Players: Does your GM do voices? Are they good at it? Do you think it adds to the narrative...

Players: Does your GM do voices? Are they good at it? Do you think it adds to the narrative, or is it just a fun thing within your expectations?

GMs: Do you do voices? Do you think you're good at it? What motivates you to do or avoid doing voices?

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>GM

Yes, and I'm pretty good at it. It's good for adding colour and making NPCs memorable. The main thing is to put emotion and character into it, even if it's a little bit hammy (as long as you don't go crazy with derpy falsettos for female characters). Accents are useful, I can do a good range of different anglophone accents plus a few foreign ones, they're not vital though. I throw in some body language and facial expressions that players can associate with the voice for that character too. Sometimes I'll even use a minor prop like a hat or shades. It all contributes.

The absolute worst GM voices are when the GM just mumbles or ums and ahs a lot - or worse, reads out prewritten dialogue in a flat monotone. I've had GMs who did one or both of those things and it makes it a lot harder to get immersed or even pay attention. Players have a harder time remembering characters when they all talk in the exact same way. If you can't do voices at all then it might be better to narrate in third person rather than read dialogue (e.g "the captain angrily asks you where you're going" vs "Hey you! Where are you going?").

I do a lot of voices, but I'm semi-shit at it. But that's ok because we mostly use edge of the empire as an excuse to drink heavily. I think it adds to fun though and makes NPCs more memorable so I would recommend GMs at least give it a try

Recently got into a game with a GM who actually does voices. I'd say it's a bit of both fun and helps the narrative.

I do voices to make the world feel more populated, and for immersion. No old woman is going to sound the same as the young guard down the street. I've never heard complaints so I guess I'm okay.

The GM does, but seems to prefer just using accents. He has been fucking around with voice modulation, though, because he also plays a turian in another game.

Does it add to the narrative? I like it. It definitely adds to how large the game feels.

>GM

Absolutely not. I have a really bad issue with speaking in complete monotone at all times regardless of what I am trying to portray or how I am feeling, and I get kind of self conscious about it. It just wouldn't be a good idea, and would detract from any narrative I am trying to weave as opposed to adding, or making things more fun.

Though it's easier now that we no longer play in person, and text is a totally valid option for IC stuff. Means it's all archived, too. We use Skype for OOC stuff though.

>Player
I think it adds to the narrative. Not only can you grasp some emotions from voice but most importantly you can differentiate different characters by giving them unique(ish) voices. No longer are you limited to having one NPC at a time or clumsily saying "then X says" every other line.

What I should point out however is that mouthing sound effects can easily become comedic or, at worst, cringy. Giving sounds should be limited to things that are informative or narrative building. I noticed this in my last game where a guy played a ninja (arguably the first warning sign) and went WOOSH every single round.

Ever heard Matt Mercer during a session?

>Player, sometime GM
I've had a lot of problems with doing voices since when I get excited I tend to fall into my usual manner of speaking. Unfortunately my 'usual manner of speaking' is a little bit schizoid and I'll swing between speaking in a very proper, enunciated English accent and a real Australian drawl, a result of living in both countries for extended periods of time.

That said, I want to get better at it because voices really do improve the scope of the game. The best person at it I can think of is my current GM. We play online and he can do a whole range of defined characters from nobles to peasants, different kinds of foreigners, and even women without ruining the suspension of disbelief. It's not so much that he radically changes his voice box for each, though he does to an extent, but he imbues each different voice with a different character. Volume, tempo, modulation, speaking from the back of the throat or the front of the mouth, even the beliefs of the person you are roleplaying, all these things matter in building a voice.

It really makes you feel like there is a huge assortment of characters, but even people who can't do many voices or do them very well add to the scene. Not all of our players are good at voices, but if they even try at all it makes things more interesting (unless their voice is actually truly unbearable, and if it is we will tell them). Some people will be uncomfortable with people doing voices, but the secret is to get themselves to try it out.

If you are a GM and want to do multiple voices I recommend having a page of characters where, next to each name, you have how to do their voice in a few words. Practice each character having a conversation, maybe with yourself, maybe with the others. Don't worry if you only have a few you can do, having three characters the party knows and relates is really all you might need for a session, and one of those voices can just be your generic guard voice.

Its just creepy to have a neckbeard doing a womens voice, he used to try back in the days.

But I guess he realized how cringy that shit was and stopped, anyway we try to make voices in general but we follow the golden rule of being a bunch of fa/tg/uys and we don't try to do sexy women voice. So we coldly describe the situation and carry on.

GM reporting in. I don't do voices because I can't. I have a disproportionately deep, gravely but also nasally voice but my throat area is all messed up so it's difficult for me to modulate properly. Half the time I talk it sounds like broken glass.

Trachea issues? Deviated septum?

Injury?

He does do voices but generally he's not very good at it. Then again no one in the group is so we all laugh at each others' attempts

I don't, nor do I ask any players to, nor have any ever offered.

In the long run it never seems worth it, especially if you have to do too many and then keep track of them. I've played in games where the GM did and he used to limit his NPCs to the few voices he could do - surely an extreme example. It can be hell on your voice, too.

I consider it like story telling. I'm just the damn narrator, not the characters themselves.

Besides, maybe it's just me. Some people like to read books with the voices of the characters thought up on their head. They cay tell you what actors they imagine playing what part. I've never done that and don't really see the appeal.

My whole family has messed up tonsils and I inherited them. I had to get them removed when I was 19 because of chronic infections, and I still get throat infections every couple weeks (though not nearly as bad or as frequently). Years of this has really damaged my voice and my ability to control it; like I said, half the time when I try to talk nothing but a rasping sound comes out. I have to clear out my throat and try again.

I tend to change my tone at the very least, but for certain situations I'll do a distinct impression or perhaps use an accent for certain races. I won't say I'm any good at it but my players seem to appreciate it. Makes judging characters a little easier and certainly stops people getting lost if they're talking with more than one character. Doesn't hurt to add a little life.

>GMs: Do you do voice?
As much as possible.

>Do you think you're good at it?
God no. I'm awful. Doesn't stop me, though.

>What motivates you to do or avoid doing voices?
It feels like the natural way to run a game and voice NPCs.

I don't put on like, pantomime voices, but I tend to change the timbre and tone of speech depending on the npc.

I don't do voices because, even though my players ask me to, they always laugh when I try because they are so bad. How am I supposed to get better if you laugh each time I try?
On that note, does anybody have any resources for learning voices? So far I can change my pitch and do piss poor accents.

Actors use tapes of other accents that are regional for their next bit. I'm sure you can find something.

There's gotta be some method to train that voice actors use. I refuse to believe people like Nolan North were just born with the ability to manipulate their voice that way. Maybe ventriloquists may have some good methods?

Another tip for GMs and Players looking to do some "voice acting" is to have a face that is associated with the voice. You can hear a person smile or frown from their voice.
Sure, it isn't that useful while playing live but over the internet it's golden.

Mercer is top tier holy shit

Anyone ever use a voice modulator? Does it enhance the experience at all?

Don't.

Yes, yes, both.
Yes, no, I like to scare shit out of children with my monster voice.

Yes. With prerecorded messages that were brought to us by couriers. They added nice flavour. (Space opera campaign).

This particular 15 minute podcast is a great for the basics of doing voices

peachesandhotsauce.com/podcasts/11-voicing-characters

whoops forgot my attention-drawing image

I tried to do voices once but i knew i was not very good at them and was self conscious.
3 out of the 5 players would not stop giving me shit over it.
I stoped and have not GM'ed since.

Sort of want to try running a game with my wife and some friends to get back into it and run games for my kids when they get older. But i cant bring myself to do voices.

Personally i love it when a GM dose them even if they are not that great at them. It adds so much to the game its crazy. I can remember i had a GM a long time ago that was so good at building NPC's and giving them voices and accents that i could remember names when he started talking while others had to ask.

GM here.

Yes, I do voices. I usually decide how NPCs are gonna sound like prior the game, and give each of them some particular features (nervous, serious, morose, etc.) so I can get into character better, apart from accents and certain other characteristics, like starting every sentence with the same word,for example.
The thing is a have a deep voice, so I suck at doing female voices unless they're terrible tomboys or a sort of female monster (I rock it at speaking dragons, though). If I don't think I can't give a character a proper voice, I just narrate what they say to the party. Better leaving it rather plain than fucking up the feeling completely.

Personally, I prefer to use music and ambient sounds rather than my own most of the time; it helps my players at making they're own mind picture about what's going on, especially if, as I said before, I can't do a good impersonation of a character. That way they make it up themselves, which is already good enough.

This. I considered it once and dropped it shortly after. It isn't the good idea you think it is,user, at least if you're using it on real time. Prerecorded messages might work nicely,though.

Our GM does voices occasionally. I especially like his Fish People imitation.

I'm a GM and I do very basic voices for random npcs. But it's not good I can't give them life or personality.

Whenever my sister is home I have her do all the important characters because she's uncannily good at it. And thinks it's pretty fun. So I kind of modulate the NPC encounters depending on her availability. The Big Bad Evil Girl for instance will only have dialogue if my sis is here to play her.

My players really like it.

>My players really like it.
sure cos they all want to fuck your sister

As a gm, I do pretty often. I am pretty good with male characters, not so much with female voices tho, so I end up making a lot of female NPCs being mysterious witches/high priestess/ dignified queens that talk little, or old women- it comes pretty easy to make ye old creepy granny voice to me.
To be fair, even after years of GM duty making voices still embarrasses me a lot, but players seems to like it.

>Player
One of the two. They're not good. It doesn't add to the narrative or the game, but it's amusing in a vaguelky horrible way.

>GM
No. No, and that's why I don't do them. See previous.

My GM does absolutely fantastic voices the vast majority of the time. They're easily good enough to be a voice actor.

On the other hand, when I GM, I try to do voices but I'm really very bad at them. I end up just going for regional stereotypes from my country.

I do voices as I am able, though I do not attempt women's voices unless they're an old granny.

I don't do voices, personally. I usually focus more on vocabulary, favored words and phrases and the like.

>GM and a player
When i run the campaign i do voices, i try to alter my voice to fit each character but having a very low voice where my intonations are a little hard to read if you don't know me that well makes alot of my voices samey or very harsh sounding so mostly it's gruff accents, and very slow spoken upper class ladies.

When i get to play, my DM is not too great at developing characters and they always end up sounding smug as fuck.