Tabletop roleplaying games emphasize creating a character and behaving as if you are that character. However, many groups instead spend more time simply rolling dice and consider that roleplaying. Let’s talk about how to change your games from role-playing to roleplaying!
How To Go From Roll Playing To Role Playing
What is Roll Playing
For simplicity’s sake, roll playing is only focused on rolling dice. There are other aspects that you could add in a broader sense too. Specifically, calculating stats, strategizing based on numbers, game mechanics, and min-maxing.
Calculating stats
For some games, stats are important to qualify to play a class, race, and other things. However, from a roleplaying perspective, it’s better to see them as an extension of your character’s persona. With your character’s background and personality, ask yourself things like, “How strong/fast/intelligent would he be?”. Then, with that image in mind, pick or distribute your stats accordingly.
In some games, you may not have stats that are exactly what you have in mind, but you can get close and then work towards the ideal.
Strategizing based on numbers
A classic example for this in Rifts RPG is deciding whether to take the quest or not based on the reward value and the expected cost to repair armor and buy ammo.
There are other ways this can take place but as players we sometimes stop thinking in terms of “what my character would do” and instead make decisions based on game rules like ammo cost, repair values, or
What is Role Playing
Roleplaying in this context is a focus on playing your character, storytelling, and acting out your character. How you put your character together from the start will be vastly different from this point of view than it would be if you were focused on maximizing dice rolls, ability damage, spell damage, or the like.
Check this article out to learn how not to feel awkward when roleplaying
Character development
The time and place to do min-max builds is for either experienced groups or when the group as a whole wants to make that part of the experience. For most games you will have far more fun if you are focused on your own characters development. Here are some questions to help create a character background, but also going forward with ability picks and the like.
What part of my character background does this fit?
Is this a personal like/dislike or a character choice?
Would this choice help my character play more distinctly how I see him/her?
Storytelling
Tabletop roleplaying games are a cooperative storytelling experience. It is best when you work together with the other party members to move the group forward. There is nothing wrong with playing your character, having fun, or being goofy.
Acting your character
Roleplaying can be fun, though everyone has a different take on it. For some, it is all they focus on, including voices and even actions, while others may do the acting but not voices. The depth you take roleplaying is totally up to you; I suggest starting small and simple: anything different than your personality.
Roleplaying elevates casual tabletop gaming experiences into an unforgettable experience you’ll remember for years. You are personally connected to your character as you have an image in mind of who he or she is, how they act, look, talk, and everything in between. Your rolepalying of the character will help cement that character in your party members minds as well, though even more so YOU will be more remembered.
The art of being someone else
Going deeper into roleplaying means letting go of yourself momentarily and stepping into someone else’s shoes(quite literally, if you Larp). This can be a great way to explore facets of yourself that you would normally suppress around most people. It can also be a way to discover new aspects about yourself you wouldn’t have otherwise explored without roleplaying.
Roleplaying is a great way to adopt personas that you otherwise oppose or emotions rarely touched. This can be a transformative experience that changes the gameplay experience and may also help you nurture more empathy for diverse personalities in others.
Delving into your character’s depths
Developing a Backstory and Personality Traits
Developing a backstory and personality will help you transition when going from roll playing to roleplaying. Thinking about where your character is from, what happened to their family, their ultimate goals, why they are adventuring, and their views towards other races/societies will help you connect with your character.
The more you connect with your character, the longer you will be likely to play that character, especially if time passes between gaming sessions. In addition to connecting with your character, having a well-understood background will help you develop goals and actions during games.
Consider their fears, weaknesses, strengths, quirks, likes, and dislikes. If you are playing Rifts RPG then the “creating a character” section has a great 8 step process for making a background. If you are playing other games like Dungeons and Dragons I highly recommend checking out Rifts if for nothing but this 8 step process to help you better understand character background creation.
Building relationships and dynamics within the party
The real purpose behind games, be it video games, tabletop board games, or tabletop roleplaying games is to have fun. This can be done solo, but what makes having fun most memorable is sharing experiences with others. When transitioning from roll playing to roleplaying, building relationships will help generate the most meaningful memories and fun you can have.
Take time to get to know the other players in the group during down time, before your games and after. Getting to know your fellow players and why they made the characters they did will help you better understand them plus their characters.
Another reason it’s good to get to know the other players is because it helps you avoid misunderstandings. When you don’t know other people, you get caught up in negative thinking and may think they are out to get you, trying to make you look bad, or some other tragic thinking.
More often than not though, they are just trying to have a good time and see humor in something just as you do. The only difference being they express that humor in a different manner than you do.
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Lastly, getting to know your fellow party members will help you better expect their actions during the game. This can lead to engaging roleplaying moments that puts a smile on each players face. You can improve each player’s experience by collaborating with each player to progress storylines, further develop your characters, and immerse everyone in a shared adventure.
Working with group decisions and problem solving
In tabletop roleplaying games, teamwork is crucial for success. Often times, the game master develops the campaign and adventures based on the full party capabilities. So when one or more players don’t try to contribute or go against other players, it can severely put the group’s success behind. Participating in group decisions and problem-solving is the best way to create character development, story progress, and roleplaying improvement.
As challenges arise during gameplay, approach them as a team player rather than solo success. There is often more than one way to accomplish a goal, so check the perspectives and strategies of each other player. When contributing, offer solutions that align with your characters personality, goals, knowledge, and skill set.
Group problem solving is important because each player character has different skills and abilities which are usually required to achieve success. When coordinated effort you put together the more likely you will accomplish your strategy.
Game rules and staying true to your character
There are a lot of game rules to learn in all tabletop RPGs, especially for new players. Navigating these rules can become overwhelming and sometimes ruin games. Familiarizing yourself with the game rules is a good idea for an overall framework of the game setting and to immerse yourself in the feel of the game. However, its best to look at rules as guidelines especially when disagreements come up.
For the purposes of TTRPGs, if players start to disagree with rules, look at they way you are interpreting them. Often times, what one player thinks a rule means can be different from what another thinks it means. Try to come up with a compromise if there is a disagreement.
Knowing game rules is good, however don’t let them overshadow your players motivations and personality. Your character is supposed to be more than just numbers on a character sheet; they have dreams, goals, fears, ambitions, that should be used to guide their actions in the game world.
Finding balance with mechanics and roleplaying
Finding synergy between mechanics and roleplaying during gameplay occurs over time. It takes a willingness to try, adaptation and repetition. One way to integrate game mechanics in your tabletop RPG is to use them as tools to enhance storytelling rather than rigid rules.
For example, when in combat instead of requiring players to reduce an enemy to zero SDC and hit points in Rifts RPG, if really good attack roles are done let the player take out the enemy. This can mean the opponent runs away since few people stay to the death. It can be out of fear or many other reasons.
Conclusion
Going from roll playing to role playing recap
The excitement of roleplaying can be more enjoyable than just rolling dice and making a badass character. Most players start off with trying to create the most op character they can, or they start by diving deep into roleplaying. Regardless of which one you gravitate to, keep an open mind and begin to incorporate the other to your gameplay.
Remember to focus on developing a rich backstory, connecting with other players and working together with the rest of the group. Engaging with other players helps progress and keeps things interesting. Finding a balance between game mechanics and roleplaying is key to improved gameplay and overall storytelling.
Practice makes perfect
As you go from roll playing to roleplaying, remember that practice makes improvement. Have fun by experimenting with different character builds, including different alignments, backstories, classes, races,and more. Embrace gameplay challenges as learning opportunities.
Most importantly remember that tabletop roleplaying games are intended for fun and enjoyment. Have fun immersing yourself in your characters backstory and the cooperative storytelling.