Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
D&D versus social anxiety disorder (updated 8/20/14)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Halivar" data-source="post: 4444862" data-attributes="member: 9327"><p><strong>Necro'd and updated 8/20/14:</strong> <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?239703-D-amp-D-versus-social-anxiety-disorder&p=6365082&viewfull=1#post6365082" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?239703-D-amp-D-versus-social-anxiety-disorder&p=6365082&viewfull=1#post6365082</a></p><p></p><p>I'm not big for serious topics, but I really feel like I need help/advice here.</p><p></p><p>I've got a campaign going with several D&D veterans and a brand new player. We've been playing for about 7-8 sessions now, and I run a roleplay-heavy game. I had the players make up backstories together, but the newbie didn't want to write one. I took her aside and coached her through the backstory creation process. By herself, she had no problem coming up with a cool and creative character. The character was <em>so </em>cool I ended up tying her backstory into the campaign narrative.</p><p></p><p>At the table, she does not talk, except in combat ("I go here, I hit this guy, I rolled a 17"). She is not bored, however; she gives whoever is speaking rapt attention. Another DM friend suggested I try "putting her on the spot" by placing her in a situation where she, on her own, has to make a decision and roleplay it out. The results were awkward. She didn't want to do it. Eventually, she told me just to move on to another character and forget it. To me, this is the sure sign that the player simply doesn't want to roleplay. I'm acutally kind of used to that; I adjust my expectations accordingly.</p><p></p><p>Later, when I had her alone, I asked her what her favorite part of the game was. I expected her to say combat, because that's the only time she interacts with the other players. So, I was pretty astonished when she said it was the roleplay and the story that she liked the most. She talked about her character, and the suspense over her character's mysterious ties to the campaign story. I didn't understand, so I asked her why she never roleplays, or ever tries to contribute to the narrative.</p><p></p><p>She told me she struggles with social anxiety disorder, and one of the side effects is that she cannot bring herself to roleplay out of fear of embarrassment. Mind you, in our group we go all-out, goofy, thespian, with cheesey accents and everything. On occasions where I force her to make decisions, she shuts down simply to prevent a panic attack.</p><p></p><p>Now, I would be content to let her play her way, and not force her into uncomfortable situations, but for this: she tells me the actively <em>wants</em> to roleplay. She has the overwhelming urge to participate, act in character, and do wild and crazy in-character stuff like the other players. She simply can't. The fear of judgement and humiliation is a complete brick wall. Period. It doesn't matter how "understanding" people are, because the phobia is completely internalized. Furthermore, it is her hope (expressed to me) that participating in D&D will help her overcome her social anxiety disorder (NO PRESSURE!!!). I'm skeptical that <em>any</em> RPG could do that.</p><p></p><p>I want to run a good game, have everyone have fun, and have everyone participate to the level that they desire. Unfortunately, I don't know that I can achieve all (or any) of these goals.</p><p></p><p>Does anyone have experience gaming with folks (or are you, yourself, a gamer) with social anxiety disorder? What can I do to help her come out of her shell and enjoy the game to the fullest extent she wants to?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Halivar, post: 4444862, member: 9327"] [B]Necro'd and updated 8/20/14:[/B] [url]http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?239703-D-amp-D-versus-social-anxiety-disorder&p=6365082&viewfull=1#post6365082[/url] I'm not big for serious topics, but I really feel like I need help/advice here. I've got a campaign going with several D&D veterans and a brand new player. We've been playing for about 7-8 sessions now, and I run a roleplay-heavy game. I had the players make up backstories together, but the newbie didn't want to write one. I took her aside and coached her through the backstory creation process. By herself, she had no problem coming up with a cool and creative character. The character was [I]so [/I]cool I ended up tying her backstory into the campaign narrative. At the table, she does not talk, except in combat ("I go here, I hit this guy, I rolled a 17"). She is not bored, however; she gives whoever is speaking rapt attention. Another DM friend suggested I try "putting her on the spot" by placing her in a situation where she, on her own, has to make a decision and roleplay it out. The results were awkward. She didn't want to do it. Eventually, she told me just to move on to another character and forget it. To me, this is the sure sign that the player simply doesn't want to roleplay. I'm acutally kind of used to that; I adjust my expectations accordingly. Later, when I had her alone, I asked her what her favorite part of the game was. I expected her to say combat, because that's the only time she interacts with the other players. So, I was pretty astonished when she said it was the roleplay and the story that she liked the most. She talked about her character, and the suspense over her character's mysterious ties to the campaign story. I didn't understand, so I asked her why she never roleplays, or ever tries to contribute to the narrative. She told me she struggles with social anxiety disorder, and one of the side effects is that she cannot bring herself to roleplay out of fear of embarrassment. Mind you, in our group we go all-out, goofy, thespian, with cheesey accents and everything. On occasions where I force her to make decisions, she shuts down simply to prevent a panic attack. Now, I would be content to let her play her way, and not force her into uncomfortable situations, but for this: she tells me the actively [I]wants[/I] to roleplay. She has the overwhelming urge to participate, act in character, and do wild and crazy in-character stuff like the other players. She simply can't. The fear of judgement and humiliation is a complete brick wall. Period. It doesn't matter how "understanding" people are, because the phobia is completely internalized. Furthermore, it is her hope (expressed to me) that participating in D&D will help her overcome her social anxiety disorder (NO PRESSURE!!!). I'm skeptical that [I]any[/I] RPG could do that. I want to run a good game, have everyone have fun, and have everyone participate to the level that they desire. Unfortunately, I don't know that I can achieve all (or any) of these goals. Does anyone have experience gaming with folks (or are you, yourself, a gamer) with social anxiety disorder? What can I do to help her come out of her shell and enjoy the game to the fullest extent she wants to? [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
D&D versus social anxiety disorder (updated 8/20/14)
Top