When your character is talking, or when you declare an action, what voice do you use? Is it different for PCs or NPCs? Is it influenced by the capacity/inability to make different voices/accent? Is it related to immersion?

Quote from: boulet;329197When your character is talking, or when you declare an action, what voice do you use? Is it different for PCs or NPCs? Is it influenced by the capacity/inability to make different voices/accent? Is it related to immersion?

First person normally.

I prefer first person, it just feels more connected to the character that way than the other options.

First person monstly for me. As I usually GM the game, I use third a lot.

First person, when playing, yes.

RPGPundit

First person.

Quote from: boulet;329197When your character is talking, or when you declare an action, what voice do you use? Is it different for PCs or NPCs? Is it influenced by the capacity/inability to make different voices/accent? Is it related to immersion?

You need another option in there.

 Honestly, most games that I've either GM-ed or played in , people tend to go back and forth between those two choices.

How about this?: It depends on whats happening in the game.

Or "I talk in my character's voice when haggling with the storekeeper"

If the DM asks me what does Flint do now? Then I respond "Flint attacks the monster with his sword.".


- Ed C.

As a player, first person, but often paraphrased or summarized -- "I go up to the bar and order a drink," "I give the urchin a silver piece and ask if he's seen any strangers around," etc. As a GM, 3rd person for the NPCs, 2nd when directed towards the players, but still usually paraphrased/summarized: "the barkeep gives you the drinks and says that it'll be 5 silver pieces," "he tells you that a couple travelers he's never seen before arrived last night at the King's Head Inn, looks around nervously, and then scurries off," etc. I don't really like doing direct dialogue and voices/accents in most situations -- it makes me feel too much like I'm acting in a play and spoils my immersion a bit.

First person, almost always (voted "always").

Obviously when one is GMing, this is a whole different issue.

I don't usually bother with accents or patterns of speech, although I might in a one-shot, esp. if it's more thespy.

However, not only when speaking but also when narrating action, I generally do it in the first person. "I'll sneak into his tent." "I'll climb the wall."

Exception is if I'm controlling multiple characters, unless the other characters are basically spear-carriers. However in that case I also wouldn't see those characters as completely "mine". (E.g., the GM would be within rights to tell me that a hired or allied NPC refuses to do what I said he [should] do.)

Quote from: Koltar;329232You need another option in there.

 Honestly, most games that I've either GM-ed or played in , people tend to go back and forth between those two choices.

How about this?: It depends on whats happening in the game.

Or "I talk in my character's voice when haggling with the storekeeper"

If the DM asks me what does Flint do now? Then I respond "Flint attacks the monster with his sword.".


- Ed C.

Well a poll is a poll: it can't capture the diversity of reality. It's even more obvious for the GM who by role is switching voices and POV so often. But I think the main idea is there : are people comfortable with first person, hence acting out a character ?

One reason I'm interested in this poll is this question of difference between trad' RPGs and storygames (I go for oversimplification ok?)
I wish there was a poll feature on the story-games forum so I could go for a comparison.

As much as I think the Swine War is a big comedia del arte show, I think Pundit is on to something: there might be a real difference in term of  breaking immersion when a type of OOC mechanic is used in story-games. Some story-gamers insist a lot on the fact that in their mind the character doesn't exist and there is nothing justifying to be faithful to a character concept in the light of "story first". I mean sure the character doesn't exist... It's numbers on a sheet and hours of pretending to be someone we're not. Still, I like to think of it as an autonomous entity for some reason.

Quote from: T. Foster;329239I don't really like doing direct dialogue and voices/accents in most situations -- it makes me feel too much like I'm acting in a play and spoils my immersion a bit.

That's counter-intuitive to me. See? I learn every day.

Just to precise, in case this thread was created as a follow-up to my post in the players w/"narrative control" thread: there, I was talking about the difference between first-person and third-person entertainment, or if you prefer, game play. I was talking of actual immersion versus considering your character as a construct in a "story" or "narrative".

This is different from first-person or third-person speech. I can talk in a third-person voice, personally, and still feel that my character is "me" in the game world, though I prefer first-person descriptions, since I "am" my character in the game world.

My earlier remarks were pointing out the difference between me, my character, using an ability in the game world, versus me, the player, using some gimmick outside of the game world and affecting the events of the game.

There is a difference.

I get the distinction, Benoist, but actually I think that speaking in first-person vs. third-person is actually part of what creates the impression that one "is" or "is not" seeing & doing things from the character's perspective.

Short answer: all the above.


As a player, if I think the scene will be fun I'll go into character and talk as my character would. However if I think the scene is going to be purely functional, a means to an end, or just something I'm not that interested in I might just go into 3rd person mode in which I just state plainly what my character is going to ask/say as a means to speed things along. I might also do this if the game has a lot of (as in too many) players or the venue is noisy.

When describing my character's actions I am not entirely sure what I do. I am sure I do a bit of both. I'd like to say I tend to I use third person more when engaging in the fiction (as in "Zanzibar swings his lightsaber") and first person when engaging with the mechanics ("I'll use a Force point.") but I don't think in reality it's quite as neat.

As GM I think I think it pretty works the same for making my NPCs talk. I'll get in character and use lot's of funny voices when it's worth it, if not keep things short and to the point.

I really don't think I ever describe NPC actions in first person when I GM, but I might be wrong.

Pretty much always first person, when playing.