Role playing a married couple

[megamania]

Trying something new with a new group.....

female cleric into adventure and learning stuff (best left alone)

fighter / kensai warrior.... focus is...her, his wife.


Too strange? Hard to do? Anyone with experience of role playing a married couple within a game before?

 

[RainOfSteel]

Unless they plan on roleplaying conjugal activities, it should be ok. If they do, then maybe they need to review FATAL, or something.

Be ready for drama related to the relationship, though. Obviously, if one is threatened, and they love each other, there are going to be issues. Which is appropriate, though others may find it annoying.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I think married PCs shouldn't be an issue in the game. In fact, the strong connection between the charater is a great foundation for good storytelling.

If I was playing or running the game I would be turned off by the characters' concept if either the players played them as stereotypically farces ("the old ball and chain" comments, the wife nagging the husband, etc.) or if there was a barrage of out of character jokes in the same vein. That stuff should stay on stage with hacky standup comics where it belongs.

 

[Barastrondo]

My wife and I have done it, mostly as a change of pace. Interestingly, the characters wound up having a very professional demeanor during play, and their affection was mostly implied to be expressed during non-adventure time. Characters with active sexual tension tend to be more distracting that married characters, I feel. (Not that "distracting" is always bad; for some groups, it's welcome entertainment just as bickering or quipping may be.)

 

[billd91]

I would probably watch how the dynamic works with the other players. There may be some out there who will resent these two characters having that sort of bond. They'll worry that the two will form a coalition and dictate too much of what the party does, how they divide treasure, and so on. And they'll act accordingly.

I'm not saying this is an appropriate reaction for other players to have. I'm saying there are players out there who will behave like this. You might want to watch your other players for signs of it.

 

[Bullgrit]

How about if their's is an arranged marriage? They are bound by family honor and oath, but not emotional love.

Bullgrit

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would probably watch how the dynamic works with the other players. There may be some out there who will resent these two characters having that sort of bond. They'll worry that the two will form a coalition and dictate too much of what the party does, how they divide treasure, and so on. And they'll act accordingly.

If your players are likely to team up and attempt to screw the rest of the group, they'll do that whether or not their characters are married.

 

[billd91]

If your players are likely to team up and attempt to screw the rest of the group, they'll do that whether or not their characters are married.

That may be, but there are players out there who assume that will happen if two other player at their table play married - whether they were going to do so or not. Some players get really jealous of their power at the table and can't handle the appearance of two players having an ironclad alliance in decision-making.

 

[Ladybam]

So, I have done - play DnD 4e with my husband. We did not play as a married couple in the game. That was great

One of my character is married in the game. When i play with my characters dnd husband, we just say that we do our own thing, but when we get together... BOOM POW. I keep it PG. Its fun to have back story. One of my other character has a son. When we play together we act like mom and son (its me with my actual son).

More back story the better. Just keep it.. in the back.

 

[El Mahdi]

Something that might help your players establish parameters for how to roleplay this, and where not to go with it, might be to watch Firefly and note the interactions between Zoey and Wash, and their interaction with the rest of the group (especially Mal). They even use marital discord (an argument about Zoey not treating Wash as a man) as the premise for an episode (leads to an interesting adventure).

I think as long as they view anything they introduce in game as pertains to their marriage, as whether it would be fun or dramatic...and if not don't do it...then it should be fine. If they consider that roleplaying a specific facet of this interaction might be counterproductive to the game or the campaign/story/narrative/action/etc. - then they should probably refrain from vocalizing that aspect through roleplaying.

But, it's also a plot element that you as GM, can incorporate into the campaign, even using it as the impetus for certain adventures. Their motivations are an easily understood and known quantity.