[LFP] Looking for serious in-character roleplayers.

This is long.  There is no TL;DR.  Sorry. So, I've been playing D&D and countless other tabletop RPGs for over 30 years now, and in that time I've played with dozens of DMs, and DMed for hundreds of players.  For many years, these were all in-person games, but in recent years, I've been experimenting with online play in various groups.  Out of those many people I've played with or DMed for, I've been lucky to occasionally find a few real, serious roleplayers among them.  But MOST of the people I've played with, or DMs I've played under, have not had very much of a roleplaying focus at all.  Not much real, enthusiastic, engaged purpose of bringing to life a character as a fictional person in a fictional world. Now, there's nothing wrong with that.  I also very much enjoy the tactical, mechanical, character-building, and even power-gaming elements of RPGs as well, and have had tons of fun in casual, hack-and-slash style games where we just killed monsters and overcame challenges and generally played the game as though it were a video game that we were trying to win.  Without much messing about with character motivations, and character backstories, and character development, and character voices, and character relationships, and all that roleplaying stuff.  I can totally dig that, and I don't begrudge any player for being into that, and not into the other thing. That being said, I still hunger for a different kind of RPG experience, because the "not very roleplay-heavy" experience is already abundantly available and easy to find lots and lots and lots of.  DMs who run games with little real focus on character roleplaying are many, and easy to find.  Players who want to play D&D or other tabletop RPGs, but who don't really want to get that deep into character roleplaying are also incredibly many, and effortless to find.  So I've had quite a bit of that already, and while I can and still will continue to enjoy those gaming experiences, I also really crave something ELSE as well. You would think, with the vast pool of people interested in playing tabletop RPGs online in this day and age, using Roll20, that it would be easy enough to find some with a shared specific playstyle interest.  And maybe it WILL be easy.  I dunno.  But I think that what it will require is a very targeted ad.  And hence, here we are. I have met far too many DMs and players who SAY that they are into roleplay, and that they will run games that are all about the RP, or that they will do lots of in-character roleplaying as a player, but then when you actually play with them, it turns out that this is not really a strong, central focus of the game for them.  The DM who doesn't really care anything about the character or the story you've created and who doesn't make any attempt to tie the narrative of the game to your character, or the player who never really describes anything or speaks as their character would.  If you're someone who craves deep, character-focused roleplay in your tabletop gaming as I do, then I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.  These are not bad DMs, or bad players!  They are just ones with a different central focus in playing RPGs.  I'd like to find some people who share MY central focus. I'd like to find a few other players who really want to develop and roleplay their characters, as fictional people.  As more than merely a set of stats and list of abilities, but as personas, with stories and personalities and motivations and narrative arcs and goals and fears and mannerisms and voices.  I'd like to find a few players... Who want to delve deep into their character's psyche and backstory, and who are just as interested to learn about the OTHER characters' psyches and backstories as well. Who want to create complications and motives for their character that go beyond the mere "plot" or "quests" doled out by the DM, and proactively seek to resolve those things in-game. Who could spend an entire session just talking, in-character, with the other player characters, without even needing any entertainment provided by the DM. Who want to develop relationships with other characters, both PC and NPC, which cause their character to grow and change. Who, if asked to write a 1000-word background for their character, would reply, "Wait, is it okay if it's LONGER than that?" Who are willing to narrate their character's actions as though they are telling a story, and not just leave all the narration and description to the DM while they passively consume "content" and play to amass power and stuff for their video-game-like avatar. Who are willing to potentially embarrass themselves by acting out their character's mannerisms and voice, to actually try, consistently and enthusiastically, to portray their character, as though on stage. Who want to immerse themselves into the world, into the situation, and imagine what their character thinks and feels and experiences in the game fiction, as though it were real. Who would honestly, without hesitation, describe this sort of character roleplaying as their primary motivator and source of enjoyment in playing RPGs. Is it too much to ask?  Am I alone here?  I think not, because as I said, I HAVE played with other people like this in the past, and I've seen others on some of the various RPG streams or videos out there.  I'm not saying that you have to be terribly GOOD at these things, I'm not looking for only amazing writers and incredible actors.  Just that you're excited enough, passionate enough, about this that you'll try hard, that you'll WANT to write about your character, to think about your character, to act out your character.  I'm not looking for talent, I'm looking for intention.  (I am certainly not God's gift to writing, acting, DMing, or RPing myself.) I would be willing to work on and run a campaign for a group of players like this.  Any kind of campaign, in any kind of system.  I mean, we could figure something out together.  I'd be willing to put in the effort, the preparation, the scheduled sessions, all of it.  But only for a group which is composed solely of players like I describe here.  Only roleplayers.  Serious roleplayers.  Players who are willing to put as much work into their characters as I put into the game world and NPCs.  Players who are going to show up not just to be entertained, but also to entertain the rest of the group, and me.  (Again, stressing that this is about intention, not ability.) Or, what would be even better, but seems so unlikely as to be something akin to a miracle, I'd love to actually find a group like this who already exist, that I could join and PLAY a character in a roleplay-heavy campaign.  If you're running a game like this already, please let me know!  Let me join you, and I will, most assuredly, bring it. But realistically, what's more likely to come out of this ad is that I will end up having to DM again.  Which is fine, I'm quite used to it.  But I'm just not willing to set up and run another long-term campaign unless I find some players who truly, passionately share my particular gaming interests, playstyle, and character roleplay focus.  It doesn't even have to be a big group.  I think smaller is probably better, in fact.  I think three, or even two players could be excellent.  I'd even run a game for just one player if I found someone compatible enough, who would put enough into their character to make it worth building an entire campaign around. If you've read this post and thought, excitedly, "Oh my god, this is SO me!" then please respond.  If you haven't thought that, then you're probably not who I'm looking for.  Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope that everyone here finds the gaming experiences they are seeking. Edit 1: I am definitely looking for actual players here, to make an actual group. This is not just meant to be a "discussion" about roleplaying in some abstract sense. Edit 2: There are a couple of different broad "kinds" of roleplayers as I see it, though some people do fit into both of these categories. There are the text-based roleplayers, or what I would call "literary RP", and the voice-based roleplayers, or what I would call "performative RP". The first is the type practiced on forums, in MMOs, in play-by-email games, and in various chat-based online games. I've had lots of fun with this type of RP and done lots of it, and met many extremely talented roleplayers in this style. It's more about writing than anything else, it's actually a lot like interactive or mutual fiction writing, and it's really cool. I've enjoyed hundreds of hours of this type of "literary RP", writing lengthy descriptive emotes, sometimes multiple paragraphs long, and then waiting for the other players to do the same, and in this way creating a shared story together. But that's not what I'm looking for here. I'm specifically seeking players for the other type of roleplaying, the "performative RP", which is like what you'd do if you were actually sitting around a physical table, face-to-face with other players. Using your voice, your spoken word descriptions, not merely writing about a character like a fiction author, but embodying a character like an actor or narrating like an oral storyteller. So for all of the text-based roleplayers, I love what you do, but it's not what I'm seeking at this time. That being said, I think that doing some writing ABOUT your character is important, so that you (and the DM) have a clear picture of who the character you're portraying is even supposed to be, and you're not just making it all up as you go along. While pure improv is also a cool thing, and I enjoy it, I'm looking for people who want to play defined characters, and are willing to do some work defining those characters in the first place. Edit 3: I've been thinking about what kind of game I'd most like to run, and I'm super interested in running something in the Cypher system. But maybe not Numenera or The Strange per se, but a more customized setting and theme. Ideas popping about in my mind include modern or near-future earth, street kids, incarcerated people, mental patients, super powers, strange experimental test subjects, secret organizations, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, currently apocalyptic (as in the apocalypse is happening right now), aliens, some tie-ins to religious mythology but not actually supernatural, underground rebels/anarchists, hunted mutants, developing powers, or some kind of school for "special" people. Some combination of some of those elements. Probably not ALL of those elements, as that would just be a big mess. But some of those things, combined into a game setting and theme. This is by no means the only kind of game I'm willing to run. It's just what's sounding really good to me right now. Edit 4:   Okay, so my original idea with this thread was to first find the kind of players I was looking for, and then come up with a game idea afterward. But now I've changed my mind, and am working on a specific game that I want to run. So when I've got that more fully-formed and am ready to advertise for that game in particular, I'll start a new thread doing so. This one can be considered closed for now. Mods, if you want to lock this or whatever, that's fine. I'd appreciate it if you don't actually delete the thread though, if possible, so I can come back to it later and find the people who responded here so I can message them when I'm ready. Not sure how you handle these things, but that's my request anyway. Thanks to everyone who responded!

Amen brother, coming from someone who used to play on a lot of WoD chats where there was often long stretches of inactivity between gm run scenes I can say I know exactly what you mean. i have recently been trying to give D&D 5ed a shot after getting pretty burnt out on WoD games and the biggest disappointment I have had is finding myself in games where I was the only one with more than a sentence for my action. Even worse in social scenes hearing someone say "I try to negotiate for XYZ information". HOW ABOUT GETTING IN CHARACTER FOR THREE SECONDS AND ACTUALLY HAVING SOME DIALOGUE? but I digress  if you were to get a game together, I would certainly be interested.

I want this kind of group, I really do. The one thing I see that seems to inhibit roleplay is the shy nature of players that won't instigate or actively try to roleplay. Once you get the ball rolling though, people do enjoy roleplay though the enthusiasm varies. That's my experience anyway. As for me, I love to play out characters but incomplete ones. I could write a long background but I find that most of it rarely if ever comes up. Maybe it's because I'm a Savage Worlds fan, as the Hindrance system just lists your character flaws and how you'd interpret them. The most fun I have with tabletop rpgs are the character development and not just in a mechanical sense. I enjoy seeing my character change when facing scenarios and forge a story of growth from beginning to end while still be in a ragtag team of misfits. That's sorta the kind of player I am. Would you be interested in plaing with someone like me?

Oh, man. This is so me it's almost embarrassing. Like David up there I come from a heavily chat-based/pbp background (and oWoD as well, no less!). I've done many, many threads that were just conversations; just characters having heart-to-hearts or arguments or whatever for dozens of pages. And it was always those sessions that had the greatest impact on me; where you sat back at the end of it not caring that it was now 3am because damn, that was some good character development. I'd love to have that again. Like you said, I'm not professing to be God's gift to literature or anything, but I live for slow, serious RPing and characters who feel like more than dots and numbers on a page. I'm strictly text-only these days, but if that's not an issue for you, consider me interested.  (I'm also looking for a serious RPer to fill a spot in one of my games currently, if you can't get a group together here, but I digress...)

I personally have been trying to find a group that can play a tabletop game like it is supposed to be played. I have came up with characters that I want to bring to life, but I can't seem to find a game to do it in. I have put a lot of research into D&D and it makes me impatient to actually play it the way it is supposed to be. Most I have seen people do now a days is type up what their character is doing, I tried it out but it isn't the same as playing the character with your words. To describe the actions, and speak what your character has in mind. It is a shame that I put the thought into a character and end up not using him to his full potential. If you ever think of starting a game, I would be more than happy to join.

Hey Firesnake, I really do get what you are saying - there is a great lack or at least, I've had difficulty finding players who truly share my ideals and are interested in crafting an immersive story and a realistic ecosystem that players can get engaged with. &nbsp;We've been running consistently for a few months now, and we are currently looking for a new player - I feel that your style of play along with the aspirations you search for in a game could be met in a game like ours. I really do feel that you would be a good fit and that you would mesh well with us: we play Tuesdays 8pm EST to 12am EST and engage in Text RP or story creation throughout the week. &nbsp; You can also add me on skype - Wrath110 if you are curious. &nbsp; <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3566430/world-of-darkness-beast-the-primordial-crossover-new-players-are-welcomed-and-encouraged" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3566430/world-of-darkness-beast-the-primordial-crossover-new-players-are-welcomed-and-encouraged</a> Regardless, I do wish you and similar players like yourself good luck in finding a group that actively engages with the desires you search for: the community needs players that share your ideals. &nbsp; All the best :) - Volke

I'd say amen to a lot of the OP. &nbsp;But, with one caveat and one semi-caveat. &nbsp; Caveat: &nbsp; The one caveat I have has to do with sharing the spotlight and compactly conveying important things to the table. &nbsp;In theory, I can write a 1000 word backstory to my character. &nbsp;And, in some cases that might help me as a player, get into the character, remember his frame of mind, etc. &nbsp;But, I will contend that this is of little use besides that. &nbsp;The rest of the table -- the other players and the GM -- will need easy to grasp shorthand for the character so they have things to play off of. &nbsp;They simply can't, or shouldn't be expected to, keep the Epic Saga of Nick's Totally Awesome Character in their head. &nbsp;I probably can't even do that, and it's my character. &nbsp;There's an improv element to role-playing, and part of that is giving yourself and everyone else involved easy handholds. &nbsp; So, I would suggest it's very useful to be able to boil things down to basically an index card. &nbsp;For example, in one game here on roll20 I'm playing Kurtze, the Bugbear Alchemist. &nbsp;It's a Pathfinder game, and sadly (and I think this is the OP's primary lament) in many games here and elsewhere it will seem as if I've told you everything important about the character already. &nbsp;For me, though, it was important that I make a note (and one that's actually public to the other players, too) that Kurtze is heroic, but has no use for trappings of law or codes of honor. &nbsp;He's driven by his own code of morality, instead. &nbsp;He's also rough, uncivilized, preferring relatively direct approaches. &nbsp;He's also surrounded by people who are younger, smaller, and more sheltered than himself, so he goes out of his way to shield them. &nbsp;This means he'll both take an arrow for you, but also that he'll put down Old Yeller, too. &nbsp;He's lived a rougher life, and will spare you from it. &nbsp; That sort of thing.&nbsp; Semi-Caveat A: &nbsp; this is basically my frustration with game design. &nbsp;A lot of us who like to get into a character like this come from games like White Wolf (although Kurtze is a Pathfinder character, the system really doesn't matter that much ...), and I just get frustrated when the system gets in the way. &nbsp;White Wolf has done this for decades, making it harder than it should be to create engaging characters. &nbsp; Semi-Caveat B: &nbsp; I also find the typical division between role-play and combat sort of mind-boggling. &nbsp;Assuming my Kurtze example doesn't seem utterly silly or stupid, it's clear that his personality will drive his combat decisions. &nbsp;The idea that it wouldn't seems bizarre to me. &nbsp;How could your character's motivations and personalities not come out in a high stakes situation like combat? &nbsp;Does Indiana Jones stop being Indy when a fight breaks out? &nbsp; Your game sounds totally cool Volke, and I hope you find the gamers you're looking for. &nbsp;I looked at it a while back, although I've been roundly unimpressed by Beast itself. &nbsp;To the point where I wrote up a short version of how I'd approach the concept in an utterly different way. &nbsp;I'd potentially be really interested in playing one of the other nWoD things, but the time demands of the game are just too much for me. &nbsp;That's not a criticism, but I just can't really commit to doing much more time than the game itself. &nbsp;I can lavish time and affection on character creation and focus on game nights, but I can't really do much interstitial gaming. &nbsp; Hopefully this thread grows a bit and people can pitch campaign ideas, etc. &nbsp;I'll try and keep an eye on it, and it's a pleasure to "meet" or whatever word is appropriate in these contexts, you all.

To be brief: I'd be very interested in a roleplay-heavy group if there's one that's actually forming in this thread. If there isn't, I think it's technically in the wrong section.

If a group is being put together and the time & System work for me I'm in&nbsp;

This presents something of what I find to be a conflicting nature. Most RPs I've been into have never been RP heavy. I've had one that was more RP heavy than others but it doesn't means it was too RP heavy. There are many points that you bring that I really miss in most games especially the part about bringing the characters background tied up into the world and have it become an integral part of the story. I also feel that many times what a character does, no matter how heroic or vilainous lacks any real impact on the world. At the same time whenever the RP heavy is brought in I do feel like it may not be for me. Why? Because I feel that that Rollplay is needed just as much as Roleplay. If you are going to mostly skip combat and quests that involve combat then why do you even need character stats or dice for that matter? At that point all you need is a character description and a background to tie into the world. Most RP heavy games are simply about how much do you as a person know and how creative you can get because skills hardly matter, it's your personal knowledge that matters and then you are not roleplaying a character anymore, you are roleplaying yourself in another world. This is because character knowledge is supposed to different from your own knowledge, but you are still going to have to RP something you don't have the capacity to or the knowledge to however the character should have that knowledge. And this is why I guess most people stay away from RP heavy games or end up leaving them after trying them. They just discover that unless they make a "copy" of themselves into the world, they have no way to properly RP it out. This and RP heavy meaning that almost all mechanical elements are gone because there simply won't be much opportunity to use. This is why when I look for a game I look for a good mix of RP and combat. Because at least I know that I will get to have some RP, even if a lot of the elements of the RP that I would have liked are going to be missing, but at least the vast majority of the game system is not gonna be missing and I can actually roleplay a character rather than roleplay myself.

If you've read this post and thought, excitedly, "Oh my god, this is SO me!" then please respond. Responding!&nbsp;

I agree with a lot of what has been said above, so I'll quickly throw in my 2 cents. I find a lot of time the DM is the key to this issue. &nbsp;It is ultimately up to the DM to set the tone of their game. When a player enters a game&nbsp;RPing and descriptively describing all their actions and the DM is not doing the same they tend slip into a more mechanical style of play. One the other hand DMs who RP and&nbsp;descriptively and actively describe scenarios, settings, etc. can be transformative to otherwise very mechanical players. It is also important to note that if a player breaks RP to table talk it is up to the DM to shut it down immediately. My table rule is that a PC can only talk out of character when describing their actions or if they have a question for the DM. I find in combat heavy systems, where an encounter can take 1+ hr to resolve this can become especially hard. Whenever possible I try to build an emotional arc into all my combats so it doesn't devolve into a pure numbers game. I think another key thing is building a rapport at the table. This does not come immediately too often. A lot of it is learning to catch the beats and the rhythm of different types of scenes and that takes time usually. When ever a PC has to bail on a session last minute, I pull out Fiasco. I find this game is essential for building RP skills. I've actually wanted to start a D&D campaign where the character creation night is a game of Fiasco establishing each character and their relationships, as well as conflicts to be resolved. I would be happy to play a truly RP heavy campaign, I've only played a bit of online tabletop and have had very mixed feelings. I feel like the potential is there for really fun gaming but I have not found my people quite yet.

Hey Nicholas, I appreciate the kind words :). &nbsp;Its not solely a Beast game but I have enjoyed some aspects of Beasts and think they add something unique to the WOD universe. &nbsp; I also agree with your caveats in regards to some of the OP's points - I agree with many of them as well. &nbsp;It sometimes takes a while and a few tries to see if the players mesh along with that story and it meets their aspirations. &nbsp;

Great ideas, I have been with groups in which we created a "Soft RP" forum so we could have PC interaction in between session. Sometimes there are threads of upto 100 entries in a day. Many things would get resolved and many character info would flow forth. Good times I also agree that to often the system for the game gets in the way of character development, when a lot of the game is based on a stat or die roll, it takes away from the development. I have seen situations in which a PC interacted with an NPC and had a great dialoge, the DM decided to make a roll for the act and because a dice stated it was to low, the whole (and pretty impressive) dialogue was dismissed. Seeing that I can see how this would make the player decide to just say "Hello I make a roll" if roll is good then magic happens, if not then nothing happens.... but this does not give a player any motivation to immerse themselves into the character. Having said all that, if this leads to a group that will start a game in which "role-playing" has a higher precedence then "roll-playing" I would be very appreciative if I could be invited.

Raven Darkstone said: Great ideas, I have been with groups in which we created a "Soft RP" forum so we could have PC interaction in between session. Sometimes there are threads of upto 100 entries in a day. Many things would get resolved and many character info would flow forth. Good times I sometimes do the same thing in games I DM.&nbsp; I set up a forum in which downtime stuff can be resolved (such as shopping, chatting with other player characters, etc)

I'll throw my hat in as well, but at first glance, this seems to be in the wrong place. The OP didn't explicitly say he was getting a game together. It reads like a longer, more discussion-driven thread. Mods?

Some great replies here, I'll get to digging into them individually a bit later on. &nbsp;But first, a couple of edits to the original post: Edit 1: &nbsp;I am definitely looking for actual players here, to make an actual group. &nbsp;This is not just meant to be a "discussion" about roleplaying in some abstract sense. Edit 2: &nbsp;There are a couple of different broad "kinds" of roleplayers as I see it, though some people do fit into both of these categories. &nbsp;There are the text-based roleplayers, or what I would call "literary RP", and the voice-based roleplayers, or what I would call "performative RP". The first is the type practiced on forums, in MMOs, in play-by-email games, and in various chat-based online games. &nbsp;I've had lots of fun with this type of RP and done lots of it, and met many extremely talented roleplayers in this style. &nbsp;It's more about writing than anything else, it's actually a lot like interactive or mutual fiction writing, and it's really cool. &nbsp;I've enjoyed hundreds of hours of this type of "literary RP", writing lengthy descriptive emotes, sometimes multiple paragraphs long, and then waiting for the other players to do the same, and in this way creating a shared story together. But that's not what I'm looking for here. I'm specifically seeking players for the other type of roleplaying, the "performative RP", which is like what you'd do if you were actually sitting around a physical table, face-to-face with other players. &nbsp;Using your voice, your spoken word descriptions, not merely writing about a character like a fiction author, but embodying a character like an actor or narrating like an oral storyteller. So for all of the text-based roleplayers, I love what you do, but it's not what I'm seeking at this time. That being said, I think that doing some writing ABOUT your character is important, so that you (and the DM) have a clear picture of who the character you're portraying is even supposed to be, and you're not just making it all up as you go along. &nbsp;While pure improv is also a cool thing, and I enjoy it, I'm looking for people who want to play defined characters, and are willing to do some work defining those characters in the first place. Edit 3: &nbsp;I've been thinking about what kind of game I'd most like to run, and I'm super interested in running something in the Cypher system. &nbsp;But maybe not Numenera or The Strange per se, but a more customized setting and theme. &nbsp;Ideas popping about in my mind include modern or near-future earth, street kids, incarcerated people, mental patients, super powers, strange experimental test subjects, secret organizations, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, currently apocalyptic (as in the apocalypse is happening right now), aliens, some tie-ins to religious mythology but not actually supernatural, underground rebels/anarchists, hunted mutants, developing powers, or some kind of school for "special" people. &nbsp;Some combination of some of those elements. &nbsp;Probably not ALL of those elements, as that would just be a big mess. &nbsp;But some of those things, combined into a game setting and theme. This is by no means the only kind of game I'm willing to run. &nbsp;It's just what's sounding really good to me right now.

It's incredibly difficult to communicate what one considers a "serious" RP focus, we all have differing standards and experiences that we equate such terms too. Which is something I often struggle with expressing appropriately when advertising a game. I am currently starting a post apocalyptic game which might very well qualify as something that would interest you, here's a&nbsp; link to the game page , I tried to describe my GM style and focus for the game as best I could. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you think this might be something for you.

Firesnakearies said: Some great replies here, I'll get to digging into them individually a bit later on. &nbsp;But first, a couple of edits to the original post: Edit 1: &nbsp;I am definitely looking for actual players here, to make an actual group. &nbsp;This is not just meant to be a "discussion" about roleplaying in some abstract sense. Edit 2: &nbsp;There are a couple of different broad "kinds" of roleplayers as I see it, though some people do fit into both of these categories. &nbsp;There are the text-based roleplayers, or what I would call "literary RP", and the voice-based roleplayers, or what I would call "performative RP". The first is the type practiced on forums, in MMOs, in play-by-email games, and in various chat-based online games. &nbsp;I've had lots of fun with this type of RP and done lots of it, and met many extremely talented roleplayers in this style. &nbsp;It's more about writing than anything else, it's actually a lot like interactive or mutual fiction writing, and it's really cool. &nbsp;I've enjoyed hundreds of hours of this type of "literary RP", writing lengthy descriptive emotes, sometimes multiple paragraphs long, and then waiting for the other players to do the same, and in this way creating a shared story together. But that's not what I'm looking for here. I'm specifically seeking players for the other type of roleplaying, the "performative RP", which is like what you'd do if you were actually sitting around a physical table, face-to-face with other players. &nbsp;Using your voice, your spoken word descriptions, not merely writing about a character like a fiction author, but embodying a character like an actor or narrating like an oral storyteller. So for all of the text-based roleplayers, I love what you do, but it's not what I'm seeking at this time. That being said, I think that doing some writing ABOUT your character is important, so that you (and the DM) have a clear picture of who the character you're portraying is even supposed to be, and you're not just making it all up as you go along. &nbsp;While pure improv is also a cool thing, and I enjoy it, I'm looking for people who want to play defined characters, and are willing to do some work defining those characters in the first place. Edit 3: &nbsp;I've been thinking about what kind of game I'd most like to run, and I'm super interested in running something in the Cypher system. &nbsp;But maybe not Numenera or The Strange per se, but a more customized setting and theme. &nbsp;Ideas popping about in my mind include modern or near-future earth, street kids, incarcerated people, mental patients, super powers, strange experimental test subjects, secret organizations, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, currently apocalyptic (as in the apocalypse is happening right now), aliens, some tie-ins to religious mythology but not actually supernatural, underground rebels/anarchists, hunted mutants, developing powers, or some kind of school for "special" people. &nbsp;Some combination of some of those elements. &nbsp;Probably not ALL of those elements, as that would just be a big mess. &nbsp;But some of those things, combined into a game setting and theme. This is by no means the only kind of game I'm willing to run. &nbsp;It's just what's sounding really good to me right now. I would love to join if the time and date work out, I have been having a seriously lack of games where roleplay is the actual focus as of late, at least the serious, story based roleplaying that I yearn for as a writer and lover of character acting.&nbsp; If you're looking for Fiction-First style games where roleplay is put forward, Cypher is an excellent system, but here are other suggestions, especially given the themes you're looking at:&nbsp; Apocalypse&nbsp;World&nbsp; The Sprawl (Which I have, and can give to you) A Cyberpunk game using the same system as AW&nbsp; If you want something more focused, but just as roleplay heavy and thematic, Blades in the Dark is a great system&nbsp; Of course Cypher is great at that too and I'm ok with pretty much anything having played all those systems.&nbsp; One you're looking to actually start a group let me know :)&nbsp;

Glad to see this post and all the positive support behind it. &nbsp;I too started out 30 years ago in the 1980s with Marvel TSR and DnD Red Box. &nbsp;As you said, a persons style is their style by my friends' styles were never mine. &nbsp;They never took my campaigns seriously. &nbsp;Never about story. &nbsp;They just wanted to hear "initiative" and cackle as they killed something. &nbsp;When you read the passage out of a module only to look up to see no a bunch of faces go huh wuh? &nbsp;Werent paying attention were you? &nbsp;Now its even worse as people are on their cell phones or ipads surfing while you try to run your game. &nbsp;All the work and hours into preparing just for people who want to be murder hobos or screw another player over for their own fun. So Kudos to this thread and those who really want to enjoy roleplaying for roleplaying and not roll play. &nbsp;I posted in the past on these forums Mathew Mercer's DM tips and Matt Coleville's the 8 personalities of roleplayers - to each their own but when I do get up and running I too will be looking for story driven and more of what would my character do vs whats the best meta game move or my solution to this situation is whack everything.&nbsp;

I don't know if my new campaign fits this or not, but do give it a look. It's text only however <a href="https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/54632/the-last-" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/54632/the-last-</a>...

Firesnakearies said: Edit 3: &nbsp;I've been thinking about what kind of game I'd most like to run, and I'm super interested in running something in the Cypher system. &nbsp;But maybe not Numenera or The Strange per se, but a more customized setting and theme. &nbsp;Ideas popping about in my mind include modern or near-future earth, street kids, incarcerated people, mental patients, super powers, strange experimental test subjects, secret organizations, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, currently apocalyptic (as in the apocalypse is happening right now), aliens, some tie-ins to religious mythology but not actually supernatural, underground rebels/anarchists, hunted mutants, developing powers, or some kind of school for "special" people. &nbsp;Some combination of some of those elements. &nbsp;Probably not ALL of those elements, as that would just be a big mess. &nbsp;But some of those things, combined into a game setting and theme. This is by no means the only kind of game I'm willing to run. &nbsp;It's just what's sounding really good to me right now. I'm also not a huge fan of text-based RP. &nbsp;Although credit to roll20, I tried it out here to check. &nbsp;These all sound like a ton of fun things. &nbsp;Like you mentioned, you wouldn't to do them all at once, that'd be incomprehensible. &nbsp;There are some that seem more interesting to me than others, but that's just me. &nbsp; Like, utterly offhand (but totally stealing from Firesnake): &nbsp;in the near future the Party has largely seized control by secretly becoming puppet masters of all the levers of power. &nbsp;The secret to their success is harnessing the power of the primordial Old Ones. &nbsp;They have ambitions to step outside the shadows and sit upon the thrones they have painstakingly crafted. &nbsp;You are their greatest creation: &nbsp;human being infused with otherworldly powers. &nbsp;But, you have escaped, and are the only thing that stands in their way. &nbsp;That is, if you can trust yourself ...&nbsp; (tl;dr: &nbsp;Cthulu meets Cyberpunk meets Akira meets Hellboy ... in a bar?) Or, hell, I'd be kind of intrigued by just an X-Men type of game. &nbsp;Doesn't need to be elaborate or anything.&nbsp; As to system, I'm not that familiar with Cypher. &nbsp;But, anything that allows for cool, creative characters that make sense within the system. &nbsp;Part of the stuff I was alluding to above was when you think you've made "dude who can jump over fences" and the system surprises you suddenly by saying "nope!" &nbsp;Likewise, I hate it when the fluff of a game says "make all these rich open-ended characters" and really it's "here are 3 options." &nbsp;I don't think a rules-heavy system conflicts with role-play inherently, just like I don't think a combat-heavy game is necessarily light on role-play (I actually tend a bit towards action games), but I can appreciate that they can sometimes get in the way.&nbsp; In short, I'm open to whatever tool seems suited to the job. I don't have the widest grasp of systems out there, but I like Savage Worlds, ORE, and M&M, but those are just the ones that I am familiar with. &nbsp; Oh, I'm in US Central Time, by the way. &nbsp;Some evenings and occasional weekends work for me. &nbsp;

Okay, so my original idea with this thread was to first find the kind of players I was looking for, and then come up with a game idea afterward. &nbsp;But now I've changed my mind, and am working on a specific game that I want to run. &nbsp;So when I've got that more fully-formed and am ready to advertise for that game in particular, I'll start a new thread doing so. &nbsp;This one can be considered closed for now. Mods, if you want to lock this or whatever, that's fine. &nbsp;I'd appreciate it if you don't actually delete the thread though, if possible, so I can come back to it later and find the people who responded here so I can message them when I'm ready. &nbsp;Not sure how you handle these things, but that's my request anyway. Thanks to everyone who responded!