On Behavioral Realism

[Reynard]

A friend and I were talking about how to run a successful game focused on treasure hunting in 5e and it led to a discussion on how players rarely seem to do things that real people do. The example that came up was the classic Inn situation: the PCs have been in the wild and the dungeon for a week or two and they finally come back to civilization, but when presented with prices for a room, a bath and a meal they decide to camp outside and eat rations to save money. Now, I was a US Army infantry soldier (during peace time; never deployed; I don't want to misrepresent) and after a week in the swamps of Georgia on a training exercise I would have given my whole paycheck for a bath, a beer and something out of an oven to eat.

This led to a more broad discussion of behavioral realism in RPGs, primarily about how players tend to operate largely in the game space when it comes to the very basic, human needs and desires and behaviors that rule our day to day lives. Even players that are very good role players from a funny voices and defined personality standpoint generally, in my experience, don't do tired, sick, afraid, horny, fed up, etc... well.

How do you try and encourage players to play like "real" people, who just want a bath after a sewer expedition or are willing to throw away half their earnings to impress the bartender? How do you convince players that emulating reality in this way not only enhances the game but makes it more fun for them? Or do you? Do you care if players engage in behavioral realism? Or maybe you don't experience the problem and you play with people, or are such a person, that inherently does these things.

Thanks.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Take out tactical considerations, and maybe, maaaaybe, players will play with more realism. But hey, I'm not sure my players want realism. And I'm not sure if they really did play "real", it would be more fun. I mean tbh, if I was to see a real beholder, I'd a) sh*t my trousers, then b) run like f*ck and hope I wasn't the slowest person in the group... A more common situation - when players look like they are outnumbered and will get captured, instead they try to fight their way out. They would rather end up with a TPK than get captured...

 

[Reynard]

Take out tactical considerations, and maybe, maaaaybe, players will play with more realism. But hey, I'm not sure my players want realism. And I'm not sure if they really did play "real", it would be more fun. I mean tbh, if I was to see a real beholder, I'd a) sh*t my trousers, then b) run like f*ck and hope I wasn't the slowest person in the group... A more common situation - when players look like they are outnumbered and will get captured, instead they try to fight their way out. They would rather end up with a TPK than get captured...

I'm not talking about them playing normal people. The assumption is they are still badasses doing dumb stuff. But I've known a few spec ops soldiers (my brother included) some of whom did merc work later, and while they engage in a lot of behavior that aligns with "adventuring" they still come home and have kids, buy Subarus, and go out to the bar before heading back into the poop. I feel like most RPG players, even those that are really into their character's backstory and/or romantic options, treat their character like a game piece when it comes to most visceral human behaviors.

 

[DammitVictor]

Take a page out of Barbarians of Lemuria: only award XP for treasure that PCs waste.

 

[MGibster]

Now, I was a US Army infantry soldier (during peace time; never deployed; I don't want to misrepresent) and after a week in the swamps of Georgia on a training exercise I would have given my whole paycheck for a bath, a beer and something out of an oven to eat.

I've never been in the military but that's pretty much how my adventuring PCs act. I figure they're young, physically fit, and putting their lives on the line on a regular basis so when they return to town they're going to live like rock stars. In many RPGs, there's an incentive to scrimp and save as much as possible because they can use gold to purchase weapons, armor, spells, or other supplies that improve their changes of survival.

How do you try and encourage players to play like "real" people, who just want a bath after a sewer expedition or are willing to throw away half their earnings to impress the bartender? How do you convince players that emulating reality in this way not only enhances the game but makes it more fun for them? Or do you? Do you care if players engage in behavioral realism? Or maybe you don't experience the problem and you play with people, or are such a person, that inherently does these things.

You're asking a lot of questions here: The degree to which I care if player characters act like real people (however we define real) is dependent on the type of game I'm playing. In something fantastical, like D&D, I don't particularly care but in Call of Cthulhu I think it's kind of important.

But in general, I think the best way to convince players to emulate reality is to provide them with some sort of reward. If the rules don't provide a reward for behaving in a realistic manner then the GM should provide some sort of tangible benefit to doing so. This might be something concrete like an item, it could be new role playing opportunities, or perhaps something else.

 

[Celebrim]

In my game, to sleep you have to make a Con check with a DC set by your situation. Failure means you got a bad night sleep and are fatigued the next day. So 'camping out' has a real cost to it, and a good bed is worthwhile.

Likewise, you must make monthly Fort saves to avoid contracting disease (and more frequent checks if exposed). The DC depends on how well you've been living. Roughing it, eating bad food, or buying cheap rooms carries a cost.

In most cases, the PC's are interacting with a society that expects cleanliness. If they aren't cleaned up, then I'll apply penalties in social situations. If they don't dress well, then they get social penalties in situations where they are interacting with people of rank (and likewise forgo the bonuses they might otherwise have owing to their own rank).

 

[The Crimson Binome]

How do you try and encourage players to play like "real" people, who just want a bath after a sewer expedition or are willing to throw away half their earnings to impress the bartender? How do you convince players that emulating reality in this way not only enhances the game but makes it more fun for them?

The characters live in a very different world from us. In real life, there is some sort of meaningful benefit to taking a bath every now and then. It might be hard to quantify, but it makes you feel better. There's a good reason for you to act in this way.

In the game world, that benefit doesn't exist. It isn't the case that the players are imagining it poorly, or acting out-of-character. It's just a different world, that works in different ways. In the game world, a bath doesn't make you feel better. And given that, the players are acting in a way that makes sense for their world.

If you want the players to act in a way that aligns with your vision of how the real world works, the most logical course of action would be to introduce some sort of penalty that's associated with actions you view as un-realistic, or a bonus associated with realistic actions. At a point during the 5E playtest, they suggested that you might need a comfortable environment (such as a tavern) in order to gain the benefits of a long rest; something like that should be sufficient for most purposes.

 

[dragoner]

Huh, the players in one game I'm running, just stayed at the best resort in town, gambled at the casino, went to the beach, bought nice cigars; the whole deal.

 

[Reynard]

Thanks everyone for your replies so far. it is interesting that many suggestions so far endorse punitive methods to encourage such behavior. I usually try and stay away for stick-based motivation in gaming simply because it makes things less fun for everyone, including me as GM who has to play the heavy.

@dragoner What genre is your game, out of curiosity? What you briefly described makes me think it is a modern game, which in my experience lends itself better to players acting like real people because they are closer to it.

 

[Asisreo]

A common reward for roleplaying realistically would be to give inspiration. Inspiration is a delight of a reward, given that they are inclined to use inspiration which my players never remember.