value for roleplaying games in taking acting classes?

[tchntm43]

I both play and DM (5e but this really could apply to other systems so I put it here instead of the 5e board) and lately I have been thinking about taking acting classes. I'm wondering if anyone else here has done so.

I have weaknesses I want to work on in order to become the player & DM I want to be. One of these is improvisation. I notice that I am not alone in this. I currently play in a Roll20 game and there have been many times where the DM will have an NPC say something and all of the players are silent, because we can't think of anything to say. It's honestly been kind of awkward. The in-person games seem better in this regard, but one of the key challenges is not just coming up with material to say, but to have it be in-character. What would my character say, rather than what I would say? I struggle with this a bit sometimes, and I want to be better at it.

The other area I would like to improve is doing voices. As a DM I love doing different voices for NPCs to help give them identifiable character, but I find voices very difficult. One of the things I find happens often is that I will start with a distinctive voice for a character but as I talk the voice shifts gradually back to my normal voice.

So I have been thinking about taking some classes, but I am not sure to what degree skills in these things is learned vs innate.

[Mastikator]

I think the fact that you enjoy doing it but want to be better is the salient factor that turns it into a yes. I will say though that all else being equal voice acting a character is better than not, it's not necessary, but it does add something unique that can't be replicated by other means.

[J-H]

If it sounds fun, do it. Being comfortable being put "on the spot" and having to come up with a response on a moment's notice is useful in many areas outside of D&D as well. Go for it!

[Jay R]

Here is the crucial fact about classes.

If you want to be better at X, for whatever reason, then it makes sense to take a class in X, for any value of X.

So yes, an acting class on improvisation would help with that. I took one once, and never regretted it. It helps build confidence when you have to speak, which is valuable in almost any career not restricted to hard physical labor.

A regular acting class is likely to help you with voices, too. [I've taken two of those, and never regretted them, either.]

In answer to the question about whether it is learned or innate: It's some of both -- like virtually every other skill in the world.

You can get better at X if you take classes in X.
Just taking classes in X will not make you perfect at X.
For just about any value of X.


Have a great time in your classes, and keep enjoying your D&D games.

[King of Nowhere]

i had a friend who took acting classes, and it was noticeable in his roleplaying. too bad he moved to another city and he's no longer in the group. but i hired him to record some narrations, and several key moments of the campaign gained a lot by being voiced by that guy.

[ShadowShinobi]

All the voice actors on Critical Role have taken improv classes, and it's certainly worked out well for them. I'd say, go for it.

[Verte]

I've taken improv classes and I think it has helped with roleplaying, although now I am probably more self-critical of my roleplaying than I was before taking classes. I feel like I am more spontaneous in scenes and better at thinking of actions that will move a scene along than I had been previously. I imagine acting classes would be helpful, too, and would probably help with identifying character motivations.

[firelistener]

Specifically about the issue where players don't respond to the DM, I suggest a little trick that works in classrooms with students well, and I will sometimes use in D&D as well.

Call on a player by name. You can either do this out-of-character, "Jane, how does Fuzz the Gnome respond?" or the in-character but still direct approach, have the NPC address someone in the party directly. So instead of, "What are you people doing here?" you would style it as, "You there, the dwarf with the axe, what are you and your group doing here?"

This also works as a mechanism to give less vocal players a chance to chime in, or keep people involved that tend to zone out during role play scenes.

[Aliess]

Improv classes look useful and are something I've considered a few times.
Another thing to do is to check in with your group about why there are silences. In our group we tend to get long silence when we are playing remotely, but not in person. Turns out it's not because people don't know what to say but because they don't have the visual cues so are assuming someone else will answer the obvious question and then don't want to interrupt when it becomes an awkward silence.
One thing I've found myself doing as I DM more is hanging back and letting other players get on with it, almost background DMing which is a habit I'm trying to consciously break because it's boring.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Absolutely check out improv classes, but note that these are different from acting classes, even if there's some overlap in the people who take them. Acting classes will build your ability to fold more complex portrayals into your roleplaying, and can give you confidence and table presence, but RPGs are a medium with a lot more free flowing play.

Improv is all about coming up with ideas, rolling with the ideas suggested, and keeping things entertaining. Dimension 20 is a great example of the power of improv: it's an AP show where everyone involved has a significant background in improv and comedy, which means they're very good at both pushing the game in spontaneous directions and also bringing good, entertaining energy to it.

Before committing to a class or joining an improv group, though, you might want to get Karen Twelves' Improv for Gamers (https://evilhat.com/product/improv-for-gamers-second-edition/) and play through some of the exercises and games with your group. The most important part of learning improv is actively participating with people.

[Spore]

Don't underestimate the advantages for other life scenarios. Improv helps coming up with arguments more fluently, to "portray" one self how you want to be seen (i.e. professional, laid-back, stern, etc.) and of course to lighten the mood sometimes. Yea, being better at your hobby is one big advantage, but this has huge real life applications.