What should you do, as a DM, when a player isn't enjoying the character they made?
This has become a problem for one of my players. He insists that the game itself is engaging and enjoyable, but he's just having trouble getting into character and enjoying the way his characters personality has developed (or rather, not developed). I know this player very well and, while unable to completely dismiss the possibility that he's lying about enjoying the game, I do believe he's telling the truth about it.
He did something different when he created this character, and we believe that this differently-done-thing is the source of the problem. Usually, he does not plan anything about his characters in advance -- leaves age, homeland, occupation, personality, everything up in the air to be determined as they come up according to his whims at the time. This was not the case with this character, however; I'd asked him to figure out some things in advance, in order to better incorporate the character, their background, and their present motivations into the story.
But now that he's been playing the character for a few sessions he's feeling restricted by the stuff he already decided about them, and I don't know what to do about it. I've asked him, and he says there is nothing I can do, because it's a problem between him and his character, but there has to be some way I can sneakily Dungeon Master some mystery and spontaneity back into this character.
Help!
He assumed the identity of someone else - all of the backstory is about someone else, whom he looks like. Have it come out in game play - all kinds of plot hooks and ways to have it happen.
edit: put is spontaneous creation back in play
We could use more details.
Usually in such cases i ask the player to come up with some hints on what he would like his char to develop into; afterward i come up with a quest centered on that PC, trying to give him more RP depth.
What is background? Likings? Dislikings? Family?
Edit: there is always the chance of putting aside that char and roll a new one,but that depends on the GM.
How about you just let him roll up a new character of the same level?
A bit too vague to offer real suggestions I am afraid..
Personally I would just allow him to make a new character if need be, the player is supposed to have fun.
We could use more details.
Usually in such cases i ask the player to come up with some hints on what he would like his char to develop into; afterward i come up with a quest centered on that PC, trying to give him more RP depth.
Well, see, that's exactly the problem. He doesn't know, or WANT to know, what his character is going to develop into. The fact that his character has established elements now is believed to be the source of the problem.
I didn't provide details on the offending backstory to begin because I didn't feel they were relevant, but alright. Spoiler warning in case my other players are roaming.
He assumed the identity of someone else - all of the backstory is about someone else, whom he looks like. Have it come out in game play - all kinds of plot hooks and ways to have it happen.
edit: put is spontaneous creation back in play
Have his backstory be a cover story. It provides the hooks and facts for your needs and doesn't limit him. e could either have assumed that person's identity or have been pretending o be him all along.
I'd suggested something like this already, and he's against the idea -- being a spy, or someone who for whatever other reason assumed an identity, would only add more details and pre-determined elements to his character, thus worsening the problem.
Many suggestions that he should create a new character
Is that really the only option, though? Of course he could make a new character, but that's not really a solution, that's just starting over.
When other DMs encounter problems like these (because I really can't believe that he is the first roleplayer to ever create a character they can't get into right away), is the character always immediately scrapped? :/
I think it's just a player who doesn't want to commit to a character concept.
I think it's just a player who doesn't want to commit to a character concept.
I'll agree that's likely a part of what's going on, though I also know that this has never caused a problem like this before now. We're not new to roleplaying together (player is my roommate and BFF of some 6-8 years), though this is my first time DMing a game he's in.
His characters have never really suffered from a refusal to adhere to a particular personality or concept, it's just that he normally figures out who they are during play, rather than ahead of time, with personal details getting made up when they come up.
Does someone else know about his background?
Does someone else know about his background?
Some part more directly than others, but yes.
The other characters have seen his weirdly selfish charitable streak in action, and are currently living in his apartment, eating his food, and having him march them all over Sigil as a tour guide with no real ... payment or benefit for himself. They've also seen his bizarre collection of poorly made crafts.
The other characters came with him when he went to collect his cut of his tuition money from a devil-descended tiefling he referred to as his "investment banker," and though he's made a few passing remarks about Baator, they as of yet don't know that he went to Grenpoli, spent time in Baator, or that he's a drop out.
If he doesn't like his background and such, why don't you try an approach in which you let him find hints that his history might not actually be what he thinks it is? Ofcourse this will take some doing and creativity on your part. But this might draw him back into the game.
It's not even that he doesn't like his characters backstory -- on paper, he loves it; conceptually, the backstory is very appealing to the player. But in play, he feels like it's restricting his creativity and his ability to express and develop the character.
It's not the backstory that is causing the issue, it's the fact that one exists at all.
As an addendum, I did ask if having the character dunked in the Styx would fix the problem, but the player had a severely averse reaction to the prospect of playing an amnesiac.
I went through a period that sounds similar.
I actually ended up running as a pathological liar. Every time anyone asked me anything about my history, I changed it. Even if it was someone in the party. I even started giving different names everytime we were introduced to a new NPC.
The group started calling me "Hey You the Liar"
It was actually pretty fun for a while, though I think the GM was getting irritated and might have fudged the dice a little to help him die.
Years later I read the Terry Pratchett book Going Postal and thought, "Hey, I'm Moist VonLipwig!"
I went through a period that sounds similar.
I actually ended up running as a pathological liar. Every time anyone asked me anything about my history, I changed it. Even if it was someone in the party. I even started giving different names everytime we were introduced to a new NPC.
The group started calling me "Hey You the Liar"
It was actually pretty fun for a while, though I think the GM was getting irritated and might have fudged the dice a little to help him die.Years later I read the Terry Pratchett book Going Postal and thought, "Hey, I'm Moist VonLipwig!"
Sounds like the Joker from The Killing Joke. "If I'm going to have a history, it might as well be multiple choice!"
I went through a period that sounds similar.
I actually ended up running as a pathological liar. Every time anyone asked me anything about my history, I changed it. Even if it was someone in the party. I even started giving different names everytime we were introduced to a new NPC.
The group started calling me "Hey You the Liar"
It was actually pretty fun for a while, though I think the GM was getting irritated and might have fudged the dice a little to help him die.Years later I read the Terry Pratchett book Going Postal and thought, "Hey, I'm Moist VonLipwig!"
Haha. I play a fey character who does this -- constantly changes her name and personal details for no discernible purpose; though, granted, she is fey and quite demented by human reckoning, and she refuses to acknowledge that anything of her story has changed. Other party members call her whatever suits them at the time (Glowercloud when they're annoyed with her, Flitterberry when she's being vacant or fickle, etc).
It sounds like the story arc of the campaign involves his character, would I be right to assume that? I know quite a few people who hate having the story "be about them". This could be the case, You can always test it out by having a session or two where you completely ignore this character and his development, concentrate on another PC and don't even mention the guy for a sesson or two and see if he gets back into it. Let him work his creative juices trying to get his character to fit into the 'action' without you telling him how he fits. Make him tell you the story of why he is helping out Bruno McGuffin, and not letting them deal with it themselves while he does his traveling thing.
It sounds like the guys your best friend and you want to do something special by putting his character in the spotlight, and this in turn is making him feel put on the spot and uncomfortable. I don't know enough to be sure about this, it's just soemthing that sprang to mind due to past experiances I have had of a similar nature.
Ultimately, make sure not to stand in his way. If he is absolutely miserable playing this PC, take it over as an NPC and let him roll up a new guy. In the end everything else should be secondary to having fun. And if he has regrets he can always take the PC back with renewed vigor.
Blaarg! I think you might be on to something. The current arc doesn't depend on him PER SE, but the other PCs are relying on him to find their way around (he's the only non-clueless in a Planescape game), and there's not really much tying him to the party other than "wacky selfish charity." Maybe I should take a step back from his characters deal, encourage the PCs to rent a frigging inn, and see if the other PCs gaining a little sufficiency gives him some more breathing room to explore his character with.
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Blaarg! I think you might be on to something. The current arc doesn't depend on him PER SE, but the other PCs are relying on him to find their way around (he's the only non-clueless in a Planescape game), and there's not really much tying him to the party other than "wacky selfish charity." Maybe I should take a step back from his characters deal, encourage the PCs to rent a frigging inn, and see if the other PCs gaining a little sufficiency gives him some more breathing room to explore his character with.
A similar idea: Why not completely blow up the "material" proof of the character's backstory? If right now the other PCs are using this character and the character's apartment and other possessions as a navigation point for the campaign, maybe pull a rabbit out of your GM's hat and create a situation that throws everything into chaos. Maybe the character's parents have become annoyed enough with their child's "selfish charity" that they send an agent to recoup the tuition money the character pilfered. Maybe the agent gets a little overzealous and ends up burning the character's apartment building down. Or maybe a thieves' guild gets wind of this character's resources and steals everything the character owns. All of this could happen off-stage, so to speak, so you accomplish your aim of essentially forcing the party to sever its ties with the character's material possessions while not bogging down an entire session making this happen. It could also serve as a turning point for the character -- maybe before he was willing to traipse all around acting as an unpaid guide, but once his whole world has come crashing down his personality could change immensely.
It sounds to me like maybe the player feels boxed in by the fact that he's created a character history he's not wild about -- but now he's stuck with it, because the whole party is relying on his stuff and his history to navigate the campaign. Taking away all that stuff and allowing for a personality shift would take the pressure off the player, would force the PCs to be more resourceful and could allow the player to inject a bit more spontaneity into his character moving forward.
Good idea, Amanda! I think I will do just that and see if it helps.