I am in the opening sections of a murder mystery part of the campaign, and the party are about to go to a party. It's a somewhat formal affair - not a full-on ball, but very much nice clothes and good manners, rather than fighting pits and such.
The party has 2 people heavily invested in the roleplay, 2 people mostly invested in the roleplay, and one (the barbarian) who is very interested in the unfolding story but struggles to find a place for his character in these sorts of things.
I don't want to feel like I have to rush through this so that he's not sitting out (another) roleplay-heavy session, but it's really not the sort of place where a combat will spring up. I am considering including some dice games in one of the rooms, and perhaps a rowdier group may start some drinking games, which will offer some options, but I am curious as to what the wider hivemind of DMs here may have to suggest!
What do you do to help engage those players who are more for dice rolling and challenges and less for talking? (I was going to say "and roleplay" here, but that's a disservice - it's just not the sort of roleplay that his character fits!)
The first thing to come to mind is to make sure there are NPCs who will want to interact with the character, in both positive and negative aspects -- bring the social interaction to the character.
For instance, perhaps some of the ladies find this barbarian just fascinating, because they're so out of place. And now you have some jealous, insecure men who feel they must do something about it. You might even be able to work a duel into it, where the barbarian has to not kill this schmuck, because that would be awkward. But even without a duel, there could be various attempts at one-upmanship. (This can be made to work in various ways regardless of the gender of the character.)
There are other, less tired, ways to do it, of course, and you have to fit it to the player better than I can.
I agree with jl8e’s suggestion of bringing the roleplay to the player, particularly if the player struggles to see their place. I think their suggestion about building on the exotic nature is also a solid one - but it can be a bit tricky to pull off with a low-roleplay player, since it is putting their character in a situation where they are surrounded by extroverts. That is not a critique of the idea - and I want to be clear the idea very well might work for some players. I did want to provide the foil suggestion as well, so you have options and can choose what works best for your player. Bringing roleplay to the player does not always mean bringing “lively” roleplay to the player.
Instead of surrounding the introverted character with extroverts, you can bring in a single character who is also out of place, and use the shared bond of “we both feel awkward at this party” to forge a roleplay connection. For example, maybe one of the nobles brought their bodyguard, all decked out in finery, as they’re plus one because they are paranoid. Two martial characters bonding over their shared dislike of social events is a pretty solid roleplay option. Or maybe it is a precocious child who is required to be there, but is the only person their age in a society that dismisses her because of her age. Finding another person who seems isolated, and an adult who might not casually dismiss her, can also work.
The important thing is to tie the event into the mystery, so the player feels like they are part of it. The extroverted gossips sharing a rumor. The veteran bodyguard who noticed something others missed. The child who overheard something because no one paid her any mind. It is important not to just try and draw them into roleplaying - you need to try and draw them into the intrigue itself.
...and one (the barbarian) who is very interested in the unfolding story but struggles to find a place for his character in these sorts of things.
Why is there not much roleplay? Is it the player themselves that just are not roleplaying or is it the the concept of the barbarian is not good at formal affairs?
Assuming it is the player, can you have a good role-player grab the barbarian and have them stay together so the good role-player can mentor the barbarian and even feed them role play opportunities?
You could also build in party minigames that use actual rolls? Arm wrestling, darts., balance the tray dance off, drunken duel. Doesn’t feel like combat, but still gives dice focused players something tactile to do between conversations.
Hey all!
I am in the opening sections of a murder mystery part of the campaign, and the party are about to go to a party. It's a somewhat formal affair - not a full-on ball, but very much nice clothes and good manners, rather than fighting pits and such.
The party has 2 people heavily invested in the roleplay, 2 people mostly invested in the roleplay, and one (the barbarian) who is very interested in the unfolding story but struggles to find a place for his character in these sorts of things.
I don't want to feel like I have to rush through this so that he's not sitting out (another) roleplay-heavy session, but it's really not the sort of place where a combat will spring up. I am considering including some dice games in one of the rooms, and perhaps a rowdier group may start some drinking games, which will offer some options, but I am curious as to what the wider hivemind of DMs here may have to suggest!
What do you do to help engage those players who are more for dice rolling and challenges and less for talking? (I was going to say "and roleplay" here, but that's a disservice - it's just not the sort of roleplay that his character fits!)
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The first thing to come to mind is to make sure there are NPCs who will want to interact with the character, in both positive and negative aspects -- bring the social interaction to the character.
For instance, perhaps some of the ladies find this barbarian just fascinating, because they're so out of place. And now you have some jealous, insecure men who feel they must do something about it. You might even be able to work a duel into it, where the barbarian has to not kill this schmuck, because that would be awkward. But even without a duel, there could be various attempts at one-upmanship. (This can be made to work in various ways regardless of the gender of the character.)
There are other, less tired, ways to do it, of course, and you have to fit it to the player better than I can.
I agree with jl8e’s suggestion of bringing the roleplay to the player, particularly if the player struggles to see their place. I think their suggestion about building on the exotic nature is also a solid one - but it can be a bit tricky to pull off with a low-roleplay player, since it is putting their character in a situation where they are surrounded by extroverts. That is not a critique of the idea - and I want to be clear the idea very well might work for some players. I did want to provide the foil suggestion as well, so you have options and can choose what works best for your player. Bringing roleplay to the player does not always mean bringing “lively” roleplay to the player.
Instead of surrounding the introverted character with extroverts, you can bring in a single character who is also out of place, and use the shared bond of “we both feel awkward at this party” to forge a roleplay connection. For example, maybe one of the nobles brought their bodyguard, all decked out in finery, as they’re plus one because they are paranoid. Two martial characters bonding over their shared dislike of social events is a pretty solid roleplay option. Or maybe it is a precocious child who is required to be there, but is the only person their age in a society that dismisses her because of her age. Finding another person who seems isolated, and an adult who might not casually dismiss her, can also work.
The important thing is to tie the event into the mystery, so the player feels like they are part of it. The extroverted gossips sharing a rumor. The veteran bodyguard who noticed something others missed. The child who overheard something because no one paid her any mind. It is important not to just try and draw them into roleplaying - you need to try and draw them into the intrigue itself.
...and one (the barbarian) who is very interested in the unfolding story but struggles to find a place for his character in these sorts of things.
Why is there not much roleplay? Is it the player themselves that just are not roleplaying or is it the the concept of the barbarian is not good at formal affairs?
Assuming it is the player, can you have a good role-player grab the barbarian and have them stay together so the good role-player can mentor the barbarian and even feed them role play opportunities?
You could also build in party minigames that use actual rolls? Arm wrestling, darts., balance the tray dance off, drunken duel. Doesn’t feel like combat, but still gives dice focused players something tactile to do between conversations.
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