Evilhalfling
Adventurer
I ran a great one shot last night and it started with a some simple role-playing.
it was a living forgotten realms group, so the characters and players were mostly unfamiliar to each other. These were paragon characters, so I asked each player about how they fit into the world, if they had met the NPCs before, and if they had arrived on time to the meeting.
I then provided a gossipy guide, and asked in person about current events and their opinions.
This intro period had no meaningful choices but really felt like it helped the players to get into their characters heads. Sort of a mini-showcase that went far beyond "what does your character look like?"
It was a long game with a lot of (fun) fights. Unfortunately the NPC they ran in the middle of the game was approached as just a problem, and role-playing was strained.
Three epiphanies:
1. I should make time so that each character has can introduce themselves, both in words and actions that reveal their personalities.
2. This is important in my home game as well as 1-shots. So that we are all reminded of the individual personalities of the characters.
3. How do I focus on NPCs being people, not problems to solve?
I think PCs need more chances to show off who they are, without having to be pragmatic, or groupthink.
How do you encourage your players?
it was a living forgotten realms group, so the characters and players were mostly unfamiliar to each other. These were paragon characters, so I asked each player about how they fit into the world, if they had met the NPCs before, and if they had arrived on time to the meeting.
I then provided a gossipy guide, and asked in person about current events and their opinions.
This intro period had no meaningful choices but really felt like it helped the players to get into their characters heads. Sort of a mini-showcase that went far beyond "what does your character look like?"
It was a long game with a lot of (fun) fights. Unfortunately the NPC they ran in the middle of the game was approached as just a problem, and role-playing was strained.
Three epiphanies:
1. I should make time so that each character has can introduce themselves, both in words and actions that reveal their personalities.
2. This is important in my home game as well as 1-shots. So that we are all reminded of the individual personalities of the characters.
3. How do I focus on NPCs being people, not problems to solve?
I think PCs need more chances to show off who they are, without having to be pragmatic, or groupthink.
How do you encourage your players?
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