How do you all encourage your players to get into RP a little more and have their characters talk to one another?
I'm by no means saying I want my players to do accents and voices, that's completely up to them, but I would like to encourage them to start having more conversations in-character and take the time to talk to one another. I think it would help them get inside their characters heads a little bit more and help them stay true to their characters when making decisions.
We're relatively early in the campaign and the characters are still feeling each other out, so it makes sense that everyone is a little bit cagey, but so far nobody really knows anything about anyone else in the party and we're definitely past the point where they should know at least some basic information about one another. Nobody has even asked so much as "where are you from?" I've encouraged them to use travel time for walk-and-talks, and I've even had an NPC that they're travelling with try to pry a few of them for some personal details to set an example of how these conversations might go.
So I'd like to introduce moments in the story that just seem like natural time to interact with one another. How should I go about this?
I think you can get a lot of different and valid advice for this. Here's mine: Reward players for acting in character. At the end of the day, you're playing a game and the best way to get a desired result in a game is to reward the players for doing the thing.
As it stands, the only mechanical award 5th Edition currently has for "acting in character" is Inspiration(TM). There are a variety of ways to award inspiration -- but what if you only awarded it for characters who have "in-character" conversations? That could encourage the group to take time talking to each other in character. Also, don't be afraid to be explicit about it -- tell the group if they learn some new information about each other's characters during the next rest or traveling sequence by talking to each other, they'll get inspiration for doing so.
I guess the main point I'm trying to make is: If you want players to do something that influences how the game is played, find a way to reward them for doing it.
I've played in campaigns where RP was barely an afterthought - most of the players wanted to dungeon delve and fight monsters. That's cool, but for me it missed the point. On the note of inspiration, though, I often received it from the DM because I was the only one trying to do 'in character' things, like declaring my Paladin oath or uttering words for the Vow of Emnity. Nobody else seemed interested, though. And that's fine if that's what the group wants.
Conversely, the campaign I'm DMing has had two sessions in a row without major combat encounters but some amazing social RP encounters. I think this is the way to go if you want more 'voice' from people. Put their characters in a situation where they're not going to get into a fight and see what they do. Talk to them as the NPCs, and hopefully they follow your lead.
To echo the previous responses, find out what it is your players want. Discuss it openly - do some people want RP? Great! Encourage it. Do some people not like that part as much? Cool, throw them some monsters and see what happens. It's all the same game in the end. :)
The bare minimum for role-playing is that Players make choices based on the perspective, goals, and in-game knowledge of their characters. If they're doing that much, then a DM really can't demand more than that. Sure, we'd like more than that - I'm sure many ( not all ) of us would love a table of talented professional voice actors who just sit down and become their characters. But that's all gravy.
Talk to your Players outside the actual game play. Find out if this is something they want to do. FInd out why they're not doing it. FInd out what they'd like to change in the game to facilitate in-character conversations.
Lead by example. All your NPCs talk to the Characters, you don't talk to the Players outside of questions about mechanics! You as a DM ask "what do YOU do" and not "what does your Character do". Your Players are only going to be comfortable with this if you do it.
Make the story personal to the Characters, to draw personal details into the Narrative. This means making elements of the adventure tie into their backstories, which means coming up with elements of Character backstories. That's a whole other set of thread - but you don't need them to create an entire novel - you just need one fact. You need the story to involve someone's sister? Ask - "hey, Vendrin, where do you come from originally? Do you have any family left? No? Hmmm ... Tordek ?... " - and when you find one, nod sagely, and write it down. You've just establish a fact about the background of each Character, that's now canon. Now use it.
Find a mechanic to reward it. Maybe you're willing to give them modifiers on Social skills based on how well they play to their character. Nothing super huge, I'd say +1, maybe +2 for an extraordinarily well done impassioned argument. Don't give them a negative modifier for their efforts.
In short - if it's something they want to do ( and it's OK if they don't ), then you need to create a game where it's the accepted way to do things, fun, easy, and something that's to their advantage to do.
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Make the story personal to the Characters, to draw personal details into the Narrative. This means making elements of the adventure tie into their backstories, which means coming up with elements of Character backstories. That's a whole other set of thread - but you don't need them to create an entire novel - you just need one fact. You need the story to involve someone's sister? Ask - "hey, Vendrin, where do you come from originally? Do you have any family left? No? Hmmm ... Tordek ?... " - and when you find one, nod sagely, and write it down. You've just establish a fact about the background of each Character, that's now canon. Now use it.
I think this would be my main advice. Lots of players tend to be more loot and focused on effectiveness (myself included when I am not DMing.. ;)). To counter this out, I had several 1on1 sessions with my players, literally playing out parts of their past. Establish a lover, a friend or maybe a foe. Something they have an emotional relation to. No matter what that emotion is.
If I bring this back, the respective character (and their player) will usually react quite strongly. "This guy killed my family! I need to get them!"
It gets even better when there is more dark history to it. If they want something, but need help - and that help they only get if they can explain why. Or maybe they lie and it comes out in the end? "This guy talked me into killing my family" is a whole different moment of reveal - and I prefer it. It makes the moment of reveal uncomfortable. Because the character/player does not know how the others will necessarily react. It does not only reveal their goal but also more about what decisions they make in a moment of struggle.
It, of course, doesn't need to be that dramatic. Maybe a priest never met their father but knows he is a thief and his belief would have him lock his father up. So there is a conflict. The rest happens by itself usually :)
1. Their backstories are actually quite detailed and personal, I've got great things planned for all of them that I'm beginning to sprinkle in. I hope this helps.
2. Most of the players are new to the game, and I'm getting the sense that the lack of in-character conversations is more a function of easing into the game than a direct result of what the party wants. I think they're still learning their characters and learning that you truly can do anything you want in this world.
3. We've only played 7 sessions, so when I say it's early, I mean it''s early. 0
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It's amazing how few RPG character families survive in background stories.
Apparently the only thing more dangerous than being an Adventurer is being a close relative of an Adventurer.
First piece of advice I gave my players when working on their backstory was "don't be afraid to let your family live"
I have managed to avoid parental/family death/disaster as a motivator for my last 2 characters! One simply grew up to be a con-man while the other simply found himself on hard times due to economy and fate decided to make him an adventurer. My third character is a male Drow Sorcerer...his entire lineage is a disaster so...he doesn't count lol.
To the OP:
So, the folks on here gave really good advice on how to spark the players' interest in RPing more. Bringing in their characters' motives, goals and backstories into the game as part of the story is a big push for many of them. You, as DM, being in character as much as possible will help open the door. As well as talking to them, both in game and out, about their characters will make them focus on the character more.
The thing I'd like to bring up is what I've noticed as a long...long...time DM; there are 3 basic types of player at a table in regards to RP.
Type 1: The actor. This is the person who will be in character as much as possible. They usually have a voice for their character, sometimes they'll even have props as well. They're all about making decisions, talking to the NPCs and players in character. They embrace the quirks about their character and, especially in social encounters, will have no problems showing the flaws in their character as well as the talents. In extreme cases the player will not break character so long as the game is in session. These players will take the time to explore much of the game's lore and history, the politics and racial interactions, they'll dig into the fluff of the game.
Type 2: The some-timer. This person will bounce between being in character and themselves frequently. They'll toy with a voice for their character, they'll try to engage with the personality and motives of their character, and they'll usually be in character during most everything but combat. It's also important to note that they'll also drop into third person when they're stressed or anxious about something. They're just as quick to answer the King of Lerma with "I came because..." as they are to say "I tell the king that I'm here because". Generally most players will reach this point and be comfortable here. These types will explore the fluff of the game when it becomes important to whatever goal they're trying to accomplish. If they're trying to solve a feud between two warring states, they may be found trying to understand the political situation of both and resolving it with social/RP skills.
Type 3: The third-person. This person will almost never RP as their character. The will describe what their character does as if they were a narrator rather than the character. This person is usually new to the game, shy about exploring the idea of being in-character, or just doesn't care to be in character. The first two types will eventually break out of their shells and move up to the Some-Timer type of gamer as they get more comfortable. The person who doesn't care to be in character will probably never do it, they're more about the mechanical side of the game, they're viewing the sessions as though they are a board/video game, or they are just more comfortable hanging out with friends tossing dice and don't want to be bothered with that fluff.
Each person that comes to the table will fit into one of those 3 basic types and many DMs will want to have a table full of something between type 1 and type 2. We have to be comfortable, as DMs, to admit that the type 3 player is real and no matter how much effort we put into our games they just won't change. As a DM we will use the tactics, such as those described above, to get our players to buy in to our games as much as possible. We want our players to explore all the lore, history, and deep personal interactions that exist in our worlds. We have to be comfortable that the players, especially the type 3, won't care about much more than their character's lore, history, and deep personal interactions. Which means, no matter the type of player we have, if we learn to bring their characters to the fore-front of our games, we will gain their earnest interactions and, with any luck, turn most players into a type 2.
If you can learn your player RP types, you can start to cater events in game to help them grow comfortable with RP. You can tone down your type 1s so they are more welcoming to the shy type 3s. You can prompt your type 2s to put a little more effort into their RP and find new ways to explore their characters. DMing requires a lot already, now you're grooming your players to RP, but don't make this a priority make it part of the fun. Approach it with cookies, not a hammer.
I think most Players who have a bit of experience under the belt, have gotten to know the DM and the people in the group reasonably well ( to the point of comfort ) fall into Type 2 with bursts of type 1.
That's part of the equation - for most of us we need to be socially comfortable with everyone at the table before we risk making an idiot of ourselves ( DMs don't have that luxury; we have to be idiots day 1 :p ).
I realized in last night's session that I'm pretty lucky with my Players, as most of them are pretty good at using "character voice" - even to the point of the Gnome/Gunslinger/Tinkerer and the Human/Artificer-Artillerist kibitzing ( good naturally ) back and forth in character a fair amount ( of course, give them an opportunity to use explosives, and they're suddenly a tight knit duo :p ).
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To echo some of the other points here if it is a problem for your game then talk to the players out of game.
If there is any player that seems to be curious about getting to know NPCs for example or is more experienced with RPGs, and this would fit their character, then maybe ask that player to open up conversations with the other players.
You mentioned that you had plans for their backstories which is great. Maybe begin to foreshadow that for one or two of the characters. Perhaps while two of them are out on the streets of the city going for a little shopping one of them sees a familiar face from their dark and troubled past and they freeze up or go to hide, prompting the other character to ask questions about the situation. Or maybe its a person from their past that they like and they'll approach this person and strike up conversation, allowing the character with them to learn just a little bit more.
And lastly as others mentioned if they aren't huge into roleplay then they just aren't huge into roleplay. Maybe they are just the band of misfits who become friends just based on the present without a need to know anything about the past. That's fine. You said they all made detailed backstories so they obviously do seem to care about their characters and how they might act. The details will come out when you get to aspects of each characters' backstories in the game.
Something I’ve noticed that’s worked for me when I’m playing with new players is that if you throw in an NPC and talk to the players in character with that NPC, they’ll generally talk in character with the NPC, until they find themselves doing it more then just when you prompt them to.
i get that, and i think that it's great to shake up the character's world in some way as a catalyst. i just don't think the world-shaking event necessarily has to be a tragedy. i try to change it up by having characters that fall into adventuring by accident. in the game i'm running right now, my favorite backstory is the order domain cleric. his father is a mason, his mother is a diplomat, and he's a good little boy who was raised to believe that the empire was good and just and righteous and so he became a cleric dedicated to upholding the laws and order of society. he got sent to a church outpost in a small border town which was attacked by undead from the hills, and when he reported it to his superiors in the church they sent representatives from the capitol and orchestrated a whole coverup, denying anything about the undead invasion. this sewed seeds of doubt about the empire in his mind, and he decided to investigate the source of the undead himself, so he abandoned his church and set out into the hills...great backstory, happy, healthy family, cleric slowly questioning everything he thought he knew.
First piece of advice I gave my players when working on their backstory was "don't be afraid to let your family live"
I have trouble creating characters with happy backstories, mostly because happy, well-adjusted people don't go kill monsters for a living.
Lilja Thorleifursdottir, Barbarian - Lvl 1 - born into the Draugi people, she was marked from her birth as one chosen to be one the Blath-dansari or blade-dancer, highly skilled, destined to be a protector of her people against the depredations of the nótt veiðimenn during their nomadic travels across the tundra lands of Hvitocena. Born the 3rd child of 7, she enjoyed a normal childhood, with the usual sibling rivalries with her 4 other sisters and 2 brothers. Even as a young girl she was prized by her people ( and somewhat spoiled by her father Birgir ) - but the firm but loving parenting of her mother, Thorleifur, managed to keep Lilja grounded as a relatively normal young girl. While she exhibited precocious skills with the dual bladed fighting style of her people, it was her love of the dance which called to her as young girl, the pure joy of movement and grace. Young Lilja found joy and laughter in the celebration and dance of her people, but an older Lilja discovered the cool calm in the heart of her dance wielding the tvíburar in her hands, focused on the needs of keeping her, and those she loves, safe.
The sklads sing dark songs of the dread Ulvriger, the beast warriors of Hvitocena, whose rage gives the strength and power of many men in battle, but for Lilja and the blath-dansari like her, there is no malice, no anger, merely the joy of movement and skill, wedded to the needs of keeping the people safe. Lilja is taken not by rage, but the purity of expression - her world collapsing into the flow of muscle and steel in effortless motion, freed from fear, and heedless of the needs of her own flesh - for awhile.
Now, having won her place among her people many seasons back, binding her fate to the gentle strength of Sirnir the Draugi blacksmith, and blessed with her own daughter Eyja, she is a respected leader of her people - one of many whose voice is heard with attention and respect in council.
Her life could have flowed within the ways and traditions of the Draugi - like so many before her - had it not been for the half-dead, half-frozen Álfar found in the wastelands. After nearly three seasons recovering amongst the Draugi the Álfar known as Laeroth had become a fast friend to Lilja - and when Laeroth longed to return to the Álfar of the Southern lands, Lilja agreed to convey Laeroth safely home.
Now, wending their ways south, Lilja's heart is heavy leaving her family, and her people, behind - yet she knows that she will return soon to the Draugi ....
How I picture her fighting style starts at 31 seconds in :)
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Back story is, IMHO, the very fabric that your character is created from. Some people are afraid to have lavish backgrounds for their character. it may be because the DM may disallow or they’re just uncomfortable with the concept of a filthy rich adventurer. (It’s family money and I can’t stand the way people treat me when they find out how wealthy my family is...) it should be something to be looked at. when you make a character round your character out and make your character flourish
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How do you all encourage your players to get into RP a little more and have their characters talk to one another?
I'm by no means saying I want my players to do accents and voices, that's completely up to them, but I would like to encourage them to start having more conversations in-character and take the time to talk to one another. I think it would help them get inside their characters heads a little bit more and help them stay true to their characters when making decisions.
We're relatively early in the campaign and the characters are still feeling each other out, so it makes sense that everyone is a little bit cagey, but so far nobody really knows anything about anyone else in the party and we're definitely past the point where they should know at least some basic information about one another. Nobody has even asked so much as "where are you from?" I've encouraged them to use travel time for walk-and-talks, and I've even had an NPC that they're travelling with try to pry a few of them for some personal details to set an example of how these conversations might go.
So I'd like to introduce moments in the story that just seem like natural time to interact with one another. How should I go about this?
"To die would be an awfully big adventure"
It will happen or it won't. You can throw in an NPC to talk to them and maybe prompt them that way but eh, I don't think it's that big a deal.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I think you can get a lot of different and valid advice for this. Here's mine: Reward players for acting in character. At the end of the day, you're playing a game and the best way to get a desired result in a game is to reward the players for doing the thing.
As it stands, the only mechanical award 5th Edition currently has for "acting in character" is Inspiration(TM). There are a variety of ways to award inspiration -- but what if you only awarded it for characters who have "in-character" conversations? That could encourage the group to take time talking to each other in character. Also, don't be afraid to be explicit about it -- tell the group if they learn some new information about each other's characters during the next rest or traveling sequence by talking to each other, they'll get inspiration for doing so.
I guess the main point I'm trying to make is: If you want players to do something that influences how the game is played, find a way to reward them for doing it.
I've played in campaigns where RP was barely an afterthought - most of the players wanted to dungeon delve and fight monsters. That's cool, but for me it missed the point. On the note of inspiration, though, I often received it from the DM because I was the only one trying to do 'in character' things, like declaring my Paladin oath or uttering words for the Vow of Emnity. Nobody else seemed interested, though. And that's fine if that's what the group wants.
Conversely, the campaign I'm DMing has had two sessions in a row without major combat encounters but some amazing social RP encounters. I think this is the way to go if you want more 'voice' from people. Put their characters in a situation where they're not going to get into a fight and see what they do. Talk to them as the NPCs, and hopefully they follow your lead.
To echo the previous responses, find out what it is your players want. Discuss it openly - do some people want RP? Great! Encourage it. Do some people not like that part as much? Cool, throw them some monsters and see what happens. It's all the same game in the end. :)
So far some great a advice. My $0.02:
In short - if it's something they want to do ( and it's OK if they don't ), then you need to create a game where it's the accepted way to do things, fun, easy, and something that's to their advantage to do.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I think this would be my main advice. Lots of players tend to be more loot and focused on effectiveness (myself included when I am not DMing.. ;)).
To counter this out, I had several 1on1 sessions with my players, literally playing out parts of their past. Establish a lover, a friend or maybe a foe. Something they have an emotional relation to. No matter what that emotion is.
If I bring this back, the respective character (and their player) will usually react quite strongly.
"This guy killed my family! I need to get them!"
It gets even better when there is more dark history to it. If they want something, but need help - and that help they only get if they can explain why. Or maybe they lie and it comes out in the end?
"This guy talked me into killing my family" is a whole different moment of reveal - and I prefer it. It makes the moment of reveal uncomfortable. Because the character/player does not know how the others will necessarily react. It does not only reveal their goal but also more about what decisions they make in a moment of struggle.
It, of course, doesn't need to be that dramatic. Maybe a priest never met their father but knows he is a thief and his belief would have him lock his father up. So there is a conflict.
The rest happens by itself usually :)
Hope this helps a bit.
Thanks for all the replies! To add some detail:
1. Their backstories are actually quite detailed and personal, I've got great things planned for all of them that I'm beginning to sprinkle in. I hope this helps.
2. Most of the players are new to the game, and I'm getting the sense that the lack of in-character conversations is more a function of easing into the game than a direct result of what the party wants. I think they're still learning their characters and learning that you truly can do anything you want in this world.
3. We've only played 7 sessions, so when I say it's early, I mean it''s early. 0
"To die would be an awfully big adventure"
It's amazing how few RPG character families survive in background stories.
Apparently the only thing more dangerous than being an Adventurer is being a close relative of an Adventurer.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
Right???
First piece of advice I gave my players when working on their backstory was "don't be afraid to let your family live"
"To die would be an awfully big adventure"
I have managed to avoid parental/family death/disaster as a motivator for my last 2 characters! One simply grew up to be a con-man while the other simply found himself on hard times due to economy and fate decided to make him an adventurer. My third character is a male Drow Sorcerer...his entire lineage is a disaster so...he doesn't count lol.
To the OP:
So, the folks on here gave really good advice on how to spark the players' interest in RPing more. Bringing in their characters' motives, goals and backstories into the game as part of the story is a big push for many of them. You, as DM, being in character as much as possible will help open the door. As well as talking to them, both in game and out, about their characters will make them focus on the character more.
The thing I'd like to bring up is what I've noticed as a long...long...time DM; there are 3 basic types of player at a table in regards to RP.
Type 1: The actor. This is the person who will be in character as much as possible. They usually have a voice for their character, sometimes they'll even have props as well. They're all about making decisions, talking to the NPCs and players in character. They embrace the quirks about their character and, especially in social encounters, will have no problems showing the flaws in their character as well as the talents. In extreme cases the player will not break character so long as the game is in session. These players will take the time to explore much of the game's lore and history, the politics and racial interactions, they'll dig into the fluff of the game.
Type 2: The some-timer. This person will bounce between being in character and themselves frequently. They'll toy with a voice for their character, they'll try to engage with the personality and motives of their character, and they'll usually be in character during most everything but combat. It's also important to note that they'll also drop into third person when they're stressed or anxious about something. They're just as quick to answer the King of Lerma with "I came because..." as they are to say "I tell the king that I'm here because". Generally most players will reach this point and be comfortable here. These types will explore the fluff of the game when it becomes important to whatever goal they're trying to accomplish. If they're trying to solve a feud between two warring states, they may be found trying to understand the political situation of both and resolving it with social/RP skills.
Type 3: The third-person. This person will almost never RP as their character. The will describe what their character does as if they were a narrator rather than the character. This person is usually new to the game, shy about exploring the idea of being in-character, or just doesn't care to be in character. The first two types will eventually break out of their shells and move up to the Some-Timer type of gamer as they get more comfortable. The person who doesn't care to be in character will probably never do it, they're more about the mechanical side of the game, they're viewing the sessions as though they are a board/video game, or they are just more comfortable hanging out with friends tossing dice and don't want to be bothered with that fluff.
Each person that comes to the table will fit into one of those 3 basic types and many DMs will want to have a table full of something between type 1 and type 2. We have to be comfortable, as DMs, to admit that the type 3 player is real and no matter how much effort we put into our games they just won't change. As a DM we will use the tactics, such as those described above, to get our players to buy in to our games as much as possible. We want our players to explore all the lore, history, and deep personal interactions that exist in our worlds. We have to be comfortable that the players, especially the type 3, won't care about much more than their character's lore, history, and deep personal interactions. Which means, no matter the type of player we have, if we learn to bring their characters to the fore-front of our games, we will gain their earnest interactions and, with any luck, turn most players into a type 2.
If you can learn your player RP types, you can start to cater events in game to help them grow comfortable with RP. You can tone down your type 1s so they are more welcoming to the shy type 3s. You can prompt your type 2s to put a little more effort into their RP and find new ways to explore their characters. DMing requires a lot already, now you're grooming your players to RP, but don't make this a priority make it part of the fun. Approach it with cookies, not a hammer.
A good breakdown of engagement types.
I think most Players who have a bit of experience under the belt, have gotten to know the DM and the people in the group reasonably well ( to the point of comfort ) fall into Type 2 with bursts of type 1.
That's part of the equation - for most of us we need to be socially comfortable with everyone at the table before we risk making an idiot of ourselves ( DMs don't have that luxury; we have to be idiots day 1 :p ).
I realized in last night's session that I'm pretty lucky with my Players, as most of them are pretty good at using "character voice" - even to the point of the Gnome/Gunslinger/Tinkerer and the Human/Artificer-Artillerist kibitzing ( good naturally ) back and forth in character a fair amount ( of course, give them an opportunity to use explosives, and they're suddenly a tight knit duo :p ).
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
To echo some of the other points here if it is a problem for your game then talk to the players out of game.
If there is any player that seems to be curious about getting to know NPCs for example or is more experienced with RPGs, and this would fit their character, then maybe ask that player to open up conversations with the other players.
You mentioned that you had plans for their backstories which is great. Maybe begin to foreshadow that for one or two of the characters. Perhaps while two of them are out on the streets of the city going for a little shopping one of them sees a familiar face from their dark and troubled past and they freeze up or go to hide, prompting the other character to ask questions about the situation. Or maybe its a person from their past that they like and they'll approach this person and strike up conversation, allowing the character with them to learn just a little bit more.
And lastly as others mentioned if they aren't huge into roleplay then they just aren't huge into roleplay. Maybe they are just the band of misfits who become friends just based on the present without a need to know anything about the past. That's fine. You said they all made detailed backstories so they obviously do seem to care about their characters and how they might act. The details will come out when you get to aspects of each characters' backstories in the game.
Wow, such good input!
Remind them it is ROLE playing.
Something I’ve noticed that’s worked for me when I’m playing with new players is that if you throw in an NPC and talk to the players in character with that NPC, they’ll generally talk in character with the NPC, until they find themselves doing it more then just when you prompt them to.
I have trouble creating characters with happy backstories, mostly because happy, well-adjusted people don't go kill monsters for a living.
i get that, and i think that it's great to shake up the character's world in some way as a catalyst. i just don't think the world-shaking event necessarily has to be a tragedy. i try to change it up by having characters that fall into adventuring by accident. in the game i'm running right now, my favorite backstory is the order domain cleric. his father is a mason, his mother is a diplomat, and he's a good little boy who was raised to believe that the empire was good and just and righteous and so he became a cleric dedicated to upholding the laws and order of society. he got sent to a church outpost in a small border town which was attacked by undead from the hills, and when he reported it to his superiors in the church they sent representatives from the capitol and orchestrated a whole coverup, denying anything about the undead invasion. this sewed seeds of doubt about the empire in his mind, and he decided to investigate the source of the undead himself, so he abandoned his church and set out into the hills...great backstory, happy, healthy family, cleric slowly questioning everything he thought he knew.
"To die would be an awfully big adventure"
Lilja Thorleifursdottir, Barbarian - Lvl 1 - born into the Draugi people, she was marked from her birth as one chosen to be one the Blath-dansari or blade-dancer, highly skilled, destined to be a protector of her people against the depredations of the nótt veiðimenn during their nomadic travels across the tundra lands of Hvitocena. Born the 3rd child of 7, she enjoyed a normal childhood, with the usual sibling rivalries with her 4 other sisters and 2 brothers. Even as a young girl she was prized by her people ( and somewhat spoiled by her father Birgir ) - but the firm but loving parenting of her mother, Thorleifur, managed to keep Lilja grounded as a relatively normal young girl. While she exhibited precocious skills with the dual bladed fighting style of her people, it was her love of the dance which called to her as young girl, the pure joy of movement and grace. Young Lilja found joy and laughter in the celebration and dance of her people, but an older Lilja discovered the cool calm in the heart of her dance wielding the tvíburar in her hands, focused on the needs of keeping her, and those she loves, safe.
The sklads sing dark songs of the dread Ulvriger, the beast warriors of Hvitocena, whose rage gives the strength and power of many men in battle, but for Lilja and the blath-dansari like her, there is no malice, no anger, merely the joy of movement and skill, wedded to the needs of keeping the people safe. Lilja is taken not by rage, but the purity of expression - her world collapsing into the flow of muscle and steel in effortless motion, freed from fear, and heedless of the needs of her own flesh - for awhile.
Now, having won her place among her people many seasons back, binding her fate to the gentle strength of Sirnir the Draugi blacksmith, and blessed with her own daughter Eyja, she is a respected leader of her people - one of many whose voice is heard with attention and respect in council.
Her life could have flowed within the ways and traditions of the Draugi - like so many before her - had it not been for the half-dead, half-frozen Álfar found in the wastelands. After nearly three seasons recovering amongst the Draugi the Álfar known as Laeroth had become a fast friend to Lilja - and when Laeroth longed to return to the Álfar of the Southern lands, Lilja agreed to convey Laeroth safely home.
Now, wending their ways south, Lilja's heart is heavy leaving her family, and her people, behind - yet she knows that she will return soon to the Draugi ....
How I picture her fighting style starts at 31 seconds in :)
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
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Back story is, IMHO, the very fabric that your character is created from. Some people are afraid to have lavish backgrounds for their character. it may be because the DM may disallow or they’re just uncomfortable with the concept of a filthy rich adventurer. (It’s family money and I can’t stand the way people treat me when they find out how wealthy my family is...) it should be something to be looked at. when you make a character round your character out and make your character flourish