How Do I Get My Players to be More Descriptive?

[Mordane76]

How do I get my players to put effort into description, especially in the area of spellcasting effects? If I want spellcasting to feel different in its different incarnations (druids, wizards, sorcerers, clerics, rangers, bards), how do I get them to put forth the effort?


How do I enforce talking in character as one's character, as opposed to the suspension-breaking style of, "Well, Character X says this to your character"? How do I get players to speak as their characters?


How can I get more descriptive combat? I know dice-hucking is enjoyable, but it all seems a little... well, like just dice-hucking with no solid descriptive text. Is this area of description more on me, as the DM, than on the players?

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Salutations,

In general:

You could introduce an action dice system and give them for good descriptions/roleplaying or just give extra xp.

How do I get my players to put effort into description, especially in the area of spellcasting effects?

Be sure that you do it. It is a good start.

Then work with the spellcasting pc's to come up with descriptions outside the game and use them during it. Don't expect them to come up with it on the fly.

How do I enforce talking in character as one's character, as opposed to the suspension-breaking style of, "Well, Character X says this to your character"?

One of my players likes to pull "I tell him about the bank robbery". I just look at him and say "Ok, so what does your character say?"

That usually does it.

Is this area of description more on me, as the DM, than on the players?

You could offer a bonus depending on the description, but as a dm- I usually stick with doing it.

In the end- my biggest suggestion is watch how you handle the situation. Some players are just not good at that kind of thing, and may not have fun if you push them to do it.

SD

 

[MikeWilliams]

Use a cookie. Let spellcaster's spells do a bit more (bonus damage, length, or whatever) if they have a good description. Give a bit of bonus damage or a to hit bonus for a well described attack. Give real XP bonuses for good in character play.

Let your players know that you're going to start giving these cookies. In the beginning, they'll give the descriptions for the cookie. After a while, if they're as interested in making the game colorful as you are, then they'll be giving the descriptions for their own sake as well.

 

[barsoomcore]

How do I get my players to put effort into description, especially in the area of spellcasting effects? If I want spellcasting to feel different in its different incarnations (druids, wizards, sorcerers, clerics, rangers, bards), how do I get them to put forth the effort?

Make it different. Tell them how it's different.

How do I enforce talking in character as one's character, as opposed to the suspension-breaking style of, "Well, Character X says this to your character"? How do I get players to speak as their characters?

Speak to them in character. If you speak to them AS the NPC, nine times out of ten they will respond AS their PC. I guarantee.

How can I get more descriptive combat? I know dice-hucking is enjoyable, but it all seems a little... well, like just dice-hucking with no solid descriptive text. Is this area of description more on me, as the DM, than on the players?

Again, start describing cool stuff.

Your players will, at best, work as hard as you do to make your game sessions come alive. You have to take the lead on all this stuff. You have to be setting the example, creating the world around them. They WILL react to it, if you provide it.

If they're sitting around hucking dice and doing nothing more, it's your fault. So fix it. Shake them up. Startle them with funny voices, over-the-top descriptions and wild, eerie tales of magical effects. You set the bar, they'll rise to it. Or towards it, anyway. If you don't set the bar and maintain it, they'll work just as hard as they have to.

It's not rocket science and there aren't any secret tricks. Just work hard, project tons of energy and enthusiasm and creativity, be meticulously organized, handle any sort of unexpected disaster with grace and aplomb, have half-a-dozen surprises ready to yank out of your trick bag, walk the incredibly fine line between letting your players feel like they can do cool stuff and giving away the keys to the campaign, keep everybody happy without making anyone bored and don't get tired.

Hey, if it was easy, everyone would do it!

 

[blackshirt5]

Lead by example. I never identify things by name(unless they're very common, such as "you see a group of elves" or "you see a party of orcs"), especially not magic. I describe each spell. Does it eat up my time? You betcha. IS it worth it to get people into the game more? yes.

 

[nameless]

Here's a peeve of mine that fosters generic descriptions: DM's who give penalties for those descriptions. For instance, I might declare that I spring over a table as I swing my sword in a high arc at the orc chef. Seems reasonable enough, I end up next to the orc and make an attack. Even going around the table would have probably been within my 30' movement.

But some DM's will penalize you for this kind of cinematic action. I've had a DM who demanded a Jump or Climb check to make it over the table, then said that I lose my Dex bonus for being exposed in midair. He might have even given me a -2 AC penalty, but no +2 to hit for a charge.

If you want to be a stickler, he may have been rules-justified, but he sure as hell wasn't promoting good roleplay.

So my solution is to have the player say in character what he wants to do, and then OOC declare what his action really is. As far as bonuses for good description, I might give things like a free Trip attack, a free Bull Rush, a bonus on threat range, auto-confirm criticals, or maybe a Disarm. If the DM disagrees too strongly with the IC description and the OOC effect, he should probably chime in and suggest a different OOC effect, or let the PC choose a different description.

 

[Mordane76]

Originally posted by barsoomcore

Speak to them in character. If you speak to them AS the NPC, nine times out of ten they will respond AS their PC. I guarantee.

This one I can attest to doing, but it's not getting the response I want -- people still are responding in a third-person manner.


We're working on separating magic -- I've already started making solid distinctions as part of my homebrew by changing some of the classes, changing restrictions for some, including new forms of magic, etc. It just feels like, when I become descriptive, that my players are just kind of humoring me, waiting for me to present the next creature that they can slay... I don't want to bore my players with descriptions of attacks, magic, and in-character speech, but I also don't want to bore myself by not having these things.

 

[boxstop7]

I'm sorry...off topic, and I'm not trying to hijack the thread...but State College? Do I know you? Have I played with you before? What's the game you're running?

Otherwise, just slap me if I'm out of line.

~Box

 

[ced1106]

Another suggestion: SnarfQuest d20 only awards XP when the PC **tells another person** (and not just a player!) about his battle. You don't get XP for adventuring. You get XP for bragging about it!

Hmm. Anyone here played Baron Munschausen?


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[Mordane76]

I'm sorry...off topic, and I'm not trying to hijack the thread...but State College? Do I know you? Have I played with you before? What's the game you're running?

Otherwise, just slap me if I'm out of line.

~Box

SLAP!!!




I'm presently running a 3E homebrew game. Before that, I ran a Planes-hopping 3E game, and before that I ran a Vampire: the Masquerade game for a while. I was the VP of GAPS two years ago.