How do I get more roleplaying out of my players?

[kenobi65]

This is very good. I was going to say that, in my experience, you can't force roleplaying. Usually you end up giving them a bad opinion of the "roleplaying fanatics." Leading by example is usually best. Have roleplaying in the group, give opportunities for it (and reward them when they take the initiative to roleplay).

I concur...but you also will need to accept that you may have some players who simply don't want to roleplay -- or, at least, not want to do the kind of roleplaying you want to see. Everyone's got a certain preference, and a certain comfort level with different styles of play, and you may be trying to force something that they won't enjoy.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

While there is a lot of good advice here, one I haven't noticed so far is...reward good roleplaying more than you have been.

You say you reward it, but only a little bit. The more you reward the behavior you want to encourage, you'll elicit more of it from your players. That's basic Pavlov. The trick is to not go from mere encouragement and into just seeming to play favorites.

It could be as simple as "Easter Eggs" that are meant to be found with good roleplay: the old woman that the Paladin helps get to evening services remembers him in her will...the thief earns a favor from the local guild by fencing something at the "right" location, and so forth.

Ultimately, though, the real answer is that roleplaying is a skill that needs to be learned, and that takes time.

 

[delericho]

Wesley Crusher.

Have an annoying kid/Meepo the kobold/kender tag along with the group. The key here is to insert a character that the party can't just kill, and in fact feel beholden to protect, and can't easily ditch (for whatever reason), and then have the NPC act in a manner that demands an in-character response. Which, yes, does mean being annoying, asking questions constantly, having no awareness, and so forth.

But be aware - it's a fine line. There's only so far you can go before it stops being funny.

Alternatively, you need to detail the patrons of the party's favoured drinking hole, and be sure to have them interact with the party. If that grizzled dwarven mercenary spends his time regaling the party fighter about all the battles he's been involved in, and asking said fighter about his history, said fighter will have little choice but to respond.

Bear in mind that 'character backgrounds' really don't need to be done in advance of the campaign beginning. Really, how much do we know about any character in a Star Trek series after the pilot episode? Instead, they can be dynamic things, developed as the campaign progresses. So, for a fighter, "he's a gladiator from the Free City", or "he was once a sellsword" or even just "he's out in the world to seek fortune and glory" could be enough to start with.

 

[howandwhy99]

First off, Don't force a style of play on the players they are not willing to follow. Sometimes players are not looking for roleplaying and prefer killing enemies and taking their stuff. If you're not sure they really realize that roleplaying can be had, design more roleplaying encounters in the game. Basically, add more civilized folks instead of just random monsters. The greater depth and life you can add to the other personalities in the world, the easier it will be for your players to relate to them. The more interesting and charismatic you make them, the more likely your players will prefer to speak with them.

 

[DethStryke]

Asking questions that can "screw" PCs, like "what does he fear?" almost never work. I don't want to say my character fears fire, because several sessions later, the trustworthy GM will (not deliberately!) introduce a scenario with a burning building, and then I have to sit outside or suffer some status condition because he's too afraid to be a hero! It's like asking questions about relatives - smart villains will threaten them (but won't kill them all, as that only makes the heroes angrier and have nothing to lose, etc).

I think this example is a sad fact of life that doesn't have to be. To expand on your example, if I may, you can say your character fears fire. So when the house is on fire and you have to save someone, then when your character braves his worst fears and runs through the building to grab the family trapped inside, it is even MORE heroic.

Perhaps he will have nightmares about it for a month. Perhaps he will become a dare devil, finding that he enjoys the adrenaline rush he got from the action. Maybe both. There are many other opportunities there as well, but those two are the first that sprang to mind in a few seconds.

The point is that Role-Playing, like life, is about choices. If you choose to stay outside because he's afraid of fire, then fine... but don't blame the DM for that because that was your choice. The DM provided you a stage on which to add depth to your character, but you chose the passive path. Back story can become a disabling net if you let it, but it can also be a spring board for depth and flavor. You have to be willing to weave the strings in a beneficial way, both DM and player, to make a proper tapestry. That involves seeing these things as opportunities and fun challenges to be overcome, rather than a gutting of your usefulness.

I do notice that many people will give you many reasons why they can't do something right away, but few start the conversation with things they can.

 

[Mitchbones]

Thanks for all the help guys! I am going to try and slow the action down after they finish some key events, I relized I haven't exactly given them too many chances to slow down and do the minor stuff (Explore city, buy stuff, converse, etc)

Edit: Offtopic: Yay this is my 100th post!

 

[Quartz]

Have you considered that the problem might be yourself? What opportunities to roleplay with NPCs are you giving them? What opportunities to roleplay with each other (as opposed to discussing how to solve a problem) are you giving them?

If you want them to roleplay, provide the opportunity and reward them for taking it. Rewards don't have to be XP. I recall that in an old issue of Dragon, a tournament designer included a gnome (?) rogue who was adventuring to make an impression on a princess (?) on whom he was sweet. The rogue tried to out-macho the fighters.

 

[Bad Paper]

1) Take one D&D group, add alcohol.
2) Stir with one over-the-top DM who roleplays a ridiculous amount.
3) Enjoy!

 

[Mitchbones]

1) Take one D&D group, add alcohol.
2) Stir with one over-the-top DM who roleplays a ridiculous amount.
3) Enjoy!

We are all underage and I have enough problems with one of the players coming high :\ Good thing I trusted my instincts and suggested he be a fighter

I wouldn't say that it is all my fault because in the previous campaign there was plenty of opportunities to roleplay.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

My advice is simple: lead by example.