I've been playing for a while and I'm not sure if its because of me playing with shitty groups or my lackluster prepping when DMing but I'm still shit at roleplaying/improv. Any tips?
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How do I improve my roleplaying/improv skills?
Think ahead, at least for a few seconds or you will get blindsided when it is your turn to act.
take an improv class
This. Seriously. Find local classes or groups. Improv is a skill, and like any skill you gotta work on it.
Could you provide us an example of the roleplay/improv that your specifically having problems with?
Also, yes, this is good advice.
OP here, Characters fall flat, often blindsided when players do something I don't expect, have a hard time making games interesting and absorbing the players
>often blindsided when players do something I don't expect
This is the life of a GM. I'd say if you're having problems like this it would be worth having very loose (even random tables) of things to pivot too. Use historical examples of how your players have fricked you up.
With
>Characters fall flat and;
>hard time making games interesting and absorbing the players
This one is more difficult but my advice to start is think about what characters you stories you find interesting and use those as a template. If you don't have that then anon's advice
is also good. If you don't have time to read, you should have time to listen to audiobooks.
I'd hesitate a little to advise listening to actual plays cos even the newest ones have a touch of theatrics to them and may either set an unreasonable expectation or not be an example of actual play.
Have personalities and goals in mind for your characters, and a reasonable knowledge of what they should know. As a DM, adapt to your players. For instance, if your players don't truck well with characters who employ subterfuge play could become frustrating for both parties if you use a lot of those characters. Personally, I subscribe to big, bold flavors. Shifty merchants who speak in terms like "just for you, my friend, special price", fire and brimstone zealots who throw their arms up to the heavens, stonefaced knights who refuse to breach their code of honor, etc. Most NPC's that you don't prepare, and are likely non-recurring, don't need complex backgrounds and motivations.
>often blindsided when players do something I don't expect
This is going to happen approximately 100% of the time, and why it's ultimately important to know what an npc in question values, even if it's simple.
Can you go into more detail? It's hard to gauge what the problem is from such general descriptions.
>big, bold flavors
I second this. TTRPGs are rarely the place for tiny subtleties. Players simply are not getting all the cues and information they need to evaluate things they way people do in real life. It doesn't mean you can't be deceptive, but the signals should be legible from across the room most of the time.
Besides I would recommend you to read more books, anon.
Anything works really, you need to make your mind more agile
give the charter a trait that is positive or negative and lean into that
drink.
try to mix up whether you are playing or DMing. I always get little epiphanies about whichever one I am not doing at that moment. Play more than just, say, D&D. Other games approach the same topic from unique perspectives, and that can get you thinking more in terms of roleplaying than just applying the game mechanics from muscle memory. In short, mix things up if you feel you are getting into a rut.
Its easier when you have a few ideas for the character. I find I do a reverse flanderization with my characters where I start with something like "I'm a dumb bimbo barbarian" and then develop the character from there based on the interactions with the other players, the GM, and the story.
Thinking in terms of improv will hinder your experience. Roleplaying is not about "performing" for a perceived audience, its about trying to think like the character. If you have a few motivations or goals, and a pair of personality traits, you will develop more over time and it will get better (
is totally right on this). The more time you spend with the character the more immersed you will become.
what this anon said
start with a concept, a gimmick even and slowly build your character through interactions and adventures. i've seen a lot of morons with 10+ pages of background that end up playing the same npc bullshit which is just them but with cool tattoos and fantasy.
also, embrace the cringe of roleplaying and dare. you can't play an histrionic and charismatic character if you're a shy nerd. you might play them in the future though, experience is everything. start with a character that feels comfy and natural, then you can try to immerse yourself in more complex ones out of your comfort zone.
>I'm still shit at roleplaying/improv
what are you bad at specifically?
Talk to the voices in your head. If you don't have any voices to talk to, don't worry. They'll come to you eventually if you keep talking.
The most useful, easiest tip that will give you the most benefit is to SLOW DOWN. It's way more embarrassing and flustering to have to retract things you stammered out or try to lean into something nonsensical because you were scrambling for a response. Give yourself a few seconds to think about a response, until it comes naturally from your character through you. Like everything, you will suck at first and it will take practice.
I read this tip somewhere that helped me. It was meant for factions but is generally applicable to individual characters and battles/conversations/other interactions with PCs:
"[X] should have a goal, an obstacle keeping them from achieving that goal, and a plan to overcome that obstacle."
It is basically a goal-oriented way of asking the cliche, "What's my motivation?" But seriously, even if you only come up vague ideas on the spot, it gives you a framework for how to decide what X does next, as well as a default "out" if the players aren't progressing the interaction (because X has a matter to attend to and won't stand around wasting time all day). Works for simple "the lion is hungry" animal motivations too.
Think a lot about how to beat people who are better than you.
You can't outthink 3-5 other people's brains, and honestly though they might tell you different, they don't even really want you to try.
Be prepared for a variety of different outcomes, figure out themes and beats and scenes that you want to happen and try to steer towards them while acknowledging what the people at the table are bringing to the game.
You already know how to do it. You did it daily for the first 7 to 12 years of your life. You just have to let go of the shame. Go forth and Play Pretend with your buds.
The simplest way is to be very broad with most NPCs. Give them one, two personality traits at most, then let those inform their behavior. It will be easier for you to get used to thinking like them. This is useful long term as well, most NPCs have no extended interaction with the players, and those one or two main flavors will be what, if anything, that they remember. Characters who stick around for the long haul can be given subtleties, your players may appreciate getting to know them better, and you'll already be comfortable with their default voice.
Some genres are helpful for this, too. Swords & sorcery is one. REH in his Conan stories often let land of origin stand for basic personality. It was easy for him and the reader. Build from there.