D&D 5E DM not roleplaying much

[Baldurs_Underdark]

Hey all,

tl;dr, Our DM does not appear to enjoy roleplaying. We (his players) do like to roleplay, but don't achieve anything with it.

We (the players of the campaign) would like to have some non-player characters (NPCs) to interact with and to solve some situations in creative ways that may not involve regular combat... But as soon as we meet some NPCs, they keep walking away from us, ignoring us, or otherwise not interacting with us. Other creative ways to use our environment keeps failing. The thing is though, the campaign frequently takes us to situations where violence really is not the ideal solution, like on busy market squares with many guards, or inside enemy camps. By now, I get the feeling that we should just wait in such situations, because things are already planned ahead anyway. But that means that the roleplaying we do is completely meaningless.

How can we get our DM to allow us to roleplay, or rather, to give meaning to the roleplaying? We keep inventing all kinds of smart solutions to the problems we have, but we just end up fighting our way out of trouble every time.

For example, on a busy square, we tried to free a prisoner by bribing a few people, and then staging an elaborate distraction before making our move. I'd be fine if that failed because we rolled our D20 too low on stealth, sleigh of hand, athletics, etc. ... But we didn't even have to roll. It just failed because our DM wanted us to follow that prisoner around the corner of the street where suddenly the number of guards was smaller so we could attack them. I'd even be OK if we were clearly discouraged from making such plans (e.g. the DM could have just announced that the prisoner was being moved right now). I'd even accept it if it was just a really bad plan, and we got caught and imprisoned by the local guards. But we were given really plenty of opportunity to roleplay, to make plans, but they lead to absolutely nothing. Afterwards we realized that the DM was never going to allow any of our plans to work, because he intended us to have that fight. He even said so!

How can we motivate our DM to at least give us a clear hint when we should engage in roleplay, and when he just wants us to move on to the next point or fight? Note that the DM and us don't know each other so well (we met in reallife at the start of this campaign) so I need some polite way to share my worries.

I'm not looking for the perfect solution, but perhaps some people can share some experience, so that I can use that as inspiration?

[/little rant]

 

[CydKnight]

Have you tried talking to your DM and telling him/her exactly what you said in this thread? If you have and you were ignored, then perhaps it's time to move on to another DM if the current game is not enjoyable for you. Just be sure your DM understands what you and the other players want from the game.

 

[robus]

I think this DM is absolutely terrified of slipping off the rails. Improvising an encounter could mean that the PCs head in a different direction with some new motivation. It also sounds like you're basically performing his script.

Time to call a halt to the campaign and have a frank discussion about what is going on as CydKnight suggests. Is this the DMs first time in the hot seat?

I'm interested to learn what transpires...

 

[Sadras]

It is critical you ensure the entire next session consists of the party avoiding story-driving NPCs, walking away and ignoring hooks/plot points. Instead once in a major settlement head straight for the most popular tavern and engage with the locals (or amongst the characters) in all manner of topics such as the

1) Origin of the Fire-Breath ale and how its distinguishes to a Fire-Breath potion;
2) Cullinary art of making soup and if there can ever be too much lemon;
3) Virtues of polygamy within a progressive society;
4) Existence of a single god exploring issues such as the possibility of a multiple-personality deity;
5) Appropriateness of wearing sandles at royal events with specifc focus on toenail length...etc

If this doesn't work you can try talking to him, but that's a long shot.

 

[wedgeski]

Just talk to your DM! It's clear that any attempt to "solve" this problem in-game (which I rarely if ever advocate) will run into a wall of silent, stand-offish NPC's, and you'll all just get even more annoyed with each-other. "Hey, DM! We really enjoy the roleplaying side of D&D but you don't seem that into it. What can we do to help?"

 

[Rya.Reisender]

I'm also a DM that doesn't like roleplaying. But I tell that to my players during recruitment. I always directly state that I suck at roleplaying and am very combat focused. Yet I continuously get players that are pretty good roleplayers and come up with stuff I didn't expect. I actually enjoy watching my players roleplaying with each other, I just don't want to roleplay NPCs much, because that's not very enjoyable for me. I'm more interested in trying out all kinds of combat tactics to outwit the PCs with my weaker minions.

I'm not sure if you can talk your DM into roleplaying, but it sure is worth trying.

If it was me, I probably wouldn't, because DMing is a lot of work as it is already and the only thing that keeps me doing all this work without ever quitting is that I enjoy it. I'd rather ask my players to stop trying to negotiate with every single enemy and just fight already (well, I never actually had to ask that because my players always eventually noticed that these guys are just mad and it's not possible to negotiate with them). Though of course I'm not completely ignorant if they just want to talk with a villager. If the adventure path itself covers what the NPC says that I'll play that out of course, the problems comes with stuff the adventure path does not cover.

 

[iserith]

Hey all,

tl;dr, Our DM does not appear to enjoy roleplaying. We (his players) do like to roleplay, but don't achieve anything with it.

We (the players of the campaign) would like to have some non-player characters (NPCs) to interact with and to solve some situations in creative ways that may not involve regular combat... But as soon as we meet some NPCs, they keep walking away from us, ignoring us, or otherwise not interacting with us. Other creative ways to use our environment keeps failing. The thing is though, the campaign frequently takes us to situations where violence really is not the ideal solution, like on busy market squares with many guards, or inside enemy camps. By now, I get the feeling that we should just wait in such situations, because things are already planned ahead anyway. But that means that the roleplaying we do is completely meaningless.

How can we get our DM to allow us to roleplay, or rather, to give meaning to the roleplaying? We keep inventing all kinds of smart solutions to the problems we have, but we just end up fighting our way out of trouble every time.

For example, on a busy square, we tried to free a prisoner by bribing a few people, and then staging an elaborate distraction before making our move. I'd be fine if that failed because we rolled our D20 too low on stealth, sleigh of hand, athletics, etc. ... But we didn't even have to roll. It just failed because our DM wanted us to follow that prisoner around the corner of the street where suddenly the number of guards was smaller so we could attack them. I'd even be OK if we were clearly discouraged from making such plans (e.g. the DM could have just announced that the prisoner was being moved right now). I'd even accept it if it was just a really bad plan, and we got caught and imprisoned by the local guards. But we were given really plenty of opportunity to roleplay, to make plans, but they lead to absolutely nothing. Afterwards we realized that the DM was never going to allow any of our plans to work, because he intended us to have that fight. He even said so!

How can we motivate our DM to at least give us a clear hint when we should engage in roleplay, and when he just wants us to move on to the next point or fight? Note that the DM and us don't know each other so well (we met in reallife at the start of this campaign) so I need some polite way to share my worries.

I'm not looking for the perfect solution, but perhaps some people can share some experience, so that I can use that as inspiration?

[/little rant]

One thing to keep in mind is that combat is roleplaying. It's you playing a role in combat by making decisions your character might also reasonably make. It seems your true objection is to a lack of engagement with the social interaction and exploration pillars of the game. You also appear to want your decisions outside of combat to matter to the outcome of the fictional situations in which your characters find themselves. I say this not to be pedantic, but to make sure you understand how to effectively communicate the key issues before your next step:

Which, as has already been mentioned, is to talk to the DM frankly, directly, and politely. Tell him what you like about the game, then tell him what you'd like to see more of. Be specific. Then ask for his help in making that happen. If the DM is receptive, ask if there is anything you can do to make that easier for him. Be prepared for the DM to not be receptive and consider what you will do if you don't get what you want out of the game. That may mean leaving the game and finding a new one or sticking it out. I do not recommend doing the latter and purposefully sabotaging the game by making it harder on the DM.

 

[CydKnight]

I was shy and apprehensive about role-playing as a DM and player but have tried to embrace it as I feel it only enhances game play. I am normally not very good at improvisation either. If you've ever met me I often come across as dry and unemotional, even uncaring in certain situations but those outward appearances are often the opposite of reality.

My point is I love the game and would do anything to enhance it so I consistently try to improve my role-playing and improvisational skills. The reason being I think a large part of the joy of the game is creating enjoyment for others. Some, even many, won't take that approach and that's OK.

The important thing is to find out what everyone in the group wants from the game beforehand and realize there may be some give and take but it should mostly be common ground. If you don't have this balance, the game will suffer and your group will eventually break up because of it often sooner than later.

 

[Sunseeker]

I think you need to have a big long talk about what you, as players expect from a game and what the DM wants to provide and run. You both may simply be thinking in different directions. I wouldn't play another single minute of the game until you've all had that talk.

 

[Guest 6801328]

One thing to keep in mind is that combat is roleplaying.

OMG thank you for saying that!

Can I please stop speaking in Olde Englishe now and just kill stuff?

(And take their treasure, of course.)