In a recent episode, we discussed how to go about introducing new players to the hobby. During our discussion, we got around to the topic of roleplaying, specifically about ways to encourage people who are brand new to tabletop gaming to act and speak as their characters would act and speak.
During the episode, DM Thorin asked me what I do to foster this specific aspect of gaming and, for all the dramatic flair I can summon at the game table, I was stumped. This happens sometimes during our episodes, as we are not scripted or rehearsed – we, quite literally, hit the record button and start talking. (Hopefully, it’s magic. Sometimes, you’ve just got no answer to an obvious question!)
And that, dear reader, is what this article will provide. This would have been my response to the question, had my brain not decided that it was time to, I don’t know, catalog my grocery list for the coming week while going live!
1. Silence Is Golden
We’ve all been there. The scenario begins; you’ve set the mood, narrated the players’ entrance into town, had them meet the, hopefully friendly, NPC that could provide them with meaningful clues to the adventure. Then you asked, possibly in a character voice, a player something directly.
Deer. In. Headlights.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, and it can be used to leverage more roleplay out of your party. Let’s think of it philosophically: The only way anything is really useful is through the spaces, through the silence. A window only works if there is empty space, otherwise, it’s just a wall or a door. A bowl can only hold your favorite soup because of the space within it. Music only makes sense due to the silence between notes.
In the same way, let the silence be your friend. Don’t rush to fill the space up with more talking, or giggling, or a retreat back into third-person narrative: “The innkeeper asks you where you are coming from.” Let the silence hang in the air for a beat or two. Use it to your advantage, make it part of the organic feel of your world.
How many times has someone entered a room and not heard your greeting or question? Do you just pretend that you never spoke? (Honestly, sometimes this is exactly what I do!) Or, do you make an effort to get their attention and repeat your question? This is how humans generally behave. Let the characters in your game behave similarly.
Maybe this turns into the innkeeper thinking that the player/party is daft in the head, putting on airs, or just plain dumb. Maybe this can change the interaction between them. Maybe this can create some memorable, and humorous, parts of the session. What it can also do is teach your players that the world is responding to them in real-time and that their action (or inaction) will change the parameters of the test.
2. A Rose by Any Other Name
Players spend a good amount of time and thought creating their characters. We’ve spoken about this at length in several episodes. Where did they come from? Why did they start adventuring? What are their goals and desires? And, what is their name?
How many times have you been running a game and gotten into the habit of calling on Jill, Ben and Rob instead of Arwen, Dolgrin and Cayden?
Let’s say that the 3 Wise DM’s are hanging out at a meet-and-greet mixer at next year’s GenCon. (There, I said it. Now the Universe has to comply.) And you, dear reader, would really like to know what DM Dave’s thoughts are on the possibility of a return of the Dragonlance campaign setting. So, you call out, “Hey, Dave!” Do you think that Thorin or Tony would be the ones to turn around?
Names matter. And now, you’ll never get to have discussions with me about the fantastical world of Krynn. (That’s actually a lie. I would still like to discuss them with you. Just buy me a beer, first.)
Your players have named their characters. That is the way the world they exist in knows them. Their very identity. Speak to them as “Arwen, Dolgrin and Cayden – the Warrior’s Three.” When their initiative order comes up, find out what Arwen is doing, not Jill. It seems like such a little thing, but “I’ve found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay …”
3. A Voice in the Wilderness
Character voices.
This can be one of the more controversial topics surrounding TTRPGs, especially with the rise of actual play streams and podcasts. People see these players and DMs, sometimes professional actors, speaking in accents and truly embodying the characters they’re playing. This can lead to feeling like you are somehow “playing wrong” if you’re not speaking in a funny voice. Even more so for the DM, who might feel that, to do it well, one must be able to speak in 47 different accents for different races and species, including animal sounds and creaking doors.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
As we have stated many times, there is no wrong way to play this game and no wrong style in which to DM it. Every person has certain strengths and weaknesses that will fit one style of DMing over another – find yours and lean into it. No need to qualify it for anyone else.
Now that I have put up the disclaimer, let me add why voices, acting and body movement can enhance the roleplaying at your table.
Think about the most memorable characters from your favorite movies and TV shows. You could think of several things that make the character memorable. However, if you were going to cosplay them at the next Comic-Con, there would be three things that would send your impression into overdrive: How they look, how they sound and how they move.
Let’s take an iconic villain like Darth Vader. The look is obvious: All black from head to toe, regal cape, samurai-inspired helmet, mask and a red lightsaber. Absolutely iconic. How does he sound? Obviously, James Earl Jones’ gravity well of a voice. However, you already know Vader is present before he even speaks when you hear the distinct KHOOOH PUHRRR of his respirator. And, finally, his movements, slow and stiff, implying the pain and difficulty he experiences within the prison of his biosuit.
You can easily create the sense of what your character, or NPC, looks like through description. But what voices, rhythm of speech, and bodily movements or posture do is create a more authentic and memorable person. It can make players trust the NPC or suspect them. Want to help them or not. Create the tension when the respirator sound starts as they enter the darkened chamber.
You don’t need to be a professional actor to achieve any of this. You’re sitting around a table with your friends, not standing on the Broadway stage. All you need to do is go for it. Try a voice. Move your body in a strange way. Look out of one eye. Lick your lips incessantly. Talk with your hands. Whatever. Just have some fun and see what comes out. It can give your players all the permission they need to let their own freak flag fly.
Final Thoughts
Everything we do within these games is roleplaying, whether that’s combat, exploration or social encounters. It is the common thread running through the entirety of the game, from character creation to campaign finales. And there are so many ways that you can approach this act of roleplaying, from the third-person descriptive narrative all the way to cosplaying your characters at the table ala Acquisitions, Inc.
None of these are wrong, but there is something to be said about learning to embody someone else. Learning to think like they think, act like they act, talk like they talk. All of this adds to the realness, the verisimilitude, of the world and story that you are all spending A LOT of time creating together. Feel free to explore the bounds of that world, let your imagination out to play. For, “within everyone beats the heart of a hero … even if only for a few hours on Saturday.”
Until next time, heroes … LIVE THE ADVENTURE!