Viewpoint Where do your roleplays fall on the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism?

[Grey]

So it's a means to an end hero?

Normally. There's an older version the term doesn't much refer to these days; characters like Shinji Ikari who do heroic things or have the role of protagonist, but they're not cool or capable, and may not even want to be a hero.

 

[still watching fma]

Normally. There's an older version the term doesn't much refer to these days; characters like Shinji Ikari who do heroic things or have the role of protagonist, but they're not cool or capable, and may not even want to be a hero.

Dang, that must be old. I've never heard of it referring to characters like shinji.

 

[BackSet]

What do you mean by anti-hero? Is it like the superman that splattered a robber to save 40 hostages in a bank? Is it the guy that shoots to kill and is usually admonished by the fella who wanted to show mercy? Do enlighten me as I never really understood the concept of an anti-hero.

As for unambigeous idealism, that is actually interesting and far more frightening than an anti-hero. Anti-heroes are akin to chaotic neutral. What you just described can be a religious zealot killing the wicked witches because they're followers of satan. Only to find out they were just pagans. Or the soldier that kills first, asks questions later. Rarely is life ever a matter of good and bad. A situation like taking down stalin or the young turks, is an exception to the rule. Heros in real life are taking on other people who could be heroes and are fighting for their own stake in this world. There is no such thing as an absolute good, because every action you take in this world, inevitably takes from someone else. You can't go beat a bad guy without realizing that you're his bad guy and that you're potentially leaving a family sonless or fatherless.

An idealist doesn't care about these morally ambigous things. They will just plow through and slaughter everything without a second thought, if that action is thought to be good. So I don't see where the balance comes in. lol

I think you misread what I wrote. The unambiguous part was attached to the hero part, not the idealist part. I just misplaced it because I was tired and wasn't paying attention. The unambiguous good guy.Who also happens to be an upbeat idealist. He fights evil and saves the day. Most of the time he's against killing. You know, all Superman and Spider-Man-like.

 

[still watching fma]

I think you misread what I wrote. The unambiguous part was attached to the hero part, not the idealist part. I just misplaced it because I was tired and wasn't paying attention. The unambiguous good guy.Who also happens to be an upbeat idealist. He fights evil and saves the day. Most of the time he's against killing. You know, all Superman and Spider-Man-like.

Superman is a caricature of a character.

 

[BackSet]

Superman is a caricature of a character.

Your point being? (Oh, fun fact, Superman was first thought up back in 1933 when the creators were in high school. They had planned on making him a newspaper comic strip but when that failed miserably they sold him to DC.)

 

[still watching fma]

Your point being? (Oh, fun fact, Superman was first thought up back in 1933 when the creators were in high school. They had planned on making him a newspaper comic strip but when that failed miserably they sold him to DC.)

I wouldn't call him a character and I wouldn't rp that tripe.

 

[BackSet]

I wouldn't call him a character and I wouldn't rp that tripe.

I wouldn't rp a cow's stomach either.

 

[Crenando]

You know, I've always found it weird that people think being a Paladin means being good. To me being a Paladin has always just meant being Lawful. And there are plenty of Lawful Evil gods out there to follow (that's their thing, right? Like, less squishy clerics). Sure, call them a blackguard or whatever. They're still Paladins.

Like, to use a Forgotten Realms example, a Paladin can't follow Malar, god of the hunt, because he's Chaotic Evil. But they could follow Bane, the god of war, because he's Lawful Evil. Being a Paladin is about having a code, not about specifically doing good.

Initially, paladins were the class that represented the ideal knights, like in the more romantic depictions of Arthurian legend. In a way, they expected you to follow a good god. Why else would you be playing the 'good boy' class? If you wanna be a more realistic (read: assholish, which some people think are synonyms) knight, you can play a cleric or something.
It got more general as editions moved on, leaving the poor cleric as being redundant in a lot of people's eyes.

 

[BackSet]

Initially, paladins were the class that represented the ideal knights, like in the more romantic depictions of Arthurian legend. In a way, they expected you to follow a good god. Why else would you be playing the 'good boy' class? If you wanna be a more realistic (read: assholish, which some people think are synonyms) knight, you can play a cleric or something.
It got more general as editions moved on, leaving the poor cleric as being redundant in a lot of people's eyes.

Yeah, but the Eldritch Knight Fighter doesn't have as good a spell variety so... Lawful Neutral Paladin.

 

[Grey]

When designing Crucible, one of things I've been looking at is replicating the paladin-archetype with more flexibility and I think I've hit a sweet spot. If'n any of you'd be interested in taking a look at what I've got feel free to PM me. I'm not expecting to compete, but I like to offer an alternative to D&D.

 

[Shuusuke]

Cynicism for sure. And when I think of "idealism" I see more fuel to create a villain or comic relief character, rather than a playable character/protagonist. Of course, it's boring if all characters are cynics, conflict of opinions is good for plot progression and character development. It's just that I find it more appealing for a story to break an idealist rather than..."unbreak" a cynic.

 

[CoconutLeaves]

I like to slide between both depending on the characters I'm playing. Usually they come from isolated communities so they're more naïve than the usual hence the idealism. However I also like to play cynical characters who are quite nihilistic.

 

[BackSet]

I just realized that all my cynic characters are always the biggest Butt-Monkeys in the roleplay. They're usually subject to teasing from not just NPCs but from other PCs too, slapstick injury (when it's appropriate to the setting), and general embarrassment. I guess I find it amusing when funny things happen to serious people.

 

[Kloudy]

Cynical characters for cynical worlds. I like playing villains or morally ambiguous individuals in dystopian or otherwise in-conflict worlds.

I don't dislike idealism, but I find cynical settings and motivations much more interesting. Would I rather play a trained professional that can employ all the skill and calm of a Jason Bourne assassin or would I rather play an Isekai MC?

 

[BackSet]

I just realized another thing. Whenever people make serious characters I am almost always guarenteed to make funny, silly, and/or upbeat characters (within the logic of the setting, obviously. Even I wouldn't write an upbeat character in a cyberpunk world) to tease and screw with them. Because, again, funny things happening to serious people. Comedy gold.

 

[Kloudy]

I just realized another thing. Whenever people make serious characters I am almost always guarenteed to make funny, silly, and/or upbeat characters (within the logic of the setting, obviously. Even I wouldn't write an upbeat character in a cyberpunk world) to tease and screw with them. Because, again, funny things happening to serious people. Comedy gold.

You could totally do upbeat slapstick comedy in a cyberpunk world. Challenging the norms of the setting's nitty-gritty with slapstick is it's own form of comedy to begin with!

 

[BackSet]

You could totally do upbeat slapstick comedy in a cyberpunk world. Challenging the norms of the setting's nitty-gritty with slapstick is it's own form of comedy to begin with!

You have no idea what kind of monster you've unleashed with those two simple sentences.

I'm kidding.

But still, I like that idea.

Though I doubt I could get a funny character past the GM in a cyberpunk rp and if I could the other players would complain.

Still, worth a try at some point.

Thanks.

 

[darkborn]

Ironically, this is related to what I've been trying to, well, semi-study in Warhammer 40K.


NobleBright Vs Grimdark Vs the others.

 

[BackSet]

In all honesty, Warhammer 40k is so grimdark it goes straight around and becomes hilarious.

 

[Kloudy]

I think it takes a special kind of humour to find Warhammer funny...

I understand completely

 

[darkborn]

Meh.
I enjoy making fun of Fulgrim.

SUCK IT, FULGRIM.



Ehheh.. Sorry. I appreciate my fabulous golden hawkboy.

 

[Grey]

Warhammer and 40k both started out as political satire. They're both incredibly dark comedies at heart, the problem is over the years a lot of people forgot that - especially the suits that that took over GW.

I mean, the joke of 40k is that the good guys are fascist lunatics. Stuff like 2000AD was explicitly an inspiration - Adeptes Arbites are plainly riffing on Judge Dredd.

Though I doubt I could get a funny character past the GM in a cyberpunk rp and if I could the other players would complain.

I can see situations where I'd allow it. I love Metal Gear Rising and that manages to slip in some goofy jokes among the child soldiery and political commentary.

 

[darkborn]

But with all that being said, I lean more toward the nobledark spectrum of things. I dunno why. Guess I am an idealist overall.

 

[BackSet]

I think I'm either Neutral Bright or Noble Neutral.

 

[Corrosion]

Most of my realistic RPs are really far on the cynical side, since they tend to involve war, conflict, and the darker side of humanity.

On the other hand, I have a setting that is essentially the world as portrayed by 4chan and gamers. I legitimately have no idea where on that scale to place it, because it is simultaneously at both ends.