![]() ![]() So, when you ask a player to introduce their character, what you’re going to get is a crapshoot. But, really, if players could spout out clear, evocative, descriptive narration, they’d be GMs. Which means they suck at introducing their characters. They suck at everything that isn’t eating your snacks and ruining your game. … as the serving girl gets Alia settled at her table, the door opens, and… Bob? Tell us who we all see framed in that doorway…Īnd not only do I make the players introduce their characters at the start of the campaign, I make them reintroduce their characters at the start of every single session. I start my campaigns by dragging each PC into the action - one at a time - and forcing that character’s player to describe the being that just entered from stage right. And to the GM.Īnd because roleplaying means sharing details through play and making choices based solely on what your character perceives and because there are no telepaths in the party unless you allow psionics - and you don’t ever allow psionics - because roleplaying is about organic character development through play, introducing a character means telling everyone at the table what their characters see when they look at your character. When a player’s character steps on-screen for the first time - whether because the campaign is just starting or because they joined a campaign already in progress or because they couldn’t keep their previous character alive and they’re bringing in a replacement - when a PC appears on-screen for the first time, it’s the player’s job to introduce that character to the rest of the group. Let’s talk about character introductions. So, cue the header… Introducing: Your Character Wow! I nailed that intro, huh? As long I’m smart enough to stop typing right now, anyway. One that ensures they’ll hit all the important s$&% - important for both gameplay and story purposes - and one that keeps the extraneous fanfic purple prose or thoughts-and-feelings internal monologue bulls$&% to a minimum of none.Īnd, with a few modifications, that script also helps you - the GM - introduce NPCs quickly and effectively.Īnd I promised I’d share that script. But because players are inconsistent as f$&% and can’t be trusted to get anything right, I came up with a script for them to follow. Which I called Reintroducing the Character. Fifteen-ish tops.Īnd I told you that part of that script involves forcing my players to basically recap their characters. It’s f$&%ing important.Īnd to answer the question literally everyone - by which I mean two or more of you - to answer the question literally everyone keeps asking me: ten-ish minutes. Remember? No? Then go back and read it again. Recently - and isn’t that just a vague, temporal cop-out - recently, I told y’all that I start my game sessions with a long, boring, tedious script that’s part recap and part guided visualization exercise. When my update schedule is off, it really f&%$s with my perception of time. ![]() So, two weeks ago… wait, that’s not right.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |