Do you roleplay, and if so, how do you?

[Onionsoilder]

I was reading in the roleplay thread(sadly I didn't manage to participate in the actual game) but if got me thinking: When you play FFH, do you roleplay, and if so, to what extent? Personally, I think of the new age as a new beginning, with old traditions still present but not as guiding as they once were. For example, I might play a civilization such as Lanun as either magic/arcane, mainly normal melee/archers, or a combination of both. As far as religions go, I play somewhat open, for example, if I'm Lanun I won't adopt Runes of Kilmorph, but I don't force myself into Octopus Overlords either. I may adopt Empyrian, which I feel fits into Falmar's ideals quite well, or even Council of Esus of Fellowship of Leaves depending on who my neighbors are. That's another thing I do - when playing as a neutral civilization, I influence my own decisions based on my neighbors. If I'm surrounded by evil civilizations, I tend to play like them, bringing on Armageddon and focusing on Chaos/Death/Shadow mana. If I'm surrounded by Good, I play into that role instead.

 

[Lone Wolf]

I do roleplay, too, pretty much like you do. It's more fun to me that way.

If I'm Neutral I tend to be closer to the side of Good, through, unless playing someone with confirmed dark/selfish lore tendencies, like Tasunke or even Sandalphon.

 

[Lgaard]

If you roleplay, why won't you join us on Saturday's MP RP game? Much welcome!

 

[Korias]

I roleplay all types, sometimes with goals or not. For example, AV Bannor is one I have wanted to atempt With Capria. I've never played to "win" agame, only to have fun.

 

[JonathanStrange]

I roleplay mostly when I'm good or neutral civs; I "just play the game" when I lead evil civs. I usually play the Ljosalfars, so I generally try to stay in character and play as an Elf leader rather than as some gamer trying to maximize this or minimize that. I mean I'm not above choosing a civic or city site because I feel it's "right" - say founding a city on a hill surrounded by forests rather than nearer some resource (although I'm not crazy; we'll take that desert hilltop near those three gold resources) but I'm choosing with Elven sensibilities in mind.

It makes the game much more fun for me and it helps me to remember what a civ's real strengths are. When one doesn't play a civ often, the actual realities for that civ are harder to know: then you can't see when someone else's strategies are more theoretical, very map specific, greatly overstated, etc. Roleplaying helps me to have fun without wondering too much over someone elses "ideal" strategy.

 

[Corlis]

I'm too much of a goody-two-shoes to play most of the evil civs regularly, though Perpentach is too much fun to pass up, even for me! This is part of how I play other games as well, since I never once made an evil character in the Baldur's Gate series. Otherwise I don't RP terribly much within the game, though I like to imagine how my civic and religious choices would be playing out in a real Erebus (Falamar embraces the honest but not overbearing light of the Empyrean, and achieves an Altar victory to awaken Danalin from his slumber!)

Also, the first time I got the Iron Orb event I was playing as Ethne, and since I was in an RPish mood I took the destruction option even though it only lowered the AC by a little and cost a lot of gold. I felt quite vindicated when I got the free tech, and greedily spent it on Bowyers!

 

[Breunor]

I usually role play but it isn't isn't bad for game play. I have to admit though that I will, for instance, attack another good civilization if I am also good if I am boxed in, but I still prefer attacking an evil one. I tend to get the 'obvious' religions, Order for the Bannor, FoL for the elves, etc. I tend to avoid situations that may benefit me if I think the Civ wouldn't do it. For instance, we can argue that from a gaming standpoint, having the AC go above 100 may help the Luichiurp, but I wouldn't try raising the AC with them.


If I move up a level I may change my mind ......

Best wishes,

Breunor

 

[JonathanStrange]

When I'm leading the Ljosalfars either to glorious victory or to tragic defeat, I try to stick to the Elves' values and strengths:

I generally head for the Fellowship of Leaves religion. I always try for early Archery so as to get the Elven hero Gilden Silveric. Fortunately these are two very compatible goals - and in keeping with stereotypical Elven strengths - forests as Elf territory guarded by Ljosalfarian archers.

After researching whatever basic economic tech that can be quickly exploited, I direct our Elven sages towards Priesthood and Magic skills. I want forests bloomed and mana appropriate magic for Nature, Air, and Life.

I try to knock out evil empires and hostile neutrals. Good civs as long as they leave me alone, I save for last. I avoid using mana and magic that "my" Elves wouldn't approve of: Death and Entropy. I rarely behead the leaders of enemy civilizations and never put their heads on poles outside the city gates. Though I'd like to.

 

[Lade]

I like to role-play both the Bannor and the Illians. THey are both very fun.

Recently I was inspired to role-play the good elves. I wanted to play with only FOL and never build melee...

 

[thadian]

im still kinda newb to FFH but RPer is the way to go.

i won't join your RP challenges because i find twink rushing to be immoral - yes, i know its how you win and how i lose, but i like to have fun and there is no fun in early rush games for me. because of this i don't ever play multiplayer because i don't find it fun. its not that i don't know how to rush or defend vs a rush, but god theres no fun in it for me.


that said, i prefer the mazatl in fall further.

in FFH i like the shaem, elohim, and balseraphs. i try to think of what each map/civ combo of each game requires, each game is a story based on this.

Elohim prefer to keep the world stable. if they can't they must summon the god squad for a purging.

Shaem prefer to call forth armageddon. NO, they aren't evil. Mankind is evil, which is why it was once purged under the ice. Mankind is wicked, and the form of the world will show that fate can not be avoided. For man to destroy what is wicked, it must destroy itself, and that is what the Shaem are about. It is fun in any RP enviornment to play such apocalyptic villians as pathological sociopaths who believe they are "good".

Belsaraphs are more than cruel jesters (JUGGALO!) they see that man has personified everything from spirituality, astrology, governments - and even the essence of "who am i" as a gimmick of some sort. we all wear masks thinking those masks of our ideas can make us better but the Belseraphs? they have learned that behind the masks, man is as savage as any other animal. They see the melting as the next big gimmick, and themselves as the saviors from stupidity - Why be above the herd? Follow it or lead it? They are all the same animal. Why not instead paint the herd bright pink with green polka dots? At least then the herd will have humility.

Matazl i play much like i would the celts - ambitious to secure their native lifestyle. they know the world is full of conquerors. they see these conquerors as savage as the orcs and both are targets for revenge. they see enlightenment in the natural path and believe that mankind survived the ice age together and need to stand as one in order to pass the age of renewal. Why renew corruption? What is there in renewing the same forces that led to destruction?

 

[Lone Wolf]

Shaem prefer to call forth armageddon. NO, they aren't evil. Mankind is evil, which is why it was once purged under the ice. Mankind is wicked, and the form of the world will show that fate can not be avoided. For man to destroy what is wicked, it must destroy itself, and that is what the Shaem are about. It is fun in any RP enviornment to play such apocalyptic villians as pathological sociopaths who believe they are "good".

I wouldn't be surprised that some Sheaim do think the same way, lore-wise, wanting to destroy the world because of their own philosophy and principles. Some deal with demons only in the quest for personal power, through.

 

[thadian]

yes, thats why the Sheaim are my favorite evil - they have mechanics that let them function in hell terrain (i havent tried the other evils yet enough to know) but its more their philosophies.

they aren't the typical "im a dumb villain who wants to destroy the world. why? i don't know or care, but it ALL MUST DIE MUAHAHAHA". Rather they have logic, and the thing about being pathological is that you can see in their eyes - the world is already evil, the tainted seed planted long ago. it makes them fun.

im trying to get into the neutrals but i just can't seem to do it. their vulnerability to hell terrain, inability to function in it just makes them a bad bet for the late game when 2-3 evil's are dieheard to keep the geddon counter up.

 

[PotatoSamurai]

I've always enjoyed roleplaying in Civ -- going commie as Russia is a perennial favorite! I always have Choose Religion on, and as such I always grab appropriate religions. I'll even avoid founding techs if it'll give me a religion that doesn't fit the civ.

Naturally, FfH is even more ripe for RP. I love dramatic Gandalf-the-White-cresting-the-hill attacks, and I'll go out of my way to act in-alignment. Playing as Hippus/Tasunke (founded Empyrean) just a few minutes ago, I rushed to save Garrim from the march of the Khazad even though it would mean leaving my border with the Illians nearly unguarded.

 

[TeeAhr1]

In my current game as Charadon, I razed through the only two AI civs on my continent within 100 turns or so with nothing but Lucian and one of my starting Beastmen, even though both the civs were evil and having the Illians around might have been helpful to me. Just because that's how Lucian rolls

One role-playing quirk I have: If I haven't founded a religion (whether I have one or not) and I pop a disciple that allows to me to found one, I will switch to it immediately no matter what it is. I had a particularly fun game a couple months ago with Clan/Empyrian

 

[Tasunke]

I totally like to role-play evil civs. I also like to roleplay the hippus. My favorite is to role-play an evil Hippus. Although I also enjoy Orcs, Sheiam, Illians, Sidar, and Bannor.

I would say my most "civ specific" roleplay strategies are Sidar and Bannor, although out of the two Sidar is by far more fun to play in MP games


- and as far as "functioning" in hell terrain you must mean fall further. I almost argue that Hell Terrain is slightly more advantagous to the Hippus in base ffh2

 

[Furin]

One of the beautiful traits of FFH is that roleplaying a civ to the full extend can be a valid strategy to winning. I consider it even easier for a new player to "follow the rules" of a civ instead of thinking of alternatives first. For example dwarfes living in hills/mountains and adopting the runes, Lanun playing the navy/pirate card and Kuriotates going full cultural. Also your natural enemy will attack you sooner or later because of the fixed negative relation, so you might aswell wage war against them as soon as possible.

 

[Tasunke]

Well, as far as the hippus lightning war is concerned ... its hard to imagine anyone the Hippus wouldnt want to pillage and plunder

 

[ICanHasName?]

I do sometimes plan out and then play 'scenarios', like Ultra-Crusade Order Bannor surrounded by nothing but evil civs (some are bound to turn order though), or evil AV Amurites. Those can be fun. Lore-wise roleplaying can be fun too, but it gets old like anything else, and it sortof bugs me to loose because 'we elves don't sign open borders with dirty orcs' or 'we Bannor don't betray and plunder our allies even if its easy'.

Mostly I just minmax the crap out of everything and try to find new ways to exploit tolerant (which is much easier in FF because Decius has it and its called Conqueror). I'm currently working on ways to hurt the AI by giving them techs and using spiritual to abuse the councils.

 

[Lone Wolf]

and it sortof bugs me to loose because 'we elves don't sign open borders with dirty orcs' or 'we Bannor don't betray and plunder our allies even if its easy'.

My roleplaying is a bit more flexible then that. I don't attack Goodies when playing Bannor, but when someone Good is getting to close to win when I am playing Bannor, I start roleplaying corrupted/extra-intolerant Bannor ("The followers of Lugus or Sirona may be accepted only as helpers of the followers of Junil!" or "Althrough they claim to follow the Order, they are heretics who perverted Juni's message!")

 

[Zugvogel]

I also generally tend to role-play, most often even if it is to my disadvantage. (i.e. not finishing enemies - even the Sehaim - as the Elohim and making peace as soon as possible.) If, however, I am forced to do something "out of roleplay" for some reason - why, that is no problem whatsoever: There is very little in FFH that could not somehow be explained by an entertaining side-story (Well, Empyrean Calabim are tough, but...)