How Do You Foster Good Roleplaying?
When I was 13 years old, RPGs were all about killing things and taking their stuff. In a lot of ways, back then, D&D was a major precursor to today’s MMORPGs. Sure, we had some storylines back then, but they were usually pretty standard quests.
It was mostly “roll” playing, and less “role” playing. That was fine, for back then. Really, I didn’t mind.
But things changed. Eventually, I grew up, put off RPGs for a while. When I came back to them as a young adult, I found I’d changed. Suddenly, I was a lot more interested in the story than in the spoils.
Here’s the cool thing about RPGs: They are what you make of them. If you’re a 13 year-old boy who wants to slay dragons, go for it. If your a guy that wants to explore his feminine side by playing a female pixie sorceress, go ahead.
If you really must.
At any rate, my group today prefers roleplaying over hack-n-slash. Some days, though, hack-n-slash is all I’ve got in me as a DM. I’m sure you’ve had sessions like that, too.
So, let me put the question to you, both players and GMs: How do you foster good roleplaying?
I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, and I’ll share those in due time. I’m curious, though, what you all can come up with first.
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As an old time GM, I’ve found (a.k.a. stolen) a few tricks. I don’t always use them, but if I’m preparing for a long term campaign, you bet I do.
1. I ask players to create and submit a personal history for their character, when they create it. I also want to know what their personal goals are for that character, along with the character’s primary motivations to become a “hero.” Then I look for opportunities to include their input into the campaign, personalizing for their characters.
2. I make sure that the NPCs are interacting conversationally. In other words, I roleplay the NPCs. If the players enter a bar, for instance, I don’t say, “What are you ordering?” I say, “The barkeep glances over at you and asks, ‘What can I do for you?’”
3. I try to minimize direct player to GM interaction when character to NPC interaction is preferred. If they ask a question like, “How come (some weird thing that they just witnessed) happened?” instead of telling them, I say, “How is your character going to find out?” Some players hate it when I do that to them. >:>
My tricks:
1. It might sound stupid, and might feel awkward if you don’t everyone in the group to well, but encouraging your players to create unique voices to speak in when role playing really seems to help the less than experienced actors.
2. This is a bit blunt, but I have had success with it in the past. Hand out helpful pamphlets with tips on developing their characters persona. This also gives them something to read during downtime.
3. Hand out “bonus role playing experiance points”. At the end of the session I usually hand out bonus experiance for noteworthy actions. I also include rewards for role playing particularly well. This helps players (especially the hack and slash type) remember to stay in character.
Number three is probably the one thing that made the biggest difference in my players.
How do I do it? I make the focus more about character development than about stats - and it looks like everyone else here is doing the same thing!
Since I don’t do tabletop at all, in-depth backgrounds and bios are a must. On our pbp boards, there are no treasure hunts or quests, per se. It’s all about the characters and what they do determines the way the game goes.
Harrison McLeods last blog post..Separating Fantasy from Reality
One thing I absolutely detest is coming up with elaborate back stories or reading homework after an 80 hour week at work. The DM can vouch on that aspect of my personality. Thats not to say I don’t put any effort or thought into my characters… just the opposite. A simple background and a session or two to work out how exactly I want to play my character is all I need.
Being a former hack and slash turned roleplayer I’ve come to an understanding. Not everyone can do it. Forcing the issue just makes everyone miserable. I matured in the type of game I wanted to play. When I came across a group of like minded players (completely by accident IE before I knew what I wanted) It blew my mind.
While you can encourage role playing it really is an individual taste. A hack and slash person is not going to be happy in a role heavy game and vice versa. Be sure to watch your players closely no matter what your style. We do do this to have fun right?
Perhaps that disruptive player is just acting out because they are bored that the story isn’t moving forward or maybe they haven’t filled their kill quota for the day. Allowing for a little combat in your heavy roleplay session isn’t going to upset a whole lot of folks… maybe its something as small as a bar room brawl to satisfy that ruffian in your group. Put them in the city dungeon for the night, it will be a great conversation point for the party. Maybe have the guards say to one of the party “Gonna let this one sleep it off in the clink so he/she don’t cause any more problems, come collect ‘em in the morning.” so they don’t do anything foolish like being banished from a town for the remainder of the campaign.
Key thing to remember is the GM sets the pace no matter what. If they are not serious or willing to reel the players back from the fringes then don’t expect a serious role play session. After weeks of not seeing each other there is lots to laugh and joke about while catching up. Players need a focal point. At least us older gamers do sometimes. Throwing your hands up in the air and saying lets just sit here and eat pizza does not a good role playing session make.
*ramble ramble ramble*
Apis
grr.. still no edit button… banishment would occur when said party attempted to break out their ill tempered drunken friend. Ah memories of never being able to step into Suzail ever again.
Well… first off, I run online. I find it helps quite a bit.
Second, I make my expectations clear. My group knows by now that I prefer a certain amount of backstory, I’d really like it if they’d at least try to engage with the NPCs, pure combat monkeys will be bored out of their skulls (I’m not too fond of combat, and the more minmaxed a character is the less likely I want to try to balance encounters for him), and anyone who causes sufficient genre friction between himself and the rest of the game will be beset by behemoth penguins!
It helps.
I also run highly sympathetic and engaging NPCs, and lots of them. Now, granted, it means that I have a cast list so large that even I’m starting to need a wiki to keep them straight, but it seems to work pretty well; most of the group has at least a few friends in various places.
I find that not being the type of GM who railroads unless it’s absolutely necessary also helps. People are likelier to try to develop their personalities when they know that they can follow said personalities, and there’s no better way to quash that than to discover that trying something that seems perfectly logical and in character to you results in being shoved back in line with the plot. My first group, for instance, caused me to recreate an entire plot–for the better, I might add–when they recruited a quintet of NPCs who were supposed to serve as running antagonists; I ran with it and never looked back.
Ravyns last blog post..Letting Go
I don’t tell all players what one player spotted. I take the time to write it down, and let the player tell the party in character what he found out.
This removes a meta-level, and allows me to add small character specific tidbits to the explanations.
I add NPCs that are tailored to give a player a short RP-spotlight. I am looking for the small things they seem to mention often. If the player tells me how clean and elegant their clothes are, there might be an incident involving horses, mud and a very friendly but very simple coachman - or she might be approached by the finer shop keeps, complimenting her and trying to sell their more expansive mundane articles.
Another, simple option to get them “in the mood” is to let player play a NPC for a short period of time. If the group splits, and 2 players are going to look around, I may assign the remaining players with NPCs roles. I write down some small hint for each NPC and give that to the players.
So, they aren’t bored, they get to play something else for a short time, and it really makes the scenes you’d normally try to end fast because you don’t want to have half the group just sit around fun and interesting for all of them.
I don’t do this all the time, but from time to time it’s really worth it.
RP XP is handed out separate from encounter XP in my games - “2,400 each, plus X&Y each get 500 for good RP”. The players know form this what level of interaction inter-party and with NPC I like to see.
In my experience though, the players that are going to really get into RP do best wehn anyone is going to play off of them. I’ve seen it with NPCs they get along with, or with players at the table. One of the best campaigns ever for RP we had as a Call of Cthulhu game where two PCs spend most of the game alternately fighting/flirting in character, oblivious to the horrors around them because they were so wrapped up in each other… The GM fostered it by not quashing it, really. The best thing he could do at that point was to let the players be in character, and not try to “get the game back on track”, even though our banter kind of spoils the horror mood….
Reaperbryans last blog post..New Releases, June 9, 2008: CHRONOSCOPE
Greetings !
I’ve started dm’ing 4e (KotS) for my 14yr old son and his frend and getting him to ease into roleplaying by doing the following :
asking him to make up magical words for his spells (i accept anything for now)
asking him to describe his actions when he asks for perception or insight rolls
describe every hit and miss from the monsters on his chars (they play all 5 chars)
We are getting into Winterhaven tonight or saturday and then we will see how far roleplaying will be when he encounters all the npc’s personalities
Some of the basic stuff I do to encourage RP is:
Present interesting and engaging NPC’s that the PC’s want to talk to in character.
Call on the characters to perform their actions, not the players (”Mardac! You’re up! Show ‘em how it’s done!”).
Narrate combat in an exciting, cinematic way (but not so detailed that it bogs down).
Try to stay “in character” myself as the DM, and not initiate sidebars or OOC digressions that can lead to hour-long debates about the relative merits of ‘Firefly’ or whether ‘Highlander 2′ exists or not (it does not!).