What motivates your characters?

[Dust]

I'm having difficulty motivating my player group. I've only GMed twice now, and it remains the major stumbling block in my campaigns. I'm looking for advice, opinions....heck, even rambling anecdotes that may or may not actually relate to the question would be appreciated.

The problem boils down to this, I think; I thrive best in the face of adversity, and all-too-often forget that my players don't.
When my characters are tested, when the mustache-twirling villain threatens things they hold dear, my automatic, instinctual response as a player is to fight back with a stubborn, never-say-die tenacity that would make John McClane proud.
And unless I'm playing a particularily meek character, that's often the IC reaction as well. When the bomb begins counting down, I make knowledge rolls for which wire to cut instead of running for my life.

However, my gaming group reacts differently. Even the most minor of setbacks (ie; the caravan was damaged in the skirmish, you'll have to traverse the last mile of the Dark Forest on foot....and dusk is beginning to fall...) cause my players to react harshly, as if the universe is doling out unfair cosmic punishments at every turn, no matter how rarely these setbacks may take place.

So before I stray too far from the topic, allow me to repeat the subject line; what motivates your characters? I understand this varies greatly between games and the personality which you're roleplaying, but let's try for broad strokes here. Do you enjoy it most when each of your accomplishments are followed by a wave of applause and cheering? Do you, like me, game for the sense of accomplishment and victory against all odds? Do you find yourself best motivated by ingame wealth and character advancement? Power over NPCs, perhaps a political position or other prestigious advancement? Does the promise of combat to come get your blood pumping? Do you take risks and make deliberately bad choices 'just to see what will happen? Do you loathe one-sided, no-effort victories, or wish they could ALL be like that?

I would like to simply ask, 'How would you motivate a group of players that become discouraged at even small challenges?' but this seems far too difficult to answer without knowing the group on a personal level. It is also entirely possible that I'm attempting to impede a perfectly good story with random discouraging crap without being aware of it; if you DO need to use a story setback, how do you make sure that it MATTERS to your players, both in character and out?

(Crossposted to the roleplayers livejournal community.)

[dsmiles]

It all depends on the character I'm playing.

Greed is a big factor in many of my characters (I like to play rogues). Some of my rogues go for stealing, some for breaking and entering, but quite a few are charisma-based and swindle or become very successful merchants. A few of my fighters are just mercenaries, and just do it because somebody is paying them.

My goody-goody paladins, clerics and fighters are usually motivated by rewards with less intrinsic value. They generally go in for saving the world, converting (and/or smiting) the infidel, or saving the damsel in distress.

My less-than-nice wizards and warlocks tend to go for power, usually at any cost. Dark rituals, inventing new spells, and creating items are usually their own rewards.

Occasionally, I'll play a vengeance-driven ranger, or outcast barbarian, but not very often.

I can also tell you, DM to DM, that these are all common motivations for characters. Motivations for players are things like: getting new feats/powers, getting cool new magic items, and some few players (myself included) are still in it for the story. If you can tell me a good story, I'm hooked (no matter how many of my characters die in the process).

[Temotei]

My favorite characters are the ones that are almost insane. They'll go charging into battle, swinging from chandeliers, doing backflips off of buildings, and generally being nuts.

So fun.

Crazy guys have so many motivations that vary, it's hard to say which motivations are particularly strong. I'd say the most common one would be...thrills.

[rezplz]

When I was DMing recently for a fairly high-level campaign with my friends - we ended at level 18, I believe - I had a hard time motivating the PCs for anything. When I threatened to kill the dwarf mystic theurge's parents, he merely shrugged and said "why do I care? They kicked me out a long time ago." The fact that their backstories didn't have much, if anything at all, for me to go off of didn't help either.

So when I started DMing a new campaign with half of the old group and half people who were new to the group (lots of people left for college), I tried something different. When I started a couple weeks ago, I had them get captured by an insufferably annoying sorcerer who tried forcing them, through a geas, to do various missions for him on his goal for "the greater good". They escaped from his grasp in just the second session. Still, this lead to an IC hate for this BBEG (they have yet to meet the second BBEG) and so far, is giving them plenty of motivation to actively try to take him down.



So if your group doesn't seem to particularly care about being the "good guys" or the "heroes" of the story, then the best thing to do is to find some way to make them and/or their characters personally hate your bad guy. And always offer monetary rewards.

Me, though? Either my characters start off caring about being the hero, or they start not caring about being good, and only about the rewards, until later in the story when they shift towards being the hero. The latter needs a definite, tangible reward to keep going at first, though, but as long as there is one they'll keep going forward.

[JohnnyCancer]

I am currently playing a game of D&D (crossed between 3.5 and Pathfinder) once a week. My character, a Chaotic Neutral Human Transmuter (who also packs a lot of Illusion and Necromancy spells) has the standard motivations of greed and growing in power, but he's also trying to avoid the agents of his powerful, Lawful Evil family who wish to bring him back into the fold. He doesn't need much convincing to go on the move or keep a bunch of meat shields handy.

[Alex Ashgrave]

"I don't go looking for trouble, all I do is travel. Trouble's just the bits in between."

My standard outlook. Either that or I'm acting on orders.
Or, in one particular case, my character was searching for his memories.

Or with my current DM: RAILROADING TO HELL! (Literally) And certain death.

My favourite is the first one. Sometimes combined with the second one. And I'll keep at it, cause I want to keep travelling and my companions tend to be interesting and are worth observing/keeping alive.

So, in short, I guess I'm one of those Story types.

[Vitruviansquid]

when my DM announced we were starting a war campaign, I immediately thought to define my character as "loves his Fatherland, but hates what it's becoming."

[Weimann]

The few times I've actually played anything, I tend to use the reverse approach: I hear what the DM says, and then try to figure out a way for my character to become motivated. The DM is doing some heavy work already, and not taking his hooks doesn't exactly make it easier on him.

Of course, it doesn't ALWAYS work, but it usually does.

[Dust]

Weimann, I share that philosophy. Too bad I don't know anyone else who does!

[Totally Guy]

My players each have 3 things written on their sheets that tell them who they are.

"When insulted I involve thier mothers."

If they play that, even when it would be inconvenient for them, then they are rewarded at the end of the session.

I also have each player provide me with 3 motivations. This way I know they'll fight for something they believe. If one of these motivations drives the game forward then they are also rewarded at the end of the session.

I'm at the stage now where my session planning revolves around this concept. I get more hooks from the players than they get from me. And I know they get to play the game they want to play.

The downside is that it hurts the guy that wants everything to be secret.

[Simba]

My groups usually come back to active when there is a fight. Sad, but true.

[Sallera]

Hm, my characters are frequently in the adventuring business because it's interesting. They'll usually have a couple things they care about, but mostly it's all just wanting to see what's around the next bend. Seekers of knowledge are also a lot of fun.

Out of character, it's all about the story; I certainly enjoy watching my PCs grow, but they're no more important to the story than the other characters.

The group I'm DMing for, on the other hand, aren't very enthusiastic roleplayers, and it can be difficult to keep them motivated (or keep them moving at all, sometimes. Characters without a word of written backstory are difficult to hook with anything more complex than things to kill and loot.) But I do try to make sure most of the setbacks they suffer are simply logical consequences of their actions. (Wander off into a frozen wasteland with only minimal cold weather gear, no shelter, and no one with any ranks in survival? Well, I'm sure the two that didn't dress warmly enough enjoyed being woken up by a Burning Hands from the party Shugenja the next morning.) I don't have the experience to speak on the matter with any certainty, but I'd suspect that most players don't like setbacks that don't proceed logically from something they either know of or can find out (eventually). It's fine to annoy the PCs - you just have to make sure you do it in such a way that they can do something about it afterward.

[Terraoblivion]

It varies quite a bit from character to character. Some examples of what motivates characters i have made might help.

The first character is a relatively young special forces soldier who for various reasons have been thrust in command of her squad due to the real commander being an incompetent fool who has basically abdicated all responsibility. Her primary motivation is the genuinely altruistic one that she wants to protect innocent civilians from terrorists. But apart from that she is quite keen on not just doing her job but becoming a hero doing so, inspired by a group of people who basically saved the world she lives in when she was ten. She is also keen to keep face, avoid involving the actual commander and trying to impress one of her squadmates who she has a major crush on. And no, it is nowhere near a realistic portrayal of the military.

Another one sees it as her mission to bring harmony among the living and the dead. To this end she spends a lot of time exorcising evil spirits, including some that turn out to not be ghosts at all, while mediating in more mundane conflicts between ghosts and their descendants. However, recognizing that she cannot achieve her goal on her own and even if she could she needed a lot of training first, she has let an older more experienced person train her together with some other people and loyalty to them matters alot as well. Offering her the chance to tell stories about the glories of ancient people like her, Solar exalted for those who are curious, especially to children and cooking her native food will also get her interest. General philosophical and academic questions matter too, though less so than these more specific topics.

Then there is my Prussian officer, who is above all concerned with protecting humanity from alien invaders. The degree to which she throws herself into this task stems in a large part from the guilt of her actions during the Franko-Prussian war, especially in regards to the Paris Commune. This also means that she basically hates her own government and will take chances to strike back at it that doesn't risk the war effort, though few have come up in the game so far. More so than other people the soldiers under her command matters to her and she will go to great lengths to defend them, though not to obviously suicidal ones. She also still has deeply hidden ambition for military advancement and a fondness for the increasingly rare material pleasures of the upper class life she grew up in.

The only clear trends here are that i generally make selfless, helpful people who cares for others, though they do have their personal desires as well. They also all have blind spots. The first one is quite trusting of the military hierarchy she is working for, considering her commander to basically be a bad seed. The second comes with the greatest most powerful nation in the world considering her a demon to be exterminated at first chance, making her less than fond of people who clearly work for it. And the third one is constantly wavering between military concern and contempt and is really too caught up in her own issues to focus much of the time. Can also be harsh on people who don't do what she considers smart in a critical situation, including dealing with superiors.

I hope this at least provides some help in what encourages characters for me. As for more general advice i would encourage you to focus on plot and setting and try to make the players tie into this at character creation. The more real the world around them seems and the more involved with it they are, the more invested they will become. At least if they care about anything other than standing triumphant , at least. If they don't there really isn't much to do, they are playing for a different goal. And of course remember that while adversity is good, the players should still achieve something meaningful fairly regularly. If your actions don't ultimately matter, it would make anybody lose interest sooner or later.

[Garion]

My CG priestress of Lliira (FR goddess of joy / liberty) wants to make this world a better place. She will never, ever, think of anybody as "evil" and will always try to make one's good part come out.
As a player, I really like it when her actions can make a bad guy change from evil to good, or when I can see the consequences of her actions in the world.
I like as well playing plots in relation with my character's background, family, etc. I really want to feel like i'm not playing "another pc" with goals as simple as "bump uglies and loot their corpses".

I also like well-built relations with NPCs. Friendship / Love / Loyalty are great to make a PC think he/she is more than a character sheet.

Another thing that I like is lore. As we're playing in a forgotten realms setting, there are tons of interesting places that should be worth visiting. Meeting with (in)famous NPCs can be great too, but should not be overabused.

I hope it could help.

[Weimann]

One good way to make your players interested is to simply ask them, too. After a session, just post the question "So, guys, what would you think would be cool to do in the future?"

Answers might range from "Some kind of political intrigue", "some romance would be nice", "I want to fight undead, like, vampires", "why don't we become tyrranical overlords :D" and such.

It will give you an idea of what they like. Seriously, it can sometimes be as easy as making them fight undead instead of orcs to light a spark.

[Harperfan7]

My players never seem to expect much of a challenge, because they always walk into fights unprepared, get their butts kicked, and look at me like I just slapped them. That, and they hate every npc that comes their way.

I think, for me anyways, that the people I play with just aren't playing for the game so much as just being social.

I get the feeling your players are also comfort lovers who are mostly just hanging out.

Another example is my cousin. He expects to win, even when not using any kind of strategy. He guts upset when he loses, and when he DMs for me, he will not let my characters die, I actually have to convince him to let the die roll as they may.

My players are ok people and I do like to play with them, its just that I don't fully understand our differences.

[Rasman]

my motivation comes from the chance to really shine on the battlefield, not in the sense that "Hey, we just beat down a War Troll though sheer power" because that's cool and all, but it just means you can hit something hard a lot, I'm talking more in the sense that the combat was epic, something like "Did you see when the monk grappled that Frost Giant and beat him to the ground by himself?" "Yeah, but did you see him save the Wizard from that Moarg after he was paralized?" I'm more motivated by being given the chance to do something great, rather than kill big things. Give me a bunch of mooks to beat on that are going to have a hard time hitting me, not have to roll 20s to have to hit me, but have a decent miss chance at least. Good narration will help with this a lot unless the player has an idea of exactly what they want their combat to look like.

A good chance to RP is always welcome as well, having to fight your way out of situation isn't always the fun way to get out of it. Add some plot hooks for the PCs as well. Get ideas as to where to get them from by offering experience by having them type up a backstory that you can pull from that would motivate their PC and don't let them forget about it either.

[Dyllan]

Character motivations for me vary greatly. My last wizard ended up on an endless quest for power - for its own sake. Underlying that was his own social insecurities (especially with the one woman he ever got close to loving... that ended up making a deal with a devil because she needed the power he offered to save something...).

Before that I had a gnome who was just horribly curious about everything.

But the common theme is fun. If I'm having fun as a player, I stay motivated. If I'm not, I follow along but am looking for a way to make it fun. That's why I encouraged one of my friends to play a Frenzied Beserker. Sure, he was likely to kill us all (and he did kill one of us at one point), but it was fun. In fact, my wizard learned Olituke's Resiliant Sphere for the sole purpose of casting it on Krun (the Beserker) when he went crazy (or on himself if he was really in trouble). We referred to it as the "Krun Bubble."

Now that's not to say that's everyone's motivation. The guy who played Krun loves stories. He had an in depth backstory to his character, who started out trying to redeem himself. But when everyone else just made excuses for his mistakes (he's a half-orc orphan, what do you expect), he finally embraced his orcish nature and actually became the BBEG in the next campaign we played.

Then I have a player who, no matter what character he plays, is in it for power. He wants his character to get the best gear he can, and be as good at what he's doing as possible. I think a lot of this is compensating for the fact that he's horrible at power gaming, while I (as an example) have to rein myself in to keep from making characters that are too powerful when I see an idea I think is neat. But, his want for power usually manifests as greedy characters.

Then we have one guy who's really just there for the company. In our first 4e game (and likely last - most of us just think 3.5 is better, after playing through Heroic tier), he actually let someone else build his character completely, because he didn't care what he played. He just wanted to be part of the group. He *is* more involved in 3.5, but he's still the one who cares the least about his character, and usually just follows along with the rest of the party.

I guess the point is, if the players are enjoying it, they'll keep at it. You need to figure out what makes it entertaining for your players - and then translate that into something that makes sense as a character motivation for their current characters. Even when the greedy player was playing a Paladin, he was still motivated by wealth... I just had to give him an in character excuse to get that wealth so that he could seek it in character. He actually argued in character, as a Paladin of Pelor, with the CG Ranger at one point that he (the paladin) should keep his money rather than share it with the less fortunate, because by spending it on himself he was helping the greater good by increasing the chances that he would save the world from the current BBEGs. It was interesting to watch.

P.S. Every once in a while, let them think they found a way to ruin your (the DM's) plans. Whether they did or not, that really gives the sense of "winning." The dirty little secret of DMing is that you really want them to win...

[Zen Master]

Motivation-wise, I'm simple. I will fight the good fight, even with no reward in sight.

When GM-ing, my players are quite a different lot. One is competitive, and will strive to be the brains of the outfit. Another wants some long term goal - like becoming a duke or some such - while working furiously to reduce risk and increase his own options and possibilities. One is self-absorbed, and doodles with his plans while playing little attention to actual events - he will wake up for combats and cast some spells, but otherwise is absorbed in research into things best left in the darkness of forgotten nightmares. Finally, I'm burdened with a roleplayer. He doesn't even roleplay very well - he just thinks it inherently superior to making attack and damage rolls.

Keeping them all motivated can be a pain. In a perfect world I'd have found some solution to this problem. In the real world, all I can say is that I dangle the story in front of them. If they chose not to pursue it - well, they find that otherwise, the world isn't generally filled with adventure everywhere they look for it.

[Tyndmyr]

Greed and lust for power. I mean, why else would you get in the business of slaughtering people because they have green skin and pointy fangs and you don't? And looting their bodies before they get cold, of course. Rigor Mortis is so annoying for the looting.

[Zaydos]

Depends on what I'm playing.

Tom, my current wizard: He's motivated by the chance for fame and shinies, by a compulsion to help people especially those he knows, but his supreme motivation is deciphering magical secrets. He wants to learn everything about magic, and will go to crazy lengths to do so.

Usually shinies and helping people. I tend to play good alignments, although they're still murderous hobos that want shinies (I usually look into getting my character a homestead because they would do that but... they want shinies). So a mixture of greed and altruism.

[valadil]

What motivates me is to see my PC make a unique mark on the world. If I can affect the story in a way that says "valadil was here" I'm happy. When the story is retold to future players, who my character was should matter. I do well in sandboxy games. I don't do well in generic adventures that are designed to function the same way for any two sets of PCs.

How I encourage players in this way when I GM is with backstory. I make them write it. Well, I request and suggest that they write it. If they didn't I'd still let them play. The point is, the game I run is a continuation of their backstory. It's so much easier to hook players on a plot they wrote for their character than on another epic quest to save the world. It's easier to write too, since you don't have to invent anything from scratch. Just take the stories they wrote and continue them.

[starwoof]

Greed and lust for power. I mean, why else would you get in the business of slaughtering people because they have green skin and pointy fangs and you don't? And looting their bodies before they get cold, of course. Rigor Mortis is so annoying for the looting.

I can't put this any better myself.

[Shnezz]

Money. I worship Tiamat more times than not as a Chaotic Neutral Rogue.

I mean, ICly, it's my religion to switch sides if offered enough.

[Optimystik]

My favored standby is enlightenment/understanding of some kind. It works for any caster.

Int-based - to learn the rules that govern (insert magic system here.) Examples: Wizards, Psions, Erudites, Archivists.

Wis-based - to find the philosophy that fits me perfectly, and discover my place in the natural order. Examples: Clerics, Druids, Ardents.

Cha-based - to learn why I can do the things I can do, and seek my destiny. Examples: Sorcerers, Bards, Wilders, Warlocks.

They also relish combat to varying degrees. My Int-based usually find it distasteful, while the Cha-types throw themselves in with glee, and the Wis-based neither seek nor avoid it.

[Duos Greanleef]

If this is an IC question, I usually have some obscure, long-winded reason for doing what I do when I do do it.

If this is a how should I DM Question:
Read the parts in 4E DMG1 & DMG2 about how to engage different players with their various motivations.
Even if you don't play 4E, the information will help your game tremendously.
It did for me and my group.
Another "4E FTW!" moment brought to you by a fantastically fun game system.

[onthetown]

IC, it depends on the character.

My lawful evil (with lawful neutral tendencies) enchantress gave the party leader her word that she'd work for them and help them. She might hate it sometimes, but she promised she'd stick with them. Besides, they come across a lot of magic items...

My wizard/ranger, who happens to be said party leader, is motivated because she's essentially good and everybody seems to look up to her to inspire them to go get the BBEG.

And of course, I play a rogue who is only motivated by money. Save the world? Sure: that means she'll be able to keep stealing.

Tell them to play in-character. Unless all of their characters are whiny and have no backbone, there's no reason for them to shy away from the task at hand. I have a feeling at least ONE of them isn't playing a coward.

[DabblerWizard]

I kept the parts of your OP that I thought were most important to my post.

Spoiler

Show

I'm having difficulty motivating my player group....

However, my gaming group reacts differently. Even the most minor of setbacks (ie; the caravan was damaged in the skirmish, you'll have to traverse the last mile of the Dark Forest on foot....and dusk is beginning to fall...) cause my players to react harshly, as if the universe is doling out unfair cosmic punishments at every turn, no matter how rarely these setbacks may take place...

I would like to simply ask, 'How would you motivate a group of players that become discouraged at even small challenges?' but this seems far too difficult to answer without knowing the group on a personal level.

It is also entirely possible that I'm attempting to impede a perfectly good story with random discouraging crap without being aware of it; if you DO need to use a story setback, how do you make sure that it MATTERS to your players, both in character and out?

The way you describe your players makes me think that your major concern has to do with something other than motivation.

You described a situation that involves unhappy players acting as though they are being wronged, not players that are just unmotivated.

If your players do feel that they keep getting the short end of the stick, then it's quite natural that they'll be less motivated and enthusiastic in character.

Realize though, that their poor motivation appears to be a symptom of their larger problem, which is their feeling that you're not treating them fairly in character, and maybe out of character as well.

Perhaps they believe that because they're heroes in a fantasy world, bad things aren't supposed to happen to them. When bad things do happen, this reinforces their notion that they're not as awesome and powerful as they think they should be, which upsets them, which makes them less motivated.

If that is the case, you'll be able to motivate them in two ways (1) help them understand that PCs in your game world aren't necessarily omnipotent and free of conflict, that bad things happen to them, and these are situations where they can prove their worth. (2) play another game like exalted where being a super duper bad ass is what it's all about.

Ultimately though, conflict is a natural part of the game. Your players will be more able to accept that, and work with the situation, once they feel that you're not out to get them.

It's entirely possible that I'm off my mark, but I can only go on the examples you've provided.

People who complain about their lot in life often have a person or thing to blame, as the cause of their suffering, and if that's what's happening with your players, their finger is probably being pointed at you.

[SurlySeraph]

Generally, their ideology. They fight to protect those who can't protect themselves because it's the right thing to do, or to destroy their enemies because they see it as the right thing to do. Many of them try to do what they're ordered - generally by their deity - as unquestioningly and precisely as possible.

When I play casters, they're generally motivated by insatiable curiosity. Tell them there might be books with interesting information on magic or the universe somewhere, and they'll go. "There'll be interesting horrible monsters that you've never seen before!" is often enough to convince them to go somewhere.

Most of my characters highly enjoy fighting, though for different reasons. The paladins tend to have an "One more undead destroyed, one less thing I need to do to make the world perfect" approach, the casters tend to want to prove themselves or demonstrate their power ("They all made fun of me for studying all day! *polymorphes into a troll* Who's weak now?! Who's weak now?! Mwahahaha!"), and the high-Int fighter-types and some of the casters enjoy the learning and discovery that happens in battle ("Oh, if I stab an Otyugh right there it goes squish. Cool. Hey, let's find out if that works on gibbering mouthers!")

[bosssmiley]

Avarice. The simple desire to get rich quick, or die in the attempt.

Also revenge. They are a grudgeful bunch.