Fighters for me... it usually feels like the most wide open class for me to make of it what I want. Rogues a close second.
I'll happily play magic users though if it's the right group/setting.
Clerics too often end up feeling like a public utility.

Quote from: Old Geezer;810838Lots of people really like OD&D clerics.  Fight almost as well as a fighter, fastest class advancement, lowest "name" level, gobs of divine aid once you set up your stronghold.

Those traits carry all through the B/X-BECMI-RC line too.

I particularly like the fact that clerics in those editions get so few healing spells that they can't be coerced into simply being the party healer.

As to the actual poll question, I genuinely am an "it depends"! I don't get to play very often (I'm usually the GM) so I deliberately vary the characters I play as much as possible, preferring to play something that I haven't played before in the edition in question or at least haven't played recently. Therefore I tend to play the different classes with approximately equal frequency.

When I'm not running a game, I like to be a Rogue/Expert of some kind. I just like to be super skilled and have to find clever ways to solve problems without direct combat or magic.

Although sometimes that kind of thing stumps the GM: how much damage DOES an old (plugged in) tv do when smashed, screen first, over someone's head as a surprise /sneak attack?

(Never enough, and that's why I mostly GM now).

I really prefer multi-class characters. Fighter/Magic-User, Cleric/Ranger, Cleric/Fighter/Magic-User or Fighter/Assassin.

Fighter. I don't play non-combatants or characters who can't mix it up in melee.

Otherwise I've played Rangers and my current 13th Age character is basically a Fighter-Sorceror martial artist.

Thief. Not rogue. Thief.

My very first character was a thief. It stuck. I tried bards, they suck. I tried mages/M-Us, they suck. I tried fighters. You get the picture. I do thief.

Quote from: Vic99;810806Which would you play usually?

Science Fiction RPGs that are not class and level based.

Quote from: Old Geezer;810838Lots of people really like OD&D clerics.  Fight almost as well as a fighter, fastest class advancement, lowest "name" level, gobs of divine aid once you set up your stronghold.

I started playing them in 1e, and while I've been playing 3.0 the longest, I've played Clerics in all of the other major editions (+ Pathfinder).  I'll be starting up a Cleric in 5e, so I'll be curious about how it works there.

I end up playing the Cleric and the Thief more often than not, in the spirit of "what do we need?", but left to my own devices, I'll go with Fighter. Foot to the door, axe to the head, emerge bathed in monster blood and battle-earned glory, laden with loot... verily, the spectre of Conan looms large in my elfgaming.

Rogue/thief, for I have always felt more connection with Talleyrand than Lannes.

I voted Fighter, but it's not 100% accurate.  I tend to multi-class a lot, and said multi-classing tends to have a martial character involved somehow, so Fighter got the nod.

I usually play fighter types. Barbarian and so forth. Rogue is my second type.

Though I would want to play more games without specific classes, as I'm getting tired of Pathfinder and D&D.

I've always been partial to rogues. In most euro fantasy based games, it's the closes thing to a ninja.

My tastes have changed over the years. Early on it was MU all the way. Played one up to 36th level in BECMI back in the day.

When I started playing AD&D I stuck with the MU in 1e, but also liked multi-class Fighter/MUs. In 2e I moved over to mostly playing Bards, and kept this predilection in 3.x despite how poor they played in 'absolute' terms.

I tried MU, Bard and Ranger in 4e and probably enjoyed the ranger most of the three.

These days I find myself preferring a 'man of action' character, so I opted for fighter. Currently I'm reffing our 5e game but I'm planning to play an Eldritch Knight once someone else takes up the baton. A heavy dose of physical capability with a side order of cool option to add a little seasoning.

Naturally, in non-D&D games I play non-D&D characters...