Friendly GM Banter II

[Captainspork]

As the name suggests, this is a sequel to the "Friendly GM Banter" thread, which I started a few months back (here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10835068#post10835068) is the link if you are particularly interested). Basically, newbie DMs (see: Captainspork) ask newbie DM questions and pro DMs (see: you!) respond with an awe-inspiring answer!

Note that the questions I, or anyone else, should ask here are never rule based. That's what the DMG is for.

For some background, I've been running my current campaign (3.5e) for ~2 months now, and its been going great. I took a few ideas provided from the Friendly GM Banter thread (see above) and have really liked how things have turned out thus far. We play we a group of 4, three players and of course the DM, who alternates based on the party's location in the world (yours truly is the "main" DM).

One thing that's been difficult for me is that while 2 of the players (and myself) are all about the roleplaying, the 3rd player is all about the combat and the numbers (we get excited about small talk between PCs and bartering with shopvendors, he gets excited about maximizing his dps). This often manifests as those two rp-players running around having prolonged interactions with NPCs, while the 3rd player sits in a tavern and falls asleep out of boredom.

So I ask if any DMs out there have any suggestions as to how they promote similar PCs to interact and engage in the roleplaying side of things, while keeping a healthy balance between roleplaying and combat. Kind of a complicated question, but it's really the core of what DMing is all about...right? :smallcool:

[Kol Korran]

ok, first of all, only in very rare cases will you find a group that is entirely compatible. most times there will be different views, so you'll need to find a way to balance things.
secondly- though most players have a preference towards certain elements of play, most players (not all) also find other parts of play enjoyable, as long as they "get their fill" of what they came for.
as to the actual advice:
- when planning the adventure/ session, try to conciously include opportunities and encounters for each player. don't say "this is a peaceful town, not the dungeon, there won't be a battle there"m actively seek out opprtunities for battle (this also go for mostly combative situations- you'll actively look for roleplay opportunities). maybe there is a festival to the god of war in the town, or a a contest of martial skill offering whomever wins 3 rounds some prize? or maybe babarians raid the town? or a ravaged famine stricken monster (or a mad one) decides to come to close? (wyverns, bulletes and so on. this however can be a bit tricky if the party splits up, since then you still divide your attention and/or your time. what i suggest to aim for instead is...

- encounters that have both roleplay opportunities and battle encounters: the town is attacked by slavers, whileone playermostly battle them, the others may as well, but may be concerned by the pless of mayor/ temple leader/ children hiding/ another important NPC that acts ins some way. roleplay is not just conversations, it is also how it acts (even in combat) and MOSTLY- it is about decisions the character makes that reflect her character, or lead to it's development. as the party fights the battlefield she notices at some distance enemies breaking to a vital point, which may win the battle, but other more sneaky enemies get close to the mayor's daughter that the character loves, also, it seems the magic shop was abandoned...
(the examples arefairly lousy, i had quite a long night, forgive me for that)

- if you involve in the roelplay conversation also details that might be important to battle ("what did the survivors had to tell about these monsters?, wait, so the special metal of X can be gained where? there is a prize for the "ultimate warrior? how do i get it?" ) then the last character might bemore interested. likewise for the roelplayers- the orcs carry the tabard of the long talon clan, but there is a new design upon. the great stone oracle will reveal to anyone one question, but only if you defeat it in battle. you might get a visit to the queen's court if you solve the gnoll infestation, it has been troubling her quite a bit.

i hope this helps

[Knaight]

I'm going to ignore, for the time being, the possibility that group compatibility is so bad playing D&D together isn't a good idea. With that in mind, the best option is merging role playing and combat as much as possible. There is no reason that role playing stops when combat begins, and combat can be a venue for both plot and character development by nature. While the one guy is pounding various dangerous people, others might be involved in a conversation through combat, involving intelligent enemies of some sort. Ideally, this combat is with people who are already known about and in opposition, connecting it to the setting at large, which gives the best opportunity for role playing. That said, the occasional outside threat can do the same thing.