Players not speaking in character

[DM_Jeff]

Speaking in Character

Lots of good advice here, but it my games (as others have posted) we use distinction of voice, terms, and pitch, not really accents to show we're speaking in character.

That said, the question posed is how to get it to rub off on the players. As a DM I have found I never have to bring the subject up. Even the most introverted "I don't want to sound 'silly' " player will start using a voice if the DM leads by example and uses distinct voices when playing NPCs...especially when they are talking one-on-one with a PC.

Do the work well and others will follow.

-DM Jeff

 

[Raduin711]

I fail to see how a player asking another player that particular question is metagaming.

Metagame problem 1 is the use of the word "+2 Frost Longsword". Unfortunately, the system for magical enchantments often doesn't give us much choice when referring to magical items. I've tried to make a habit of calling "plus" weapons degrees. It's not a +2 frost longsword, its a 2nd degree icy longsword. Better still, give magic weapons names.

Metagame problem 2 is the communication of the idea to stab this guy in the back with it. It really doesn't make sense to speak like this in the middle of battle. You would be alerting your foe to an attack from the rear.

 

[Templetroll]

In our group we generally avoid accents but we often use slight changes in tone, vocabulary, etc. With my dwarf wizard I often raise an eyebrow when he is talking, especialy when trying to explain something to the half-orc.

I like the idea of basing a character's voice on an actor; that can help. Just watch Casablanca or the Maltese Falcon for voice ideas!

Another thing to try, use a character name at the beginning of the sentence, everyone knows that is in-character; 'comrades' works well if your character is actually friendly towards the other characters and you address the entire group.

 

[Harlock]

I have a voice for my kobold sorcerer somewhere between Yoda and Kermit the frog. The group seemed to enjoy it when I started using it, so I kept it.

 

[dren]

Accents...meh. I don't care for them much. I've only had one of my players do this. (An intentionally bad texan accent from a fighter elf missile specialist with a mission to kill as many human wizards as possible. He kept it up 50% of the time, but when he said anything with attitude, he made sure to say it with the twang!)

I used to be merciless when enforcing no OOC talk. But now I enforce it only during combat, when you can't advise as to what actions to take, in order to ensure a charge, etc. If you say it in a way that one of your other PCs can hear it...so can the npc.

Metagame speak is great for speeding things along, as my group is meeting every two weeks for around 5-6 hours, rather than 9-12 hour sessions weekly, time is now a factor. I allow them the opportunity to move past some of the smaller details, and metagaming is the easiest way to accomplish this.

 

[Crothian]

only people talented enough should accents. a bad accent is worse then no accent by far. THat being said a good accent is a really cool thing and I wish I could pull it off

 

[Glyfair]

I've played with a lot of players with large variants on the "method actor" style of roleplaying voices. In my opinion, if the player is comfortable with the accent (and it's not impossible to understand), it works well. For example, one player I've gamed on and off with has done a lot of acting in children's theatre and the like. It adds to the game when he does it.

On the other hand, the players who aren't comfortable with it, but are talked into by those who insist "it's the only way to be in character" are very uncomfortable to be around. They don't really want to do it and everything is just forced.

Plus, there are all the shades in between. Personally, I couldn't be consistant with an accent if my life depended on it. I sometimes pick up an accent, but only when around those that have them (I could do an Australian accent during the period I was regularly gaming with an Australian, for example).

I'll sometimes try a mannerism as a GM for an NPC, if they are recurring but not regularly "on screen." For example, maybe the local fence repeats some of what he's saying ("I will see what I can do, I will.") That way it's not something I have to do to the point of distraction, but it also signals when a certain NPC is on screen. However, I don't want to juggle too many NPCs this way, so I don't feel the need to do it too often.

 

[Wombat]

Not all of my players use accents, per se, but all of them use a different tone of voice and distinctive wordchoice when speaking "In Character". That does make it a lot easier to tell when a Character is saying something and a Player is saying something.

Table rule: Anything said In Character is actually spoken ... no matter how dumb or damaging it is.

This is both fun and important. I don't want everyone arguing about when they "actually" say something and I want to know when they are merely potting on about rules or the general situation as opposed to being their character.

If this was simply a miniatures wargame or a boardgame it wouldn't matter; since it is a roleplaying game, it matters quite a lot. Part of the idea of these games is actually getting into the character. Anything else is just squad tactics drill.

 

[Angcuru]

The only opportunity I've ever had to play with a group that talks in-character, they were the power-gamers beyond power-gamers. Couldn't stand that for long. >_<

 

[WayneLigon]

I don't want to force the other PCs to pick an accent, but I have said that they should add a little bit more "intonation" to their voices and, perhaps, address the other PCs/NPCs by name frequently.

Most players, even the best roleplayers, aren't going to be able to keep up a convincing accent for very long. A simple hand signal like 'time out' would be useful, and we usually use that when someone has to make an out of game remark (though, given some circumstances, I've asked a player using 'time out' if his PC was actually thinking what he was saying...).