Piratecat said:
Ed, maybe you can share some of your guidelines here for dreaded_beast? They'd probably be really helpful!
Well, there's a section entitled
"12 Signs of a Good GM" that's probably more helpful, but that's a bit long to post here.
Instead, I've included another article in the book:
"How to Keep Role-Playing from Becoming 'Roll-Playing'..."
I enjoy a well-balanced game of role-playing and combat. However, the focus should always be on developing the story and encouraging character immersion, not endless combat sequences. I cannot stress enough how much “good” role-playing can add to your gaming experience. It can make your imaginary world come to life, enhancing the enjoyment for yourself and your players. Even in a game of make-believe, touches of realism or a sense of reality gives passion to your game.
Here are some ways you can promote more role-playing in your game:
1. Develop a story-line that engages the players.
Among the many roles the GM must assume, the most important is probably story-teller. Do not mistake this as you telling the players a story you alone have created. This is a collaborative project! You weave a story with the players, as it progresses. This may require you to “go with the flow” as players make decisions for their PCs. However, this does not mean you should not prepare for each gaming session. You still need to have a basic outline on the story progression.
So, how do you get players involved in this process? One method is to engage the players through their characters’ backgrounds, interests, desires, and goals. Figure out and use what appeals to their characters: honor, wealth, family, friends, political influence, romance, knowledge, or solving mysteries.
Make NPCs believable and think about their motivations and desires. Every thoughtfully-conceived NPC should have an objective in mind. One of the weaknesses of the alignment system is it ignores the complexity of characters and makes them one-dimensional. While it is a useful tool, it can keep GMs and players focused on the alignment too much, rather than the personality of NPCs.
Hated foes should rile up PCs and cause tension in the atmosphere. Their actions or dialogue should stir the players to actively dislike them and seek their demise. Likewise, NPCs like family and friends should already have built a relationship with the PCs before needing to be rescued or helped. Get your players to care about these people instead of telling them they should!
One method that engages players in the story line of a campaign is to issue a newsletter. Some GMs find this a useful tool in keeping players involved in the game, and it also serves as a way to keep track of what has been happening in the world you have created. As a historical record-keeping tool, it is quite useful.
However, keep in mind that maintaining a newsletter can be a lot of extra work and only you can determine if this is necessary and something you enjoy creating. Having a player issue the newsletter can alleviate your responsibility and introduce a new interpretation of events to you.
2. Do not railroad the players.
Let the players make the decisions about what to do. Always provide guidelines of what is and is not appropriate for your world, but do not mandate their actions. Between gaming sessions, do not be afraid to ask a player the question, “So, what do you think your party will do next?” This is a valid question, especially for those GMs running a homebrew campaign in which they have to create everything from scratch. It is difficult for the GM to consistently gauge what the players will do next and this makes the creation process a little easier.
At the same time, a good GM will always prepare for a multitude of scenarios. Likewise, players will always surprise the GM with their actions. Improvising is the key here, but the GM should have good material at hand at all times. It is advisable to have at least two or three game sessions of material ready ahead of each time your group meets.
Once in a while, drop a hint about something that might be interesting to the PCs, but please remember the difference between a hint and a suggestion. Giving them clues is one thing; proposing ideas is another.
3. Use and encourage detailed descriptions, voice acting, and even sound effects, if you can.
Describing in sufficient detail the scenery of a lush forest or the furnishings of a nobleman’s chambers gives the necessary imagery for your players to react with correspondingly specific instructions on what their characters will do. Remember if you describe one room in a dungeon in vivid detail but not another, the players will quickly realize when to pay attention and when not to.
Do not allow players to just roll the dice every time they need to make a Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, or Intimidate check. Instead, have them act out what their PCs actually say or explain in good detail what they do in-character. Then, judge if it is convincing or not, for the appropriate situation. I believe this encourages players to role-play and keeps the game mechanics intact.
For example, if it is the simple matter of a PC asking a few basic questions to a villager about the dark tower on the hill, let him get the answers without rolling. In the case the villager is hesitant or mistrusting and the PC’s in-character questions are poorly worded, then have the player roll and subtract an appropriate circumstance bonus to the roll. However, even if the villager is predisposed not to tell anything to the PC, let him get the information, if the player speaks in-character magnificently, or he speaks well and rolls a 20.
Do not allow a player to only say, “Okay, I’ll make a Gather Information check to find out what the villager knows about the tower.” Instead, suggest to the player he says something like this, in his in-character voice, “I would like to find out more about this mysterious tower. Can you tell me anything you know of its former lord, kind man? It would greatly help in my mission to save your village.” Depending on how persuasive he sounds and how much the villager was already willing to give the information he seeks, you should determine whether or not to ask the PC to make a Gather Information check. Always remember the rules are provided as tools to enhance your role-playing experience, not hinder it.
4. Offer incentives for role-playing.
Another effective method is rewarding experience points for handling a situation through role-playing, instead of combat. For example, some GMs give the same amount of experience to players for sneaking past, bribing, or coaxing a guard to let them pass through, as for killing him. You may reward experience to players for taking actions that help develop the plotline, such as saving the princess from the evil wizard’s tower or agreeing to help the villagers build a defense against impending orc raids.
If there is ever a session that consists mostly of role-playing and very little or no combat, you should reward experience points. Generally, I will give around the same amount given during a standard gaming session, so players do not feel they are being penalized for roleplaying and not making progress they would have if they just engaged in combat throughout the session. You may also reward a small amount of XP (about 50 to 150 experience points, depending on the situation) for creative ideas players develop, while dealing with encounters or just for good role-playing.
5. Try to limit off-topic conversations to designated breaks.
It is unavoidable that players will talk out-of-character to communicate with each other. Do not let them do this while you are narrating a script or describing an encounter in detail. Any off-topic discussion should take place during designated breaks or when there is a pause during game-play. This keeps players in the mind-set of their characters.
That is why I do not recommend splitting up the group or taking a player aside for a separate conversation, unless necessary. Keep the party’s goal unified. Anytime an encounter for just one PC occurs, everyone else is interested in listening, instead of having an off-topic conversation. This saves time, when the player has to explain what happened to his PC to the others.
6. Avoid being a rules lawyer.
If you are spending more than 5% of your time looking up rules during game-play, then you are wasting valuable time and taking the focus away from role-playing and toward “rule-playing”. It is okay for the GM to make an occasional arbitrary decision, even if you find out you are wrong later. That is bound to happen at some time or another. Do not slow down the game too often or for too long, especially during key moments, because it will detract from what you value most--the story. However, if players specifically request reference to any rules or if you feel it is important to be precise, do not be afraid to look up the rules either.
