Troupe-style Roleplaying
I was kinda talking to David and Jodi about this on the car ride over to D's the other day. And figured it probably warranted a nerdy Pen'n'Paper Roleplaying (Katie's already rolling her eyes at me!) post. For quite sometime I've been in the groove of trying to play some really out there characters. (Yes, the traveling librarian!) But in the
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As for my game, I'm sorry to hear that you're not getting what you want out of it. Obviously, the game that I run is a little more "old school" and combat intensive, which is not for everyone. I try to provide flavorful encounters, but it's still a very different game from what you experienced with Joe, or what I grew up playing with Riddle at the helm. I don't think this post is an "I want to quit and do something else" post, but if it is, I understand--you gotta do what you've gotta do.
Assuming that you are, in fact, staying around, I would like to caution you a little bit. At times, your "getting the most fun" process does seem to frustrate the other players rather than the other characters. I don't want to put words in anybody's mouth, that's merely my observation. Just be careful that your fun isn't coming at the cost of anybody else's.
What I personally see happening is that rather than Vasha having a personality at odds with the other characters, where compromise is necessary and multiple sides of an issue are explored, Vasha instead seems to take the position opposite the group consensus, regardless of what that consensus might be. Other players might think that they're offering Vasha a concession by taking a given path, and Vasha will suddenly reverse positions to remain in the dissenter role. An example: in Daggerford, she criticized the party for killing Filge, but then in Waterdeep, she attempted to kill (what appeared to her) as a common citizen trying to help by summoning the watch.
Speaking for myself, I find it difficult to tailor plot elements to Vasha, when I don't see her so much as a person, but as a chaotic force that exists to argue with the party until you (the player) gets bored with that, and then she'll suddenly give in and go along with whatever is right in front of her.
Lastly, I want to reiterate the obvious: I like you as both a person and as a player. The above is not so much criticism as it is simply an observation on how I view the character of Vasha. I hope you don't view this as an attack or take offense at anything that I said, anymore than I assume you intended offense with your "as little excitement as possible" line. I'm not in any way telling you to change the character that you're playing--the dissenter role is a good one for keeping things on their toes. I'm just suggesting that you should keep an eye out for times when you may be frustrating the other players, rather than their characters.
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At times, your "getting the most fun" process does seem to frustrate the other players rather than the other characters. I don't want to put words in anybody's mouth, that's merely my observation. Just be careful that your fun isn't coming at the cost of anybody else's.
As this was a post about my roleplaying style, I do understand that I have probably annoyed other players in the current group. And for that I apologize. I've tried to have some internal consistency to what Vasha who is a chaotic force, actually does, and I have noted areas that I have failed. But I think her over-arching goals haven't deviated much. And perhaps I will have to make a locked post for you to explain those goals.
I apologize if it seemed even as if it was a veiled critique of your game. This post was not meant to be any observation on current games, other then to relate how I've grown perhaps jaded by DnD in general.
To the other players: I apologize if I've perhaps annoyed you, or upset you while playing, perhaps I should bring a couple of "Shut the Eff Up, Vasha" chips. And give one to everyone. And everytime they do something helpful to my character, they earn another one. And when played Vasha, shuts the eff up.
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As for the bulk of what you're saying, don't shy away from the word "critique." I think that criticism has developed an undeserved negative connotation in our society. I'm not going to take offense if you point out areas where you'd like to see the game played differently. However, I'm also not going to guarantee that I'm going to be able to, or sometimes even want to, make those changes. It shouldn't stop you from making your interests heard.
I can promise that I will continue to put in what roleplaying hooks I can in places I can fit them without derailing the story that I want to tell. I can also say that even being a wargamer at heart, the 7 sessions in a row of straight combat that comprised the Triad's temple wore me out a bit, and I may take steps to remove unnecessary encounters to speed up play if later segments play out similarly.
All that said, this is a largely monster-stabbing-driven story, and that's not going to change. Think of it like a Final Fantasy game--I can stick in some beautiful cut scenes, but there's still a lot of running in circles leveling up you'll need to do. I think that people are largely having fun with it, and I'll continue running this game as long as I've got enough players who are. I just want you to know that we're happy to have you as long as you're having fun, but if it comes to a point where you're bored spitless four out of five sessions, you're not going to offend me by backing out.
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