomeness within their grasp.


As for reason to racial / religious / political / cultural dislike and not travel with others, it is not forbidden, if your character has reason to not trust someone and not travel with them, go for it. This is something you players must work out, DMs can't tell you how you should roleplay your characters :P what we will do is change your alignment based on your actions though, it won't happen on snap of a finger, but it'll happen.

Best fix you can do to the entire thing is to roleplay your character as such and inspire other players with your roleplay, their characters rarely change because of OOC chatter, because there's no IC reason. Stay IC, give them things to talk about, the time you (all readers) quit putting 'your effort' to roleplay is time when they quit putting 'their effort' to roleplay. Entire roleplay is cooperative matter after all.


Will there be players that don't contribute to roleplaying? Yeah, there'll be some... You'll rarely see them, so shouldn't be too much of a problem.

[*Dedic8ed]

Roleplaying "the right way" is always open to interpretation. And let's face it, an open game where all types of players from all parts of the world come together is never going to have the cohesion and shared vision that five best friends playing PnP in someone' sbasement can usually be assured of.

To put it bluntly, there are two sets of people that your roleplay matters to. The first is yourself... because let's face it. If you don't enjoy the experience, you're not going to return to not enjoy it again. This is why there is no drive to enforce "proper" roleplay... because when you limit what people can do, you are bound to drive many of them away.

The second is the people you are roleplaying with. If you're playing a priest of Ilmater with Undeath and Evil domains (a possibility!), and those people are left shaking their heads and muttering OOC after an encounter with you, it's unlikely that they will seek you out for future RP. And to use an example from the other side of the spectrum, if they make fun of you because you insist that in order to become an Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep that you must journey to Candlekeep for training... well, you won't be seeking them out.

Players will tend to play with people who have similar (and compatable) styles. Nobody is being forced to play with anyone else... so when the tiefling barbarian warlock dreams of joining the Harmonium and enforcing the law, you can always wave goodbye and find someone else to RP with.

And as for powerbuilding... as Otyugh says, it's gonna happen. If you insist that stormlords must be clerics of Talos... well, suddenly the place is gonna be chock full of clerics of Talos, those being the people who want to play stormlords. But on the other hand, how would you enforce "proper" RP? DM nannies who sneak around making certain that everyone is doing so? Massive "nerfing" of character classes and races to prevent powerbuilds? (*cough* Harrison Bergeron *couch*) Suddenly, you have a server that perfectly fits a narrow definition of what is the right way to play.... and a population of one.

[*Infernalhavok]

I agree with what is being said here, to better turn the other cheek if and when others do not meet your individual/personal guidelines of what is "RP". But sometimes a bit of guidance is good for cohesion to a storyline or supporting the lore of the environment that we are playing in. It sometimes leaves a questionable impression if a first time player who wants to RP is unfortunate to find that everyone is just circle grinding in raid parties all the way to epic levels and only a scarce few are actually rp'ing their characters. I rarely find any productive RP when in any of the "hunting" zones since most people are already preoccupied in groups of mass slaying with little IC speak.

It would be nice to have a rule to make people aware that they do have to RP and stay IC at all times possible, and keep OOC in the form of tells. That wouldn't be pushing people to RP in any specific way, just to remind them that they have to be in character as often as possible. I also know that it would our responsibility as players to help enforce this behavior by politely asking those speaking in local chat ooc to use tells instead. That would greatly improve, in my opinion, the RP environment.

[*Biohazard89]

I think that the biggest problem is that there are those few people who either are too young to be playing on a roleplay server or simply unable to understand the language used on the server properly.

for instance those very annoying people who just around all the time wit weapons drawn and not even bothering to respond to even tells because they either dont want to or cant understand the language ENGLISH.

This is the problem that should be dealt with.

And you cant remove powerbuilding. if players gets kicks out of playing a god like character by all means let them do so....they just wont be welcome in any of my RP sessions and i will tell them so instantly.


Regards Biohazard.

[*scattered ashes]

I've come from servers where rp was few and far apart, and that sometimes the RP might not of ever been that great. So i've got a certain appreciation for people who try to RP.

Whether their sticking to their build or the current lores and happening if its pheasible and isnt upsetting anyone, then why stop or tweak it, who knows some of these powerbuilders you might outright ignore could also be some phenominal RPers.

Id rather have a full plate of fruit and vegetables than nothing on my plate.

In the mornings i dont have much time to play before i sleep or go to work so i do the quests earn a bit of jink then get on with my day to day business during that time i dont rp too much if at all.

Another big problem is that if you start policing RP it gets less fun people get angry and upset, as it stands the rp is fine in my opinion, nothing needs changing.

[*Black_Grove]

I am sort of with biohazard on this. I would really like folks to walk and tuck their weapons away in the city. This isnt an action server it is an RP server, if the grind is that important that you need to rush around for that XP then it would be an action server


As far as RPing a Stormlord... I really sort of remember that we end up finding out Talos is really just an aspect of Grummush that he made up to attract humans and gobble up more of faeruns limited godly portfolios. Stormlords... of Grummush! Really I do not know why we didnt see that coming... both gods with short tempers one eye and a spear




J

[*Lost and not Found]

Well, if your Stormlord is a prime from Toril, I would expect it to be a follower of Gruumsh as stated before...

However, if he originates from elsewhere, any power related lightning, storms, air, nature and such should suffice in my opinion. While not forgetting how you can also make your divine caster a denier. The deniers are one of the factions found accross the planes.

strictly kept in order by the Lady of Pain and Harmonium

The Lady of Pain is the de facto ruler of Sigil. Always has, always will.
However, she usually acts on only two occasions: One, when something threatens Sigil as a whole. Two, when someone or something attracts her ire, something that no sane body wants to do as it only leads to either mazes or flaying.

- The Lady makes sure that the Sigil does not become part of bloodwar, or any other planar conflict.

Thus the ground level of administration is left out for the Factions. Most of the Factions have claimed a particular field of the city to run. The Harmonium act as guards and make arrests, the Fated collect all the taxes, the Guvners are ... I'm sure you get the picture.

As for things like laws, and amount of taxes to be collected in the Cage; those are decided in the Hall of Speakers and by vote. The factions are part of voting blocks that differ from time to time and do not necessarily abide by the rule of threes.

While the Factions rule in the Lady's name, have their own views regarding her intentions and nature.
- The Factols should not forget how the Factions exists in Sigil, by Lady's Grace, lest they be Mazed or Fayed before they've had time for their breakfast.


So, while a hardhead might stand behind the quote above, it doesn't mean that the rest of the Cage shares or appreciates the view.


- By coming to the Cage the hardheads decided to bash their fist into a bee hive found in Abyss. Though they aren't giving it up quite yet, they still stay clear away from the Hive Ward.