I moved from Sweden to the US about two years ago and one of the first things I did when I got here was joining an RPG...

>It's autistic to roleplay a character
>In a roleplaying game

>Seems way too autistic to actually speak as your character
Fucking what

Speaking as your character isn't role playing, it's acting

And what does an actor do?
They play a role.

I still think it's cringy as fuck to actually be speaking as your character

I'd say it's acceptable sometimes, if roleplaying the interaction wouldn't add anything to the game or if it's something not especially relevant. Then just a general gist would be fine.
I'd also add sex scenes or seductions in most games, since that's not something most people are comfortable doing.

Holy shit. It's like you're from another planet.

Well then be lazy and speak in first person if thats your cup of tea

And actors take on the role of a specific character..kind of like many roleplayers do.

I get that some people are uncomfortable with talking in character and that's ok, but speaking as the character has very much been the norm in the games i've taken part in.

Me personally, i switch between the two, some quick less important interactions i just describe what my character asks or wants, when it's something more important i speak as character, it's just more fun for me.

How do you describe what your character is saying, without actually saying what exactly they say? Or are you one of those people who don't really do social interactions in their RPGs?

I'm really baffled by now.
If what you consider roleplaying is simply narrating your character's meta-motivated actions, you should consider video games roleplaying as well, at least if they have a narration track.
I've been roleplaying since I was about ten years old (in Denmark, given), and 85% of the roleplayers I met were also interested in acting because it's the same fucking thing.
How roleplaying is explained here by private organizations and even the fucking government is "improvisational acting with a rules framework".
Roleplaying and acting is the same thing. You use the same skills and do the same things - you just replace the stage, the outfits, the props, the script and God knows what with the GM and the rules.
I really have to ask.
Why do you roleplay? What do you think is fun about simply rolling dice and being told "uh, yeah, you deal 50 damage to the dragon and it dies. You get 10.000 gp and a sword +4."
If roleplaying is to be more than simply wanking off each other to your numbers, there needs to be immersion. Character interaction. Character development. Moments where characters just start to go off on their own.
And most importantly: What's fucking embarrassing or "cringy" about doing something you enjoy with a lot of people who're likewise in on it?
It sounds to me like you're proving the OP (and me) right. US roleplaying is a game where you fear your co-players because they'll hang you out, snap at you or call you a furry at any moment, where you fear the GM because everyone thinks it's them against him, and where you don't get any actual roleplaying or character interaction done because you're too busy being guarded about each other.
You're thinking like a 12-year-old with chronic low self-confidence - "something that other people don't do or that requires me to put in effort is automatically cringy, now let me back in my hugbox".

Just bad luck. There're lots of groups into roleplaying. Maybe try recruiting writers and performers. They tend to be into that side of things. Although they can also be pretty wanky about it. Those are stereotypes, but there's a certain amount of truth to them.

What games are you looking to play? That makes a big difference.

>How do you describe what your character is saying
"I ask him for the map", "I tell him the plan", "I ask why he's being so evil". Not hard and you don't look like a total sperglord trying to pretend to speak like an Elf. I've never encountered someone who speaks as their character and I'd be super embarrassed for them if I did, it's something someone with no sense of social dynamics would do.

Not everyone is good at acting, but it's still way better than a simple "I do X", "I ask Y". It's not like people are gonna judge your acting abilities. Unless you go full chuuni mode, there is nothing cringy in it.

You dont pretend to speak like an elf

Instead of "I ask him for a map" you'd say "Wheres the map?"

Its not difficult to have a conversation in character you know

Something more involved than that, though. Something you can't really sum up with just "I do X". Like if you were trying to scare off some thugs would you just say "I threaten them", or if you were trying to rally some peasants would you just say "I say something inspiring?"

Also, you're already playing pretend games of elfs and dragons. You should really be more accepting of other people, especially if it's something that I'm pretty sure is common among people who play

In the US it’s roots are in D&D, which even way back when was very “gamey”.
Since 3e the game-like nature of D&D has been more heavily emphasized to broaden it’s appeal and move more product.

Out of curiosity, does your GM talk as the npcs, or does he simply describe what the npcs say?

This. You don't have to do weird and wacky accents if you feel like they would detract from the fun, or if you feel like you can't pull off an accent.

Same thing here.

Its pathetic seeing a bearded adult speaking like a evil sorcerer or a elf.

Weirdly enough, 4e was a big turning point for our group. Since the skills were less 'Here is exact values for this exact action' (Like 3.5 ended up with it's million splatbooks) we did a lot more semi-freeform stuff. Having less hard set stuff left us more room for actual roleplaying after getting into it from a game perspective (I went into AD&D from the Eye of the Beholder games so I was really game focused back then)

>In fact, many players would often actively make bad decisions if it was in character to do so.

"it's what my character would do" is fucking cancerous behaviour

>Veeky Forums is full of people who actually pretend to be their D&D character irl
I really shouldn't be surprised, but jesus

>"it's what my character would do" is fucking cancerous behaviour

It can be, if done in a "That Guy" terrible way, but it does not need to be.

How so? Like I really don't understand this point of view. Why do you roleplay if someone getting in character seems pathetic to you?

I think it's a fine line to walk, and really depends on the group. Doing something that would fuck over our entire group or that would be detrimental to everyone else's fun is shitty, but sometimes it just feels right to do something that will negatively impact your character or even the setting. You just have to do it well. It also generally helps if it's something big and dramatic as opposed to just petty dickery

No its fucking not, it's a bad way of justifing shitty behaviour but when you are actually doing what your character would do you're roleplaying, which is the goddamn the point of the game.

Doing what your character would probably do is called decent roleplaying, user. It's not a problem unless the player is a massive faggot and created a garbage character with disruption in mind.

That happened to some of my newer players too.
I wasn’t saying that it actually BECAME more inherently gamey, as that is more of a usage per individual type thing, it just got sold and emphasized in marketing as being more gamey because somebody or somebodies at WotC thinks it’ll sell better.

I'll just leave it here.

>I really shouldn't be surprised, but jesus
Says the user using anime reactions...

Just as I was about to reply to one strawman, a second one comes along.
"It's what my character would do" is the basics of roleplaying, used as a supposedly perfect excuse by shitters. The people who have to use it as an excuse are shitters - but if you're not always doing what your character would do, you're metagaming, and the list of situations in which this is acceptable is a lot shorter than the ones in which it isn't.
And , inability to tell the difference between reality and acting is a textbook sign of childhood autism or schizophrenia. Do you think that every actor in the world pretends to be their character in their daily life?
I'd sure as hell rather be acting my characters out in public than play a game with one of yours, though, and that's saying something.

>the board where people talk about roleplaying games has people who roleplay during games
Shocking. I mean if they go full Tom Hanks then that's a problem, but that's more a sign of severe mental illness, much like being a tranny or moving to Sweden

What is acting. Roleplaying is improv acting.

Why the fuck do you think we're here?
Use that image somewhere else, like Le Leddit. Most of us are having fun.

>How so? Like I really don't understand this point of view. Why do you roleplay if someone getting in character seems pathetic to you?
It's childish. Go see any group of children, they're the ones that will imitate voices and shit like that.
RPG is not only speaking like your character btw. If it was really that important, larping would be a better choice

Anything can be construed as childish with enough semantic wriggling. RPGs or just games as a whole (sports included), imagination exercises of any kind, having fun. I mean it's really insecure and kind of sad (in the legitimately disheartening way) that you avoid doing things just because of how other people *might* perceive you.
And what are RPGs about to you if not playing the role and exploring the character?

>It's childish
Why?

>Go see any group of children, they're the ones that will imitate voices and shit like that.
No one said you have to imitate voices or use accents - you can if you think you can pull it off.

>RPG is not only speaking like your character btw
No one has claimed this. But you're willing to ignore a large chunk of what makes roleplaying roleplaying, because you think its childish.

>that you avoid doing things just because of how other people *might* perceive you.
Never worry about what other people think about you, because nobody actually thinks about you.

It's really true, and kind of a liberating realization. People generally don't give a shit about you either way unless you give them a reason to, which is harder said than done. Even in a smaller group like an rpg playgroup most of the shit they're not going to notice most of the shit you're insecure about unless it's really noticeable or disruptive

Ever since I stopped worrying about others passing judgement on me I've had so much more extra time to pass judgement on others.

This might just be the games you've played, dnd and pathfinder typically attract players who are more interested in the mechanics of combat encounters and everything non-combat is just exposition between combat encounters.

You should try to look for different games, genres and such.

Pretty fair. If you stay on this board for a awhile you will realize your observation is one of the most common complaints about players the GMs make. Finding what you are looking for (or had) is usually described by players posting here as finding RPG heaven.

The best thing to do, as most say, is start your own game and search through players to get what you are looking for.

This. D&D, especially 3.pf, has a nasty stranglehold on the Burgerstani rpg market, and a lot of people cut their teeth on it and it shows in how they play. They tend play very game-y and build obsessed, and also tend to be really lolrandom and unconcerned with the setting/story/characters, with the latter generally being joke concepts that stop being funny well before the first session

>The best thing to do, as most say, is start your own game and search through players to get what you are looking for.
This. Take initiative if you want more RP-involved game.

you don't have to put funny voices if you want; or do like good acting at all. Is not about that.

I leave the thread for a couple of hours and it turns into a shitstorm. I don't know why I expected anything else.

>Forget it Björn, it's Veeky Forums

>*sad jazz music intensifies*
>youtube.com/watch?v=lmOhNyitewI

>This nigger

>it's really insecure and kind of sad (in the legitimately disheartening way) that you avoid doing things just because of how other people *might* perceive you
You're speaking of yourself now. I never said I don't act like a children because I'm afraid of what other will think of me

...

I knew OP was a troll, but I just assumed that he was a /pol/tard troll because he mentioned Sweden in the OP.

It was a little shocking to see a genuine Veeky Forums troll thread on this board.

>In fact, many players would often actively make bad decisions if it was in character to do so.
A player in the first game I ever played walked out because I did this. I did it despite several other players saying "dude, it's a trap". I knew it was trap, but my character, honest and naive to a fault, refused to believe that the innkeeper's daughter would lie about the "giant rats" in her cellar that needed "slaying".

It's roleplaying in the sense of commanding a general in a wargame. There's no reason to kneecap yourself by playing stupidly because "that's what an illiterate orc would do"

>Since 3e the game-like nature of D&D has been more heavily emphasized to broaden it’s appeal and move more product.

Are you dumb?

The concrete goals and gameplay loop of TSR D&D were all but eradicated from the core books in 3e and subsequent editions

Find a new group, TC.

Well shit, looks like I'm moving to Sweden if you guys really value roleplaying as much as I do.

>Yes, all roleplayers in a country of 300+ million people play like that without exception.

this, but unironically

yep.

or you are just not mature enough to ignore such things. "look at me, i'm big mature adult". Grow up kiddo.

>larping would be a better choice
FYI, the Nordic countries have a pretty big LARP scene that likewise heavily empathizes role playing. I wouldn't be surprised if that has ended up influencing their table top hobby scene.

You might consider recruiting from those who primarily do text-based rpgs (forum, chatroom; etc). In my experience, text-based rpgers are generally more interested in story and character than optimization.

It may take them longer to adapt to using rulesets, and some of them may end up preferring text over voice/face, but they tend to be dedicated as fuck.

Roping in those interested in improv/acting is also a good, as they tend to be more social by nature. If you have a boardgame night, those people very interested in social deduction games like Secret Hitler, Werewolf; etc may be good people to approach.

I know this feeling. More than once other players have sighed or rolled their eyes because I didn't act upon knowledge that I had but my character didn't.

nordiclarp.org/