How do I become a better roleplayer? I started a few months ago when some friends asked me to join their game. It was cool to start off with, but I'm just not feeling it anymore.
I feel like all of their characters end up leaving mine in the dust, every game.They're far better roleplayers, they're far better players, they're pretty much better at everything. They roll better stats, they get better stuff... I realize the last two complaints I had are pretty dumb, but I just feel like a load.
So... How do I get better?
>>43536070
It's difficult to deliberately train roleplaying. Although it's much less serious, it's still demanding an application of emotion like acting which some people argue can't be taught, and unlike acting, there isn't a lot of technical reference available.
Honestly, I recommend just having fun with it more. If you worry about it you're probably fucked. Just decide on your character's motivations and make the slow way towards it, your friends will be happier if they see you enjoying the game than they will if you show up one day and steal the show with a Shakespearean monologue, usually, some people are really into the flowery stuff.
>>43536155
Maybe I am taking it too seriously. Thanks.
>>43536070
Time. If you have only been RPing for a few months, chances are yes, you are shit at it. You don't know how to build a character. You don't know how to get into character. You don't know the rules well enough. You ARE a burden.
But, don't let that get you down, OP. Most people aren't good at something the first time they try it, and they don't even get good at it after a month or two. Sure, if you were in drama or something, you might know how to get into character, but you still wouldn't know jack about rules or optimization or any of that. You learn by doing. Your friends invited you to play with them because they wanted to, because they enjoy your company and thing you'll be a good addition to their group. You're still in their game because they still believe that. So, stop being a crybaby and just use some logic. Practice makes perfect. You will learn the rules as you read and use them. You will learn to play your character as you get comfortable putting yourself in the mindset of whatever you rolled up. You will figure out the ins and outs of character gen by asking and by doing. So just buck up, have fun, and let yourself settle into it. The more you psych yourself out the harder it's gonna be to get comfortable with it.
>>43536155
Good advice, having fun is the best thing to do
as far as making a better character?
If you're speaking mechanically, just think up a concept and roll with it, min maxing a character to be 'better' doesn't make it anymore fun unless your the kind of person that likes to roll dice and get big numbers, and if you are then just look up builds online or something, once you read enough of them you can make your own pretty easily
If your talking role play wise or backstory, I would't fret over it too much, just try to make your character a person, they have things they care about and things they like and don't like, you can write them down if it helps, personally my backstories are usually pretty small, like a paragraph or so and I develop the character throughout the story, I'm just not the kind of person who can make up a character and give them a personality without playing the character. I suppose role playing is really just something you have to do to get better at, when I started I was shit, but now I can play a pretty decent range of personalitys.
If you have a hard time rolling stats, I don't know what to tell you, some people are just unlucky, maybe ask your DM if you can do stat buy or w/e there is in the system if the rest of the group is okay with it.
>>43536070
These are my ideas for ways you could possibly remedy some of these problems although they are most likely not the correct approach.
> feel like you aren't getting a share of time in the spotlight?
Play something engaging, if your character is outgoing than you never have to play the cold badass and can instead talk to people and have fun.
>Feel like your characters are never as well thought out or interesting?
Try playing the straight man and just be the average joe ordinary guy who somehow got caught up in all this.
As we all know in TV and movies this is the main character.
>stay and loot wise I can't keep up.
Try visiting the general for whatever game your playing if there is one and ask questions or read guides on character creation. This doesn't mean you are power gaming or you have too this is just to avoid trap classes and abilities while giving you better understanding of how the games usually play out from the experiences of other anons.
These may work or at least hopefully inspire you but getting better as a player is just something that if you are keeping an open mind come with practice. Improv skills and understanding what makes a good character are something that develops.
>>43536070
Well if you're talking about solely the roleplay element, I find that it helps to write down some of your character traits on your sheet. Whenever something is happening, consult those and try actively to figure out how a character with those traits would respond. Then act it out to the best of your ability.
>>43536070
First, congratulation on your desire for improvement.
General tips for better roleplaying :
Practice a lot, there is never another solution. You can also try theatre if you want to ; they have techniques that are very useful for roleplay during game.
Try to discuss with the game master and some of the other players; they know you better than we do and they will probably offer good advice.
Try to join another group at the same time. It will give you another experience/viewpoint.
Put a lot of work in your character background. See for example http://rpg.ashami.com/ (it porvides nice ideas and a well-made canvas, as long as you drop the random aspect and the elements that you don't like). There is a ton of other websites dedicated to tabletp rpgs, you should find something to you taste with some research.
On the topic of backstory, that previous anon said to keep it simple. I agree with this since it gives you more freedom to work with as you come into your character, but as an added suggestion.
Talk to your DM. A lot of DMs are ecstatic at the chance to help players put together characters, it lets them get more involved on the other side of the table, but it almost lets them work your character into their story or work their story into your character.
Little off topic now, but a lot of systems give you the tools and then players will make their characters alone and meet up with their sheets, but I always liked the narrativist approach where you sit around in a group and make your characters together, tying up their backstories.
>>43536070
Talk to the table about it, they can help you out, give you a bit more room, and the DM can take time to make sure you get the spotlight, forcing your character to make hard choices, etc.
>>43536070
Practice and enthusiasm tend to make for great role-playing sessions. Just my two cents.
make sure your character is something you enjoy whitout having it be something that could turn into a hazzle in the long run, a single quirk, a single voice and a single motivation is what i recommend having.
unless you need to drive
take one or two shots before starting and then half of that half-way through the session (depending on your alchohol resistence) not enough to get you drunk, barely even tipsy, but just enough to make you able to let loose a bit.
watch other people play, i would recommend watching atleast a few episodes of geek and sundry sessions (or some other youtube show, just make sure you enjoy what you watch otherwise it's pointless
when it comes to being better at stats and such try learning not only the rules and what other people do, learn how you would minmax your class (and then -unless you want to- refrain from following that exactly) but also learn the rules of other, similar games to give you perspective.
>>43536070
Get less boring as a person. That's really all that there is to it. People with braod interests who dabble in lots of things have an easier time imagining and playing out stuff outisde of their personal experience.
