Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #6

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SENT BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY With Compliments
From: Johnn Four, http://www.roleplayingtips.com
mailto:johnn@roleplayingtips.com

CONTENTS:
--> Use "In-Character" Feedback To Encourage Roleplaying
by Johnn Four
--> Privacy Policy, Sub/Unsub & Contact Information

--> Feel free to forward this issue to a friend who would

--> enjoy it and find the information useful. Just hit your
--> Forward button. Thanks!
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USE "IN-CHARACTER" FEEDBACK TO ENCOURAGE ROLEPLAYING

Thanks to the intense Politically Correct environment in

this city I've taken more conflict resolution, active
listening, customer service and employee communications
courses than you can shake a stick at. There's one skill
I've picked up from all this, though, that has truly made a
huge difference in the quality of my roleplaying and game
mastering:

Use in-character feedback to encourage roleplaying.

Incorporate your players' words and player characters'
actions into your narrative.

Everybody likes to be appreciated and valued.

* Use the specific words and actions the players use during
your encounters.
* Have their words and actions actually affect the play
beyond what the rules dictate.

Do this and you provide fantastic on-going feedback and

encouragement. Plus, you'll find that the quality of
roleplaying in your sessions will shoot way up too.

For example, here's two versions of player/GM interaction

during a combat scene:

SCENARIO #1 - No Feedback
GM: The kobold measures you up and down, snarls and draws
his short sword!

Player: What?! How dare he assault Gilthor the Mighty! I

raise my two-handed axe high up in the air over my head,
unleash a blood curdling scream and charge headlong at the
foolish creature!

GM: OK. Roll initiative...You win, roll to hit...Great hit!

Roll damage...The kobold dies horribly!
SCENARIO #2 - Feedback & Reaction
GM: The kobold measures you up and down, snarls and draws
his short sword!

Player: What?! How dare he assault Gilthor the Mighty! I

raise my two-handed axe high up in the air over my head,
unleash a blood curdling scream and charge the foolish
creature!

GM: The kobold flinches at your blood curdling scream. He

nervously brings his sword up to parry your headlong charge.
The creature is so intimidated that you automatically win
initiative. Roll to hit and add a 1 bonus because of your
mighty overhead swing...You land a mighty blow! Roll
damage...The kobold is cut down in one blow with your two-
handed axe. The poor thing didn't even have time to beg for
mercy as, at the last moment, it sorrowfully realized that
it was completely outmatched trying to defend its poor mate
and 2 little kobold children. Great attack! How do you feel?

As you can see, I hammed it up at the end to try to make the

player feel a little remorse--undeserved or not it's always
great trying to draw a player reaction--but the essence of
the point is there. The player gave such a great attack
description that I had the kobold react cowardly and gave
the character a couple of perks by way of the automatic
initiative and attack bonus.

This rewards the player for good roleplaying and creates a

better quality roleplaying experience for everybody at the
table. And don't just do this for combat either. Anything
and everything the players and characters say and do can be
embellished, reacted to and rewarded (or penalized if the
action was foolish).

Practice this skill at your very next game session and let
me know how it went:
mailto:feedback@roleplayingtips.com?subject=Feedback

Have more fun at every game!

Johnn Four

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MY PRIVACY POLICY & HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
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Copyright � 1999, Johnn Four, RoleplayingTips.com.

All Rights Reserved.

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