Greetings builder’s and welcome back to Builders Discuss. This week I want to talk about Roleplaying, you can blame Allspark and Zonnon over in the RP group for this week’s topic. They’ve been discussing “Why you Roleplay” over there and it got me thinking. While their discussion is more open ended and is looking for the varied reasons people roleplay when they play Skyrim and what they do/look for to make the game more immersive, we want to discuss RP as builders and how you use roleplay to improve a build. For us RP is another tool in our toolbox that we can use to better convey a character and playstyle. So tell me, as builders, how do you use RP in your builds? Do you think it’s an important part of a build, a useful tool, or a distraction? Let us know what you think.

-Vargr

Thanks for the mention, Vargr!

The only build I've made was built completely on roleplay (I know, surprising). The game has been out for so long that there's not much to distinguish builds apart from the roleplay involved (well, most of the time), so for me it's a fundamental part of any build.

That being said, if a build relies solely on a mechanic or glitch, it's ok to disregard roleplay a bit in exchange for a focus on gameplay, but in my opinion there should always be a section on roleplay to give people some hints for their own playthrough.

RP is what has kept me playing Skyrim for as long as I have... for me, it makes each build I play feel unique.

I tend to use RP to help build a character rather than to make Skyrim feel more lifelike. Sleeping, eating, and weight limitations aren't as big a concern for me as how a character responds to people and to dangerous situations. I'll even completely change the way I play a character class based on how I've created the character (in fact, my favorite characters are the ones that tend to slightly contradict their particular class or race or faction).

To me, RP and character building are almost the same thing. Even when I play another person's build and they leave those elements out, I find a way to put them in... a build just isn't as fun to play without a bit of roleplay in it ;D

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Zonnonn]Zonnonn[/url] said:[/b]

Thanks for the mention, Vargr!

[/blockquote]

No problem Zonnonn.  Couldn't rightly discuss RP without including the RP section now could I? :D

If a Character Build was a cake then the stats, perks, and gameplay would be the sponge while the roleplay would be the icing. It’s what makes the build interesting. Just as I said in the Gameplay discussion I don’t think that an RP section is always needed, but I do think that a successful build will include an element of RP. Some builds don’t even spell it out but the “sense” of the character is portrayed so well through all the other choices and how the build is presented that an official RP section would in truth be unneeded. One example that comes to mind is GoldenFools Deceiver build which he wrote in the first person, creating an immediately relatable character. Sure it also includes a “roleplay” section but this could just as easily be called a “quests” section. For me a build without RP just feels bland, but at the same time too much focus on this aspect detracts from the build making it too much like a Character Profile or Short Story. The best use of RP, in my opinion, is to give the reader just enough to go on that they could reliably fill in the blanks, to give them a sense of the characters motivations without spelling out how they act in every possible situation.

I whole-heartedly agree, Vargr.  I enjoy builds more that have a roleplaying section. And I agree, I don't need to be told what to do in every situation, but the general roleplay direction should be there. I also really love builds that have a definite direction to the roleplay. Not gear end goals, necessarily, but definitely game end goals, whether it is a questline that needs to be completed or a character goal. My gameplay mechanics are not especially fancy because I'm terrible with controls, but I love making sure that gameplay enhances the roleplay. My favorite build of mine, so far with regard to roleplay, was definitely the Exterminator. Quests were justified, I used the game mechanics to enhance the roleplay and I had a blast. 

Hey Guys,

It really depends on the perspective doesn't it?

Whilst i appreciate the creativity of some builders coming up with their own backstory, either within the elder scrolls mythos or lore taken from other games but adapted to the elder scrolls setting, i personally try to see if i can utilize the quests found within skyrim to center my RP around.

The way i see it, RP for me, is related to not what motivations drive the creation of a build, but what a build does to justify the way it is and skills acqquired has it "levels up. I've tried to incorporate this sort of "RP" via quests and the circumstances in which those quests are undertaken in my last few builds.

The apex of my efforts in this type of "RP & quest weaving" can be found in my build, "The Nightweaver".

Thanks.

Regards,

Warlocksg

Normally I roleplay to give meaning to the character I'm playing, and give reason to why they do the things they do. Sometimes it's very hard to do that and come out with your hero tag untarnished, and that's really part of the fun. Do you stay squeaky clean at the cost of what you're trying to protect? Do you compromise who you are in order to accomplish what you need to?

Roleplay can also lead to some extremely fun gameplay elements. My "True Nord" playthrough had no Restoration or Alchemy to fall back on for the sake of healing, so I ended up maxing out his Health and Stamina regeneration when it came time to look for enchanted gear and actually used in-game cooking as his primary means of healing between fights, scarfing down apples, bread, and bowls of beef stew between fights to keep his energy up and pounding bottle after bottle of mead to keep his fighting spirit high. Too much of it, and he would have to stop, rest, see to his wounds, and let his head clear. It all tied together pretty well and made for a fun push through the main quest, civil war, and DLC. 

Yessss... I have thoughts on this. Will post them up shortly.