Different Games, Same Characters: What are your experiences?

[Eric J.]

Alright, this is a thread inspired (Not split) from that one, who's name I cannot remember.  I'm looking for your stories that involve players playing the same character over and over again and why.  It can be you.  It can be one of your players.  Share your experiences.

I have two experiences.  I have a tendency to make characters that conform to the paladin type.  I don't know why, but I have a fascination with those kinds of characters.  I will try to play the Paladin, the Jedi Knight, the Half-Demon, or the Assasin searching for redemption.  Part of this is probably because games I play in don't go very far most of the time (at all).  Each time I strive to make a significant difference in their outlook or their moral code... Mabey I'm not creating the same character over and over, but I'm creating the same ideal from different viewpoints.

My friend Cody (who some of you may remember as EIG Kahn Storm or something similar) has a tendency to create human clerics.  Well, it's less of a tendency than a statistical fact (Over 70% are human clerics).  In any case his roleplaying philosophy is basically that your characters are proxies of your personality.  "You basically ARE your character." I would advocate that in this case he views his class type to be closest to (You guessed it) a human (Don't know where he got that from) Cleric.  This is made more interesting by the fact that both of his parents have experience in the medical field.  In such a case as this, I don't see much harm with letting a player play this way.  It would seem the only way to let them do what they want.  If they want to play themself, why not let them play as their favorite class.  Social pressure would seem misplaced.  I realise that this deters from the games ability to produce good story, but why force it to do that anyway?

Your opinions on either would be appreciated.

Anyway-(You knew it was coming)

I just want your experiences and take on other's experiences if they ask for it.  I want to better know how to deal with this type situation by understanding it.

[Nathaniel]

I find that a lot of people have a very similar problem:  They can design characters that are quite distinct from one another-- completely different even.  However, I've seen a lot of players play two totally different characters exactly the same.  I know that I've done this as well.  I find that the easiest way around it is to make a list of things that makes the character distinct and try to incorporate elements of that into every scene.

However, that would be assuming that one wants to play different characters.  I generally don't find people playing the same sort of character as being much of a problem.  However, there can be a point where it becomes tiresome and out of place.  I have one player who always makes a completely selfish survivalist.  It didn't really work for a flashy heroic pulp space adventure for him to constantly be bringing it gritty elements like "If the ship get's stranded in space we should make a list of who the most useless crew members are and eat them first."

Nathan

[Valamir]

I have a few stock character personalities that I return to from time to time.

The big dumb brick:  Favorite Incarnation - Og the Troll in a Shadow Run Campaign "Og like Elves...with hot sauce"

The evil sinister killer:  Favorite Incarnations Jeremiah Dane the harrowed gunslinger in Deadlands, and Tyrie Bloodbow the evil elf (not a drow, I hate drow) Ranger assasin using some nasty AD&D2e kit.

The noble wandering heroic type:  Favorite Incarnations Jarek of the Long Strider Clan, a native warrior type in an AD&D Living City Campaign, Jeremiah Dane before he became harrowed.


Usually I fall back into one of these stock roles whenever I

1) don't really understand the game setting or system and need someone easy to portray.

2) don't really care enough about the game to try any harder to come up with something unique...or don't really have the time.

3) am too drained to play a character deeper than a caricature I'm already familiar with.

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

I think the discussion in The class issue is relevant. I think most of the needs that are being met by this behavior are found in the "top two" levels that I talk about in that thread.

Also, the original thread that Eric is referencing is On making the same character over and over.

I hope that further discussion in this thread can draw on the good points made in the older ones, rather than repeat the same basic observations.

Best,
Ron

[Eric J.]

Thank you Ron!  I hate to rely on you to give links, but I found the thread that inspired this in a link and forgot which link it was.  Sorry.

[Andrew Martin]

I'm more of a player than a GM. I've found that it's best to not to try to change a player who is continually wanting to play the same type of character all the time. Instead, allow the player to do as they wish, and make sure the game system supports the player and character (use a game system that protagonises the character). Once the player has their fill of "being" the character type, they will naturally move on to playing something different. It's only by trying to force the player to do something against their will that builds up resistance to change within the player. See the Tao for more on this. Verse 36, "Opposition", Verse 66 "Lead by Following" and Verse 79 "Reconciliation" at: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/ttcmerel.htm

[Bill Cook]

I just finished reading through the first page of The class issue and On making the same character over and over.  Ouch, my brain hurts.

But good points.  Interesting categories of player/character functions.  Interesting exploration of the unhappy, same thing phenomenon.  I think we all have a friend that acts out the same character concept (happily or otherwise.)  After all, you have to be really secure in your manhood to play the Valkyrie in Gauntlet, even though she's one of the best characters.  

Eric's original quandry is how to resolve competition between a player's character obsession and variety of story.  I don't know what kind of stories you're trying to create, but hell, I wish I could get one of my guys to play a cleric.  I think it's potentially misplaced motivation to be Cody's catalyst for change.  (Especially if he's into it.)  I wrestle with this impulse myself.  (How to deal with an invisible, fireballing wizard that keeps dimension dooring away? . . .)

One thing you might consider is to develop a story that focuses (at least in part) on engaging Cody's cleric through a different category of function  (i.e. more in-game social, less in-game as-relates-to-the-party function.)  Restating paraphrase of above threads: experiment with allowing author/director stance, try radically other genre.

P.S.  Andrew's Tao thing made me think of a GM with a Cheeto addict player going to Sam's club to buy a garbage bag sized package.

[garapata]

This can be very frustrating for a Storyteller/GM.
Especially if the player has been playing with him on numerous occasions.

"Why don't they just die out!"