Hi I'm a new GM and I started running my first campaign, Rise of the Runelord, and I'm at the part "Trouble at the Rusty Dragon." My PC's just hunted the boar and are now at the Rusty Dragon. I'm trying to think of dialogue that would get my PC's involved, I have a Passive Monk who tries to stay out of fighting unless needed, a hot headed Ifrit Sorcerer, a ladies man Elf rouge, and a Orc Fighter who likes to prove his strength.
So I was just wondering if someone has any dialogue they have saved or if anyone can help me out, and I mean dialogue between Ameiko and her father.
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Hi I'm a new GM and I started running my first campaign, Rise of the Runelord, and I'm at the part "Trouble at the Rusty Dragon." My PC's just hunted the boar and are now at the Rusty Dragon. I'm trying to think of dialogue that would get my PC's involved, I have a Passive Monk who tries to stay out of fighting unless needed, a hot headed Ifrit Sorcerer, a ladies man Elf rouge, and a Orc Fighter who likes to prove his strength.
So I was just wondering if someone has any dialogue they have saved or if anyone can help me out, and I mean dialogue between Ameiko and her father.
If you and your group are struggling with dialogue and things like that, remember that engaging your characters at that level isn't necessary. My group doesn't do a lot of dialogue and that works for us. Part of GMing is finding that sweet spot where most everyone is comfortable with the amount/quality/type of roleplay.
-Skeld
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Well, I had Ameiko & Lonjiku talk mostly in Tian, so the PCs couldn't understand it amyway. :)
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That scene can be hard on a DM. It's two NPC's talking to each other - not to the PC's. And the PC's don't necessarily have any reason to interrupt. So you're essentially talking to yourself.
You could take S'mon's route and make the conversation in a language the PC's don't understand - Tian. (Given who they are and the topic, that actually makes a lot of sense - it's really a family discussion.) You could also have the conversation take place out of earshot - near the kitchen door for example. The PC's see the physical interaction but don't have the words. Ameiko's final comments should be in common however and loud enough for the whole room to hear. You should also consider whether you want Lonjitsu to be derogatory toward the PC's, pending your players' tolerance that could provoke violence and then things can get difficult - there's a thread or two out here about that going "wrong."
Missing the words doesn't deprive the PC's of much info - they can still see Lonjitsu is an obnoxious old man and that he an Ameiko do not see eye-to-eye
Well, I had Ameiko & Lonjiku talk mostly in Tian, so the PCs couldn't understand it amyway. :)
building on what Latrecis says, i'm curious when speaking "Tian" do you speak in an asian culture language or wing it? Tian not being an actual language and all
Well, I had Ameiko & Lonjiku talk mostly in Tian, so the PCs couldn't understand it amyway. :)building on what Latrecis says, i'm curious when speaking "Tian" do you speak in an asian culture language or wing it? Tian not being an actual language and all
yea what he said, like do I just sa, "they are speaking in another language" or do I just go to google translate and make something up?
There's no reason to play out the whole conversation word for word. In fact, it's probably extraneous detail (useful for mood and flourishes etc but not essential to progressing the plot).
Just describe the conversation. Something like:
"A foreign looking noble bursts into the inn and walks straight up to Ameiko. Though you don't understand the language and they are not shouting, he is clearly angry and it doesn't take long before she is too. As the conversation progresses, their volume rises and the other inn patrons also begin to notice. As the altercation escalates to shouting, the man grabs Ameiko's tunic and attempts to drag her toward the entrance but she pulls free and shoves him away. Though her next words are quite and controlled the inn has fallen quiet and they can be heard plain as day..."
This also avoids having to act, or do voices, or things like that. I'm not good at them and I find trying just becomes a distraction. I generally only do voices for comedic effect :-)
Describing a conversation also gives you an "out" if you've missed information, because you can just tell the players it was in there somewhere, or was betrayed by a gesture or an impression. Details like "other patrons appear to recognise the man" and "AMeiko rolled her eyes a lot, giving you the impression they were going over old ground"
If you acted out a whole speech and missed an important detail, you're well up the creek :-)
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There's no reason to play out the whole conversation word for word. In fact, it's probably extraneous detail (useful for mood and flourishes etc but not essential to progressing the plot).
Just describe the conversation. Something like:
"A foreign looking noble bursts into the inn and walks straight up to Ameiko. Though you don't understand the language and they are not shouting, he is clearly angry and it doesn't take long before she is too. As the conversation progresses, their volume rises and the other inn patrons also begin to notice. As the altercation escalates to shouting, the man grabs Ameiko's tunic and attempts to drag her toward the entrance but she pulls free and shoves him away. Though her next words are quite and controlled the inn has fallen quiet and they can be heard plain as day..."
This also avoids having to act, or do voices, or things like that. I'm not good at them and I find trying just becomes a distraction. I generally only do voices for comedic effect :-)
Describing a conversation also gives you an "out" if you've missed information, because you can just tell the players it was in there somewhere, or was betrayed by a gesture or an impression. Details like "other patrons appear to recognise the man" and "AMeiko rolled her eyes a lot, giving you the impression they were going over old ground"If you acted out a whole speech and missed an important detail, you're well up the creek :-)
Hmm I see, I've always used a set dialogue unless my PCs say something then I'll come up with something on the spot. I also usually do voices for some characters both comedic and serious :p lol.
Well, I had Ameiko & Lonjiku talk mostly in Tian, so the PCs couldn't understand it amyway. :)building on what Latrecis says, i'm curious when speaking "Tian" do you speak in an asian culture language or wing it? Tian not being an actual language and all
I didn't check the spelling but technically S'mon was probably referring to Tien, a common tongue of Tian Xia. Perhaps a better choice would be Minkaian, given Lonjitsu and Ameiko's ancestry.
I didn't check the spelling but technically S'mon was probably referring to Tien, a common tongue of Tian Xia. Perhaps a better choice would be Minkaian, given Lonjitsu and Ameiko's ancestry.Well, I had Ameiko & Lonjiku talk mostly in Tian, so the PCs couldn't understand it amyway. :)building on what Latrecis says, i'm curious when speaking "Tian" do you speak in an asian culture language or wing it? Tian not being an actual language and all
i get that, but what real world language did he use as a stand in, since Tien is not a real language in the real world (unless someone at Paizo went all Tolkien (or george lucas) and created their own language and i haven't seen it yet:)
Real world it would be Japanese. ;-)
but what my question is: did S'mon himself use an actual language when he had them speak Tien or just use gibberish in a japanese type accent, also he might know Laotian and used that, just curious
yea what he said, like do I just sa, "they are speaking in another language" or do I just go to google translate and make something up?Well, I had Ameiko & Lonjiku talk mostly in Tian, so the PCs couldn't understand it amyway. :)building on what Latrecis says, i'm curious when speaking "Tian" do you speak in an asian culture language or wing it? Tian not being an actual language and all
"They are speaking in another language", maybe "It sounds like Minkaian/Tian/cetera". No I didn't make up gobbledigook or type Japanese - it's a text-chat game.
(I do sometimes make up gobbledigook when speaking in character in an alien language - more an SF game thing though. Works great in Star Wars.)
thanks:) im also prone to alien gibberish, tho my wife really wishes i'd stop doing it during the middle of church:D