Role Playing DW:U

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

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Werewolf13
Posts: 515
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 8:11 pm

Role Playing DW:U

Post by Werewolf13 »

I am curious about whether or not some in the DW community role play the game. And - if so how?

For example: your temperament is such that you aren't a big fan of war. You like achieving an economic or diplomatic win. Trade especially is your thing but just on a lark you go with a random setup and draw a race that is somewhat stupid, extremely aggressive and reckless. Race A.

You're well into the game and run into race B. Your tech and military are better than his but just barely. He's got more colonies and a larger population. Your race has a natural antipathy towards race B. Based on your racial characteristics and if it was controlled by the AI it'd be frothing at the mouth to kick race B's behind clear to the other side of the galaxy.

You might not be able to defeat race B. But your racial characteristics of very aggressive, reckless and not too bright almost demand that you jump into the deep end and go to war with race B if for no other reason than to rid the galaxy of the scum and clean up the gene pool a bit.

Do you role play the race you drew and go to war or go with your natural bent, ignore the racial characteristics of the race you are playing and take the diplomatic/economic path until the game eventually leaves you with no choice?

What do you do? And why?

Inquiring minds want to know...
Freedom is not free! Nor should it be. For men being men will neither fight for nor value that which is free.

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Cauldyth
Posts: 932
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:24 am

RE: Role Playing DW:U

Post by Cauldyth »

Well, I never let it randomly assign me a race, I always choose one that matches how I feel like playing at the time. However, I do often pick a combination that's suboptimal/non-standard because I want to RP them in a certain way. For example, lately I've been choosing money-making races but going with Monarchy for government instead of Mercantile Guild.

Instead of furry little rodents running around trying to make a buck, they're worshipping their god-king. [;)]
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feelotraveller
Posts: 1040
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:08 am

RE: Role Playing DW:U

Post by feelotraveller »

It varies quite a bit for me. But one thing I never do nowadays is roll a random race.

The most usual game is me playing the way my natural temperament is inclined and I select a race more or less aligned with that style. I don't necessarily follow the game lore strictly for the race (I might go beams and torps for Kiadians rather than rail guns and torps) but I do let it influence me. So shields might not be the highest priority but they get higher priority as Kiadian. And if I have a choice of special governments I'll most likely go for the races natural inclination, if they have one.

Other times I'll be perverse and decide that the Teekans must show the galaxy their true martial genius and vigour, crushing all before their mighty, um, er, well you get the picture. I've yet to trade my way to victory with the Mortalens but it is coming...

But the game can take over. In one of my most memorable Kiadian games I really intended to be good but started right next to a powerful Boskaran empire. So I did my best to ingratiate myself with them early, sent them my first (and for a long time only) ambassador kept them from declaring war and even negotiated a free trade agreement. Yeah I was planning to backstab them later but then I found the Way of Darkness three times and with 2/3 of the galaxy explored still no Way of the Ancients. I gave in, went evil, and with my Boskaran lieutenants brought the rest of the bugs and most of the reptiles into an uneasy alliance dedicated to general mayhem!

But I also generally like to create a backstory for my game, even if it is only in my own head. For example in another memorable game with the Haakonish I decided that contrary to my usual play I would automate everything except for research and ship design (oh, and as I found necessary, the retrofitting of the main spaceport so that I had the labs I wanted and enough yards for my designs to see the light of day...). My backstory was that I was a mad scientist hell bent on control and immortality and that I had downloaded myself into a computer network in order to gain eternal power. But something had gone wrong... probably my evil half-brother with help from some off-world scum... He's sick you know... The result was that I had ended up not being able to control the empire proper but only to control research projects and ship designs.

Kilravock
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:38 pm

RE: Role Playing DW:U

Post by Kilravock »

I don't really role play in games. Instead my choices are based on how I want to play. For Distant Worlds the race I play depends on the play style and strategy that I want to follow. So say that I want to be an aggressive raider with no plans for an end game. I would choose one of the insect races as a pirate. If wanted a peaceful building game I would choose something like the Securan, Teekan or Zenox as an empire. If I wanted to play a more aggressive empire that matches my main play style, I would load up my custom human race.

The closest I get to role playing in a strategy game is in CKII. I find that game is more enjoyable if I make decisions based on the character's traits, instead of doing what I think is best.
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Icemania
Posts: 1847
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 9:14 am
Location: Australia

RE: Role Playing DW:U

Post by Icemania »

ORIGINAL: Werewolf1326
What do you do? And why?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Both, for variety. But at the moment I find Role Play can be a lot of fun!

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Blackstork
Posts: 802
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 3:45 am

RE: Role Playing DW:U

Post by Blackstork »

I am working on massive mod which will extend massively role-playing ability (check my signature - Beyond mod)
If you are dedicated RPes and have some oppinions on what eac hcharacter would be i would happily see some conversation going here about this - because its important to research race specific personalities.
Alien Immersion (WIP) : tm.asp?m=3651979
Beyond Extended Universe (WIP): tm.asp?m=3657646
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