What happens in your imagination?

#1

What happens in your imagination when you play ttrpgs ?

Do you…

  1. Visualize what’s happening as if you were watching tv or a movie?

  2. Focus on the language spoken at the table like a conversation or a collaborative novel?

  3. Describe things as a comic? Panel by panel, thought bubbles…

  4. Something else?

(I tried to make a poll, but couldn’t figure it out.)

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#2
  • Visualize what’s happening as if you were watching tv or a movie?
  • Focus on the language spoken at the table like a conversation or a collaborative novel?
  • Describe things as a comic? Panel by panel, thought bubbles…
  • Something else?

0 voters

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#3

Immerse myself into the action.

#5

Do you do that with some kind of movement or gesture?

#6

I picked the first option because it’s closest, because though I tend to see still images more than sequences that seems closer than the comics option as to me that implies more distancing from the events. However, there’s also a lot of the conversation option in my experience, with both going on at the same time.

And I think that last point is important. It’s not conversation OR images, it’s both at the same time, just like comics are images and text at the same time, or reading involves reading the words on the page while seeing images in your mind.

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#7

Yes. In general I use explicit body language when talking to people. So for me it’s natural in roleplaying to describe pittoresque scenes where I use body language too. Say I describe a sword fight, I emphasize certain moves by indicating via body language how I lean my body back to dodge while raising my sword for a counter attack on the lower parts of my enemy.

Or when speaking with authority of a paladin I pushing my back, sitting erect, lower my voice some tones and try to feel how a trained paladin with divine authority might speak and act.

It’s kind of poor man’s method acting :joy:

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#8

I see the people at the table but emotions somehow colour my feelings and create expectations. It’s the same kind of colour and moods I have when writing a story. All in all, the main landmarks in this mood colourscape are words.

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#9

I don’t really know – none of these options quite seem to fit; I guess it’s closest to what it feels like to read a book, but I don’t have clear visuals in my head when I read either. If you asked me to picture a character that I’ve never seen a visual representation of, I’m not sure I’d be able to. It’s similar at the table; I have feelings and half formed visuals and moods and ambiance, but I don’t really have a ‘picture’ of what’s going on necessarily – certainly not a whole one.

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