I understand the attraction of being anything you want to be when roleplaying, but can the act become hard to keep up the whole time?
My character (Yin) is pretty much just me, so I find him increadibly easy to play as. Do you take that path or do you find a middle ground and root your character in your own personality, without limiting ability or skills?

Discuss.

Something I often do is take my life up to a specific point and then take a "What if?" route. Makes for some interesting playing.

You do have to be careful of Mary-Sue'ing.

Me I make them have my personality which is so much easier than having them like me which would be incredibly boring.

Mary-Sue'ing?

My character is a Teleporting, Ax wielding fire breather. So, yea, I guess he's me to the T.

HBrutusH:
Mary-Sue'ing?

Trust the Wiki

Mary-Sue: Generic or cliche'd character showing either traits common to all characters off that type or demonstrating perfection in every possible way.
Boring predictabe types that are usually written in so that they can't possibly lose a situation, or described as like X but...

#Gaahhh, evil beat me to it. Never try to beat a swarm in a suit.

Generally when I'm trying to learn a game for the first time, I tend to just plonk myself in. I can't exactly Gary Stu myself when the character's thoughts, words and actions are mine - and I'm therefore exactly as flawed as he is.

I like to think I'm pretty good at acting in character, although I tend to make the character fight a little dirtier than they normally would given their initial concept. I have played myself before though and the experience was somewhat ruined because of who was running it, and who was in the game with me at the time.

My character, Higurashi, is pretty much me, yeah. His personality and back story are based on mine, and it's only in later times he's started to manipulate earth. Before that, he was strictly a martial artist, just like me, only he's owned by the devil. He is a demon, but with his original appearance, he even looks a bit like me.
For certain, it is easier to engage in a character one identifies oneself with, and also it's easier to be creative.

Not really. The constant so far has been all my characters are generally nice, although I tried to bend that a bit with Alexis. Laura and I had a bit in common: we both like pears, music, and archery.

My character is never based off of me. Hell, my current characters don't even have to same gender. I mostly do that because I find it more fun to make up a character and roleplay as the character, rather than myself.

Wouldn't this be better as a pole

My character (figment) is partly based off of me and partly based off of any idiotic hero you can think of. i intended her to be funny but i don't know if it's working but i can say she's powerful.

As I'm the one controlling it, it will share my morality, temper and ethics. Or at least it did until I abandoned it.

I've played a few characters in DnD where they are kiinda like me.. Just a lot more exaggerated. I think this comes down to my lack of acting range =P

I am Darth Mobius, although some of the things I say surprise me... Then I realize that, Yes, If I was in that situation, I would indeed have said that or acted that way.. So yes, my character, Darth Mobius, is truly ME!

Have you ever built a character (psychologically speaking) who was such a true and total badass that even when you duplicate his build to the letter you can't beat him because he is just that mean?

I ask because I made this archer once, he was a fairly nice guy all things considered, until he got in a fight then he was just evil, suffice to say one day a game came along and I duplicated this characters build since it was good, so I was bored one day and we were flexing our proverbial muscles over whose character was the baddest and I ended up testing my new character against the old one, and he whipped the new guys ass so bad it wasn't funny. On paper they were the exact same but in the game they were on two completely different levels. I would think of things while role-playing him that I wouldn't or couldn't think of when role-playing any other character, it's kind of like he had a life of his own, creepy really.

My charactors are never me. Where would be the fun in that? I already get to be me 24 hours a day every day (except wednesdays ...)

It might be easier to play a charactor whose just you with shinier muscles (I wouldn't know, I've never done it) but it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. I like to be surprised by what my charactors do (that is, what I have them do, if I don't want to sound like a schizophrenic maniac) and I could never get that if I was just playing me.

When roleplaying my character acts like me. Sure, they can do things that I can't but they do what I would do with those abilities.

Yeah I base my character, Shiva's personality on me

I use me, but exaggerate in some places...Where would be the fun in me being me when everyone else is a gun/sword-wielding pyscopath?

I have a great variation in my chars, but I tend to write them with my personality, except for Jacob in the Cyberpunk RP, and then Jack in the Fallout RP

No.

While I do put a little of myself in every charachter I create, their seperate circumstances make it very hard for them to be me. I don't think it would be as much fun, in any case.

Apologies Abound.

My characters are usually built to explore a what-if I have been thinking about. Of course, I have my Mary-Sues but they are not allowed out in public.

Never really, I just get these idea's of characters in my head and try to play them out as I imagine they would go through.

My character (Drang) is pretty much the worst, cruelest and most unpleasant traits I possess, shrouded with a hellof a lot of trauma, psychosis and barbarity.

But otherwise... nah. Too easytosimply descibe yourself, with super-abilities.

I wouldn't know. I think about this sometimes and though I'm fairly sure the answer is no, I can't be sure because I'm still unsure who the hell I am. Oh God, I've stepped into a weird state of personal confession I promised I'd never indulge in over the internet. Someone kill me now.

Larenxis:
Laura and I had a bit in common: we both like pears, music, and archery.

You goddamn xerox machine.

No, my characters are never like me. I try to make them different from each other, too. Most of that is because I've never really been able to describe myself to my own satisfaction.

Sometimes, it Depends on What Game I'm Playing haha

ive never done RP before but, i would end up getting into character and probably kinda weird people out. i like to wright stories. so, im used to getting into character.