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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
How much back story do you allow/expect at the start of the game?
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<blockquote data-quote="Caliban" data-source="post: 7280136" data-attributes="member: 284"><p>You don't need to be a better roleplayer to hog the spotlight at a gaming table. A player's personal charisma and force of personality can override anything on their character sheet. </p><p></p><p>Someone can build a combat monster with zero social skills, but still end up being the "face" of the party because the player is more proactive about talking to the NPC's than the person playing the bard. (This can be because the person playing the bard just really isn't good at social stuff, or because the person playing the brute is hogging the spotlight.)</p><p></p><p>Or build a brain dead diplomancer (Charming but dumb), but still end up controlling combats because they are a better at strategy and the other players expect them to give them a plan to execute, regardless of what character they are playing. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /></p><p></p><p>Some players are very willing to go along with things like this - they are just there to roll dice and hang out, they don't mind taking a backseat. Others will be competitive about it and get annoyed if they feel overshadowed. </p><p></p><p>All you can do is try to adjust the game to suit the players preferences and playing styles (and your own) and try to do better next time if it doesn't work out. </p><p></p><p>We aren't professional actors (most of us anyway) or writers. This isn't Shakespeare and it isn't a military wargame for high stakes. Just relax a bit and try to have some fun.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Caliban, post: 7280136, member: 284"] You don't need to be a better roleplayer to hog the spotlight at a gaming table. A player's personal charisma and force of personality can override anything on their character sheet. Someone can build a combat monster with zero social skills, but still end up being the "face" of the party because the player is more proactive about talking to the NPC's than the person playing the bard. (This can be because the person playing the bard just really isn't good at social stuff, or because the person playing the brute is hogging the spotlight.) Or build a brain dead diplomancer (Charming but dumb), but still end up controlling combats because they are a better at strategy and the other players expect them to give them a plan to execute, regardless of what character they are playing. :p Some players are very willing to go along with things like this - they are just there to roll dice and hang out, they don't mind taking a backseat. Others will be competitive about it and get annoyed if they feel overshadowed. All you can do is try to adjust the game to suit the players preferences and playing styles (and your own) and try to do better next time if it doesn't work out. We aren't professional actors (most of us anyway) or writers. This isn't Shakespeare and it isn't a military wargame for high stakes. Just relax a bit and try to have some fun. [/QUOTE]
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How much back story do you allow/expect at the start of the game?
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