I remember when I started in the first campaign that I would play in for an extended period of time. Most GM's don't really talk about roleplaying with their players in advance. Mine was no different, even though none of us had really played anything before. It's a tactic that I, too, have adopted in running my own campaigns most of the time. I think it's because we, as GMs, don't really think about the fact that roleplaying isn't inherently intuitive. I know that as a roleplayer without guidance, I developed a lot of bad habits that I wasn't even aware were wrong until a few years later when I was told by the GM and one other player-after I'd already been doing these things time and time again.
I know that I've also had players who do things that are problematic, not out of maliciousness, but just without knowing to do anything better.
The point is that things aren't necessarily straightforward. Therefore, I decided to try to put together the best advice I could come up with based on what I've seen go right and what I've seen go wrong in games I've run and played in.
The following advice is things to do as well as things not to do. It isn't just about improving your roleplaying ability, but it is also about improving your ability to roleplay together with a group and enjoy a story that is fun for everyone.
None of these rules are absolute. If you're playing Paranoia, you can probably ignore most/all of them.
1. Know Your Character
Almost everything that follows comes from this core point. Know who your character is. Know how they think. What's important to them? What motivates them? What are they afraid of? Each of us are a made of a sum of beliefs, motivations, fears, personality quirks, etc. Know what those are for your character, and it will help you play them.Think about how their personality relates to the abilities they have. If they know a lot about history, what is it about history that interests them? If they have a lot of sneaky backstab abilities, what does that imply about them? Your characters mechanics are a part of who your character is. The things your character chooses to learn or excel at are things that relate to who they are as a person.
A lot of time, knowledge of your character will develop as a game develops. The more your character faces, the better idea you'll have of who they are, what they want, and how they react to things.
2. Always ask Why
This second rule is probably the most important strategy to developing good roleplaying skills.Most things you do in real life, you just do without thinking about it. However, if someone asks you why you did that thing, usually you can come up with some answer. It should be the same for your character. The things your character does and says should be things your character has a reason to do. As you get to know your character, before taking actions or talking in character, quickly ask yourself "why is my character doing/saying this?" If you can't answer that question, then it might be best to do something different.
The longer you play as a particular character, the better you'll understand how that character thinks, what motivates them, and how they act. Your asking why will be less deliberate as assuming the role of the character becomes more natural for you.
3. Don't Act on Information Your Character Doesn't Have
One of the hardest things in the world for players, including myself, is to not use meta knowledge. There is a tendency to see the game as...well...a game. Something that we're trying to win. We want our characters to be victorious, and often we favor using meta knowledge even if that isn't something our characters would know. Depending on how the game is focused, this may be okay. However, it isn't good roleplaying.If you know something about a creature or situation because of some prior experience, it's bad roleplaying to have your character act based on that experience. It isn't necessarily experience your character has. Unless you've worked out with the GM a situation where you've faced that sort of creature or situation in your character's backstory, then your character should be forced to depend on knowledge rolls or trial and error to figure it out (no, you shouldn't just happen to try the right thing first. Think about what your character would *actually* try if they didn't know what you know.)
Likewise, if another player character learns something via a knowledge check or a side encounter, your character should not be motivated to act based on this knowledge unless that player's character shares that information with yours.
When you ask "why is my character doing/saying this?" if your answer is "because I know X" or even "because of X" where X is something your character doesn't know, then you should probably do something else.
3m. Don't Talk About Information You Know but Shouldn't
Here's one that I'm bad at. If you know about a particular enemy or situation that your character doesn't know about, especially if other players don't know about that thing, don't mention your knowledge. If you tell them about the enemy or situation, you ruin their ability to learn for themselves, and you make them more inclined to roleplay badly. If you talk about knowing something but don't say what it is, then you risk irritating your friends, and you also break some of the realism of the game.Generally, making a meta recommendation to a player whose character has a knowledge skill that might help them discover information about the enemy or situation is alright, but it may depend on your group and how that suggestion is made.
4. Develop Quirks, Mannerisms, or a "Thing"
It's easier to play your character if there is something unique and recurring about them. This might be a quirk, an accent, something in the manner they speak or walk, or maybe a hobby or obsession. Either way, it should be something that comes up relatively often and which you and your fellow players come to associate with your character. That way, there's a uniqueness to your character which can make them fun to play.If you're having trouble with this, here are some questions to help you brainstorm:
- Is there anything unique about how my character talks (accent, word choice, etc)?
- Does my character have any physical mannerisms/ticks? (Bonus points if this is something you can actually physically do while seated at the table, as that will help to maintain the realism and sustain the imagination of the rest of the group.)
- Is there any odd object that my character carries with him/her and/or collects?
- Does my character do anything odd in their spare time?
5. Don't Insult Other Players/Player Character/Ideas
It doesn't matter if one of the defining attributes of your character is that they're a jackass, players don't like being put down. If you're roleplaying a jackass, sometimes the players on the receiving end can lose the sense of the line between game and real life, and can feel like you are attacking them personally, rather than your character tearing down their character. So, it may be good roleplaying, but it's bad playing overall. I've had groups where players have left or just felt awful while playing because of tension caused by other players who were just trying to roleplay.This also goes for ideas proposed by other players. Even if we disagree with a strategy/idea/way of handling a problem or moving forward proposed by another player/player character, it is important that we handle the idea respectfully. If a player feels that you are shutting down their ideas or that you think they are stupid, then it may force them to shut down and be less likely to contribute in the future. This makes the game much less fun to that player, and isn't fair to them. This isn't to say that you should always support everyone's ideas, but if you disagree with them, you should express your disagreements in a friendly, respectful manner, being careful not to attack it or the person offering it.
Roleplaying is a high priority in most groups, but it shouldn't be prioritized above having an environment where people feel safe to share and have a good time.
Likewise, if you choose to roleplay a character who is a jerk, it makes sense for the rest of the group to roleplay people who don't want to hang out with a jerk, and you may lose your place in the group altogether.
6. Don't be a Lone Wolf
I think there's a tendency in some players, myself and some of my regular players included, to play characters who are a bit of a loner. These characters don't like relying on others, and they like going off on their own and doing their own things.This...isn't the most conducive to a group roleplaying game. Tabletop roleplaying games are generally group activities, so it's important to make a character with that in mind. Even if your group doesn't start as a team together, they are all going to be working together through the duration of your adventure/campaign.
If you're playing a character who likes being on their own/doesn't trust or work well with others/otherwise would resist working with the group, it ends up meaning that either you get left behind-in which case you're no longer playing the game, or that something has to happen to force you to work with them. A lot of times, this is either the other players accepting you into the party despite your actions which would make most people disinterested in your participation, or the GM utilizing some 'hand of God' plot device to keep you all together until you learn to accept them. Both of these are a bit forced, and both of these cause issues with the suspension of disbelief of the group as a whole.
You don't have to play an easygoing extrovert character, but you should play a character who would be inclined to work together with the others in your party.
7. Act and React
Sometimes, games get a bit stagnant. I know that I, as a player, tend to freeze up if I can't think of the "right" thing to do. But, we have to remember that the game may be a game with definable objectives, it may be a story with a linear progression, but it also can be a world (depending on your GM's style) to be explored. Just like in real life, there's not always a "right" thing to do next. Nonetheless, something has got to happen. If your players are just sitting around in safety, it may be up to you to make that happen.When the game seems stagnant, ask yourself "okay, what would my character do?" See if anything comes to mind. Think about any goals your character has-short or long term. Is there anything you can do to work towards them? Is there anywhere you can go that might provide your character with answers to questions they have? The important thing is to do something. And, when you do, the choices you make bring out more about who your character is and what's important to them.
8. Change and Grow
You aren't the same person you were a year ago. You certainly aren't the same person you were five years ago. The same is true for your character. As they go through different events, they are going to change. How are they affected by getting or failing to get what they want? How do their relationships (friendship, animosity, etc) with other members of the group or other NPCs grow over time? What do they learn from their struggles and adventures? How are they shaped by their victories? How are they shaped by their defeats? Do things that were once important to them become less important? Do other things take the place of that 'important thing?' Does their motivation grow and change with them?Resources
If you want to read more tips and pieces of advice, check out the following articles.
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