One of my players invited a friend to watch, so I made a character for him to play as, a Gnome Druid, anticipating that he'd want to join in, but not wanting to bog the game down teaching him how to create a character... he said he wanted to watch us to see if he could be into it, and would absorb the rules and roleplay with us.
I left for him to create a full backstory, but basically had a story hook in which an Archfey asked him to find one of the party members, a Warlock, and bring him back to the Feywild to meet his patron. The Druid knew Neverwinter Wood, and would be able to help the party navigate the woods to the portal to the Feywild.
After that first session, I asked him to read the basic rules, and roll a character for the next session. When he hadn't rolled one, I asked him what was up and he said that he was okay with the character as is, but now I'm thinking he is either just not interested in reading the lore, is self-defeated by the sheer magnitude of lore there is, and is having indecision at the possibilities, or is just bored and wants to turn our D&D sessions into general hangouts. He finally got around to reading backstory and fleshing out the character, realizing that he's been bored because he's not engaging with the party but he feels restricted rather than guided by the Druid and Gnome lore.
At this point, I've kind of decided not to assign player characters to people anymore, and NOT to allow anyone to play without them having created a full character on their own. Maybe getting someone to create their own character, makes a DM see exactly how committed to playing the person really is? Maybe that's what gets people excited in the first place?
I suggested that he make his own character for next session, and that I'd take over his character as an NPC. But I left it up to him... I may change my mind and just kill the character if he persists in this fashion!
First step: Talk to him. Is he bored? Is he disengaged? Maybe he isn't the character development type of player? Judging by your language in the OP, you sound like you're making a number of assumptions about how he's feeling, rather than knowing. Could be wrong, but that's how it reads to me.
Second step: If he doesn't like his character, then have a Session 0 with him. Just him, if you have the time. Heck, it can even be done via message or chat or whatever. Talk to him about what he thinks is fun and go from there. Explain how important backstory is for both roleplay and adventure development, and the more he puts in, the more you can involve him.
Also, how many sessions has he been playing now, and how regular are your sessions?
I never assign characters for anything more than a one shot. I feel like you get more investment from your players if they build their own.
I once played a game called top secret as a kid. The ref handed me a premade character who I feel in love with. He gave me a rich back story that fit his narrative of the cold war, top secret being a spy game if the name didn't give it away.
I give players premade characters from time to time. I also do the back story. I look it as a role I am giving a actor in my movie, and by giving them back story and goals I clue them into my version of the game world. If a player wants to make their own back story then they are ready to make their own character.
First step: Talk to him. Is he bored? Is he disengaged? Maybe he isn't the character development type of player? Judging by your language in the OP, you sound like you're making a number of assumptions about how he's feeling, rather than knowing. Could be wrong, but that's how it reads to me.
Second step: If he doesn't like his character, then have a Session 0 with him. Just him, if you have the time. Heck, it can even be done via message or chat or whatever. Talk to him about what he thinks is fun and go from there. Explain how important backstory is for both roleplay and adventure development, and the more he puts in, the more you can involve him.
Also, how many sessions has he been playing now, and how regular are your sessions?
I never assign characters for anything more than a one shot. I feel like you get more investment from your players if they build their own.
I have asked him multiple times and he said he wants to play the character but thinks he just needs to read more lore. His actions don't exactly reflect what he's saying about the character though. I think he has had plenty of time. We've played six sessions on a weekly basis for about three hours each session.
I have just sent him more information on the immediate backstory I envisioned for the character, hoping he picks up on it.
You're already talking to the player, so good job! Communication is the best way to start.
How comfortable is the player with the rest of the group? Could it be a level of shyness that they're working through? Six sessions of three hours is only 18 hours. Some people take a long time to warm up. Very few people are comfortable with just jumping in and role-playing. Some of us lack the modesty gene, and have no problem getting in front of a large group of people and making a fool of ourselves. However, a lot of people are very insecure about doing that.
Directly engage the character, thus drawing the player in. Don't do it to make them uncomfortable. Have NPCs, the Archfey sends someone to ask about their mission, approach and request information. Let the player engage at their comfort level, but you role-play it back to them. Don't force them to role-play, but, ask them to. Show them what you want, but, it may take a while to get there.
I know that my players don't have much time to read additional lore, because life. So, it's up to me to give them the information they need during the game. I'm trying to come up with an easy way to explain the BattleTech universe, in game, so I don't have to give my players "homework." The best way I've found, for non-setting-related games is to let the players come up with the background (which is working well for my current game).
This kind of situation is why I lean on sidekick characters so much. Me and my party play at a local taproom and we get alot of on Lookers. Which it great I think. But alot seemed a bit discouraged to play with due to all the work that goes into it. But now I hand them a simple side kick and let them read the stat block for it. And off we go.
This why they don't need to commit to the campaign. They get a simplfied character with a few personality traits and can help and add to the party. Then oo x y z and side kick is gone next session no harm no fowl. Let's them get a taste for DND helps us out with an extra attack die and a new perspective. And if they do want to make the commitment and are interested then boom they can roll a character and usually pick the class they were playing as a side kick sinces it's familiar.
Here's my suggestion: try to ask a few questions to new players (who are not familiar with RPGs or videogames) to try to figure out their style. From then, try making a character for them based on what they like or dislike.
Here are a few example questions:
1) Why are you an adventurer / What motivates you? a) Treasure, I want to be rich! b) Growth, I want to be strong! c) People, I want to be liked/respected/useful! d) It is my duty to correct/purge evil!
2) How/why do you solve your problems? a) I do whatever I want as long as it helps me (chaotic) b) I improvise, as long as I can accomplish my goals without necessarily hurting others or getting in trouble (neutral) c) I respect the law, and make sure not to wrong others while still trying to accomplish my goals (lawful)
3) When confrontation arrives, what do you do? a) I know my way with words, Im pretty sure I can get out of troubles (charm/deception/intimidation/charisma) b) I make sure I strike before they even realise theres a conflict (sneak, ranged) c) I dont like taking decisions, I prefer to assist my friends however they see fit (support) d) I fight, of course! / My axe + their face = happiness (melee combat oriented) e) I set them on fire / make them fall asleep / transform into a frog (magic user)
4) In a fight, where would you rather be? a) As close as possible to the enemy, I want to taste their fear (high armor/health) b) Close enough to attack them, but hopefully not get hit (balanced character) c) As far as possible, I dont want to smell their sweat (ranger, mage, support)
5) How do you feel about supernatural forces such as magic or Gods? a) I dont need that, I trust my strength above all (barbarian, monk, rogue) b) Means to an end, we need a bit of everything in this world (paladin, bard, cleric) c) Why, its the only way to fight, of course! (mage, sorcerer, warlock)
6) A friend is in troubles, whats more important for you? a) Running away, I want to live b) Kill the enemy faster than my friend bleeds out (tank/damage) c) I must help my friend at all costs (heal)
7) You're in a dark alleyway/cave/manor with your friends, how do you advance? a) At the front, I'll be the first to spot anything or deal with it! (tanky) b) In the middle, I want to be able to assist but dont want to risk myself. c) In between all my friends, to make sure they get hit first (squishy) d) In the back, to protect my friends from anyone who might try to ambush us (medium/tank)
8) Where did your character come from? a) Rich family, Im a noble / artisan b) The woods/wild, I never really knew civilization c) Favelas/poor village, Im used to skipping a meal d) Temple/monastery/isolated building e) A bit of everywhere, Im more of a nomad/traveler f) Lived by the sea all my life, I know about boats and shit g) I cant remember, I barely remember my name. Why do I keep hearing voices?
Not to be a negative voice in this thread - but is he just lazy?
I only say this, because I had a similar player, that was totally interested in playing - and very keen to - but when any out-of-play work was required, they didn't bother.
In the run up to the campaign, I provided loads of world information to help players write a detailed backstory of how their character fit into the world. This one player didn't read it - and simply said 'I'm fine to have no backstory - I'll make it up as I go along.'
Then, when it came to rolling their character, before the session zero, I suggested everyone read up on the class they want to play, so we didn't spend hours choosing starting equipment, racial features and the like - this one player didn't.
When the party levelled up, we agreed to choose new spells, feats etc out of game ready for the next session, but roll HD together - and this player didn't.
But it wasn't because they weren't committed. They loved playing - they wanted to play - they contributed to the party, and the roleplay. They just couldn't be bothered to do any of the work out of game.
He'd always make excuses as to why he hadn't. And we were good friends, so I called him out on it in the end, and he admitted that he was just lazy about it. Which I and the rest of the group had already concluded. It was frustrating, but ultimately, didn't massively effect the campaign.
Something my old DM used to do was make pregens with extremely basic backstories/archetypes and then let us pick. They were similar to the Starter Set characters in that they had a specific role in the story but their gender, looks, personality, etc. was all up to us. This made it a lot easier to know what kind of game they wanted to run and what our "role" was in the story. I call this "Casting" rather than 'assigning', since the details were up to us.
It went something like "This is a Nobleman whose family was scorned by the BBEG. They are on the Adventure to redeem their family name", and "This is a Wood Elf who witnessed their village get raided by Orcs and now has a passionate hatred of them. They're on the Adventure to stop the Orc Lord from destroying other villages." etc. They would sometimes include further background hooks or magic items associated with them that were unique to their role and would be used as narrative devices later.
I played entire campaigns with pregens like that and got very attached to them. Sometimes the DM did fill in the stats for us (esp if it was a one shot) but as we got more familiar with the system, they let us roll for stats ourselves according to what we thought was best for the role.
I have occasionally given pre-generated characters to my players. I think it's best not to expect them to adhere to a vision of what you thought they'd want to play like. I like having background stories, but forcing one on a player sometimes doesn't work because everyone has their own style. I feel it's better to allow them to explore it on their own and shape it as play happens. But as long as the player is having fun, that should be all that matters.
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One of my players invited a friend to watch, so I made a character for him to play as, a Gnome Druid, anticipating that he'd want to join in, but not wanting to bog the game down teaching him how to create a character... he said he wanted to watch us to see if he could be into it, and would absorb the rules and roleplay with us.
I left for him to create a full backstory, but basically had a story hook in which an Archfey asked him to find one of the party members, a Warlock, and bring him back to the Feywild to meet his patron. The Druid knew Neverwinter Wood, and would be able to help the party navigate the woods to the portal to the Feywild.
After that first session, I asked him to read the basic rules, and roll a character for the next session. When he hadn't rolled one, I asked him what was up and he said that he was okay with the character as is, but now I'm thinking he is either just not interested in reading the lore, is self-defeated by the sheer magnitude of lore there is, and is having indecision at the possibilities, or is just bored and wants to turn our D&D sessions into general hangouts. He finally got around to reading backstory and fleshing out the character, realizing that he's been bored because he's not engaging with the party but he feels restricted rather than guided by the Druid and Gnome lore.
At this point, I've kind of decided not to assign player characters to people anymore, and NOT to allow anyone to play without them having created a full character on their own. Maybe getting someone to create their own character, makes a DM see exactly how committed to playing the person really is? Maybe that's what gets people excited in the first place?
I suggested that he make his own character for next session, and that I'd take over his character as an NPC. But I left it up to him... I may change my mind and just kill the character if he persists in this fashion!
First step: Talk to him. Is he bored? Is he disengaged? Maybe he isn't the character development type of player? Judging by your language in the OP, you sound like you're making a number of assumptions about how he's feeling, rather than knowing. Could be wrong, but that's how it reads to me.
Second step: If he doesn't like his character, then have a Session 0 with him. Just him, if you have the time. Heck, it can even be done via message or chat or whatever. Talk to him about what he thinks is fun and go from there. Explain how important backstory is for both roleplay and adventure development, and the more he puts in, the more you can involve him.
Also, how many sessions has he been playing now, and how regular are your sessions?
I never assign characters for anything more than a one shot. I feel like you get more investment from your players if they build their own.
It's possible he just doesn't like D&D (*GASP* no way!)
"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 once played a game called top secret as a kid. The ref handed me a premade character who I feel in love with. He gave me a rich back story that fit his narrative of the cold war, top secret being a spy game if the name didn't give it away.
I give players premade characters from time to time. I also do the back story. I look it as a role I am giving a actor in my movie, and by giving them back story and goals I clue them into my version of the game world. If a player wants to make their own back story then they are ready to make their own character.
I have asked him multiple times and he said he wants to play the character but thinks he just needs to read more lore. His actions don't exactly reflect what he's saying about the character though. I think he has had plenty of time. We've played six sessions on a weekly basis for about three hours each session.
I have just sent him more information on the immediate backstory I envisioned for the character, hoping he picks up on it.
You're already talking to the player, so good job! Communication is the best way to start.
How comfortable is the player with the rest of the group? Could it be a level of shyness that they're working through? Six sessions of three hours is only 18 hours. Some people take a long time to warm up. Very few people are comfortable with just jumping in and role-playing. Some of us lack the modesty gene, and have no problem getting in front of a large group of people and making a fool of ourselves. However, a lot of people are very insecure about doing that.
Directly engage the character, thus drawing the player in. Don't do it to make them uncomfortable. Have NPCs, the Archfey sends someone to ask about their mission, approach and request information. Let the player engage at their comfort level, but you role-play it back to them. Don't force them to role-play, but, ask them to. Show them what you want, but, it may take a while to get there.
I know that my players don't have much time to read additional lore, because life. So, it's up to me to give them the information they need during the game. I'm trying to come up with an easy way to explain the BattleTech universe, in game, so I don't have to give my players "homework." The best way I've found, for non-setting-related games is to let the players come up with the background (which is working well for my current game).
This kind of situation is why I lean on sidekick characters so much. Me and my party play at a local taproom and we get alot of on Lookers. Which it great I think. But alot seemed a bit discouraged to play with due to all the work that goes into it. But now I hand them a simple side kick and let them read the stat block for it. And off we go.
This why they don't need to commit to the campaign. They get a simplfied character with a few personality traits and can help and add to the party. Then oo x y z and side kick is gone next session no harm no fowl. Let's them get a taste for DND helps us out with an extra attack die and a new perspective. And if they do want to make the commitment and are interested then boom they can roll a character and usually pick the class they were playing as a side kick sinces it's familiar.
Here's my suggestion: try to ask a few questions to new players (who are not familiar with RPGs or videogames) to try to figure out their style. From then, try making a character for them based on what they like or dislike.
Here are a few example questions:
1) Why are you an adventurer / What motivates you?
a) Treasure, I want to be rich!
b) Growth, I want to be strong!
c) People, I want to be liked/respected/useful!
d) It is my duty to correct/purge evil!
2) How/why do you solve your problems?
a) I do whatever I want as long as it helps me (chaotic)
b) I improvise, as long as I can accomplish my goals without necessarily hurting others or getting in trouble (neutral)
c) I respect the law, and make sure not to wrong others while still trying to accomplish my goals (lawful)
3) When confrontation arrives, what do you do?
a) I know my way with words, Im pretty sure I can get out of troubles (charm/deception/intimidation/charisma)
b) I make sure I strike before they even realise theres a conflict (sneak, ranged)
c) I dont like taking decisions, I prefer to assist my friends however they see fit (support)
d) I fight, of course! / My axe + their face = happiness (melee combat oriented)
e) I set them on fire / make them fall asleep / transform into a frog (magic user)
4) In a fight, where would you rather be?
a) As close as possible to the enemy, I want to taste their fear (high armor/health)
b) Close enough to attack them, but hopefully not get hit (balanced character)
c) As far as possible, I dont want to smell their sweat (ranger, mage, support)
5) How do you feel about supernatural forces such as magic or Gods?
a) I dont need that, I trust my strength above all (barbarian, monk, rogue)
b) Means to an end, we need a bit of everything in this world (paladin, bard, cleric)
c) Why, its the only way to fight, of course! (mage, sorcerer, warlock)
6) A friend is in troubles, whats more important for you?
a) Running away, I want to live
b) Kill the enemy faster than my friend bleeds out (tank/damage)
c) I must help my friend at all costs (heal)
7) You're in a dark alleyway/cave/manor with your friends, how do you advance?
a) At the front, I'll be the first to spot anything or deal with it! (tanky)
b) In the middle, I want to be able to assist but dont want to risk myself.
c) In between all my friends, to make sure they get hit first (squishy)
d) In the back, to protect my friends from anyone who might try to ambush us (medium/tank)
8) Where did your character come from?
a) Rich family, Im a noble / artisan
b) The woods/wild, I never really knew civilization
c) Favelas/poor village, Im used to skipping a meal
d) Temple/monastery/isolated building
e) A bit of everywhere, Im more of a nomad/traveler
f) Lived by the sea all my life, I know about boats and shit
g) I cant remember, I barely remember my name. Why do I keep hearing voices?
Not to be a negative voice in this thread - but is he just lazy?
I only say this, because I had a similar player, that was totally interested in playing - and very keen to - but when any out-of-play work was required, they didn't bother.
In the run up to the campaign, I provided loads of world information to help players write a detailed backstory of how their character fit into the world. This one player didn't read it - and simply said 'I'm fine to have no backstory - I'll make it up as I go along.'
Then, when it came to rolling their character, before the session zero, I suggested everyone read up on the class they want to play, so we didn't spend hours choosing starting equipment, racial features and the like - this one player didn't.
When the party levelled up, we agreed to choose new spells, feats etc out of game ready for the next session, but roll HD together - and this player didn't.
But it wasn't because they weren't committed. They loved playing - they wanted to play - they contributed to the party, and the roleplay. They just couldn't be bothered to do any of the work out of game.
He'd always make excuses as to why he hadn't. And we were good friends, so I called him out on it in the end, and he admitted that he was just lazy about it. Which I and the rest of the group had already concluded. It was frustrating, but ultimately, didn't massively effect the campaign.
Something my old DM used to do was make pregens with extremely basic backstories/archetypes and then let us pick. They were similar to the Starter Set characters in that they had a specific role in the story but their gender, looks, personality, etc. was all up to us. This made it a lot easier to know what kind of game they wanted to run and what our "role" was in the story. I call this "Casting" rather than 'assigning', since the details were up to us.
It went something like "This is a Nobleman whose family was scorned by the BBEG. They are on the Adventure to redeem their family name", and "This is a Wood Elf who witnessed their village get raided by Orcs and now has a passionate hatred of them. They're on the Adventure to stop the Orc Lord from destroying other villages." etc. They would sometimes include further background hooks or magic items associated with them that were unique to their role and would be used as narrative devices later.
I played entire campaigns with pregens like that and got very attached to them. Sometimes the DM did fill in the stats for us (esp if it was a one shot) but as we got more familiar with the system, they let us roll for stats ourselves according to what we thought was best for the role.
I have occasionally given pre-generated characters to my players. I think it's best not to expect them to adhere to a vision of what you thought they'd want to play like. I like having background stories, but forcing one on a player sometimes doesn't work because everyone has their own style. I feel it's better to allow them to explore it on their own and shape it as play happens. But as long as the player is having fun, that should be all that matters.