My player in a mon game doesn't like the idea of rping his mons in combat

[MonkeySage]

I decided to use Gurps as an engine to run Shin Megami Tensei, a mon game in which the player recruits demons to fight for them. Due to the limitations of being a role playing game, this would mean that in combat, the player takes direct control over the attacks the demons make, and such.

But my player is uncomfortable with the idea of roleplaying the mons. I've explained that I would still be roleplaying the mons, he's only controlling their combat activities... but he doesn't seem to understand.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

He wants to be in a combat heavy game where all the combat is the GM playing with himself while he as a player just watches? [/yes, intended] Did you ask why? Because they're demons? If that's the case, could you add some elemental spirits to the world or something?

[MonkeySage]

That's not the problem, he's uncomfortable with playing NPCs because he doesn't know them well enough to roleplay them.


Technically, in the SMT series, a demon is just a non-human creature with magical powers; this includes traditional demons, fairies, angels, mythical gods, and so on.

[TurboGhast]

That's not the problem, he's uncomfortable with playing NPCs because he doesn't know them well enough to roleplay them.


Technically, in the SMT series, a demon is just a non-human creature with magical powers; this includes traditional demons, fairies, angels, mythical gods, and so on.

Note that during combat the NPC would probably only be taking the PC's orders anyway, and the game would go faster with this in place.

[GrayGriffin]

If it really bothers him so much, have him RP his character giving the orders directly, and then you "roleplay" the demons listening to him.

[Grek]

Is the problem that:
Your player objects to roleplaying as a demon specifically?
Your player objects to roleplaying nonhumans in general?
Your player objects to roleplaying any character that isn't one they wrote?
Your player objects to roleplaying any character they do not know well?
Your player objects to deciding combat actions but not non-combat actions?

The answer for what to do depends strongly on the specifics here. Talk to your player, ask what they are and aren't comfortable with doing.

[goto124]

Isn't the player deciding the combat actions, by telling the mons what to do?

How does a player play combat without deciding combat actions? What was combat like in the original game - did the player select the combat actions of the mons?

OP: What exactly did the player say when you tried to explain how he's only deciding combat actions?

It sounds like the player thinks he must 'roleplay' the mons' personalities, when he just has to use said mons as beatsticks (Demon Charges at Angel, Lion uses Power Attack on Tiger, I've never played SMT *cowers*).

[Mr.Moron]

Just run his monsters yourself and if at some point he objects to something you do, RP them out reacting to his objection. The GMing overhead of it isn't huge, it's what the player wants and it potentially creates more space for the unexpected from a player PoV. It's all upside pretty much.

Let 'em relinquish control. It's not like SMT Demons don't have their own personalities and will, it's hardly inconceivable he could have them acting on their own discretion.