I’ve tackled this topic before but only at its most basic level. The previous article “How to Be a Better Player” offered ten suggestions for how to be a better player. I intended those suggestions for novice players, but what about the intermediate or advanced player who wants to improve. Storytellers, Dungeon Masters and Game Masters have an overwhelming number of resources available including podcasts, articles, books, and videos that offer advice on how to improve their GM skills. Yet, the most comprehensive advice that I’ve found on how to improve one’s skills on the other side of the GM screen is no more in depth than “Bring your dice” and “Try other classes.”
Wizards
of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League recently published an
article with a similar lack of useful information for intermediate players. Their article offered two pieces of advice
for players in the Adventurers League Organized Play Events. First they suggested that players try a wide
variety of character classes and archetypes.
The rules for D&D 5E Adventurers League allows players to change
their characters’ classes, archetypes, and many other attributes until their
characters reach 5th level.
The second suggestion is that players should take advantage of the
opportunity to meet and game with new players.
The intent of this suggestion is that players will become better
roleplayers by observing and mimicking others.
Specifically, the article references tactics and combat situations.
Neither
my article nor the Adventurers League article offer bad advice, but the focus
is obviously on either rule comprehension or material that is obvious to anyone
except beginning players. I’ve been
mulling this topic for several weeks and I have found very little information
on how to be a better roleplayer. Before
I get further into this topic, I should clarify what I mean by a
“roleplayer.” For the purposes of this
article “a roleplayer” or “roleplaying” will be used as system neutral terms
that refer only to the aspect of the game that involves a player (or GM) “assumingthe attitudes, actions, and discourse” of a character. Mechanics, systems, and
other rules, although important, will not be central to this article. Unfortunately, I am not an expert roleplayer,
and I have more questions than answers.
I hope that by asking these questions I can discover some answers myself
and inspire others to look for those answers as well.
From: Young Wolf Deviant Art |
Becoming
Better
How good of a roleplayer are
you? Do you find it easy to get into
character and stay in character during a game?
Are your characters fully developed, three-dimensional personae? Do you act in character regardless of whether
or not the actions taken will result in negative consequences? Do you play against type? Do you play characters with a gender
different of your own or sexuality? Do
you try to exercise your roleplaying skills by playing difficult
characters?
These questions and many others
represent the metacognitive thinking that I have been considering recently in
regards to roleplaying. The origin of
these thoughts was a player in a D&D Adventurers League game that I was
running late last year. The player, who
I will call Jon, plays a Lawful Evil, Drow, Wizard agent of the Zhentarum whose
own personal goal have very little to do with stopping the evils of the Cult of
the Dragon along the Sword Coast.
Instead Jon’s character acts an agent for a variety of merchants and
traders, and he hopes to build connections in the towns that he visits. His fight against the Cult of the Dragon is
almost incidental, and his exploits in battle against the Cult serve to create
a reputation that he exploits in his business dealings. More so than Jon’s actions, he brings joy,
fun, and excitement to the table. He’s
violent and mercenary and frequently argues with the other party members, but
he inherently knows how much to argue without upsetting the other players. He is the kind of roleplayer that I want to emulate
and inspire other players to emulate.
Having had the realization that my
skills as a roleplayer are lacking, how can I or anyone else become a better
roleplayer? I suppose the easy answer is
practice. The Adventurers League article
isn’t wrong. The only way to improve is
through practice and playing different characters. Where that article’s intent is improving
tactical play, improving roleplaying requires more than understanding the fundamentals
of a D&D cleric or choosing the best Disciplines for a Toreador in
Vampire: The Masquerade. Mastery of character optimization is no
longer difficult due to the prevalence of message boards dedicated solely to
building a better character or ranking character classes. Reading through threads on a message board is
not going to improve one’s skill at roleplaying.
Like being a Dungeon Master or
Storyteller, the more time that a player spends playing the game should improve
their roleplaying. But how often can a
person play an RPG? Most of tabletop
RPG players can only dedicate one night a week to gaming and usually no more
than three or four hours. Those hours
are typically spent in one campaign playing one character. Yet, the best way to improve is to play
multiple characters with a wide array of attitudes and motivations.
The first step in becoming a better
roleplayer is to build a better character emphasizing strong motivations,
goals, and other characteristics that make the character more than a set of a
statistics on a character sheet. Roleplaying
is also a collaborative game, it’s important not to allow your character’s
motivations to disrupt the game or detract from the fun of other players. So the character must fit in with the party
and help advance the story rather than selfishly advancing his or her own goals
to detriment of the adventuring party.
Continuing
Forward
If the goal of this article was to
provide information on how to become a better roleplayer, then I quite
obviously failed. So far all I’ve
accomplished is admitting that I am not a great roleplayer and that I have
noticed a lack of information for players.
I’ve suggested that practice and trial and error are obvious keys to
improving roleplaying, but to fully explore this subject is beyond the scope of
a single article. So, that will be the
focus of my blog over the next year:
ways to improve roleplaying with an emphasis on helping the intermediate
gamer improve. Future articles will
include discussions of goals and motivations for characters, building better
backstories, and some stories about my own failures and successes.
If you have any suggestions, stories
or other comments about improving roleplaying please leave them in comments
below. I will also greatly appreciate
any suggestions for books, materials, or other information regarding
roleplaying. As usual you can contact me
on Twitter @Anthony_RTDB or email me readthedamnbook@gmail.com
I like systems that include merits and flaws as the flaws in particular help develop character personality and roleplay opportunities. The character should also have an internal goal beyond Join team and kill things.
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