I'll soon start playing DnD (1st time) with English-speaking party members, as a non-native speaker. I've only interacted once with the members and not much more with the DM.
I'm self-conscious and nervous as I do not only have an accent, but I also make huge mistakes when speaking and misunderstand things sometimes.
So my question is: would it be better to ignore that and do as if I were fully fluent, or should I incorporate it into my character, exaggerate it just a little bit and roleplay them as an in-game foreigner? What would be the least annoying for you if it were one of your party members?
If you want to roleplay it in, that's totally fine. If I were in your group and knew the above info and knew you fairly well, I'd just roll with it (Ha, pun). You can totally give your player that accent, and kind of tweak it to make it a little different than you. It all depends on how roleplay heavy your group is, but once you get into a groove, they'll get used to it. If you're having trouble understanding something (as, for one, English sucks, and two, dnd is a whole other language), just ask the DM. If he's a good DM, he can take the time to explain things to you. If it's more dnd jargon you're unclear on, I highly recommend a session 0 to your DM, where you set the ground rules for the campaign, set goals, and establish characters. For your situation, I would also add that the DM include a crash course on the lingo ("A nat 20 is a role of 20 on the die. This is called a Crit (critical hit) when you roll it for an attack roll", etc.). That said, I think you'll be fine. If you speak half as well as you type, you'll be super easy to understand, and even if not, a good party will be accommodating. Good luck!
Personally, I love playing characters who are me, with some aspect(s) magnified in a big way. If you have an accent and sometimes misunderstand things, having your character also share that challenge, often in unexpected situations, could be quite natural and fun, for you and the party. I would be open with them and make sure everyone knows you may, at some point, entirely misunderstand some part of a plan or discussion and if you want full disclosure, explain your character will do so as well. I would use these in character misunderstandings and confusions in non-critical points of the game. Maybe he/she misunderstands the merchant in some way and is ready to over or under pay for something, or buy the wrong thing entirely. I would try to avoid having the character confuse directions to an important goal, or attack an NPC ally instead of an enemy or something along those lines.
From my perspective and experience, it is much easier and more fun to play an exaggerated version of myself than a completely separate entity. I take one aspect of myself, curiosity, aggression, hunger for knowledge, being naïve and crank it up to 11 for the character. I had a Bard who was determined to "do the right thing" no matter the personal cost, who was fun. I'm now playing a Monk who has discovered a LOT about the world outside his monastery and is at times overwhelmed by things. I find it easy to stay in character and respond as the character would to situations and events. It has shown me an interesting side of myself at times and been an enjoyable journey thus far.
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Talk to your Players.Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I think that if I were in your situation personally that I would opt to lean into my accent, however it is completely understandable and not the least bit odd if you don't want to play the character that way. What is important to remember is that D&D is a roleplaying game designed to take you and your fellow players outside of the real world. If having an accent different than native speakers have is something you don't have fun with in the real world, then there is no reason you should feel that it is essential to include it as a part of your character simply because you have one. Something cool to look at to is how many D&D content creators we have from completely different parts of the world, many with non-native accents for English. If the patterns of your speech or your pronunciation are ever put on the line, chances are that the party just isnt for you, but the ultimate decision is yours, neither option is better than the other!
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Hi there!
I'll soon start playing DnD (1st time) with English-speaking party members, as a non-native speaker. I've only interacted once with the members and not much more with the DM.
I'm self-conscious and nervous as I do not only have an accent, but I also make huge mistakes when speaking and misunderstand things sometimes.
So my question is: would it be better to ignore that and do as if I were fully fluent, or should I incorporate it into my character, exaggerate it just a little bit and roleplay them as an in-game foreigner? What would be the least annoying for you if it were one of your party members?
Thanks a lot!
"Teach us to sit still."
If you want to roleplay it in, that's totally fine. If I were in your group and knew the above info and knew you fairly well, I'd just roll with it (Ha, pun). You can totally give your player that accent, and kind of tweak it to make it a little different than you. It all depends on how roleplay heavy your group is, but once you get into a groove, they'll get used to it. If you're having trouble understanding something (as, for one, English sucks, and two, dnd is a whole other language), just ask the DM. If he's a good DM, he can take the time to explain things to you. If it's more dnd jargon you're unclear on, I highly recommend a session 0 to your DM, where you set the ground rules for the campaign, set goals, and establish characters. For your situation, I would also add that the DM include a crash course on the lingo ("A nat 20 is a role of 20 on the die. This is called a Crit (critical hit) when you roll it for an attack roll", etc.). That said, I think you'll be fine. If you speak half as well as you type, you'll be super easy to understand, and even if not, a good party will be accommodating. Good luck!
-Gh0styy
Updog
Personally, I love playing characters who are me, with some aspect(s) magnified in a big way. If you have an accent and sometimes misunderstand things, having your character also share that challenge, often in unexpected situations, could be quite natural and fun, for you and the party. I would be open with them and make sure everyone knows you may, at some point, entirely misunderstand some part of a plan or discussion and if you want full disclosure, explain your character will do so as well. I would use these in character misunderstandings and confusions in non-critical points of the game. Maybe he/she misunderstands the merchant in some way and is ready to over or under pay for something, or buy the wrong thing entirely. I would try to avoid having the character confuse directions to an important goal, or attack an NPC ally instead of an enemy or something along those lines.
From my perspective and experience, it is much easier and more fun to play an exaggerated version of myself than a completely separate entity. I take one aspect of myself, curiosity, aggression, hunger for knowledge, being naïve and crank it up to 11 for the character. I had a Bard who was determined to "do the right thing" no matter the personal cost, who was fun. I'm now playing a Monk who has discovered a LOT about the world outside his monastery and is at times overwhelmed by things. I find it easy to stay in character and respond as the character would to situations and events. It has shown me an interesting side of myself at times and been an enjoyable journey thus far.
Talk to your Players. Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I think that if I were in your situation personally that I would opt to lean into my accent, however it is completely understandable and not the least bit odd if you don't want to play the character that way. What is important to remember is that D&D is a roleplaying game designed to take you and your fellow players outside of the real world. If having an accent different than native speakers have is something you don't have fun with in the real world, then there is no reason you should feel that it is essential to include it as a part of your character simply because you have one. Something cool to look at to is how many D&D content creators we have from completely different parts of the world, many with non-native accents for English. If the patterns of your speech or your pronunciation are ever put on the line, chances are that the party just isnt for you, but the ultimate decision is yours, neither option is better than the other!