Role play help

[sambouchah]

Okay so my group is bad about not role playing. It gets boring not having RP interactions often. Any suggestions on how to get the group to participate more?

Thanks, Sam

[BowStreetRunner]

While I know some DMs offer XP awards for role-play, I have never found this to be particularly effective. Something about the bonus XP just never seems to get people into their roles more.

I think a better approach might be an award that is much more immediately useful and relevant to the situation at hand. The DM could offer a +1 role-play bonus to any d20 roll the player makes.


For an attack roll, the player could describe a detailed series of slashes designed to force his opponent's blade out of position, followed by a quick thrust under his guard.
For a reflex save the player could describe rising up on his toes while suddenly arching his body to let the poison dart shoot underneath.
For a trapfinding roll, the player could describe sliding a slender probe forward while studiously watching the image in the mirror on its tip, taking a small container of fine powder and blowing the dust over the area to watch how it falls, knowing that the powder will react with the mercury and phosphorous residue left behind by symbol spells.


Simple statements like "I check for traps" would not receive a bonus, but any realistic effort would be rewarded. Note that the role-playing does not have to directly describe the actions being performed. It might merely describe his reaction, such as describing his character's horrified realization that the blade that just cut him was poisoned. As long as the description is in-character and appropriate to the situation, the bonus is awarded.

[sambouchah]

While I know some DMs offer XP awards for role-play, I have never found this to be particularly effective. Something about the bonus XP just never seems to get people into their roles more.

I think a better approach might be an award that is much more immediately useful and relevant to the situation at hand. The DM could offer a +1 role-play bonus to any d20 roll the player makes.


For an attack roll, the player could describe a detailed series of slashes designed to force his opponent's blade out of position, followed by a quick thrust under his guard.
For a reflex save the player could describe rising up on his toes while suddenly arching his body to let the poison dart shoot underneath.
For a trapfinding roll, the player could describe sliding a slender probe forward while studiously watching the image in the mirror on its tip, taking a small container of fine powder and blowing the dust over the area to watch how it falls, knowing that the powder will react with the mercury and phosphorous residue left behind by symbol spells.


Simple statements like "I check for traps" would not receive a bonus, but any realistic effort would be rewarded. Note that the role-playing does not have to directly describe the actions being performed. It might merely describe his reaction, such as describing his character's horrified realization that the blade that just cut him was poisoned. As long as the description is in-character and appropriate to the situation, the bonus is awarded.

I wasn't even thinking about bonuses. I just meant story typed stuff. NPC interactions and the like

[dascarletm]

I don't know if there is just a simple thing you can do to get players to RP more. It may just need time (if they are new). If they are veteran players, and don't much care to RP, then you might just need to find a more RP heavy group. If you are the DM, a few things to encourage RP is to go along with what they are doing (even if it is weird.) Example: I had a new player, and he was shy about RP for the first few sessions. When he started to RP, and did things I wouldn't expect I rolled with it, and didn't put him down for dumb ideas. If he insults the king for example be more lenient at first, so they don't associate RP with getting killed.

[CaladanMoonblad]

Some people are not drama oriented, but still love the genre. Role-playing itself is drama oriented, and heavy drama types are already LARPing. The dice and paper crowd, well, it's hit or miss. Some people are simply shy, others treat this game like a video game.

I've GMed for two decades, and I've seen every type of gamer in almost every genre or system. Getting normal people who have little interaction with the dramatic world to actually act things out can be frustrating and difficult for both Player and GM. Remember, as a GM, you get a lot more practice than players do- you get to do NPC voices, you're setting the mood, and for over 50% of the time, Players are listening so they can make "good" decisions about the GM's dramatic world.

I try to reflect realistic consequences for players who simply disrupt things (like insulting the King in the above example by dascarletm... just so my players don't regard story elements like they might a video game with only a few options for interaction.)

One thing I find useful for linear storytelling... is to type out detail rich encounters similar to a novel. When I get to a decision point, I have already illustrated everything required to make an informed choice, leaving out no details that I as a Player would find pertinent. Remember, the GM sets the tone.

Doing drama for the sake of drama is its own reward, and affecting the storyline means having power as a player. Characters who roleplay well should have their interactions "worth more" in terms of affecting the storyline, instead of just straight up bonuses (which IMO rewards video game mentality). But it depends on your players.

You can also ask them out of game what each of your players gain and like about your stories as a GM. Good reviews will help you as a GM to know what everyone is getting out of this whole endeavor, and that will allow you to maximize the story for everyone's (including yourself) enjoyment.

[Harlot]

I believe it depends of the session itself. If it is a 'kick-in-the door' style of play, there's not much room for roleplaying, or roleplaying seems to repeat itself.
I am 12 sessions in on my first job as a DM and immediately noticed, that in those session where there's less combat and more puzzles/'detective work' there was more roleplaying too.
Actual interaction with neutral/friendly NPCs, gathering information etc. simply calls for more roleplaying than bashing someones face in. So a few low key sessions with some problemsolving that doesn't involve weapons might help.
And then: Some players have it, others don't ... if your DM style is detailed and narrative, maybe the group will make an effort too.

[ArcturusV]

Well, perhaps the easiest way to get more RPing out of someone is to talk to them out of game. But not about RPing in particular though. I don't mean some sit down chat where you go "... bob... I don't think you're really invested in the game's world and it's bumming me out..." no, nothing like that at all.

Just ask them things like "... where would you like your character to end up? I mean when he's 'done' adventuring what would like his life to look like?"

Questions like that are a nice double whammy. One, you start making them think in terms of Roleplaying without them even thinking you're generally pushing them towards it. The very question is geared to make them think about their character, the world, and how they relate to it. The second hit is that it tells you what the player ideally wants out of the game. Even if his goal is shallow and "video gamey", like getting the High Score "I want to be the ____est (Richest, most powerful, most famous, etc) person in all the world!" it gives you some tools that you can later work into a session.

You don't have to seriously sit down and confront them or anything. Just asking off questions like that when you wrap up a session or as part of your recap before you start a new one gets you there. Before you start is better because you get someone thinking about Roleplaying stuff right before the game starts, of course.

It's not going to have a dramatic effect, at least not at first. But as you start asking questions like that it gets people to open up a bit more.

And don't let the "it's combat time, not Roleplaying time" schism exist. Just because someone rolled a die doesn't mean all Roleplaying stopped. I tend to like using Deathblows myself to keep people's heads in the Roleplaying arena (Even if they don't think about it). "Okay, you just dropped the Ogre, give me a deathblow!" "Okay, I charged at the Ogre, and as he swung clumbsily at me I slid between it's legs, jamming my spear into the side of it's knee, watching it buckle as it howled in pain and rage. I stood up behind it, giving a hard side kick to the back of it's head, knocking it forward on it's face as I raised my weapon and screamed out "FOR PONY!" and slammed my spear into the base of it's skull, killing it."

Just even adding little details like that. They don't think of it as "Roleplaying" necessarily, but it is. And it only slows down a combat very little. Figure each one takes maybe 30 seconds, a minute, to go through. So maybe 4 minutes "wasted" on an encounter.

[krai]

There are some good games that can help people get a better feel for role play. Fiasco is one that my friends and I like, and I have found that it has made people better at role playing. Another that you could try is Badass, which is a game that rewards people for over the top descriptive action, and it also has helped some of the players in my group to feel more comfortable roleplaying.