New players and roleplaying

Abe.ebA · Jul 13, 2005

I'm DMing a small (4+DM) group. Of the five of us, three are old hands at DnD, one has a fair amount of experience under his belt, and we have one newbie. The campaign's been going great so far (if only I could find a couple more regular players...), but I do have one or two problems.

The big one is getting the new guy up to speed. He's smart and 3.5 isn't really that hard to learn. He's had the usual beginner's questions and confusions but is mostly past that now. He's even up to the stage of trying to develop new tactics for combat encounters. My question is how to get him into actually roleplaying.

I like a good chunk of RP in my sessions and the rest of the group seems okay with it but the new guy doesn't really participate much. He asks questions and makes suggestions, but he hasn't tried to develop his character at all. I asked my players to fill out some character background questions (description, family, goals, etc) and got his back with jokes about his monkish vow of celibacy and not much else.

I suppose I should have seen it coming since he said during character creation that his dwarven monk was going to have an indian accent, but all the characters I've really enjoyed playing have had some sort of schtick to them. I'm just not sure how to get him to make the jump from playing the game to playing a character. If it were what everyone wanted (low RP, lots of combat/meta-gaming) I'd roll with it, but it's just the new guy. And I don't think it can be chalked up as 'his playstyle' since, this being his first RPG, he doesn't really have one yet.

So any suggestions on how to get a newbie to get in-character?

Rodrigo Istalindir · Jul 13, 2005

Patience. RPing doesn't come easily to all people (and some never get it or don't really care for it). If he's truly a newbie, he may not feel comfortable enough with the game to move beyond the basics. He might also feel intimidated, especially if the rest of the group are really into it and know each other. Being the new guy in the group of people that are already friends in addition to being new to the game can be really scary.

If you've got a good group, and don't hassle him, he'll come around on his own, probably. Offer in-game and out-of-game rewards for good RPing (bonus XPs, something unique loot-wise, the last slice of pizza, whatever) and make sure he gets the prize once in a while. Give him a chance for a short little solo sidetrip where he can't just hide behind the others.

The last thing you want to do is make him feel like he's somehow inferior. It may be that he turns out to be someone more intersted in the mechanics of the game, or just likes seeing how the story unfolds. So long as he's having fun and the group is having fun, it's all good.

OpheliaWhispers · Jul 13, 2005

Here's an idea...

I agree with Rodrigo. If he isn't into RPG then he isn't. Maybe he'll some around to it, but untill then try not to force it too much on him.

One good meathod I have used in the past to get a group RPG is to say "From this point to this point, everything you say will be in-character". You won't believe how well this has worked. Especially if you set the time limit to a half of an hour or so. They normally can't just sit there that long and not say anything. Plus it is fun to see who says what and what they wish they could take back, that is untill they get used to it. Start at short intervals and work your way up. That way if he wants to do something IC he will have to talk

.

Just a thought...

Ophelia

Abe.ebA · Jul 13, 2005

I know it's largely a matter of time and whether a person is the RP type or not, it's just been so long since I was at that stage in my gaming career that I don't remember what it's like

I think I'll try the IC-half-hour idea tomorrow night. I've played in groups where the rule was "everything you say comes out of your character's mouth", generally with some proviso like "unless you put your hand on your head" or "unless you put on the OOC hat" etc. I think that might be a bit extreme, though. I'm not a really hardcore character-actor-roleplayer type, I just like my players (or my PC, when I'm not in the DM chair) to act based on their character's motivations, not based on what's going to get them the most numbers on their sheet. I'm just uncertain how to guide someone to the point where they start thinking, "what would a dwarven monk want out of life?"

Quickleaf · Jul 13, 2005

Here are some ideas that I've had success with:

"Closed book gaming" -- No rulebooks are consulted during the game, players only reference character sheets and the GM only references the adventure. If this feels extreme, throw in a half-way break to check the books

"Lead by example" -- Provide enticing NPCs who are clearly more than a gimmick (funny accent, stereotype, combat monster, etc). The more convincing you get at this, the better. You might try to artfully weave potential modifiers into your description of a situation. For example: ...looking down at you, the mounted tax-collectors scoffs, "This hovel has not been blessed by a true noble till my steed set forth within!" Players could take advantage of the tax-collectors haughtiness, and use the bluff skill to get him to gloat, allowing another ally to sneak out. Or they could try to get his horse to rear...inside the cramped hovel. Perhaps the tight quarters mean it's easier to flank the tax-collector?
This gives your new player a motive to listen to your artful descriptions. At first, they'll be listening for a modifier/situation to use to their advantage, but that's OK.

"The foil" -- Create an NPC who is the ultimate rival to the PC. Sometimes, we need to define ourselves but what we are not (hey, it's a start). For example, you might create a dwarven monk who abandoned the monastery after an argument with the lama. Perhaps the lama wanted him to forsake his family name and/or cut his hair (both big offenses to a dwarf!) before becoming steward. When this monk refused, he was exiled with a big uproar. Now he deters would-be monks from the monastery, warning of the lama's fanaticism. He sees the monastery from the outside: A group of people who don't work, rely on sustenance from others, and commoners consider them "holy"? The ex-monk begins hiring would-be monks as help on his fishing boat. If the monk PC is still in service to the monastery, you now have a perfect foil to play off of.

"The lure/moral dilemma" -- Pick some aspect of the game the player does get (e.g. combat) and use that as a lead-in for role-playing the character's motives. For example, introduce the idea of "A Warrior's Code" that many combatants seem to observe. It's more than "no cheating", in fact a warrior is expected to honor the dying request of a fallen foe. Now your PC has a moral dilemma. Do I forget about this code thing and risk my reputation getting damaged? Or do I follow through on my foe's dying request no matter how difficult?

DarrenGMiller · Jul 13, 2005

Simple answer: It just takes time. He is new and needs to get comfortable with it. Make sure everyone at the table leads by example and speaks to him in character often. If he replies with a, "My character says...," then stop him and say, please reply in character. Keep encouraging but don't make him feel uncomfortable... too much. He just has to gradually expand his comfort zone.

It could be worse. I once taught a friend who had never played before and spoke only limited English. He was from the Phillipines. It was very interesting teaching him 1E back in the mid-80's.

Have patience!

DM

Shadowslayer · Jul 13, 2005

Ill second what some others have said, give it some time. The WORST thing you can do is try and artificially force it on him. Have your players shoulder some of the burden of teaching him by asking him stuff in character. Design encounters that can be solved only by roleplaying, and don't hesitate to say so at the start of the encounter. Frame it as a game challenge.

ie "Ok this particular encounter is a roleplaying challenge. XP will be awarded thus"

The reason I say frame particular encounters this way is so he knows he doesnt have to be "on" all the time he's learning your group's style of play. If he gets it after a while, than all is good, and if not then you should have a pretty good "rules" guy. The best groups I ever played in had a mix of different style players, and everyone sorta had a role in the group.

But give him time, and remember that although "roleplaying" (as in, speaking in character, having elaborate backgrounds etc) may be integral to your groups playstyle, its actually not integral to the D&D rules. Let him become comfortable with the book rules, then get into playstyles. He'll either like it or he won't.

My 2 cents.
Trev

TheGM · Jul 13, 2005

If the rest of the group is roleplaying, he'll come around. As others have said, I've never seen a new player sit down and delve into character development. Being the hero or the big guy or whatever is what's appealing... Roleplaying comes later.

Brakkart · Jul 13, 2005

I always try to have one "newbie" in every group I run. In our current group that role is filled by Matt who plays the parties barbarian dwarf. While he started out learning the ropes, and is still learning the rules to some extent (ably helped by Phil the groups previous newbie and now our resident rules lawyer!), he has begun to develop his character in small ways. for instance he has decided that his dwarf is quite pious, and in every town/city the group enters he makes a point to seek out the local dwarf community and leave an offering to his god (Clangeddin) if there is a shrine, as well as confer with the priests. I'm quite content to let him continue to develop his character in his own good time, as I feel trying to push him into anything more will only serve to lessen his enjoyment of the campaign.

mcrow · Jul 13, 2005

I have done a good amount of RPing over the last 15 years and I am sometimes nervous about being in character around people I don't know well. I was lucky when I learned how to RP I was playing in group of people that I grew up with. I know a lot of people these days learn from playing a demo with someone they have never met before. I can't really get into RPing my character very easily around people I don't know so i can imagine it would be more difficult for a new player. Give him a chance to get to know you and the rest of the group (if he doesn't already) and I bet he will come around.

I have also run into groups that noone speaks in character @ all. They just say my character does this or that. I don't see anything wrong with that playing style as long as the group is having fun. If your goup likes to do a lot of in character RPing then this play style will clash with your group.