Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zeno_The_Mad 01-09-07, 06:39 PM	My group has seemed to manage to slip away from the roleplaying part of D&D. i was wondering if you guys could give me some tips on how to bring roleplaying back to my game and any book that would be helpful to buy. thanks:D
darqmage1 01-09-07, 06:43 PM	my group is really good because we get so hyped up about it *that and sugar does the trick :P * but anyway, The best way to get them to roleplay is to find little tricks like real maps and things for the touch. If you have a stick, throw it to your sorcerer or wizard for a touch of realism. Of course, some people just don't want to RP, but a Good DMs I've played with have always found ways on getting shy characters out of a rut. ^_^
Azezel 01-09-07, 07:01 PM	Er, not sure how playing fetch with the party arcanist helps... My advice? Lead by example, cut down on the action, RP whenever possible, give rewards for good RP.
High Octane 01-09-07, 07:10 PM	You know, the core of D&D isnt roleplaying, its heroics.
Regular_K 01-09-07, 10:35 PM	Make a session that has a lot of roleplaying. some fighting, but more roleplaying.
Solik 01-09-07, 10:38 PM	Initiate it yourself. Start talking to them with NPCs. Once it gets going, set the scene -- in the middle of a long travel, just describe the scene around the campfire, see if you can get 'em to run with it. Make sure they're interested. If they're having fun not roleplaying, maybe you should just stick with that?
CryoSilver 01-09-07, 10:38 PM	Have a staplegun behind your screen. If they don't roleplay, shoot staples at them.
High Octane 01-09-07, 10:47 PM	Have a staplegun behind your screen. If they don't roleplay, shoot staples at them. Replace the word staple with nail and you have a real attention getter.
CryoSilver 01-09-07, 10:53 PM	Or with "shot"
DarkRhystar 01-09-07, 10:57 PM	My group has seemed to manage to slip away from the roleplaying part of D&D. i was wondering if you guys could give me some tips on how to bring roleplaying back to my game and any book that would be helpful to buy. thanks:D Step 1) Ask them what part(s) of roleplaying they don't like and stop doing that. Step 2) Ask them what part(s) of roleplaying they like and do more of that. Sounds simple enough. :)
Zeno_The_Mad 01-09-07, 11:58 PM	Thanks for the tips. Are there any books I can get that focus on roleplaying with ideas and the like for my players/me?
OneWinged4ngel 01-09-07, 11:59 PM	A lot of people have this idea that I find, well, quite crazy, myself. People seem to have this idea that action and fighting is somehow a seperate thing from roleplaying. Interestingly enough, I've never seen these people as particularly good RPers whenever I've played with them. Anyways, as the DM you initiate the RP, and you set it up in a way that encourages RP. First thing is to make sure your players put some thought into their characters'... well, character. Personally, I require a background writeup, detailed personality description, and detailed physical description, followed by my own questioning for certain parts. I make sure they know their own characters motives, and encourage them to put hooks in their backstories. I'm also quite picky about the people I recruit for my online games, so I only let people who pass my stringent standards play, but that's not an option for most people who aren't elitist jerks :D You don't have to do so much as I do, of course, but make sure they think of *why* their character is adventuring, a bit of a backstory, some thought into their personality, and some motivations/hooks for their characters (these last two are probably the most important, IMO). That's step 1. Second, you get active. Use in-depth descriptions of areas, npcs, and enemies. Make people memorable. Make them realistic. Make people and places the players will become interested in and curious about. Get them *engaged* in the fantasy world. Pay some attention to atmosphere, as this is quite important, and promote it whenever you can. Roleplaying isn't just talking with other people, something seperate from combat. Indeed, in my games combats don't look like "I roll an 18 and if that's enough hit for 23 damage," but rather "The heavily armored knight's greatsword clashes against the orc's blade, forcing it in a half-circle and off to the side. Immediately, the knight lunges forward, pushing the short of the blade near the hilt through the bewildered orc's throat. "The edge isn't the only part of a sword," the knight coos in a distinctly feminine voice as the wetly stutterring orc stares for a moment, wide-eyed, before crumpling to the ground in a bloody heap." Description makes all the difference here, and it'll reflect on the players. If you run your combats well, too, the RP won't slow down the turns in any noticable way (but that's another topic). Third, make roleplaying *challenges*. Again, "the action" is not a seperate thing from roleplay. Make fights have meaning. Make goals have purpouse. And make challenges where the characters have to roleplay in order to succeed. Perhaps the simplest and most commonly used example of a roleplaying challenge is a situation that requires a diplomatic solution, or careful negotiation. Others include various puzzles, mysteries, a combat where the enemy's mercenary leader isn't so sure about which side he should be on, or challenges that cannot be overcome by force, but instead require guile and planning. Encounters (especially bosses) that require special means to defeat, rather than simply beating them with a sword can definitely get them more involved. How about a challenge like "raise 10,000 gp in the port town in a week." Things like this that make your players think and interact with people in order to succeed. Also, make rewards for roleplaying. Overcoming roleplaying challenges accomplishes this, but you could also use other incentives, such as roleplaying XP (something I don't use myself...) If they're just REALLY bad RPers and just can't do it... well, I can't really help much since I don't have much experience here. I just kick such people out of my games without a second thought.
Thomar_of_Uointer 01-10-07, 12:41 AM	What I do is plan out roleplaying encounters with all the detail and care that I use for the combat encounters. Only three of the ability scores pertain directly to combat, you know. Well, if you ignore casters...
Cantankerous 01-10-07, 12:43 AM	You know, the core of D&D isnt roleplaying, its heroics. You know, the core of D&D is roleplaying heroics. Isshia
CroBob 01-10-07, 12:56 AM	My group has seemed to manage to slip away from the roleplaying part of D&D. i was wondering if you guys could give me some tips on how to bring roleplaying back to my game and any book that would be helpful to buy. thanks:D Simple; Antagonists they either cannot, should not, or will not win if they fight. They can come in many variety, so I'll not bother with a list. They must conform to the situation of your campaign. Simply set up situations that should be RPed through. I find that significant others often inspire Rping. Sometimes so much that nothing else is done all session. Nothing wrong with that, even if I would prefer plot be moved forward. Certainly, significant others moving plot forward could and should be done, but if you do it too much, it just gets annoying. Have them help a child with a bully in the middle of a clearing. It either goes ignored, or it gets RPed through. What, are they going to combat their way through that? Combat their way through two kids? If so, it's certainly the players' fault for the lack of RPing.
Dvaczilla3 01-10-07, 02:00 AM	My group has seemed to manage to slip away from the roleplaying part of D&D. i was wondering if you guys could give me some tips on how to bring roleplaying back to my game and any book that would be helpful to buy. thanks:D Knowing your players helps alot. Try catering a bit to what each person likes. Sometimes it helps to briefly single players out in roleplaying situations, such as having an NPC speak directly to them. I say briefly because you don't want to single anyone out for more than a minute or two, otherwise that player or the others may get annoyed. Descriptions are always great, and have NPCs say things during battle. The players are going to kill the villain anyway, so why not have the villain taunt them relentlessly, and perhaps say a few dramatic (and possibly cheesy) last words upon his death. Using villians that are clearly too much for the party to handle is a good way, unless you know that one of your players is bound to attack the guy anyway. Another thing that you might try is taking some of the emaphasis off of the rules themselves. This is harder to do when your players really know the rules, but encourage them to simply try things and just allow you to tell them how it works. I know that in my group, we have a tendency to say things as they are printed in the book, but when there is a new player who doesn't know all the ins and outs as well, they tend to just say what their character are going to do without looking up skill or feat descriptions. Finally, you can try calling everyone by their character's names instead of their real names. It's really corny, but it may just be corny enough to work.
steenan 01-10-07, 09:53 AM	I found that the best way to get players into roleplaying their characters is leading by example: - Never just inform what an NPC says ("Sagar calls to you that he found something strange in the corner.") - let him speak himself ("Guys, look what I found here!" - in happy, scared, confused or disgusted voice, as appropriate). - Use different voices, mimics and gesticulation for different NPCs, so players can distinguish them without telling them OOC who speaks at the moment. It's good to exaggerate mannerisms, you should be expressive, not reallistic. - Do not forget to describe and roleplay when you grab dice. Both combat and social interactions use game mechanics, but they become much more interesting when not reduced to OOC declarations. Someone tries to lie to PCs but you roll poorly for his bluff - roleplay him as nervous, talking fast and contradicting himself. Enemy monk hits party barbarian for quite a high damage - describe him as forcing the barb's sword away by hitting its flat side with his hand and then following with a kick to solar plexus. And so on.
Falln 01-10-07, 09:59 AM	We added a term in our groups that's called RPC: roleplaying combat. Since most people think you have combat, the moment your character gets exp and you have noncombat where people talk and that's it. RPC means roleplay your character even in combat. The DM needs to do the same. Instead of saying: you see 3 Orcs, discribe them, tell that they smell like rotten eggs, Maybe someone will see a baby orc in the room, ... The orc isn't fighting with a normal club, but it's a piece of furniture. The DM needs to use the location in combat as a scene in a movie. Stuff happens, it's not only Move character, roll, hit, move NPC roll, miss, ... If you start introducing the roleplaying in combat your players will maybe get more motivated to roleplay. What if a PC notices the baby and he sees the party mage is going to cast a fireball in the room?
Orbb_was_railed_by_God 01-10-07, 10:29 AM	Have the party attacked by people that would not normally be lumped into the "Chunks of XP" category. Peasants, Guards, Paladins...whoever. If all goes well, the party should start asking some questions, and from that point out you are roleplaying.
Drammattex 01-10-07, 10:46 AM	Thanks for the tips. Are there any books I can get that focus on roleplaying with ideas and the like for my players/me? My tips: To get the group to role-play more, create a buttload of NPCs. Harum the miller, Gerdon the smith, Leyton the brewer, Sasha the tavern wench. Don't worry about statting them. What will happen is this: the more NPCs you create, the more apparent these people and their wants/desires will be in your mind. They will start appearing, talking to the PCs. The PCs will start relating to them, and sooner rather than later, new plot elements will begin to develop. Make more NPCs than you need, always. They may not always appear, but your world will start looking like a very active place full of lots of people, all with their own motivations. You will find ways to make those motivations work for and against the PCs and new adventures will happen. Books? If you want more role-playing in your game, don't read game books. Read books on writing and story structure. If you want to read game books that promote role-playing, try the old Ravenloft setting or the d20 Call of Cthulhu book. Horror games necessarily tend to force role-playing simply because you CAN'T kill everything there. Mystery tends to make people talk/think more. The essential thing to grasp here is that there is action and there is action. Story action is about what the characters DO to overcome conflict. In D&D, you usually get more of the other kind of action, which is the "setting things on fire, running, jumping, fighting with swords" action. That kind of action is only REALLY exciting when it's motivated by the first kind of action (i.e. characters really want something badly and something stands in their way which they must overcome in order to attain their goals, forcing to them to resort to "setting things on fire, running, jumping, fighting with swords" action). Too often, the primary motivator in D&D is cash or "the big, dark, evil dude." In my opinion, the best way to motivate heroic action is to first create a desire in the PC(s) that sets them off emotionally. They either really want, really hate, really need, really love... something that you have made them feel by setting up a situation. Anyway, I could go on for days. That's my 3.5 cents.
Tyler Do'Urden 01-10-07, 10:59 AM	Improv acting is embarassing. Just start doing it and hope it rubs off. Have them watch a lot of Whose Line.
Dan Hemmens 01-10-07, 03:02 PM	My group has seemed to manage to slip away from the roleplaying part of D&D. i was wondering if you guys could give me some tips on how to bring roleplaying back to my game and any book that would be helpful to buy. thanks:D I think that this is one of those "the answer's in the question" situations. There is no "roleplaying part" in D&D, it's all roleplaying. Some of it involves roleplaying a person who is having a conversation, some of it involves roleplaying a person who is fighting orcs. When you talk about the "roleplaying part" what do you actually mean?
LostMage 01-10-07, 03:10 PM	What I do for my group is, at the end of an adventure, I have them vote on who they think roleplayed the most that game, and give that person 50-100 bonus XP.