Ever had that one player who's just on a different wavelength?

[ForceUser]

I'm about to start a new campaign, and the rogue will be portrayed by my weakest roleplayer. I've gamed with this person for many years now, and all of her characters are amazingly alike. To wit, she doesn't really roleplay, she just plays herself time and again. I can't count the number of young, blond, human spellcasters she's played over the years

This will be the first time she's played the rogue. Scenarios will no doubt go something like this:

DM: You come upon a large iron-shod oak door emblazoned with eldritch runes.

Player: I listen at the door.

DM: Make a Listen check. (player rolls die) You hear nothing but the blood pounding in your ears and the dim creak of leather armor as you shift your weight.

Player: I hear someone moving in armor?

DM: Er, yes. You're wearing leather armor, right?

Player: Yes, but you made it sound like it was someone else.

DM: No, it's you. You don't hear anything behind the door.

Player: (exasperated) Why didn't you just say that?

DM: (exasperated) Anyway. Are you going to do anything else?

Player: I want to check for traps.

DM: Describe to me how you check for traps.

Player: What do you mean?

DM: What kind of traps are you looking for?

Player: I don't know...can't I just roll?

DM: (sighs) Go ahead.

Does anyone else run into this while DMing? I want to encourage roleplaying without lecturing or beating my players over the heads, but sometimes I'm at a loss. And I'd pretty much given up on getting this person to break out of her comfort zone and try something extreme like actually roleplaying a different person. But I'm starting a new campaign and I really want to set the right tone of having fun through in-character roleplaying. Even with little things like making Listen checks.

Yes, technically, all the player needs to do is announce their intention and roll their skill check when I tell them to. But where's the fun in that? Can't they be descriptive or clever or even goofy when they explain how they are doing what they are doing? I like to be entertained too!

What do you do to encourage roleplaying?

 

[Ace32]

I DM for 13, 14 and 15 year olds online... it's pretty much *all* that way.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Maybe Listen checks and Trap Detection aren't the best places to try and get here to open up; many players will just look at that as a "roll the dice and move on" scenario. heck, I've been playing for 20 years and I can't really recall RP'ing a trap check.

I'd emphasize RP where it seems more intuitive to a no-RP'er: social situations - buying a new sword, for example. If she RP's that well, maybe she finagles a shop owner out of a masterwork dagger for a ridiculously low price, for example. Give her a reward when she role-plays. Teach through positive reinforcement.

 

[TBoarder]

Does anyone else run into this while DMing? I want to encourage roleplaying without lecturing or beating my players over the heads, but sometimes I'm at a loss. And I'd pretty much given up on getting this person to break out of her comfort zone and try something extreme like actually roleplaying a different person. But I'm starting a new campaign and I really want to set the right tone of having fun through in-character roleplaying. Even with little things like making Listen checks.[

What you described here really has nothing to do with roleplaying though. The first part, the listen check, could easily be considered "over-description" by some players, especially if it comes out of the blue as something you haven't done with this person before.

The second part, where you tell the player to tell you what kind of traps they're looking for would drive me nuts as a player. If I'm playing as a Rogue, I don't want it to appear as though my personal knowledge of traps is going to have any effect whatsoever with my character's search. By asking what kind of trap, that's exactly what you're implying as a DM. The better way to handle this, in my opinion, is to physically describe the trap, and allow the player to play off of that, if they want to. This is different from the above listen check scenario in that your description has an actual effect on the game, by showing how the trap will be set off and/or how it will potentially damage whoever sets it off.

Perhaps this person is more interesed in character interaction than setting description and exposition. As a DM, it should be your job to try to tailor a game so everyone you're with has fun. If this player only likes playing young, blonde, human spellcasters, there's really no need to force her to play anything else. Yes, it's cool that she's stepping out of her "comfort zone" to play a rogue, but you should be doing you best to be making sure that she has fun doin so, not frustrating her by demanding minute details especially concerning things her character knows but she doesn't.

 

[Limper]

As a player I'd be very leary of my DM asking me to Role-Play a Search check for a trap.

What makes me want to RP the most........ incentive. Give bonus Xps for description's and role-playing you'd be amazed how well this will work.

 

[Bagpuss]

Player: I want to check for traps.

DM: Describe to me how you check for traps.

Player: What do you mean?

DM: What kind of traps are you looking for?

Player: I don't know...can't I just roll?

DM: (sighs) Go ahead.

Have to agree with TBoarder over the traps question. If the player had gone on to discribe say checking the lock mechanism, and you knew the doors hinges set of the trap, would you have penalised the roll, or not even given a roll?

If the lock was actually trapped would you have given a bonus?

Either way it means the player needs knowledge that they might not have about trap mechanisms which the character does have, represented by their skill.

Even if you don't alter the roll, just asking for such a discription implies that what they say will have some bearing on the outcome. Soem players would rather play the game straight and base the success on what ranks they have put in a skill not what they happen to discribe at the time.

You could look at it this way, by asking for such a discription you are forcing the player to use their OWN knowledge of traps (with a accurate discription of how to check for traps) and NOT use their CHARACTER's knowledge of traps (represented by skill ranks). In the end you are the one forcing them to play out of character and roleplay themselves, and not the character.


On another matter...

To wit, she doesn't really roleplay, she just plays herself time and again. I can't count the number of young, blond, human spellcasters she's played over the years

She can cast spells in real life? Wow.

 

[hong]

I'm about to start a new campaign, and the rogue will be portrayed by my weakest roleplayer. I've gamed with this person for many years now, and all of her characters are amazingly alike. To wit, she doesn't really roleplay, she just plays herself time and again. I can't count the number of young, blond, human spellcasters she's played over the years

It sounds like you and her are in a rut.

(No, not that sort of rut. Get your minds out of the gutter.)

Consider leaving D&D alone for a while, and playing another game. Not fantasy; you've done that to death. SF, horror, World of Darkness, etc. There are lots of genres out there.

 

[Leopold]

I DM for 13, 14 and 15 year olds online... it's pretty much *all* that way.

you sir must have the patience of a silver dragon..i would shoot them and run away...i remember when i was that..wait my old dm's and PC's STILL remind me of those days!


DM:You see before you a red dragon, it's eyes blazing at you and about to eat you. it smiles and says "You have one wish mortal, make it and if i am feeling generous, I may grant it"

ME: I WISH FOR MY SOUL BACK!!!

Other PCs: YOU DO WHAT?!?!?!?



i guees you had to have been there..ahh the teen age years of yesteryore..

 

[ninjajester]

maybe you could try a subplot that's focused purely on her, possibly something that doesn't really need dice. i like using pc's family members. she was raised by her grandmother? maybe her grandmother comes down with some strange illness that no one can identify. she's got a kid brother? guess who wandered off and got lost or kidnapped? she's married? i sure hope her husband doesn't somehow contract lycanthropy...

don't try to force her to role play; give her different situations until you figure out what she is interested in. give her a magic dagger that grows warm to the touch when she's in danger. don't tell her what it does, and see if she gets excited or anxious trying to figure out why the dagger keeps heating up. it's a thought...

bottom line, though, is that some people game to be with their friends or simply to get a feeling of accomplishment when their character goes up a level. not everyone wants to be a theater major...

 

[burdett]

An idea...

Keep situations that require dice rolling separate from the situations where you want to encourage role-playing.

This will minimize the perceived personal and imaginary risks associated with role-playing.

I know that my players don't enjoy having their real life ignorance of a topic to negatively affect their in-game success chance.