Taking real people and inserting them into game

[L. Marcus]

Didn't we used to have a Write Yourself Up thread?

[Lathner]

Hmm there is some helpful suggestions such as a scale of this is where you can be rate your self and other things wish I could have some other helpful tidbits added in

[whitekeys]

It seems to me that any game where players are playing themselves should be free-form/super rules-lite. The PCs know themselves well enough that they don't have to write up a characters sheet on themselves and they can base their decisions in-game on what they're capable of in the real world. I agree that you're going to run into all the problems previously mentioned in this thread, but you could do away with them if you drop the character sheets. 

[Tasha]

It seems to me that any game where players are playing themselves should be free-form/super rules-lite. The PCs know themselves well enough that they don't have to write up a characters sheet on themselves and they can base their decisions in-game on what they're capable of in the real world. I agree that you're going to run into all the problems previously mentioned in this thread, but you could do away with them if you drop the character sheets. 

 

I am really not sure what the draw to playing oneself is in a RPG. I play me every day. I play RPGs to play someone different from me who is a Big Darned Heroine. Character sheet or not, IMHO it's the path to misunderstanding and hurt feelings. 

[bigdamnhero]

Didn't we used to have a Write Yourself Up thread?

I thought I remembered one too, but I couldn't find it.

 

The PCs know themselves well enough that they don't have to write up a characters sheet on themselves and they can base their decisions in-game on what they're capable of in the real world.

Even assuming your players really do know their own capabilities and are completely honest about them, the problem is when their self-assessment doesn't match the other players' assessment of them. Look at how worked up geeks can get arguing over the relative/absolute capabilities of fictional characters? Yeah, those arguments don't get any less emotional when people are talking about themselves...

 

I think you have to put something on paper to avoid being totally subjective. And at least that way you only have the argument about Bob's Comeliness once at character creation, rather than every time he tries to use it.

 

I am really not sure what the draw to playing oneself is in a RPG. I play me every day. I play RPGs to play someone different from me who is a Big Darned Heroine.

[shrug] Much of RPGs is wish fulfillment fantasy anyway, so what's wrong with inserting yourself into the narrative directly and cutting out the middleman? I get the appeal, tho I think it's something that works better in theory than in practice. Still, the one game we ran that way was a ton of fun. (But again, we all had at least some level of game-useful skills to build the action around - doing it today would be...less fun I would think.)

[TheDarkness]

I am really not sure what the draw to playing oneself is in a RPG. I play me every day. I play RPGs to play someone different from me who is a Big Darned Heroine. Character sheet or not, IMHO it's the path to misunderstanding and hurt feelings. 

Actually, in the one game where the GM had us do it, we thought it was hokey, and then he ended up a super memorable game. In which we were hallucinations of our actual characters. It was a clever idea, and he pulled it off really well.

 

I'll never again be certain that I'm not the fever dream of a space marine hit by a hallucinatory grenade.

[Tasha]

Actually, in the one game where the GM had us do it, we thought it was hokey, and then he ended up a super memorable game. In which we were hallucinations of our actual characters. It was a clever idea, and he pulled it off really well.

 

I'll never again be certain that I'm not the fever dream of a space marine hit by a hallucinatory grenade.

So you guys had a "Dwayne Dibley" Campaign. Where IRL you were mega Heroes, but playing schlubs that were part of your hallucinations.

 

http://reddwarf.wikia.com/wiki/Duane_Dibbley

 

 

[dsatow]

I find most gamers don't like this idea even if its in the form of "play your idealized self".

[Lathner]

Well the group has some very useful skills in real life and I will be adding in use of said skills into the game and we tried the no sheet thing with a different gm and the skills and traits were all based no what little the gm knew with the sheet we have a group standard plus they are going to get some major leway from me since even the most open minded person can miss there problems and the sheet will only have skills and stats and no disadvantages written in they just have to act their self

[Lathner]

IME, people play RPGs to be something other than themselves or at least to be their ideal selves. You'll probably get much happier players if you at least let them use their ideals in context with the power level you want to run. They can be flawed in real life, let them have their fantasies(within limits of course).

however you can also play them to see andfandf think what you would do if this happened

[TheDarkness]

So you guys had a "Dwayne Dibley" Campaign. Where IRL you were mega Heroes, but playing schlubs that were part of your hallucinations.

 

http://reddwarf.wikia.com/wiki/Duane_Dibbley

 

 

Yes, though it wasn't really a campaign, it was just a the bulk of one session.

 

And of course, it was only all the other players who were schlubs. In my mind's eye.