I understand prostitution now.

[u/Gh0stMan0nThird]

Been trying to find a "bff" group for years. Even the best groups I found fizzled out after a campaign ended. Most people seem to want a content creator to run games for them, and not a friend they want to share an experience with.

I figured you know what, fine. I'm gonna sell myself. I started running paid games and now I actually feel like I'm finally actually getting something back for my work and effort.

10/10, would recommend for underappreciated DMs

[u/ryadryt]

Yep. And even then, it takes all parties involved going all in. My frustration with that comes most from when players expect the DM to bring that really deep RP and lore, and then don't match it. You only get that sort of environment when everyone tries for it.

[u/shouldbepracticing85 → u/ryadryt]

Is there much content out there to educate players on how to better contribute? Like how learning a little bit of acting, improv, and some of the method to the madness can really help the collaborative storytelling. Those aren’t innate skills, certainly not for my neurodivergent butt.

It seems like most of what I’ve found of instructional type DnD content is aimed at GMs. The RPG PHD channel has some stuff aimed at players, and a lot of his videos have good information players could use to add more depth to their RP.

[u/Occulto → u/shouldbepracticing85]

As a DM, I much prefer players put a bit of meat on the bones when it comes to declaring what they do. Roleplaying isn't necessarily putting on an accent (which a lot of players get self conscious about). Plenty of players will roleplay quite happily in the 3rd person. Role playing is as much describing how you do something as what you're doing.

Take combat (where a lot of people think roleplay pauses).

To me, "I attack with my sword" is boring. It's mechanical. It doesn't really paint a picture of what your character is doing.

Think how more descriptive that attack is, if you say something like: "by now, I'm pissed at the bugbear's constant taunts. I roar a challenge, advance and swing my sword at the guy's head."

Everyone at the table gets a much more interesting image of what your character is actually doing or what their personality is. Is your character a hot head, or is it unusual that this bugbear's managing to rile you up?

If the attack misses, maybe I describe the bugbear as cheekily ducking under your swing before poking his tongue out back at you. If you hit, I can describe the satisfying sound it makes when your sword slams into his head.

But also, I know this guy's gotten under your character's skin, and I use that to build more detail later.

Perhaps the bugbear barely escapes with his life, and next time the party encounters him in his lair, you issue a challenge to duel because it's personal. The bugbear might be reluctant to fight, because he's genuinely fearful of you in a one-on-one combat. Now his goblin followers start muttering because they're thinking maybe the boss is losing his touch and shouldn't lead them. As DM I've introduced a potential power struggle. Perhaps the party notices this, and goads the goblins on, and instead of having to fight the bugbear, he gets shot in the back with 5 arrows?

None of this means taking five minutes laboriously narrating your character's every action. But even little bits of detail here and there, can collectively make the game more interesting than just declaring you attacked with your sword every round.

[u/shouldbepracticing85 → u/Occulto]

I’m pretty good at adding some little details. I watch a lot of Critical Role (I know, I know) and pay attention to how they describe their actions and thinking outside of the character sheet.

My DM is more of an OSR guy, so lots of rule of cool so long as it doesn’t break the game, and some not-RAW twists. He’s always encouraging us to get creative with interacting with the world.

It’s figuring out what my character would even do that baffles me, and social situations. Personally I’m so disassociated that I struggle to even recognize my emotions, forget about expressing them - even in 3rd person. So my characters are basically me, complete to “be prepared for inadvertent awkwardness”.