Have you ever played a face character?

Have you ever played a face character?

Any tips for playing one?

Look at social encounters as your combat. Use Emotions, Information, Motivations as weapons. Negotiation, Charm, Intimidate as attacks.

Also fucking bar wenches, always a staple of the archetype.

On the rare occasions I play, the other guys are:

- an incoherent druggie who speaks in metaphors only he understands
- a man we nicknamed "the ent" due to his tendency to remain perfectly still and silent
- a man who *only* speaks in memes and Terry Pratchett references.

If I don't play the Face and Party Leader, we are never going to be anything but hostile to everyone we ever meet.

Pro tip:
1. Decide what you desire from the interaction.
2. Consider the the tools/methods available and their viability. You can't threaten someone more powerful than you, but you can blackmail them. A bandit is unlikely to be moved by charity, etc.
3. Consider your reputation with the target and the social node that target represents. Playing up to type can reinforce perceptions and going against it can put people off balance.
4. Recognize that there's 3 types of people: suckers, the uninterested and snakes. Never fuck with snakes if you can help it and if you do, completely destroy them. Snakes will always return for revenge.
5. The ability to intuit people's feelings and thoughts is important, if it exists mechanically. Develop those skills as well.
6. Research your mark before a pitch. You need to know what appeals to them.
7. Someone, somewhere hates anyone else. For the right price they can reveal information or hinder them in a way that's beneficial to you.
8. Gossip is how you find out everything, gossip is how you ruin lives as well.
9. Stereotypes will almost always be believed and will apply every time the GM doesn't feel like having a twist. Plan for both scenarios and you will always come out on top.

Be audaciously self-confident. Watch a few episodes of Psych, watch some movies featuring con artists (Grifters, Matchstick Men, The Flim-Flam Man all come readily to mind), familiarize yourself with the Shaggy Defense, but most importantly: don't actually try to directly talk yourself out of every situation. Sometimes your job is to talk your fellow player characters into fighting their way through (or whatever their specialty is).

>an incoherent druggie who speaks in metaphors only he understands
TEMPO HIS ARMS WIDE

Glim across the sea!

mah damie!

Watch Beverly Hills Cop. Become Axel Foley.

>Watch Beverly Hills Cop. Become Axel Foley.
This.
I can't post better advice.

I play them using my own charisma, I've been told I am domineering so I utilize that turned up to the tenth for my face characters. I always end up as the leader/face of the group I am playing with so it works.

My suggestion is do the same thing yourself, take your confidence or whatever you are most socially strong as and turn it up and utilize it as a social power.

user has the right idea.

/thread

>Shaka, when the walls fell

Rai and jiri at lungha

Such a good episode.

Probably the best Star Trek episode.

...

Christ it's bad.

Charismatic characters are played better IRL: it's a bit more difficult to make your emotions clear over the internet.

See pic related on how to diplomacize well.

are you me, user?


I usually play a shallow, con-artist type myself to keep everyone entertained while I face it up. Funny accents make it better, though no-one's going to blame you when you don't go overboard with theatrics. Just pay attention when the party suddenly needs you to Talk no Jutsu.

Also, I always try and include others in the shenanigans and stories I come up with on the spot when playing the face. This way everyone's gonna have a say in the matter and feel a lot more involved while your dice-rolls do the heavy lifting.

I played an old trader once in whrp. Didn't kill anything in a year of gameplay. Everyone on the table loved him.
He didn't fuck barmaids because he had a dead wife and didn't want to betray her.
The gm equated him to Mr crabs from spongbob. But I never seen the show so I can't say.

If you need to ask others how to play specific archetype or role, you most likely shouldn't be playing said role in the first place. And it's not about just Face, it's about anyone you can't figure out all by yourself.

You forget to list Heist with Hackman, THE con-artist movie
Other than that, a spot-on

I often play the face and sometimes it felt like I was the only one playing. Its easy to say its the other players responsibility to put in the effort but I found dragging another player along with a plan was much more fun.

Bring the strong guy to help intimidate, the smart guy to explain the rich history of the magic item you are selling, the thief who can steal that vital item while you distract them.

I unironically love playing bards who are min-maxed for utility in social situations.

I played a human rogue once that pretended to be a powerful wizard, he used a long fake beard, makeup, shiny colorful robes and would carry around smoke bombs and fireworks. He concealed a light crossbow under his robes and his magical staff was actually a disguised rapier ( like a cane sword ) which my DM allowed me to use to pull off sneak attacks in situations where it shouldn't be possible.

It was pretty fun.