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waterpenguin43
2009-10-19, 05:45 PM
Um... Is it just me, or am I the only person who has a lot of people in their parties do horribly evil things, don't have a personality, and most definately do NOT act in accordance to their stats?
Can anybody help me? Roleplaying XP doesn't seem to help and I don't want to railroad them, so what can I do?

HMS Invincible
2009-10-19, 05:47 PM
The last ditch response is find a new group that does roleplay. If your group is mildly interested in roleplaying, add in a person that they can model after. Bring in someone who roleplays and then interact with him.

waterpenguin43
2009-10-19, 05:49 PM
The last ditch response is find a new group that does roleplay. If your group is mildly interested in roleplaying, add in a person that they can model after. Bring in someone who roleplays and then interact with him.

Okay, but not many people know play dnd, though one other person in the party is true to his Alignment. Also, we have a different DM now, and he doesn't care very much for roleplaying.

Zovc
2009-10-19, 05:50 PM
Have you asked the players if they want to roleplay? Maybe the answer is no?

If so... well, you might not be able to get them to roleplay. XD

jokey665
2009-10-19, 05:51 PM
My group is pretty similar right now. There are two players that do like to roleplay but the rest of them mostly want to move from combat to combat. The last time they had an extended break in a city they started a riot and set the city on fire.

karnokoto
2009-10-19, 06:05 PM
Up the consequences. Make sure they know about them, of course, but if the PCs know that if they do the silly things they seem to always do, there could be repercussions, maybe even going so far as character death.
I'm not saying that if a barfight comes up, "rocks fall and you die" kinda thing.
Moving from combat to combat is one thing, but doing stupid things like setting cities on fire is another.
Like say one of them wants a new set of armour. They catch wind of an armoursmith with legendary skill...who resided in the town they just burnt to the ground.
If they're being that destructive, have the thieves' guild get on them. Maybe they inadvertently killed someone important to the thieves guild. Maybe they destroyed the actual guild hall.

waterpenguin43
2009-10-19, 06:06 PM
Up the consequences. Make sure they know about them, of course, but if the PCs know that if they do the silly things they seem to always do, there could be repercussions, maybe even going so far as character death.
I'm not saying that if a barfight comes up, "rocks fall and you die" kinda thing.
Moving from combat to combat is one thing, but doing stupid things like setting cities on fire is another.
Like say one of them wants a new set of armour. They catch wind of an armoursmith with legendary skill...who resided in the town they just burnt to the ground.
If they're being that destructive, have the thieves' guild get on them. Maybe they inadvertently killed someone important to the thieves guild. Maybe they destroyed the actual guild hall.

It's not that, it's just that none of them really live up to their alignment (I used to have someone who said he'd make "move loudly" checks in the dungeon so the person scouting would get caught, and he called himself Chaotic Good)

shadow_archmagi
2009-10-19, 06:14 PM
It's not that, it's just that none of them really live up to their alignment (I used to have someone who said he'd make "move loudly" checks in the dungeon so the person scouting would get caught, and he called himself Chaotic Good)

Sounds like these good people have a fundamentally different expectation for the game than you do, and ultimately any attempt to get them to change will prove unsatisfying for everyone.

Ultimately I feel that attempting to get them to roleplay is like interrupting a boxing match to try to get the boxers to play chess instead.

It won't end well, even if you do convince them to try it your way (unlikely)

quicker_comment
2009-10-19, 06:19 PM
Ultimately I feel that attempting to get them to roleplay is like interrupting a boxing match to try to get the boxers to play chess instead.

It won't end well, even if you do convince them to try it your way (unlikely)
On the other hand, you just might end up with something sort of awesome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Wcbd0dJpQ).

Vorpal word
2009-10-19, 06:31 PM
On the other hand, you just might end up with something sort of awesome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Wcbd0dJpQ).

WIN

As for the roleplaying problem, my group is kinda split. Two people roleplayed very well (though one of them quit the game), two more were sorta average (they roleplay well, but don't have the right character sometimes; ie. fancy speeches with a fighter), and the rest don't care much. Try subtly swaying them towards roleplaying; for example, try to put in brief descriptions of things as much as possible, but don't do anything that might bore them. Roleplay the NPCs well enough, and they might improve.

If, on the other hand, your party's problem is antagonizing each other for fun, I can't help you; my own players delight in having their characters conflict.

The Dark Fiddler
2009-10-19, 06:34 PM
I'm in the same boat.

I'd love to be in a group with more roleplaying, but my friends don't care for it... so I just let it go. Maybe I can find a group who cares about roleplaying in the future, but for the time being, I simply tell my players that when they interact with the characters in the world, insulting them is a bad idea.

jiriku
2009-10-19, 07:00 PM
Okay, but not many people know play dnd, though one person in the party is true to his Alignment. Also, we have a different DM now, and he doesn't care very much for roleplaying.

Ultimately it's the DM's job to set the tone for the game and to keep it within the rails. Talk to your DM about the kind of stuff you'd like to do - even if the others aren't interested in your kind of play, the DM can make room for a few scenes that give you a chance to roleplay and enjoy yourself.

Delwugor
2009-10-20, 09:09 AM
In one of the groups I'm in the players vary wildly in their role-playing styles and abilities. From the "wake me when it's time to kill" to me "not only what he does but what his goals are and how he approaches situations". For me the trick is not to worry about other players and just concentrate on playing as I enjoy.

Are there opportunities to role-play? If not talk to the GM but also be active on finding or making the opportunities. Can be difficult but solvable.
Are you being stopped from role-playing? This is where it could be bad and you'd either have to go along or look for another group.

sambo.
2009-10-20, 09:14 AM
quit the DnD for a bit and GM Paranoia for them for a little while.

they'll soon learn the value of roleplaying when they see that the guy role-playing really well tends to succeed even when he should fail and the dudes who don't roleplay tend to fail even when they should succeed.

when I DM a game, i reward those who roleplay their characters well.

Be Entertaining and LIVE! Be Dull and DIE!

kamikasei
2009-10-20, 09:18 AM
Sounds like these good people have a fundamentally different expectation for the game than you do, and ultimately any attempt to get them to change will prove unsatisfying for everyone.

Exactly. You need to figure out what they actually want out of the game. There is a radical and unprecedented method for doing so, which is to ask them.

There's no point trying to make them play a game they don't enjoy. However, bear in mind that the DM is also a player and his enjoyment is also a factor in the game. In other words, if the game they want to play in is one you can't find any enjoyment in running, then you have a difference that means you shouldn't be playing together. At a lesser extreme, if they enjoy certain types of behaviour in the game that create trouble for you (e.g. randomly stabbing the king in the throat while he's giving them their reward) they may be willing to moderate that behaviour to give you an easier time.

Really you have to answer one basic question: is it that they want a different sort of game, and the lack of roleplaying you perceive is their attempt to achieve it? Or is it that they might like to roleplay more but aren't feeling able to, and are bored and screwing around as a result? It may be that all of you (you in the challenges and hooks you provide, they in their behaviour towards you, the game world, and one another) need to make a conscious effort to improve immersion and enjoyment at the table - and that, if this is discussed openly, they'll prove willing to try and do so.

valadil
2009-10-20, 09:32 AM
It's not that, it's just that none of them really live up to their alignment (I used to have someone who said he'd make "move loudly" checks in the dungeon so the person scouting would get caught, and he called himself Chaotic Good)

Sounds like you have players who like to watch their characters from a birds eye view rather than try to see the world from their perspective. One of the players in my group does that and it's incredibly frustrating. He'd repeatedly sets his guy up for failure because it's funnier to watch that than to be useful.

Are the other players new to D&D? It sounds like they're just having fun learning the system and acting out a character has been pushed aside. Most players have to go through some time doing that before they start making interesting characters. Some players are completely satsified with that and making them roleplay won't help anything. You can't force them. Given that the GM doesn't encourage roleplaying I think you'll probably have better luck with another group.

Skorj
2009-10-20, 02:47 PM
Roleplaying in a group can be unexpected. The group I last played with in person: had you asked any of the players, they would had firmly denied that "roleplaying" belonged in the game. Yet I can remember nights when all we did was argue passionately about what we should do in some situation, with everyone taking different in-character perspectives on right and wrong, and on the importance of long-term consequences. They were each very much roleplaying an alignment, to the point that alignment conflict was dominating play, and yet they would sneer at the idea of writing an alignment on a character sheet.

To some people "roleplaying" means "acting goofy", and they'll loudly condemn it, while roleplaying. It helps to keep this in mind when you talk to a group about this.

But when characters start setting cities on fire, that's just the DM being boring.

waterpenguin43
2009-10-20, 05:45 PM
Well, it's not too major (especially considering the "move loudly checks" person is gone now) and some are fairly new, so I'll wait and see if they get more roleplaying oriented and then see.

Myrmex
2009-10-20, 05:53 PM
Okay, but not many people know play dnd, though one person in the party is true to his Alignment. Also, we have a different DM now, and he doesn't care very much for roleplaying.

How can you not be true to your alignment? Just because there's something written at the top of the sheet doesn't mean that that is their alignment. Their actions, behaviors, and beliefs determine their alignment.

waterpenguin43
2009-10-20, 05:57 PM
How can you not be true to your alignment? Just because there's something written at the top of the sheet doesn't mean that that is their alignment. Their actions, behaviors, and beliefs determine their alignment.

Well, True to the alignment they wrote down, I mean.

Ostien
2009-10-20, 06:31 PM
Sadly, like others have said, if your group does not like to roleplay no amount of pushing is going to turn them into roleplayers. People just have different expectations for the game. I count myself lucky as my group is a highly roleplay oriented group.

Foryn Gilnith
2009-10-20, 07:03 PM
I advise you try Paranoia for a night, if you can get the rules. It might not solve your "problem", it shouldn't be thought of as a punishment for them; but it may be an interesting experience. Just quietly push, lead by example, and wait for them to "mature".

I personally got all my munchkinry out of the way in video games, and came to D&D for the RP XP.