D&D General Could Improv (and maybe Theatre) save your Roleplaying???

[MichaelSomething]

Are you troubled by the effects of video games in your RPGs? Want a focus on the fiction and interaction instead of mechanics and button pressing? Maybe you're just need a different source of inspiration for your games? Try Improv and theatre!

Instead of recruiting players form the gaming world; recruit players from the worlds of Improv and Theatre! Post flyers at your local play house, or improv school! Hang out at your local actor hot spots! Find players who enjoy show tunes! It worked wonders for Matt Mercer; it can work for you too!

Conversely, you can bring Improv and Theatre to your group! Spend time before a session conducting Improv exercises. Take your group to a local play. Help your players find their "motivation."

Don't want video games in your TTRPG?? Pump some acting into it instead!

 

[Scruffy nerf herder]

Are you troubled by the effects of video games in your RPGs? Maybe you're just need a different source of inspiration for your games? Try Improv and theatre!

Instead of recruiting players form the gaming world; recruit players from the worlds of Improv and Theatre! Post flyers at your local play house, or improv school! Hang out at your local actor hot spots! Find players who enjoy show tunes! It worked wonders for Matt Mercer; it can work for you too!

Conversely, you can bring Improv and Theatre to your group! Spend time before a session conducting Improv exercises. Take your group to a local play. Help your players find their "motivation."

Don't want video games in your TTRPG?? Pump some acting into it instead!

Splendid. I've found that it can also be quite sufficient to focus a lot on your own improv skills as a DM and emphasize it when running the game. This often stimulates the players into doing the same and helps them to learn how it works, and why it is fun.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Lol.. I now have visions of a male fighter commenting to a female cleric over a strategy session ala SNL circa 1976.

Jane you ignorant pineapple pizza. lmao

 

[DEFCON 1]

I've been involved with improv for 25 years and I long for the day when more people start thinking of D&D as a long-form improv exercise rather than a board game to win. LOL.

I also know I'm going to be waiting a looooooooooooooooong time for that.

 

[HammerMan]

interesting... 2/3 of my left over group (post 4e/PF split, post 5e come backs, post 5e drop outs, after years of loosing people to real life, or worse fates, and finally having to go online to Roll20 and losing the local game store both to covid) have theater backgrounds (although some of them ALSO have major video game habbits).

I wonder if that is part of why I butt heads with some Enworlders? is the theater background group something that makes my group not the norm.

Before Covid when I was running new people at the game store (even spun one player out into a DM who was running there own game at the store on another night) most of the new players were 25 or younger and none of them had theater backgrounds.... I need to think about this.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I play with mostly theater people and the reason I think so many of us latch onto D&D is because it game-ifies our hobby so we can do it on our off-time so to speak. What games out there emphasize or use performance as a foundation? We're talking pretty much charades, improv games, and RPGs. It's a strong match.

But if you are another type of "gamer" than a roleplayer, if you wish to expand your gaming horizons you have many more options than just RPGs to do that, so there isn't that immediate connection necessarily.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Improv and theatre both, but I think improv more. One of the greatest challenges to role-playing for many players is developing a comfort of just "going with it", making up a character/concept on the spur of the moment, and such. DMing helps a lot with that, and so I encourage any players who have an interest in DMing to try it. With practice, that alone can make a huge impact IME.

 

[Umbran]

Improv and theatre both, but I think improv more. One of the greatest challenges to role-playing for many players is developing a comfort of just "going with it", making up a character/concept on the spur of the moment, and such.

I don't know that making up character/concept spur of the moment is a real need for most players, except those in very high lethality games. Usually, we have time for character generation.

However, the comfort of "going with it" in the course of play is a useful thing that can be learned. Shifting play to "Yes, and..." format, instead of wrangling so much over what, exactly, the party should do, for example.

 

[HammerMan]

I don't know that making up character/concept spur of the moment is a real need for most players, except those in very high lethality games. Usually, we have time for character generation.

yeah if you are running Tome of Horrors Bob 7th needs to improve quick

Improv and theatre both, but I think improv more. One of the greatest challenges to role-playing for many players is developing a comfort of just "going with it", making up a character/concept on the spur of the moment, and such. DMing helps a lot with that, and so I encourage any players who have an interest in DMing to try it. With practice, that alone can make a huge impact IME.

the 'Yes and' instead of 'no' seems like a GREAT lesson (and it is), but it also has it's limits. Sometimes you HAVE to (especially as a DM) say NO

 

[Vaalingrade]

Same people complaining about video games will start complaining that the actors want to talk to everything and explore the ethos and morality of their enemies instead of turning goblins into red mist.