Thread: Roleplayers: What's Your Archetype?

Sometimes we tend to take ourselves a bit too seriously... so honestly, if we examine ourselves objectively: Which of the four most common Roleplayer Archtypes best describes you?
For obvious reasons, please refrain from selecting labels for other users - particularly as a 'subtle' jab at someone else's perceived roleplaying style.

The Real Man
The tough macho type who walks up to the attacking dragon and tells him to leave before he gets hurt.

The Real Man is the Tabletop RPG player who plays the game for the visceral, action-packed experience. Any character played by this guy will invariably be a Badass whirlwind of death — rarely do they play any sort of sneaky or supporting character. If by chance they have to play a wizard, he'll either be loaded to the gills with fireballs or decidedly non-squishy. The real man may do some Min-Maxing (though not to the insane heights of the Munchkin), but he's just as likely to select abilities based on "cool factor" alone.

These players are most interested in the parts of the game that involve fighting. Their strategies tend to be simple; run up to the enemies and hack them to bits (or blast them with the big guns in a modern setting). However, the more imaginative among them may employ some killer stunts, such as shield-surfing or swinging on chandeliers. Unlike The Loonie (whose stunts are played for laughs), this guy is doing it purely for the Rule Of Cool.

The real man is handy to have around when a fight breaks out. He'll support his teammates when it counts (unlike the Munchkin who typically looks out for number one), and usually has a grasp on basic combat tactics. However, he's not as adept in situations where violence is not the answer. While some 'real men' are also skilled roleplayers (who just happen to enjoy a good brawl), others tend to stay silent when it's time for talking, relying mostly on well-worn archetypes (the trenchcoated stoic, for example), rather than the more original characters of the typical Roleplayer.

Interactions with other Archetypes:
Real Men: Think they're brothers in arms.
Real Roleplayers: Hide behind them.
Loonies: Harass them with stupid suggestions.
Munchkins: Say, "I'm a Real Man, too!"

The Roleplayer
The intelligent cunning guy who tricks the constable into letting you all out of prison.

The Roleplayer is the Tabletop RPG player who plays mainly to create a character and tell a story. Most of them aren't too concerned with Min-Maxing - their abilities are based more on whether they fit their conception of the character than pure combat effectiveness.

These players tend to be most interested in the storyline of the game, which means they frequently interact with the NPCs and try to find solutions to in-game conflicts without resorting to combat. They may even insert their own story into the games, providing a wealth of background information which the Game Master can tap for plot hooks (not all GMs will do this, though).

The roleplayer is generally considered the golden goose of the Tabletop RPG for the depth that he adds to the gaming environment. Not to mention the fact that he's not as laconic or stereotypical as The Real Man, or as potentially annoying as The Loonie, and the Munchkin.

Interactions with other Archetypes:
Real Men: Protect them, on the off chance they may come up with something useful.
Real Roleplayers: Sigh with relief to know they're not alone, and then get their characters involved in love affairs and death feuds.
Loonies: Harass them with stupid suggestions.
Munchkins: Say, "I'm a Real Roleplayer, too!"

The Loonie
The guy who will do anything for a cheap laugh, including casting a fireball at ground zero.

The Loonie is the Tabletop RPG player who plays mostly for the fun of doing silly things within the game. He typically optimizes his character for comedy rather than combat, and is more likely to pick "goofy" character races purely for the novelty (such as awakened animals, Kender, Malkavians, and so forth). His abilities will be mainly based on their potential for wacky antics (so rogues and mages with a lot of illusion and enchantment spells are popular).

This player loves poking at the setting to provoke strange responses and going Off the Rails in outrageous ways. They'll use their tower shields as makeshift snowboards, and think shouting "Look Behind You" then running away is enough to elude a hostile greater demon. They'll then try to talk the Game Master into letting them attempt a trip attack on aforementioned greater demon using a Banana Peel. They'll crack jokes and mock the NPCs at every opportunity, and futz with every magic item thrown their way.

The loonie can be a fun player to have around; a little comic relief can help to ease the tension of a long campaign. However, sometimes his constant jokes can wear thin, and he can quickly cross the line from amusing to annoying. He can be especially grating to extreme Roleplayers, Munchkins, and other people who take the game way too seriously. It probably doesn't help that their lack of humor only encourages the loonie to annoy them more. The Loonie's favourite Character Alignment is Chaotic Neutral (because it's the perfect excuse for doing anything), but to his detractors it will feel more like Chaotic Stupid. Basically, it all depends on how good a comedian they are.

Interactions with other Archetypes:
Real Men: Ignore them.
Real Roleplayers: Sometimes harass them back by taking a stupid suggestion and making it work.
Loonies: Declare a pie fight at 20 paces ... and cheat.
Munchkins: Try to imitate the jokes, and fall flat.

The Munchkin
Munchkin: One who, on being told that this is a game about politics and intrigue in 17th century Italy, asks to play a ninja.

The Munchkin is the Tabletop RPG player who plays the game to "win", at any cost, even if that isn't the point of the game. Perhaps the most ridiculed Player Archetype of all time, this player is rarely interested in the story behind the game. Indeed, his characters are little more than extensions of his own personality, or whatever personality would give him the most plusses.

He sees fighting monsters and solving puzzles only as a means toward more power, more gold, more stuff, more plusses. A Munchkin is not satisfied until he can kill a god with his +25 Dancing Holy Vorpal Sword of Flame. On a Critical Failure. Of course, the combat mechanics is only the most obvious avenue. Munchkins try to hunt for "XP for roleplaying" by being over-the-top dramatic, and Kossuth help you if the game uses Ritual Magic — everything will stop until the word salad cooked up by the Munchkin is resolved. Anything that gives more plusses will be used and abused.

The Munchkin's ambition frequently outstrips his sense of fair play. Most of the time, he looks out for number one; the other players are little more than minor inconveniences to him, or obstacles on his path to ultimate power.

Interactions with other Archetypes:
Real Men: Attack them on sight.
Real Roleplayers: Trick them into being cannon fodder.
Loonies: Make reasonable-sounding suggestions that will get the Munchkin killed in an amusing way.
Munchkins: Query, "What's a Munchkin?"

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Personally, I tend to fall under "The Roleplayer" - occasionally to an annoying level, I might add. Might be a bad habit, but I do not apologize.

I've always played as either the Roleplayer (For most of my Ampiomach Characters) or The Loonie (Cheshire Cat from the Rogues Gallery).

Always the Roleplayer.

A bit of a Real Man/Roleplayer mix. Some Loonie, but he rarely comes out to play and when he does, the ither two get apologetice very fast.

The Roleplayer i think.

Roleplayer

....a mix of the top three...i do whatever gives me most interaction or manipulated feelings....

I'm surprised we don't have more Real Men like me.

But why Munchkin? Who's gonna just come out and call themselves a munchhkin?

Because I'm being subtle. I didn't really expect any munchkins or loonies to come out and say so (heck, by the very nature of those archetypes, they don't typically realize they're doing it), but by including them I'm encouraging everyone to do some self-reflection and think about the way they roleplay.

I couldn't care less if people are honest, as long as it gets them thinking.

I'm definitely the Roleplayer. I tend to pay more attention to the stories than the action, up to the point where I can end up overcomplicating even the most simple of things. I mean, I know how to enjoy some good action here and there, but for the most part, I RP for the story.

I am a mix I guess of loonie and roleplayer (mainly roleplayer but can do comedy also) I tend to really enjoy getting immersed within a tale :)

Characters I've created have made a living on being designated as something akin to the Roleplayer.

She's typically serious. Pretty withdrawn. Violent as all hell.

Somewhere between The Roleplayer and The Munchkin, I guess, with a little of The Real Man thrown in (does that make me the first to admit being a Munchkin on this thread ?). I love the story first and foremost, but at the same I do enjoy playing a totally hax character. The Munchkin aspect only tends to pop up in video game RPGs as opposed to RP forums, as the two are much more diametrically opposed in the story-centric format of a forum RP.

@Renewal Then the stat-mania of Armeira must have presented a real conflict for you.

I tend not to close off any of my options, but most of all given a singular choice, I think I would be classified as a Loonie. Here's how I see it, though: when I do RP, I do it to have fun. If you're not having fun, what's the point of playing? This doesn't necessarily mean my characters will fall under Loonie. But I always try to make them amusing on their own levels.

For example, Fritz Westmyn in his original RP variant (not the planned story version that I'll hopefully be posting soon) was a cocky showboat, but could back it up and definitely had a lot of street smarts. And of course, there's an explanation behind everything. Emperor Paldebez IV was proof why blood rule isn't always a good idea, although if the original Armeira had continued I would've shown how it could've been worse, and how the casual ruler isn't all that bad. By contrast, Crevasse was a sinister mofo who qualifies as folk legend, and despite not skirting on the power end in the slightest, has a unique viewpoint on the world and tons of charisma. (Manly McBeefington would naturally be a pure Real Man, although created with the sense of a Loonie). So I guess the common theme is "being able to amuse, but having power and a story (relevant or no) as well."

And sometimes it's indirect. When looking a few things over here and there, I've thought of how i can vary things up in an RP. Like, how can I make my character not only stand out from the rest, but also work well with others' characters? Which usually leads me back to where I usually am anyway.

Although on another note, you forgot an important archetype: those who abuse game mechanics to their fullest (think Munchkins, without all the selfishness or necessarily lust for direct power). Reading up on incidents involving those guys are some of the funniest things I've read.