First off this is my first time postin AND i apologize if this topic was already covered. I had done a quick search of the boards and did not find anything too helpful.
I'm a GM in a group of 5 players besides myself. Most of my players love to role play to at least some extent but! there is one player who is a good friend that just doesn't go for the bait.
I've tried so man different things. I Have had NPCS come up and talk to him personally taking him on personal quick quests and all around trying to pull on the aspects of the character but it just seems like the only pleasure he gets is from a fight.
What do you think i should do in regards to the player because it kinda drags the game just a tad when NPC and PC conversations are almost bull rushed through with this character.
Any ideas?
-Satcher
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I'm going out on a ledge and assuming the player in question has more experience with video game 'rpgs' than pen and paper, and isn't too familiar with the amount of depth that many gamers enjoy giving to their characters beyond filling out the blanks on a character sheet.
Do you make/encourage your players to write down a character background or story?
You can probably google up a oodle of good '20 questions for character backgrounds'.
Subtleties might go over the player's head, so one idea is to literally hit him with the background questions in-game.
Perhaps an adventure they're on features some NPC the party is forced to protect or escort somewhere. During camp, the NPC just rattles off the questions to the object of his/her infatuation and the game literally won't go on to the next combat until the NPC is satisfied.
To put a twist on the idea, perhaps a bard has heard of the character's many victories over fearsome foes, and wishes to honor him with a composition. Cue the 'background interrogation', all to stoke his glory, rather than be an annoying teenaged crush :)
Try to make him care about the NPC's. If you just have random ones he doesn't know or care about come up and talk to him, he probably wont pay much attention.
My first response was pretty much what karkon said, but I realize that you're hoping to find ways to coax this guy into role-playing.
A fair bit of what deusvult said reminds me of the hero point system described in the Advanced Player's Guide. Basically, it does things like giving an in-game reward (hero points) for various character depth and role-playing accomplishments.
e.g. A player writes up a moderately detailed (read: a few pages) background story about his character. If an actor were playing this fellow's character, and asked "what's my motivation," then the background story would provide the answer. For players, it serves as a reminder of what makes that PC tick. For the GM, it helps to create story arcs, based on each PC in the group.
As for the "reward," hero points can be used for things like players legally fudging saves, attack rolls, or other difficult, but heroic actions. You spend a hero point, you get to roll a second save; that sort of thing.
All of that being said, you have an uphill battle. There are things that you can try, but at the end of the day, some players are roll-players, and will never be role-players.
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Deusvult jogged my memory.
My older brother was never into roleplaying. I engaged him by giving his character land and property in game. I gave his character a small tower and then set enemies against it. Nobles tried to get the king to sign the land over to them. They harassed the peasants who had set up a very small village near the tower. The bandits he could fight but the courtly maneuvering required role play. He looked for help from NPCs who he had previously met.
NPCs who were indebted to the PC for in game help would come and discuss ways to help him. Then they would go to the king's court and speak on his behalf and succeed. Well these nobles were not easily dissuaded so they tried new tactics. The first one was to kill the helpful NPC. That got him involved.
I think i will try the campfire interrogation idea!
The player is most certainly more well versed with Videogame RPGS and plays them heavily but this group has been together for over 8 years playing different table tops here and there going in and out of weekly sessions.
He has always had some form of character that is just the super tank without a face and i want to try and break him of it or at least show some care for his character (He does but only on a numbers level).
I do realize forcing role play is bad i was more thinking of a way to keep him happy while keeping all the rest of the party immersed in the story.
That is if all attempts fail to have him have a touch of role play.
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Here is an alternative idea:
Do some flashbacks. Have the rest of the party play characters from his past and they are all in a big fight. Have them overcome some big odds. Maybe their teacher really kicks some but.
Do a few flashbacks over a few games. Maybe the enemy could be related to the current problem. Make it seem like his now older mentor has useful information. Maybe a fight at the mentor's house.
Then when you do the role play with the mentor mention events from the flashbacks. Give the player an in game hook to hang his role play.
Maybe later someone kills this mentor.
+1 Deusvult
My first DM was a master at making his NPC's a challenge. They all made judgements about characters based on interactions, the smallest interaction had consequences. Unwillingness to interact with an NPC might end up getting unwanted extra attention by overzealous guards. Price increases, spoiled food, teleported outside the shop without clothes, baleful poloymorphed into a duck, rewards not given, opportunities for the rest of the party denied because on one person's behavior.
Imagine a merchant NPC sets up an appointment with a magical craftsman so that a few of the party can place orders for a few items they want enchanted. He warns the party his friend can be a bit sensitive. The insecure delicate genious NPC enters. He likes most of the party well enough however the quiet one who refuses to engage him starts to ruffle his feathers. He grows more and more irritable as one stoic pc stands in the back refusing to acknowledge him. Fianly he tosses the money back at the party and glares at the PC who refuses to interact with him. Angrily he huffs out in a rant about this all being some cruel prank and he will not be mocked. NPC's are encounters and failing to deal with thim in some way or another might become a problem.
I think an important aspect in this is execution.
I know a lot of people who aren't quite as into the roleplaying aspect, but most of them would be more willing if it were more approachable. But defining an entire backstory and personality can be pretty daunting.
I like the campfire idea a lot. I would do it a few times each session, starting it with simple questions. Over enough sessions, you can migrate to more in depth questions, and hopefully it will pull your player into thinking more about his character.
Let him flow the way he wants to go bro.
Honestly great food for thought here! I am impressed at this boards response and helpfulness.
I am actually a first time GM (About 8 3 hour sessions in) but ive played ALOT and im always looking to better my craft of interactive mechanical storytelling.
To deusvult: The campfire interogation will come in handy and will probably be my biggest tool from now on.
To Karkon: The mentality behind your tower quest line is really a cool idea. The idea of having to protect personal gains will most likely be a strong motivator to have to interact!
TO Gnomezrule: I really like this aspect as well. I think i need to be less afraid to let my npcs act as they would no matter the outcome. (obviously having some form of back plan)
Another option is make sure he is at the table or in the room while you unfold some character specific plots with one or more of the other PC's. Again my first DM was great at breaking off some time for solo rp encounters. Our party's rogue was slipped a note basically a shake down from the local theieves guild. If they get a cut of what he takes they won't kill him. The rogue wandered off on his lonesome found his way back to Devon Half-hock's (good ole Greyhawk). After a short conversation with "da boss" he was now a lowly peon in the Greyhawk's thieves guild. This was a short few minutes of game time. But as a new rper I learned a few vital lessons watching.
Also if your player is a gamer . . . depth of character and goals outside of the party is the secret code that unlocks the holy grail of games . . . extra content.
You know... some people just feel weird about role-play. They may feel it's not manly, or cool. They also "don't know what to say." That's your player's issue... he doesn't feel right role-playing, you might be able to sneak something in.
Specifically I'm thinking about the Council of Thieves AP. Early on, there's a part wherein for role-play reasons the party "has" to infiltrate an acting company and perform a famous old play. There's a script and everything. Basically, the game draws out how each PC ends up playing each character in the play, then the play happens. Your players "have to" say the lines of their role. Between acts, stuff happens. The party as a whole benefits (or not) from good performances.
I bring this up because you might be able to "trick" your player into role-playing by burying it a layer deeper. Dude, you don't need to pretend to be your PC... just pretend you're in this play here, with these lines.
If you can get him comfortable with acting, he might catch on that really, role-playing your character is nothing BUT ad-lib acting. It's not weird. It's not cosplay or LARPing (not that there's anything wrong with that), it's just improvisational acting.
Heck, talk him into being a smart-aleck. Every time his character makes YOU laugh, he gets bonus XP. Slowly make it so he has to make NPCs laugh. Then surprise him when he makes an NPC laugh at a funeral, and there are negative consequences.
Hmm I may need to take a look at the AP you referenced.
I guess its just a matter of hiding it REALLY well or finding a way to make role play the only fun useful option at some point while still hiding that im making it the only option.