I am interested in how others "role play".

As for me -- I always role play as myself. I try to create a character who is similar to how I am (or at least would like to be). In real life, I am not a big burly fighter, I am NOT evil, I don't go around stealing, murdering or causing wanton destruction. I am intelligent, strategic thinking, considerate, polite, a natural explorer, and want to better my surroundings. While I always play a good character, I have no qualms about protecting myself and being a survivor. I also have a strong sense of justice, and in these games am willing to take things into my own hands to set things right. When righting wrongs, I don't usually take the direct more risky route, rather planning something more "permanent".

In general, I imagine myself being placed into the game world, and in any situation try to do what my personal moral compass tells me.

Some may not call this role playing, but to me - that is how I always play in these games. In a second run through, I often start off trying to play someone different (e.g. a different class or focus), but still end up making similar decisions based on what I would do. No matter what, I just can't bring myself to be "evil".

How do others role play these games?

Storm

I always start with a self insert and make my decisions based on what I would actually do had I been in that situation, and after finishing the first playthrough I would make other characters but with one voice and 4 options in conversation for every character I feel like that will really ruin a lot of the fun I had RP'ing in past fallout games and other RPG's in general.

I think about past characters i have played and do the opposite when new title come out.

I made evil dude in Fallout 3, good one in New Vegas, some what Neutral in Skyrim. Now i go moustache stroking comic book villain type fella.

When start playing. I make a list of names i like. Pick one, make the character some what pleasing to eye. Explore a bit and after that. I mold them as much i can to fit my liking.

I try to make a character and provide a bit of a backstory to them - and then play as I think they would. For Fallout 4 I imagine this will feel much more natural than in previous games due to the VO and the reduced number of SPECIAL points, requiring you to specialize - as well as the backstory that has already been provided. Hopefully the name I have chosen for my main character is available...and I still need to think of one for the spouse.

I think my first play-through will be a good character, but that could be derailed by the story. We'll see. Whatever happens, I will want to do a good and evil play through of each gender, I think.

The Lone Redneck... If something is broke, fix it. If something works, tinker with it to make it my own and to improve functionality.

I am pretty boring, I either use my real name, or something to do with "Storm". The names in these RP games have little affect in the game. It is rarely used (although in Fallout 4, I think one of the characters is programmed to actually say your name"

Storm

I'm role playing as myself sort of.
It's hinted that your character has a military background so I gave my character a naval backstory because I'm joining the navy. I'll also name and model him after myself.
But gameplay wise he's gonna be a stealth/sniper which is unlike me at all lol

I have my own characters that I roleplay in Fallout, actually this is the first game I'll actually be able to play him in. It'll be a pretty bloody play-through to say the least, I have no qualms about RPing an evil character.

How I prefer RPing is that as-long as the in-game outcomes are what I want then I don't really care about the dialouge that been spoken and whether that's exactly what he'd say. It doesn't matter once it's been said after all and I just make up new dialouge in my head.

It kind of just falls into my head as I'm playing.

I'll be role playing as a military general. Due to the fact that we know our character had a military background, I'll be role playing him as being either a colonel or general in ranking thus giving him high charisma as well as intelligence in order to suit the position. Thus, I'll be making every decision I make from a strategic perspective.

Other than that, nothing much planned.

Glad you're joining, I'm active duty Airforce.

My first play through I won't have a set plan, it depends on how the story unfolds and how I feel about the different characters.

I'm still trying to think of what to role play in Fallout. In TES, each character of mine has been direct descendants of their Dark Elf Great Grandfather Xaiver.

Skyrim was fun for Backstory & everything.

It was optional that way, since they never really gave you a backstory in the first place.

Just some random (Wood-Elf) Gurrrl-in-the-World about to get her head lopped off!

Kind of became a necessity right then to think about it.

Who?

Why? (especially fun)

--Goals... how to go about it...

As time went on it became even more fun trying to fit ALL of the story-line/side-quests into one believable work.

-it was a blast.

Yes, i would actually lay awake at night sometimes literally trying to fit it all together like a stoopy-beyatch.

PROBLEM with Fallout:

I tried doing same in F3 in a replay, & again with Vegas.

-Didn't quite work.

There's already a fully written backstory.

Complete with (i blv) a Family, a Dog, & a stupid non-kill-able robot who sounds like Puff'NStuff gone hick.

bleaaa

Sure, one can easily (sort of) ignore the story already in place, i guess.

--but lets face it, that's very distracting to someone who wants to fully nit-pick her own Character. hehe

Best off role-playing without any alternate backstory.

I'm going to lose my [censored] after 200yrs of sleep coming into a mad mad world, the only way to survive a mad world is to embrace the madness after all.

Seriously though I can't think of a single reason a person wouldn't borderline become insane waking up to the Wasteland.

First thing out of bed: Nuka Cola Quantum.

In TES games I always playing an erratic character. Assassin, thief, swordsman - but also reluctant hero. Neither entirely good nor evil.

In Fallout games I find myself playing much more the good hero. I guess with a world so bleak there seems to be more of an imperative to make it good. In TES games there are rich, powerful people to mess with. In fallout it seems like you are taking the last nickle from a starving person.

I have a bunch of characters that migrate with me from game to game, some date back to characters I created in EverQuest some are based on characters I developed in the mid 90s for a spy comic. The latter are in turn partially based on friends from back then. I have 12 characters planned for FO4.

I call them "Archetypes", I've been playing them for so long that I can slip into their skin with ease and don't need to use notes to check back when I haven't played in a while, their personalities, however diverse have become second nature.

My primary playthrough will be an idealized version of myself though, putting myself into the game, thinking "What would I do in this situation?".

EDIT: Might as well give you guys an idea of what these archetypes are;

Fritz. Good guy, greedy,, opportunistic, slightly paranoid, likes solving things by shooting people in the face.

Mike, Gung-Ho soldier type, quick to anger, "player", Xenophobe, often goes into situations unprepared.

Angela, Goody-two-shoes, strict, lawful, meticulate, hates people who lie or backpedal.

Yashida, Ninja type, shy, quiet & soft spoken, deadly if need be, stealth character.

Alain, Intelligent, charming, psychopath, the type of person that shoots someone just to see them die.

Two words.....deadly shadow. If I am out to get someone/something in Fallout 4 then he/she/it will be dead long before knowing what it was that killed him/her/it. I have already developed a progression path.

Lots of backstories, cool

For TES I also make a back story, usually playing a Breton Mage/Archer. But for Fallout, I don't bother with a backstory, I just emerge from a vault, and try to make it in the world the best I can.

Storm

During my first play through, I tend to play an idealized version of myself. This is the only time I get to play the game knowing nothing about the world or the story, so I've got plenty enough to think about taking it all in without also trying to filter it through a different perspective. In subsequent plays I start using mods and try creating characters much different from myself to take the game in a different direction and try to make it fresh.

I've been watching the Heroes Reborn TV show, and wish I knew that fellow who could take a penny and wipe your memories ... I'd make all these games new again.

What's more important to the persona you put into it, is how you choose to react to the world around you. Like, rising up out of the Vault, do you just start walking, or just stand there for a minute or two, soaking in the fact that you are probably not going to make that speech at Veterans Hall.

I just take every situation as it arives, based on how i would act at that time. I rarely go so far as to play a intentional "type" of person, though i do like playing the smart ass sarcastic type of fool, kinda like Harry Dresden. Partly got the Dresden Files books to blame for then, dude is just so funny when he is sprouting sarcastic one-liners at the badests supernatural being trying to take his head of.

It's a good way of going about it. Don't play a type, but do play a personality, but don't be afraid to let your character change with what happens. People are fluid creatures, they change based on a number of things.

The knight in shining armor can become cold and distant, and the villain can turn soft depending on what he faces.

The racist human can even learn to appreciate ghouls or a synth when one saves his life.

To me, playing "as myself" is not roleplaying. Roleplying is assuming a role. And I am not a role, I am me.

I have only one rule when it comes to roleplaying and it governs everything. Take only those actions that are appropriate to the character.