What is your favorite character class to play?

[Invictus]

When I started playing computer RPGs as a kid with Hero’s Quest you had the chance to play as the 3 base RPG archetypes of warrior, thief and mage but I usually played a mix of all for example a magic welding thief or a sneaky fighter. Games like the Summoning had you play a Jack of all Trades character who had to have figher skills but also magic so that was pretty much decided from the start.
Series like the Goldbox games, Might and Magic or Wizardry had you make a party of adventurers, and while you could mix and match weird party compositions those games were balanced around having fighters and rangers and mages etc

I think the first series that allowed me to pick my main character’s class were Ultima and The Elder Scrolls
Daggerfall was the first game to truly offer a pen and paper experience of picking skills, traits and truly allow to customize your character to your liking
For example I wanted to do a Conan style fighter thief so I had no magic, did extra damage to daedra and couldn’t use heavy armor but had huge bonuses to attack...he was a pretty fun build until the bugs in Daggerfall screwed up my save games

It was until Baldur’s Gate that decided to go truly for something different, I usually went for the fighter or rogue types but while rolling my character I got these really high rolls and decided to roleplay a mage
As anybody who has played those games will tell you mages are really powerful in D&D and I ended up enjoying the experience so much that I have stuck with mage classes for most of my party based games and a big number of single character games too
I figured that tanky fighter types is something the computer AI can do pretty easily but for more situational casting I preferred to do things myself and by having the mage be my main character I could build him exactly as I needed
In games like Dragons Dogma having a mage PC and a fighter tank Pawn was so much fun or a “Easy Mode” Royal in Demons Souls is just so rewarding that magic casters are my favorite class to play nowadays

 

[octavius]

Some gamers play the excact same character in every game.
I like to try different classes, but I'm partial to sneaksy characters, and I tend to find monks/unarmed boring.

In party based games I try to include as many races and classes in my party as possible. Sometimes it's just not realistic, though, like in most of the FR Gold Box games.

 

[Trashos]

I usually go for a build that needs a lot of micromanagement to unlock full potential. Micromanagement may be either tactical or strategic (long-term) in nature. That's why fighter->mages and fighter->rogue types are my favorites in BG2, guns are my favorites in FONV (much more to think about than with energy weapons) etc-etc. I do not like builds that play on auto-pilot.

 

[Siveon]

I can never find fun in skulduggery. But I absolutely love playing magic or warrior types. If the game is an Action RPG, I exclusively play Warriors since I hate hanging back and/or sneaking.

EDIT: When guns are in the equation, I however go for the most Dakka.

 

[Bester]

Some gamers play the excact same character in every game.

I always play mages. Gives the best escapism mileage from this shitty reality.

 

[PorkBarrellGuy]

Affable scoundrels preferred, usually some combination of finesse warrior and rogue though at times I might go mage/rogue combination. Not necessarily outright chaotic but never completely lawful.

 

[Lazing Dirk]

Crushmaster.

 

[Quillon]

Not a faggot mage.

 

[Jokzore]

Paladin... BURN THE HEATHEN CRUSH THE UNBELIEVER!

Spoiler

When the injustice is great enough, justice will lend me the strength needed to correct it. None may stand against it. It will shatter every barrier, sunder any shield, tear through any enchantment, and lend its servant the power to pass sentence. Know this: There is nothing on all the Planes that can stay the hand of justice when it is brought against them. It may unmake armies. It may sunder the thrones of gods. Know that for all who betray justice, I am their fate. And fate carries an executioner's axe.

 

[Felix]

Crusader shouting deus vult.

 

[Great Deceiver]

Paladins and Barbarians. Never liked mages much.

 

[janior]

 

[DemonKing]

Mages because I like the pretty lights...

 

[Sranchammer]

Strong female barbarian

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I like playing the rogue-types, since I like to have the option to find solutions without having to fight every encounter. So in Shadowrun I like to play Deckers. Unfortunately, not many CRPGs really give you opportunities to be a sneaky bastard. Games like Age of Decadence and the Quest for Glory series definitely did make being a rogue a lot of fun, and I love those games for that. Games like the new Shadowrun series teased some cool options, but never really made a decker for a main character an attractive options.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

Rogue is the most enjoyable since they have a wide range of ways you can tackle them. You can play it straight as your typical kleptomaniac, go into the smooth talking conman route, be a nasty pirate or womanizing swashbuckler or some mysterious assassin that has a poison for every situation to an infiltrating saboteur. Detecting and disarming traps, opening things that people don't want opened, being fragile in combat but dexterous and dangerous if someone turns their back to you. They aren't protected by divine powers nor are they really huge berserkers, they use their cleverness and dirty fighting to gain the upperhand.

I'd like Paladin/Crusader too, but I want more games to portray them less in a "shining beacon of everything right and just" and explore their zealotry and darker tones. Less knight-in-shining-armor, more Knights Templar.

Priest to another extent, especially if they can follow more controversial faiths or just straight up be cult leaders and crazy shit like that.

Also, Bards are gay.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I generaly like Paladin type classes unless they have to stick rigidly to an alignment (Like in BG Lawful good). I like the idea of a character having a hgigher calling than the main quest of the game, like this is just a small segment of the epic journey of their life in the service of the Gods

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

I like to "RP" Paladins, but I tend to play skill-heavy class such as Thief or jack-of-all-trades (like Sentinel in SWOTOR) in order to maximise content and not fail at combat either.

 

[Brocken Jr.]

Stealth archer who is also the head of the Mages' Guild, Fighters' Guild and Arena Grand Champion. Be anything, do anything

 

[Comte]

Murderhobo

 

[Neanderthal]

Rapist.
Specialised in hand to hand combat and grappling, skilled with chemicals such as rohypnol, bonuses to stealth and penetration.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Rapist.
Specialised in hand to hand combat and grappling, skilled with chemicals such as rohypnol, bonuses to stealth and penetration.

favored class of the sandpeople race

 

[mondblut]

A party of 8 multiclasses doesn't have any particular preferences

That said, as few squishy dorks who cannot stand up for themselves as possible. My parties don't have openings for welfare collectors that do something useful maybe once in a hour of playing time, then require a week of R&R to be competitive again. Everyone has to be a dual-zweihander wielding, full plate clad melee machine first, then they can start learning fireballs. If someone in the party routinely has to skip turns, you are doing it wrong.

 

[Hyperion]

Plate-clad defensive Juggernaut with a minor study in the blade. Back-row is always all female - have to make sure no harm ever comes to m'lady before all other party balance issues are considered.

 

[Bladeract]

Gnome Illusionist