DM Help: Getting Players Excited

[Trasilor]

I am starting a new game with several new players (3 experienced players and 3 new players) and I seem to be having difficulty getting them excited about the game or their characters.

I asked the players to come up with a basic back-story to not only help them conceptualize their characters as more than just numbers on a page, but also provide me with some adventure hooks.

Unfortunately, no one has done this.

I am curious if other DMs have had difficulty getting players excited and how they were able to overcome this challenge.

[ZX6Rob]

I run a game with four players, one experienced and three very new to the hobby, and I have much the same issue. Mostly, it's my newer players that have trouble getting into the game.

Some of the challenges I think that face them are due to their lack of experience. A friend of mine -- and a better DM than I'll ever be -- once told me, "You have to know someone pretty well before you feel comfortable pretending to be an elf in their basement." My new players are definitely still in that uncomfortable phase, reluctant to do any real roleplaying and joking around whenever the moment gets too serious.

Newer players also get easily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of numbers and things to keep track of and work with. It's difficult for one of my players, who wanted to play a Wizard, to keep track of and pick out his spells each day, for example, because he's still learning what each one does. It takes him out of the action for a while whenever he has to stop and read up on something.

As a result of both of these, it was difficult for me to get my newer players to think of their characters as more than just numbers on a page. To overcome this, I did a couple of things.

First, I wrote up a pretty detailed document describing the campaign setting, attempting to put together a cohesive world with multiple regions and cultures. I provided this to my players as a starting line for their backstories. I figured that, if I gave them a bit of a jumping-off point, it might help get their creativity flowing.

Next, I took some time and sat down with each person in the group one-on-one. I helped all three roll up their characters and answered as many questions for them as I could. This was the time I also tried to provide gentle prompting for backstories, trying to get them thinking about why their characters would make the choices that they did. For example, one person wanted to play an elven wizard. So, I helped him roll that character up, and as we talked mechanics, I started slipping in little details about the campaign world, trying to get him to think about what the numbers really meant. I'd talk about how his slightly higher-than-average constitution for an elf may be due to his growing up in a cold climate and becoming tougher for it; or how, as a gray elf, he would have been the nearest thing to nobility in elven society, so what would be his motivations for becoming an adventurer, things like that.

The one-on-one sessions really helped solidify my friends' characters, as they were much less self-conscious than I think they would have been in a group. With me sitting there and prompting them, they thought more about their stories and motivations than they probably would have on their own or as a group together.

Ultimately, I also fell on that old DM trick -- sometimes the immaterial reward of crafting a character from your own imagination isn't enough, so I offered 100 bonus XP for everyone who wrote me at least one paragraph describing their character's background. That was enough to do the trick; I got three backstories within a week and a half, varying from a few paragraphs to three or four pages!

I really feel like taking the time to sit down and discuss the world and their character's place in it with each of my players one-on-one was the biggest push toward getting my players interested. The other thing is that, as they continue with the game, I feel like it's my responsibility to offer some kind of payoff for their efforts, so I try to work in the hooks they gave me whenever the opportunity arises. Seeing another character that they came up with show up in the game is a great way to get the players more involved in the game world.

[wayfare]

You are not alone! This is a pretty common issue.

One of the thinsg I think helps get my more recent games off teh ground are some pre-created...not so much backgrounds as life events that give players minor mechanical bonuses. I let teh players pick three of these events and that sort of comprises their background. If the player wants something that is not there on my list, I ask them to help me make it. Once they have a foundation to build upon, players will start to assemble their past liek a puzzle.

If you want any help, feel free to message me.

[Red Fel]

My advice? If they aren't engaged so far, take some time to get them there.

Take each one aside, ideally in person, but by phone or e-mail can work, prior to the session. Talk to them. Ask them about what they want out of the session. Action? Romance? Comedy? Do they want a sweeping, heroic saga? A dark, brooding grit-fest? When they feel like they have a say in the world in which they'll be playing, they'll feel more invested. (Even if you don't ultimately use their suggestions.)

Next, talk about their characters, like ZX suggests. Asking for backstories is fine when players are used to creating them. Perhaps these players aren't. Sit down with them, and discuss their ideas. Ask the questions you would want a backstory to answer. "Tell me about his upbringing." "And how did that impact her?" "What does she want from him?" "Did that make him happy?" And so forth. Take notes. Have them take notes. Suggest they tie all of that together into a backstory. By going through the character concept in this way, the player starts to develop an image of his or her character in more depth, more than just a list of stats on a page.

Piece of advice, though. Don't even bother with this if you're a kill-happy DM. If your campaign is pretty lethal, there's no sense in asking your players to invest in characters who could die every session. But if you plan for your players to keep the same characters for a long time, take the time to show your players you care as much as they should about their characters. If you're willing to take the time, they might be too.

The thing to remember is that players get invested when they feel like their characters are stars. Giving them this solo treatment is a great step in getting them there. Crafting a storyline that guarantees each PC a change to stand in the limelight continues the trend. Everyone loves coming home from a session and saying, "I really had the chance to shine tonight." It's a gratifying feeling, and a great way to get (and keep) your players engaged.

[Particle_Man]

Give them a friendly NPC to care about. Not an ******* NPC (or at least not only those NPCs), but at least one that the PCs will actually like. Then you get more "buy in".

[Zharradan Marr]

I like the first session being "let's sit down and build the world together". The players have a stake at deciding what kind of city/town/village there are in, how is it named, even details about the kingdom and international relations - "so, our kingdom is at war with the dwarves from the north, and ...". Then try to figure out how the characters specifically mesh into this, where they meet (again, with player participation). Takes more work, and some of the things they come up with may throw you in for a loop, but they will definitely feel more engaged.

[roguemetal]

Hrmmm... This is often a difficult problem, and not one with a single clearcut solution. In almost every gaming group there are at least a few people who don't get engaged in the story and roleplay aspects of the game, even just for backstory pre-game. Sometimes this is because of a fear of making fools of themselves, sometimes this is because there's no precedence, and sometimes its because they just have trouble seeing the scene. I try to cover each issue separately.

1. Although this works best with newcomers, it helps to bring a dedicated veteran or two to your game. This gives the players someone to look to for guidance, and showing them what a player is expected to do (don't use those words) can help.

2. Run a miniature session in the game world that isn't tied in with the plot. Sometimes people get a good idea of what they want to be once they experience the actual gameplay.

3. Illustrate your game world. Tell them about factions, events of the past, jargon, anecdotes about your people. Give them a place where they can imagine existing, and your players will find it easier to place themselves.

4. Communicate in person. It's hard to rally people over posts, text messages and emails. An in person conversation, (or if this is not possible, a phone call or voice program) can make a world of difference.

5. Sell to the individual. Like anything else, you need to know what your players want if you're going to get them involved. Use humor, promises of power, lots of lore, whatever it is that the specific player best relates to.

6. Be reliable. D&D is a commitment of time and energy. So if you give them respect and make yourself reliable and punctual, they will return the favor.

[BWR]

Get them excited in game. Unless they know the world and the setting well there's very little for them to get excited about, they just don't know enough. Even if they do know the setting fairly well, that's no guarentee they'll show the same level of excitement you want them to. also, they may feel somewhat excited but hide it in order not to look like a fool.
As others have pointed out, sometimes people's desire to not look foolish inhibits their espressions. For newcomers this is something they don't quite know how to handle, so they will act reservedly and see what other people do. For experienced players, maybe they are a bit blasé.

I would just run with it. Accept that they don't show quite the same level of enthusiasm as you wish they would but try to get them into it during play. Just run with what they have, make sure you do your utmost to have engaging NPCs, a good story and make sure you show excitement and attention during the game. If you can do that, most players will follow suit. If they get familiar with/invested in the setting and the game later, allow them to fill in their backgrounds then.
I rarely make particularly detailed backgrounds for my characters. I'll either base it on mechanics that seem attractive or on a sentence or two of character concept. Everything else develops in game. It doesn't mean the characters are less detailed by the end of the game, just that I discover who they are during play rather than before.