So hopefully this question doesn't kindle any flames, but

>>52368973

I literally have no idea what you're talking about. I'm more of a wargamer than a TTRPG guy, but most of the wargames I play at my LGS are based on real life wars; and about the only "over the top" thing I think I've ever played in my life is that solitaire Hornet Leader Cthulhu conflict joke thing.

It's probably just an artifact of the local gaming scene.

>>52369007
The only ones who play historical wargames at my LGS is me and my friend, and we often get strange looks by the 40K and Warmahordes people there.

Sometimes we even get asked what the appeal is, and we try to get them into it, explaining the different countries (We mainly play a WW2 game), how they play differently, unique mechanics and units, etc. but the response we often get is something along the lines of: "Why would I play that when I can play a game with GIANT MONSTERS in it instead?"

>>52368973
Lots of people don't share your taste. It's pretty much as simple as that. I hate pop music, but most people love it. I dislike DOTA, but loads of people love it. It's just a genre you don't like, and that's fine. A lot of people are also not very good at nuance. It's just kinda how it is. There's not specific root cause. It's just how the majority play the game. Play games and groups that don't work with that kind of play.

>>52368973
Most rpgs have really awful mechanics for roleplaying. I mean look at your character sheet, 90% of it is about killing shit, and like 4 things are about role playing.

If you want milder fantasy then find a DM who runs lower powered campaigns, or try playing a diffrent game than DnD, some games are more built for role playing than others.

>>52368973

I get that everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to zany-ness in games.

But I can't stand the people who RP their characters as doing ridiculously over-the-top stuff.

Using your example, a character who routinely violates the basic social contract of intelligent civilization by punching people they meet in the face.

That's just not a workable personality quirk. In any serious setting, that's got to hurt and scare weak people and piss off strong people, leading to a very short life filled with anger and misery.

Ultimately its your DM's fault in not being willing to hand out appropriate consequences to actions, and the player's fault for making something so unrealistically retarded it can't mingle with a normal setting.

I also can't stand the faggot edgelord players who make characters that have absolutely no motivation to be in the party or work with other people.

People play make believe for a lot of the campy stuff and are willing to sacrifice any modicum of realism to fulfill it.

There are several realistic/historic war games out there but in order to capture that feel tend to be more simulationist and have complex rules.

A lot of gamers bitch about too many rules and/or realism being disruptive when one can just say "it's fucking magic, I ain't gotta explain shit".

Not really a bad thing either way but look at the drama in 40kg regarding rules being streamlined or oversimplified. Two major opposing camps exist where one group wants super simplistic rules to make games quicker and less convoluted and the other doesn't want to lose depth to appeal to casuals.

See also: TES game progression through the years.

>>52368973
You're asking why people want to play pretend with fantastic, cinematic, over the top scenarios.

>>52368973
What do you consider over the top? What do you consider down to earth and nuanced? If you're making the setting equivalent of a random town guard, in a game called Dungeons and Dragons, for example, you're the one who is going against the grain, not the other players, no matter how well-developed your town guard might be, or how deeply troubled he is by the events of his mundane life.

A lot of fantasy games are about being the heroes. The big characters of the world. Expecting them to be anything but larger-than-life is missing the point, because that is what the entire thing is designed around. Doesn't mean that they can't also be nuanced, but it does mean, by necessity, that they stick out from the mundane crowd.

You may also come off as intensely pretentious if you make the aforementioned town guard character and then get annoyed at other people for not being as complex and subtle and deep. Not saying you do, but from the style of your post, I'd put a dollar on it.

>>52368973
Tabletop gaming has the lack of mechanical restrictions imposed by video games allowing for actual total freedom of action and planning, minimal consequences for defeat in most circumstances, and most gaming groups compose of a circle of friends who are all in the middle of a group entertainment session. All of those factors combine together to create an atmosphere conductive to zany shenanigans.

>>52368973

I've played in a lot of games under a lot of systems, and what I can tell you is that every one of them has been different.

I don't know why you're on a streak of campiness, but I can only imagine something about the local people and how they want to play.

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>>52368973
I fucking agree.

There's always a guy roleplaying a Russia trip heavy character

Everything he owns has to resemble the iconic commie look and everything he does is an exhausted stereotype and he treats it like its the highest form of comedy. And yet nobody gives them a hard time for this shit, even if we are trying to blend in; they stand right the fuck out with a horrible accent and that hat that has no cultural relevance to the area.

I'm so fucking sick of these people that worship "Slavs" and "communism" and what's worse is when they blend the two together, because it's the absolute most wrong thing. When they think eastern Europe not only liked, but still practices communism; that's when i lose my fucking mind.

>>52372496
>When they think eastern Europe not only liked, but still practices communism; that's when i lose my fucking mind.
Communistic party takes the second place in almost any vote in Russia. No chance of being on the first place, but still many people here idealize USSR.
If you do not live in former soviet states, you may be biased because you only meet those who decided to stop being commies and left. Here you can routinely meet people who will tell you Stalin did nothing wrong.

>>52370980
I understand that it's about the heroes, but there's a difference between making a 1-dimensional killing machine, and 3-dimensional character.

For fuck's sake, one group I was in had the GM literally put up a "Quest Board" like this was World of Warcraft.

>>52370358
I was the DM in that example, and the player's character ended up dying after accidentally pissing of the wrong people. I left about four-five clues that it would be a wrong idea to mess with these guys, and the entire group told him not to do it, but he did, his character died, and he got upset and told us he didn't want to play next time.

>>52368973
Because realistic is boring.

Granted, that's a vast oversimplification, but it's true for many. Creating a nuanced and well-crafted story is just one of many reasons to play RPGs and it is not one shared by most people. Games can also, for instance, be a way to take a break from all the complexities and nuances of real life and just bash in the skulls of some obviously evil orcs instead. Down-to-earth, realistic roleplaying would be unwelcome for people seeking that kind of fun.

>>52376420

Ah I see. Well I'm glad he died, and you should be glad he left. People like that are the bane to serious RP.

>>52369926
>I mean look at your character sheet, 90% of it is about killing shit, and like 4 things are about role playing.
That's because combat is something you usually need more rigid rules for in the first place. If you've ever played "make believe" you'd know that one kid who'd always say, "Nuh uh, you missed me!" over and over again. Combat rules are meant to prevent that from constantly happening.

Meanwhile, it's assumed your players are more than capable of playing your character's role (which we could call something like maybe "role playing") to handle any kind of in-character social encounter. Why do you need several hundred pages on how to make Persuasion checks if you're supposed to be resolving most problems without them?