lostingeneral
First Post
In my current game (4e), I'm trying to run something with roughly even amounts of roleplaying and action. For the most part, it's been going quite smoothly, but I have a problem.
Two of my players don't really do the whole roleplaying thing.
I know this is not an unusual problem, but I would like to correct it to some degree. These players are completely uninvolved in non-combat encounters, and often just phase out entirely. One of them has gotten a bit more into it since we've started - he wouldn't ever speak or act in character in his first sessions and would rarely describe any actions he took. The other hasn't ever really been into that; I can recall only two occasions where he has ever spoken in character, and those only involved one brief, pointed sentence. I'd like to pull them both a bit more in.
Now, I realize it's unrealistic to expect they'll ever be as involved as my other players. I have two who are very much into it, which is great, and others who started off much as these two "uninvolved" players did but came into the swing of it over time. I would just like them to not be totally detached when combat's over.
To start, their characters have really minimal backgrounds. In my group character design is largely collaborative and fairly succinct (meant to evolve over time), and when the player offers nothing their story is just provided for them and basically ignored thereafter, since there's nothing really to go on. I had two thoughts on how I could bring the characters, and by extension, the players, into the story.
I've come up with two ways to accomplish this, but I'm not really keen on either, so I'd like to know: have you had any experience with involving players who just weren't were roleplayers? If so, how? Is there any way this can realistically be done, or is this just a pipe dream?
Two of my players don't really do the whole roleplaying thing.
I know this is not an unusual problem, but I would like to correct it to some degree. These players are completely uninvolved in non-combat encounters, and often just phase out entirely. One of them has gotten a bit more into it since we've started - he wouldn't ever speak or act in character in his first sessions and would rarely describe any actions he took. The other hasn't ever really been into that; I can recall only two occasions where he has ever spoken in character, and those only involved one brief, pointed sentence. I'd like to pull them both a bit more in.
Now, I realize it's unrealistic to expect they'll ever be as involved as my other players. I have two who are very much into it, which is great, and others who started off much as these two "uninvolved" players did but came into the swing of it over time. I would just like them to not be totally detached when combat's over.
To start, their characters have really minimal backgrounds. In my group character design is largely collaborative and fairly succinct (meant to evolve over time), and when the player offers nothing their story is just provided for them and basically ignored thereafter, since there's nothing really to go on. I had two thoughts on how I could bring the characters, and by extension, the players, into the story.
I've come up with two ways to accomplish this, but I'm not really keen on either, so I'd like to know: have you had any experience with involving players who just weren't were roleplayers? If so, how? Is there any way this can realistically be done, or is this just a pipe dream?