>Made new character this week >Kind of wasn't entirely sure how to really roleplay it and I wasn't playing something I could just bullshit easily or just not talk >End up sounding so fucking awkward in the game while trying to talk >Everyone else is good at roleplaying except me so not only am I awkward as fuck I make the rest of them look bad >Can't fucking stop thinking back on this and cringing at myself Help. What do I do? I feel like the rest of they guys don't really care about this as much as I do because they're nice dudes but fuck it makes me feel like shit on multiple levels. I'm literally "That guy" who plays charismatic characters and then sounds like a fucking idiot when he talks.
How do you guys get less awkward when you're roleplaying? Do I need to just not care about how cringy I sound and just go with it since everyone else is having fun?
1) Odds are you're not as awkward as you think you are 2) Practice makes perfect 3) Also CBT and drugs if you have an anxiety disorder (which it sounds like you might)
Cooper Edwards
Unless the GM is a dick he's gonna give you some leeway for trying instead of "I use persuasion, I rolled 4 successes". Don't worry so much.
Jordan Robinson
>Just be yourself >While you're being someone else
William Wood
Maybe if you describe your character we could give you some suggestions on how you could roleplay them so you'd feel less uncertain about it.
Isaac Stewart
>make the rest of them look bad Is this some kind of RP tournament?
Jacob Ramirez
I'm not really talking about roleplaying my character specifically, I'm talking about roleplaying in general. I've always felt like I was kinda awkward but that moment was kinda embarrassing. My character is just basically just a charasmatic mercenary who intimidates rather than charms and I kinda kept trying to be "witty" and funny and I think I'm all but that. No, but they are just that much better than me it feels like it.
Xavier Lopez
ASK. THEM. FOR. ADVICE.
If you just leave it as is, then chances are they are going to get annoyed eventually.
But if you admit that you're worried that you're bringing things down and want to get better, then they'll be a lot more lenient and would most likely be willing to lend a hand and help you out. If not, then they're assholes and you should find another group.
Carter Taylor
Get help from your group. Be open with the fact that you suck and you know it. People who realize they're bad and want to improve are leaps and bounds more likeable than people who are bad and can't accept that.
Tyler King
Just be the best self you can be in the situation. If you're playing a nice guy, act nice, if you are playing an evil guy act evil. Don't over think it, but put a little effort in it. Ham it up. You'll grow confidence with practice, so as long as you're having fun in the mean time so will everyone else.
Gavin Scott
Have you tried alcohol?
Jeremiah Cruz
Alternatively, if it's not something that's actually a problem, then you can stop worrying about it.
Alexander Sanchez
>tfw playing with a fantastic group of actual actors (two are broadway actors, or whatever the generic term is since its not actually broadway and one is an actual voice actor) and I'm dogshit at rp It could be worse OP.
The important thing is to have a gud time nigga.
Jeremiah Diaz
Stage actor is probably what you're looking for. They do plays, yes?
Austin Smith
I can attest to CBT being useful, if that helps.
Chase Jenkins
By CBT do you mean therapy? How does that go?
Cooper Long
Yep, plays and musicals.
Isaac Lopez
my suggestion is to study how people talk and listen to them. I'm not going to wank my own ability to mimic by like going on vocaroo or something but the key to playing someone else is to examine people other than yourself.
It can be difficult especially if there is a small degree of social ineptitude involved (which is different than social anxiety) but lets say...Figure out what sort of personality you want to play and then look up movies or shows on the subject and listen to them talk and practice talking like them. At first it will sound something like a charactature. Like, how people trying to mimic Christopher Walken do it too hard and sound like a cartoon character. At first its a series of colloquialisms but the more you do it the more you realize things like Walken was raised in Brooklyn. So you can drop your voice an octave and change the pitch and fuck with the cadence and then your some big tough-guy from Brooklyn. Or make your voice high pitch but keep the accent and your doing Curly from the three stooges. Voices build off voices.
Gavin Hernandez
Voice is just part of a character however. Mindset is also important. You can't overthink the process or you'll take too long to respond naturally and if you don't think on it enough than all your characters will seem the same.
A good middle ground I think is to write out Three sentences on a piece of paper. These things could be quotes or events in the characters life that are pivotal to the characters personality.
Things like "My sister died when I was a boy and my mother tried to replace her with me."
this could many things to many people but whats important is what it means to you as a character. Maybe they are more compassionate because of this. Maybe they get hostile at the idea of someone not taking them seriously. Perhaps they get timid in the face of a motherly NPC or become more like a martyr if a young girl is involved because it reminds them of their sister.
Three vague sentences like that can color a characters mindset in almost any situation presented in an RP scenario
John Miller
Lastly, Things can't always be like the movies. Even if you come up with witty comments or snappy comebacks at the time that doesn't mean opportunity is passing you.
As RP'ers its usually looked down on to make certain scenes drag on. If an in-character fight starts? It shouldn't last all night. I've been to Larps and table-tops full of good role-playing but I have equally been to those same groups where they big talkers in the group spend hours bitching at eachother.
This can happen a lot considering strong personalities very often get nasty when they bump heads in opposition to one another but as players I think it is better to rise above the lazy 'its what my character would do' excuses that plague both RP and dice rolling alike and make it appropriate.
You wouldn't have an argument in the middle of a huge combat, unless say its for shared comedic value and even then keep it short (like Gimley and Legolas bitching at each other for kill count) so save it for downtime. You get to the Inn later that night and then instead of 'fast forward to morning' you take a moment to start a scene in the tavern over some ale to have your character talk to others about his complaints. Thats RP damnit, its character development if you don't go over the top trying to assert your will over the group, but you are showing what your characters opinions and beliefs are simply by how you talk to the others in response to what you just happened.
A bard could want to run a re-telling of how the battle went and be asking the opinion of the wizard which parts sound better than another
A wizard could inquire to the fighter if he had ever encountered runes like how they saw on the temple altar in previous adventuring.
Conversation is the life blood or role-playing even if sometimes its things they players already know but the characters don't.
