Mastering the Art of Role playing: Tips for New Players

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One thing new players tend to struggle with when getting into tabletop gaming like Dungeons and Dragons is the role playing. It can be difficult to put yourself into character if you're not familiar with acting. For me, my first character was basically myself. Below, I have three tips to help new players stay in-character, and keep the role-playing fun.

1. Embrace Your Character

Immersing yourself in your character's personality, motivations, and backstory can be a huge help. During character creation, you spent a lot of time figuring out the personality of your character. This is a useful tool! Would your Chaotic Neutral Barbarian really help a little kitten from a tree, or might they fell the tree with their greataxe, while the cat is still on it?

2. Practice Active Listening

Being an active participant at your table and having fun with those around you is the most important part of any tabletop experience. If you get too hung up on learning all the rules right away, or maximizing your character, you'r bound to have a bad time. Listening to your friends and other players, as well as the Dungeon Master, can keep you involved in the world. If you spend all your time thinking, you will feel like you're outside of the action.

3. Build Relationships and Grow

Treat your character like a living being. They have quirks, instincts, and opinions about those around them. These relationships will ebb and flow throughout a campaign. Fostering relationships brings a great sense of reality to your character and the world, and makes it that much more engaging.

While it is fun to kill monsters and complete quests, role playing is a massively important part of the Dungeons and Dragons experience. Putting some effort into this aspect can make the difference between a boring and fun session. The Dungeon Master can only do so much to providing an engaging world. If you don't interact and engage with it, you won't have fun! Dive in, and perhaps you'll earn yourself some inspiration if you impress your DM.

Keep adventuring!

~DM Pete