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Tabletop RPG is an excellent creative outlet for those who wish to hone and practice their dramatic and improvisational skills. Acting out scenes and dialogue can often be the most fun aspect of a game session. However, I have also seen a lot of people unfortunately alienated from groups because of their shyness and natural reluctance to playing out such scenes. Over time, I have learned that there are many ways to engage players in the social encounters of pen and paper adventuring at their own pace and within their comfort zone.
Shy Versus Dramatic Player Types
Why do people often insist that all player perform their dialogue in-character, speaking their character's lines verbatim? On the most basic level, it is a matter of immersion. Putting on a voice and speaking lines of dialogue is the easiest way for a player to prove that they are invested in the world of the game, and it often reduces the feelings of self-consciousness in other players. It also allows for some more nuanced details by acting out the scenes in detail. The practice can loosen up the game table but at the same time it can become tedious, especially if applied equally to even the most innocuous scenes (Like I have said about the classic Trip to the Market scenario.) Worse, some players might start to feel uncomfortable when asked to basically perform in front of an audience in this way, and it can lead to the unfortunate exclusion of players who would otherwise enjoy participating in gameplay.
Some groups may require a player to "act it out" whenever they take an action, which is fine for very outgoing dramatic types. But it's not everybody's cup of tea The trick is to create an atmosphere where players do not feel pressure to perform improvisational sketches or forfeit their participation in the game. Shy people should get to play too! As long as a player can say "I will talk to the barkeep and asks about the disappearances in the local mines," they don't have to include the details of every line of dialogue that might have passed between the characters. In fact, some players might not mind if the DM fills in those details himself, letting the player know how their character sounds: "Your troll barbarian says 'Og heard about trouble in mines. What you want Og do?'" Once again, you want to find the vibe that works for your group and makes your players comfortable while still letting the story be told. As the game goes on, players will tend to become more comfortable in a natural way, and you can encourage them to open up and have fun without putting them on the spot in a way that will make them anxious.
Being a good, confident performer is a vital to being a DM, but the active participation of the player doesn't necessarily mean the confidence and skill to step completely into the shoes of their character.
Balancing Social Encounters and Exploration
In fact, there is a lot of unnecessary emphasis placed on dialogue in general in these games. While there are plenty of instances in which talking to NPCs can be fun, it's not the sole focus of a good campaign. It is usually a good idea to balance dialogue-heavy encounters and episodes with some more isolated exploration-based scenarios. The classic Dungeons and Dragons dungeon delves were made up of chambers full of monsters and traps, with few talking sentient beings within. As a new DM, I was tempted to pit the characters against sentient NPC opponents all the time, but I soon learned that too much of anything can be a detriment to my games. Walking, talking enemies can draw the focus away from your PCs, become generic and tiresome at the same time.
Some groups may require a player to "act it out" whenever they take an action, which is fine for very outgoing dramatic types. But it's not everybody's cup of tea The trick is to create an atmosphere where players do not feel pressure to perform improvisational sketches or forfeit their participation in the game. Shy people should get to play too! As long as a player can say "I will talk to the barkeep and asks about the disappearances in the local mines," they don't have to include the details of every line of dialogue that might have passed between the characters. In fact, some players might not mind if the DM fills in those details himself, letting the player know how their character sounds: "Your troll barbarian says 'Og heard about trouble in mines. What you want Og do?'" Once again, you want to find the vibe that works for your group and makes your players comfortable while still letting the story be told. As the game goes on, players will tend to become more comfortable in a natural way, and you can encourage them to open up and have fun without putting them on the spot in a way that will make them anxious.
Being a good, confident performer is a vital to being a DM, but the active participation of the player doesn't necessarily mean the confidence and skill to step completely into the shoes of their character.
Balancing Social Encounters and Exploration
In fact, there is a lot of unnecessary emphasis placed on dialogue in general in these games. While there are plenty of instances in which talking to NPCs can be fun, it's not the sole focus of a good campaign. It is usually a good idea to balance dialogue-heavy encounters and episodes with some more isolated exploration-based scenarios. The classic Dungeons and Dragons dungeon delves were made up of chambers full of monsters and traps, with few talking sentient beings within. As a new DM, I was tempted to pit the characters against sentient NPC opponents all the time, but I soon learned that too much of anything can be a detriment to my games. Walking, talking enemies can draw the focus away from your PCs, become generic and tiresome at the same time.
A classic dilemma that I run into as the DM is when the players think the only way to solve a mystery is to take the last remaining evil minion alive and interrogate him for information. This often leads to another lengthy questioning sequence as the group tries to squeeze details from their target that they could have discovered themselves through exploration or in-game research. Players should always be encouraged to look for clues from the environment as well. Tracks in the dirt, a tapestry on the wall, a letter from a superior officer, or a mysterious key can all lead to players drawing conclusions without being directly informed by an NPC. Tabletop gaming, just like any form of creative entertainment, benefits greatly from the principle of "SHOW, DON'T TELL." When players learn things through their actions it can be much more satisfying than being told directly by an NPC.
Letting Charismatic Characters Do Their Thing
The same rules for knowledge checks apply to social checks. No character should be limited by their own social adeptness, or however their own personal social ability may be percieved by others. When a character clearly makes a social move, an action that would use a diplomatic, deceitful, or intimidating skill, they don't need to act it out in order to succeed. They just need to clearly describe the statement their character is making. ("I act friendly and try to make the goblin our ally. I also tell him that we have put away all our weapons." )
In other words, if a player says they want to seduce the baroness with their charm and wit, they don't necessarily have to come up with a clever quip to perform the action. They don't have to be as charming as their dashing don. Now there is nothing wrong if they want to add something clever themselves, but there should be no pressure to put on a show just because their character is a scoundrel. As long as it is a reasonable move for the character to make, let them describe their social attempt in general and then roll the dice. You can determine what happens based on their result. And as always, there are some successes that a fast talker should be able to achieve automatically. After all, some folks just have the gift of gab!
Happy ventures!
In other words, if a player says they want to seduce the baroness with their charm and wit, they don't necessarily have to come up with a clever quip to perform the action. They don't have to be as charming as their dashing don. Now there is nothing wrong if they want to add something clever themselves, but there should be no pressure to put on a show just because their character is a scoundrel. As long as it is a reasonable move for the character to make, let them describe their social attempt in general and then roll the dice. You can determine what happens based on their result. And as always, there are some successes that a fast talker should be able to achieve automatically. After all, some folks just have the gift of gab!
Happy ventures!
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