@@Sgt-Wolf In this equation, you are the goblin your character stabbed. Thankfully, the origami knife you turned your character sheet into only does 1 hit point of damage if that.
@@Nienna_Asyare There's no "right" and "wrong" here. But let's just say that most tabletop characters contain some aspects of the players themselves, and as such, oftentimes also deal with similar issues the players themselves face in their daily life, simply altered to fit the setting. That's not a cop-out, it's totally valid. And the best characters are often those that are the closest to our hearts. It can be incredibly empowering to overcome your real life struggles in the safety of a game world, because it may give you the courage to face those issues in real live. That's why good dnd is the best therapy.
RP'ing a gay gnome pirate has helped me be more open about being gay and also I've started to feel a lot more comfortable stealing ships on the high seas :D
I have a secret rule in my campaigns if you take care of your weapons and rp with them they can level up as well. Like 1st lv would be the weapon becomes a +1
@@WatchTower10 Our DM does this heirloom weapon in his story where they level up based on significant events in the story and can gain some wacky abilities. For example; the preformentioned Greataxe, that I have lovingly named Martha, can be thrown up to 20ft (40 if I give up my moving action) as an action and can be recalled into my hand as a bonus action. It's not always practical, and I can't use extra attack, but man is it fucking cool.
I was looking for my daily several castings of Fireball, but I got a beautiful orphanage and animal rescue centers instead. I'll only use *1* fireball instead today.
Separating yourself from your character is deceivingly hard - it takes some practice. Once you do this you unlock the potential to have fun in GREAT moments and HORRIBLE moments for your character during the game 💪
Learning to enjoy tragedy happening to your fictional character is very rewarding, at least to me. Does it humble them? Do they hold a grude? Do they grow more trusting of their allies? etc etc
This is off-topic, but Samuel Lillge, your TH-cam profile pic of a little creature with headphones floating in a rainbow is THE most eye-catching interesting tiny little profile pic I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I STOPPED watching the video just to type this comment first. 😄 Well done, Sam. Well done, indeed! 👍
@@moogamooga2100 Thank you, I'm glad you like it! I got bored one day and made it in google drawings, and I ended up liking it so much that it's been my profile picture ever since!
Okay, this is all fine, but... How _CAN_ I improve my French accent? For the sake of my character, Jean-Jacques Bissette-Benoit-Bouton-Bouvier, I _NEED_ to know!
It's simple Step one: "H" have no sound, don't say them Step two: the English "E" have the same sounds as the French "I", replace all the "I" in a phrase with "E", nowthre tricky one, the French "E" sounds like the "ge" of "Los Angels" To practice try to say "intelligence" Step three: try to not put your thong between your teeth, in french no word i know (and i am french so i know many french word) need you to put your thong between your teeth, so the principal reason french have an accent is because they don't think of putting they're thong between they're teeth, so you need to think about not putting your thong between your teeth I think that's all, i don't really know anything else that could make you sound french
I've been playing for 8 years and I still have anxiety attacks every time I play. The biggest benefit for shy people and people with anxiety-in my opinion-is a group of really close friends.
Björck Björck that’s hard for me I wouldn’t consider the people I play with close friends I really with my close friends would but they don’t want to so my groups aren’t the greatest so hopefully I can get a good group one day
Sometimes gloriously failing at an accent or certain vernacular can make it more fun cuz everyone is having a laugh. Play as your character, but don't sweat the small stuff.
I had plenty of "hold on I'm sounding way too british" moments like that lol. Like the accent would be light then suddenly shift to full on cockney like that dude from Mary Poppins
There's one guy in my group who, every time he tries to do a voice other than his own, ends up with a southern (us) drawl. As a result, both of his characters are country girls, despite not intending them to be.
Oh yeah, speaking of gloriously failing at an accent, Welsh is a tricky mistress. It's just close enough to Scottish, I go from Nia from Xenoblade to Donald&Douglas really f***ing quick. It's frustrating.
Play a non binary/genderfluid character. None of the normal limitation of gender. All of the fun of both. Play a Tiefling for max customization on the gender performativity. Also look up trans voice acting lessons, those also help, they're super useful for newer voice changers
great video, keeping a consistent level of 'good rp' is easily the most difficult part of DnD for myself and I think probably most people like you've said. All about having fun but it's hard sometimes to keep that in mind as much as we should
4:11 "opportunity to have a mask" I agree with this wholeheartedly. A lot of my characters end up being similar to me in attitude but with one flaw blown up out of proportion, like being too angry or annoying or impulsive. This ends up making the character easier to slip into, as well as being a way for me to feel comfortable with my own flaws. It helps me get into the characters head easier and also to see how the things im embarrassed about can still be part of a rich character.
Step one: Build cabin on top of a bunker in the mountains. Step two: Bring friends and family to cabin Step three: send code to start global nuclear war Step four: hurry into bunker with people from step two Step five: Play D&D every day (until the food, water or clean air run out).
You're not alone Me: *Curled in ball on ground holding book* So alone... So very alone...*Darkness* Also me: Instructions Unclear, What are these "Friends" you speak of?
I'm incredibly new to D&D, so new that my first game is in a couple of weeks and this video helped me immensely with my anxiety at going into an already established campaign with my limited amount of knowledge. My friend's party are going online due to lockdowns and quarantine, which made it accessible for me to join them, and having someone else there that I know (even in an online setting) has already helped but I'm still so worried that I won't know what to say, or how to act. This video has helped me so much, so from a rookie player anxiously looking forward to her first game, I thank you for being so open.
Roleplaying is one of my favorite aspects about D&D but so many people are nervous about it. I hope this video helps all those that are nervous and gets them to roleplay more. D&D isnt a wargame it's an RPG.
You know it's going to be a warm heart-to-heart talk when he is sitting at the end of table, like we're there with him on the other seats and he's telling us "it's okay"
Thanks for this video. Despite playing dnd for a while, I still break character during serious scenes because I panic and get nervous. I wanted to make my character emotionally vulnerable in a scene but I ended up awkwardly laughing and cutting it short. The party knew I’m nervous with acting and bad been so supportive. They’ve taken that moment and treated with the weight I wanted it to have and I’ll keep trying to work at it for their sake as well :)
This Video is probably helpful to pretty much everyone because even the best of roleplayers sometimes fumble their words or get nervous when they are put on the spot but especially so for newer player. I mean it's acting who wasn't nervous the first time they stood on some form of stage right ? So chill and listen to Jacob :D
the Star Wars campaign I'm playing with my friends is my favorite for role playing because I'm a droid, so I don't have to strain for a voice, I just phrase things really literally and use weird tones to get across my low charisma stat.
Right as you leaned in and said "your not alone" I heard a noise outside, I'm home alone and to be quite honest it scared the shit outta me. Turns out a possum got into my trash can. Kinda funny now that I think about it. Thanks for the creepy foresight jacob
This…really helped me I’ve been feeling like I’m not good enough for my friends even thought it’s my 2nd campaign ever-I didn’t know I wasn’t separating myself from my character until someone put it into words so thank you for the boost!
Occasionally messing up while doing improv and roleplaying is not the same thing as "you feel like everybody around you is way better at it, you feel like you made a terrible character, you can't focus on your character's voice or traits, you get super anxious and overthink it until you stop enjoying the game and then you stop playing" Of course I have felt the first thing, but the second things? No way. That set of feelings you described at the beginning is pretty extreme. I'm not lying or trying to pretend I'm so good at roleplaying by saying, "No, I have never had that second experience you described". I just fucking love acting. I fucking love Dungeon's and Dragons. I have since the first musical I was in and the first session I ever played. It's just so natural to me. I have never been super anxious at the table or felt that I had a terrible character or any of those things. I don't know why you're asserting that everyone who has every played D&D has had a negative experience with it at some point. Think about if you said that about, like, any other game? "EVERY PERSON WHO HAS EVER PLAYED THIS GAME HAS GOTTEN REALLY ANXIOUS WHILE PLAYING IT AT ONE POINT AND IF THEY SAY THEY HAVEN'T THEY'RE FUCKING LYING." Jesus, dude. Not a good look for the hobby.
I’m a DM and a player of mine is very anxious to roleplay and i am happy this vid Just came out and i think this Will help him out a lot. Thanks a lot Jacob. You helpen me into dnd and you’ve helpen me with a lot of stuff. Thank you, keep it going. You’re a truly great person
This is exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been playing characters that don’t really ever talk, even if I don’t really want to. Even though I’ve known them for a long time, I struggle with roleplaying because I always panic over what I should say in that situation. This helped me a lot, thank you.
I just played my first D&D game last week and this video said a lot of what I was feeling afterwards... Thank you so much for this, it's nice to be reminded that I probably wasn't the only one feeling that way ❤
Aw man, this really helped me. I made a paladin and I'm in a party full of 10 players. Everyone was doing these awesome accents and really made an impression, but me, I was just being awkward and kinda quiet. So comforting to know that this guy right here gets it.
I know this is years late but sometimes playing into that can be a huge help! Like you can make an awkward character, or a quiet character, or a dumb character so when they say dumb things it’s just the character and great role playing. Or you can tailor your character to how you feel you would be most comfortable role playing in the given situation. For example Marisa Ray from Critical Role said she made Keyleth awkward socially because she was nervous to join the campaign with all these experienced voice actors, so her chosen character allowed her something to fall back on. For me personally, my first dnd character is very closed off and a little rude, because I find it hard to talk about emotions with people I don’t know very well and when I’m nervous I’ll (jokingly) insult people to deflect and hide my anxiety. While some people may say this is just playing myself, I think it’s a good place to start for a new player to create a character perhaps similar to yourself but certain traits blown up. So my character will just straight up insult people rather than do so jokingly, and she never laughs. Gives me something unique about her to separate her from myself whilst still making her fairly simple for me to roleplay. Sorry this was so long but maybe it will help someone!
I’ve never felt scared of role playing or felt like I couldn’t do it, and this is for 3 reasons 1. I’m one of the few extroverted D&D players 2. I’ve only made characters I know in and out, and I make sure I know my friends characters 3. I have amazing friends
One way I disconnect from my character is by describing their actions in the third person, unless I'm doing the voice, in which case I almost always say it was my character saying that. Example: "Worbus takes the decorative sword from the wall and begins swinging like a madman. 'Try and face me ye demons!' he screams"
I'd like to mention the scene, its comfortable and allows us to relax while watching the well passed and consistent tone that is in the video. This video was very delightful, thanks for it and it helped me out with my personal game.
I get really into role playing when I play. Every one of my characters has a new voice and completely different personality and my friends are always nervously looking around anticipating how my first turn in each game is going to be. But I always cause the most laughs and instigate in game hilarious things
This was a shockingly wholesome, serious, helpful, and very professional looking! All without losing any personality and comedy typically on your channel. Good job!
Thanks for this. I have never roleplayed before and only recently got into dnd and felt I was really bad at it so I would end up only really rping when called upon.
Really good video, but the best advice comes at the start: "Don't overthink it." Don't get too hung up on, "What would my character do?" Most of the time, they're going to be trying to succeed at the thing they are trying to do. Because that's what people _do_ when they're trying to do a thing. Roleplaying is just taking on the role of a fictional character in a fictional world and making the decisions you think that character would make if they and their world were real. And 99% of the time, real people _aren't_ trying to "express their inner self" to those around them. They aren't trying to tell everyone they meet the exact strictures of their religion or the precise implications of their moral code. They don't wander up to people and tell them their entire life story. They're trying to _hide_ their personality flaws, not flaunt them. They're just trying to succeed at the thing that they're currently doing. So just relax, be normal and pay attention to the unfolding story and your character's place in it.
I appreciate this vid so much I’ve only been playing for a little over a year and I was struggling with my first game in terms of having a hard time finding my voice in character and speaking up. Thanks again Jacob ❤️
BOUNDARIES! YES, THANK YOU JACOB, YOU BEAUTIFUL SAGE OF THE NERDIEST TEXT! For real, that's such a good message to spread. Letting people know it's *ok* to have boundaries is so important. All over the place, I see people struggle with opening up because they'll be afraid of the backlash. I see it in the games I play and run, where people struggle to let things go by because they feel like they are required to participate in every moment possible. Which then leads into the "x person steals the spotlight" moments we hear so much about, because they're so used to playing up that very spotlight. With every video you post, I get more and more thankful. You bring true wisdom to this community. Thank you ❤️
Thank you for this video! Every time I search for this topic I just find 30 minutes long videos, so watching this, quick and cool video is amazing Best dnd channel
Clicked because I was tired of the sea of "how to be better at roleplaying" when I wanted help on improving my character, got mental support. Tysm, man.
First game the other day so came to TH-cam to find videos to help me be a better player and found this. What you said here has not only made me feel better about playing D&D but also about playing the game called life! Thanks dude, I've given you a follow and look forward to more of your content! Keep up the great work!
I love this video for the sole purpose that it has majorly helped me! Sure, I still get a bit of anxious when I’m up to bat and act my character, but this video has shown me that it’s ok! The first point you have made really has shown me! It’s just a game, and your playing with friends, and that everyone else is doing the same thing! Your all in the same boat and you shouldn’t be nervous! Thanks XP
I love the group I'm in, because they are super supportive and understand that I suffer from depression and anxiety and that I'm a socially anxious person. D&d has made a more sociable person.
Me Roleplaying at the table and also having a stress problem "I should probably get a therapist but this helps with D&D and it's free so only this for now"
ive been playing a character recently Called Bucket, he's not great at remembering things, and so when im thinking of questions I just say bucket is stuck in thought, or say he's doing something else
I loved and really vibed well with the positive theme of this video, and the ambient music. I've been having a very hard time in life lately, and even though this was about role-playing in D&D, I felt really encouraged by you and this video. Thank you.
Wow as someone who really wants to start playing DnD and has been researching and bin watching every video with information as possible about the game, how to play, how to create a character, stats, lore, etc (including yours, which have made me laugh and smile seriously The Wizard ones have made me loose my air multiple times) this one... Wow this one touch my heart... as someone who is just starting the DnD journey and was really afraid of messing up on my first game this one video really helped... So thank you Jacob, thanks for helping a fellow noobie getting started into DnD I hope you and anyone else watching this video has a great day.
This was incredibly thoughtful, supportive, and helpful. It's hard not to be anxious - but this was super. Thank you - I know it's old but I just found it so don't @ me
I'm pretty new to D&D. Been playing with a group of friends online for 6 months. Enjoying the online game alot, I decided to join a local irl game with a bunch of randoms. This is the exact video I needed to see before our first session👍 Thanks alot👊
Big point about stepping back: It's infinitely more valuable to vocalize your feelings and step down from the edge of the cliff than it is to stammer endlessly in a situation you don't feel comfortable with just to meet an internal checklist. "I have to speak right now, I haven't said anything all game and they're going to think I'm bad at the game." No, they aren't. And saying "I really would not like to talk right now" is far better for everyone's experience than for you to be anxious. Plus, if they're good friends, they'll sense that you're having a rough time and try to make it better for you.
One of my best RP scenes so far was (playing through Discord) when Netrunner was doing hacking stuff while my character was distracting fast food restaurant workers, the GM made the thing to run like combat so everything is in order, and while he was solving the NetArch stuff I had enough time to think through and type on command box what I am going to do, and once it was my turn I would just read it out loud and pulled out an epic believable monologue perfectly fitting into my Media character doing interview stuff. 10/10 [Cyberpunk Red]
This video recommendation came at the right time. Already a few sessions in in a campaign with friends and I'm still pretty reliant on text roleplay. Thanks a bunch, Jacob!
100% agree with this. As someone who has terrible anxiety god bless my group for willing to wait sometimes minutes for me to think of a proper response at times in pivotal role play moments when I'm too nervous to improvise. Being comfortable in a group helps make the game I feel.
Jacob, thank you. I am much much more happy to share this with my players that are a bit newer to the game, and you helped me as well as a DM by confirming that its ok to offer help and that its not pushy, I had some bad players recently ;-;
Story time One of my best friends plays a Warlock Sea Captain (high charisma and all that stuff) and she really struggled with rp the first few sessions cuz she was so affraid of making a "wrong" decision so once we got together plus her boyfriend (who's also a member of the party) and casually rped for a while, without the pressure of the game and nothing serious. Weplayed a lot with the members of the crew and my own pc (cuz they've been traveling together for a few years). So yeah, rping outside the game with people you feel comfortable with is a great way to improve your comfortability level while rping.
Since I'm going to be a DM for a campaign very soon I'm brushing up on my character portrayal skills and telling myself to just have fun and not let anxiety engulf me, this definitely helped :)
I've been subscribed to you since the beginning, and I've seen you go through lot of styles of trying to make videos that consist of you talking to the camera directly, and this has to be the best style you've found so far. It is fun, it is relatable, and it makes the words you say seem to have some more weight to them because now you're talking TO us. This is a brilliant video, man. Funny as shit, and has a solid message 👌
The DM (for my first game) introduced my character into the game on a real life arm wrestling match that I “won” 200gp for. It immediately brought the excitement and life out of my character and set his attitude for the rest of the game. The other players also gave me so much help and advice on making my character in general and it’s been awesome. Now I know that role playing a character can feel like an extension of your own personality traits. Way easier that way for me. Next dude is gonna be quiet and angry so that’ll be easy to do 😂
I play in a custom system my DM made and made a martial the campaign built around mainly just talking to people. I got an ability that allowed me to encourage people and give them advantage on checks bit my DM makes me say something moving each time I time I try to use it. I have basically 0 rp experience and have binged watched videos like these. You're a great guy Jacob and give really good advice. Thanks for all of the help
This has been up for a while, but I feel this. In our home game, I played my first character for almost a year. I had a really tough time building a backstory for him and in the end, I felt like he didn't really have a reason to be present in any setting. The group would have these big, in character conversations about the impact of everything, and I was sitting there thinking "ok, I have nothing to add to this and honestly have no reason to be here other than this is the group of PCs." After the end of the first major arc, I decided to send the character on a walk about with an NPC that we had encountered and brought in my current character. I spent a few days working and reworking a backstory, family, friends, goals, personality, EVERYTHING for him. I almost immediately started having more fun. I was able to really get into character and start having a great time with the RP. Having that background really helped build a foundation of just who this character is. Honestly, if someone is having trouble working on RP, make sure you have a solid backstory for the character. It'll give you a great jumping off point. That being said, I still frequently have to go "guy's idk wtf to do/say right now." and that's entirely okay.
When I played with an old D&D crew, Roleplaying was the main reason we played. To my surprise, most of the time they'd say nothing when something happened. I always thought I was breaking the ice by reacting after like 2 seconds, but now I'm kinda worried it may be because they felt like they couldn't get a word in edgewise.
I've really appreciated your channel! I am starting to run a mouse guard homebrew based on a world I've been writing. My two kids will be the players and we are just gonna have fun as they explore the world and go on missions!
This is actually super helpful... I'm no rookie to roleplayer, LARP, etc I used to do it quite a lot but fell out of it cause life happened... I'm slowly getting back into it and the first thing I noticed is that my once great roleplay skills are replaced with self-doubt and worry about... basically everything you said at the start. I used to be Gurk Steelecleave the Gnollish Paladin of Selune striking out to find a better way for the races to intermingle and find common ground impressing nobles and common peoples alike with his power and people skills until finally being accepted by a small town in Faerun until his tragic death... now I'm Mal the timid paladin who for the life of him despite being charismatic (supposedly) and 'bold... can't muster up more than one line of dialogue in a session 0... Your video actually helped give me a bit of my old confidence back and I thank you greatly for this keep up the good work my dude!
My group right now is very roleplay heavy, and I've been playing with them for about a year and a half. It's taken me until now to start getting more comfortable roleplaying. It's okay to take it slow. It's okay to be nervous. It's okay to fumble. A lot. Good video and wonderful points made.
I started playing D&D last year and ended up quitting because of the anxiety of sucking at role playing, and felt a little sting of jealousy whenever I heard my friends were playing without me. I was the one who quit, but I really did want to play. I just didn't think I was good enough at the role play aspects to avoid "ruining the game" for my friends. The tone of this video was really comforting, I might give it another go with this stuff in mind. Top tier content.
I'm sending this to one of my players. I really hope it helps them. They have been going through a rough patch for the past couple sessions. Thanks for the great video Jacob!
I do have really bad anxiety and I feel like remembering parts of this video will help me get through roleplaying when my heart stops, especially the "It's all make-believe, just blame everything weird on your character" sentiment. I just joined an ongoing Starfinder game with my friends and while they're doing their best to accommodate for me being new to both Starfinder and RPGs, I still lock up when I don't know what to do (although to be fair I feel like it's expected because they warned me that Starfinder's frickin' weird). Thanks for making the video c:
I’m very late to this video, but this video spoke to me. I’m probably the newest player in my group and I’m just an anxious person. So this was just nice to hear and know I’m not alone. Having a supportive group definitely helps as well. 😊
YESSS the video we need. roleplaying is my favorite part of dnd. also I once didn't play for a month because I felt so selfconscious about my new character because another player called my roleplaying cringe and annoying and called me a bad actor (I am in fact an actor, and we gave him a talking to about chilling tf out). but I'm glad we are having this talk about role-play because I've seen SO MUCH role-play based hate on Marisha ray and it absolutely breaks my heart. I am now playing with my best friends, three carpers and actors who are in it for the role-play and its so great to have a space like that
My first game was so confusing and weird, but since then I've completely changed my character's personality as I've figured out how I and they interact with everyone else. Sometimes I kinda feel like I'm just being quirky for the sake of it (Like I practically gave my character an obsession with tea because of a joke we made in the beginning), but I also think that's part of some of the fun and inside jokes we end up having
"...you are not _actually_ killing a goblin."
Then whose blood is this Jacob?
Whose blood is this?
Yours.
You stabbed yourself in the leg.
@@Sgt-Wolf In this equation, you are the goblin your character stabbed. Thankfully, the origami knife you turned your character sheet into only does 1 hit point of damage if that.
Wait what’s his hit points?
@@yupyip4023 He had 4 HP...
What's your class? Wait what's your teammates class? Do they have healing spells?
Jacob talking about roleplaying like he's talking about getting help with depression.
D&D is group therapy with dice
@@GaryDunion can confirm tho
What do you mean, AU?
Magi V maybe I’ve not been doing it right
@@Nienna_Asyare There's no "right" and "wrong" here. But let's just say that most tabletop characters contain some aspects of the players themselves, and as such, oftentimes also deal with similar issues the players themselves face in their daily life, simply altered to fit the setting. That's not a cop-out, it's totally valid. And the best characters are often those that are the closest to our hearts. It can be incredibly empowering to overcome your real life struggles in the safety of a game world, because it may give you the courage to face those issues in real live. That's why good dnd is the best therapy.
1:42 "And I'm not telling you how to be better at it"
Title: How to be better at Roleplaying in D&D
How can you clickbait us and lie to us Jacob?
We've been tricked, we've been backstabbed, and we've been, quite possibly, bamboozled
it's for your own good
XP to Level 3 Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Thanks for typing this so that I don't have to
@@brunop.8745 We've been smeckledorfed!
“I play consistently almost every day”
How does one learn this power?
Not from a jedi
XP to Level 3 what about from the Senate?
live with your players & make a living outta playing TTRPGs
@@XPtoLevel3 bullshoes, we all know you're a Jedi, YOU CAN'T HIDE THE TRUTH FROM US
Maybe from darth plagueis the wise
RP'ing a gay gnome pirate has helped me be more open about being gay and also I've started to feel a lot more comfortable stealing ships on the high seas :D
"Hand over yer booty... and yer treasure, too!"
@@TimeLair Yah harr! xD
❤️❤️❤️
That started so wholesome and ended perfectly.
"All hands on the poopdeck! Full mast!"
"You are not your character."
Ok, but, I wanna be a 60 year old Barbarian with dementia who's in a marital relationship with his Greataxe.
Don't we all?
She's a real battle axe eh?
I have a secret rule in my campaigns if you take care of your weapons and rp with them they can level up as well. Like 1st lv would be the weapon becomes a +1
@@WatchTower10 Our DM does this heirloom weapon in his story where they level up based on significant events in the story and can gain some wacky abilities.
For example; the preformentioned Greataxe, that I have lovingly named Martha, can be thrown up to 20ft (40 if I give up my moving action) as an action and can be recalled into my hand as a bonus action. It's not always practical, and I can't use extra attack, but man is it fucking cool.
Marital AND martial relationship.
I was looking for my daily several castings of Fireball, but I got a beautiful orphanage and animal rescue centers instead. I'll only use *1* fireball instead today.
*cries in Light Cleric*
And several stores of natural gas which just so ever-coincidentally have been placed in the center of town😂
Separating yourself from your character is deceivingly hard - it takes some practice. Once you do this you unlock the potential to have fun in GREAT moments and HORRIBLE moments for your character during the game 💪
Learning to enjoy tragedy happening to your fictional character is very rewarding, at least to me. Does it humble them? Do they hold a grude? Do they grow more trusting of their allies? etc etc
This is less "How to be better at roleplaying" and more "How to be more comfortable with roleplaying."
That’s honestly the first step, though.
@@commanderodinstark3416 Oh, absolutely, but it doesn't help people who are already comfortable roleplaying like the title implies a little bit.
Being more comfortable allows you to ignore all of your weird human feelings and focus on the situation at hand
This is off-topic, but Samuel Lillge, your TH-cam profile pic of a little creature with headphones floating in a rainbow is THE most eye-catching interesting tiny little profile pic I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I STOPPED watching the video just to type this comment first. 😄 Well done, Sam. Well done, indeed! 👍
@@moogamooga2100 Thank you, I'm glad you like it! I got bored one day and made it in google drawings, and I ended up liking it so much that it's been my profile picture ever since!
"Actors aren't actually their roles"
*Laughs in Daniel Day Lewis*
RIP Sean Bean.
Jim Carey
The Rock.
*Laughs in hector*
robert downey jr (tony stark)
Okay, this is all fine, but...
How _CAN_ I improve my French accent?
For the sake of my character, Jean-Jacques Bissette-Benoit-Bouton-Bouvier, I _NEED_ to know!
I do know that french don't tend to make H sounds. "here" would be "ere" for example. It's if the word starts with H that this tends to happen
English H doesn't exist, H is silent in French, the 'r' sound is throaty. There you have it, basic but very effective French accent.
Have him have an speech impediment in which all he can say is croissant, and really, really make an effort on learning how to say that one word.
So I know there is a good chance this is a joke, but there ARE accent coaching videos on TH-cam if you want to pursue them.
It's simple
Step one: "H" have no sound, don't say them
Step two: the English "E" have the same sounds as the French "I", replace all the "I" in a phrase with "E", nowthre tricky one, the French "E" sounds like the "ge" of "Los Angels"
To practice try to say "intelligence"
Step three: try to not put your thong between your teeth, in french no word i know (and i am french so i know many french word) need you to put your thong between your teeth, so the principal reason french have an accent is because they don't think of putting they're thong between they're teeth, so you need to think about not putting your thong between your teeth
I think that's all, i don't really know anything else that could make you sound french
I've been playing for 8 years and I still have anxiety attacks every time I play.
The biggest benefit for shy people and people with anxiety-in my opinion-is a group of really close friends.
Yeah. I've never had a problem because me and my party are such close friends we are almost brothers. Close friends help.
Björck Björck that’s hard for me I wouldn’t consider the people I play with close friends I really with my close friends would but they don’t want to so my groups aren’t the greatest so hopefully I can get a good group one day
I have a stutter so I've only played 2 half hour games by myself with my brother as the dm and I can't even ask for spell components at a fake shop...
Much love for all the new players
Sometimes gloriously failing at an accent or certain vernacular can make it more fun cuz everyone is having a laugh. Play as your character, but don't sweat the small stuff.
I had plenty of "hold on I'm sounding way too british" moments like that lol. Like the accent would be light then suddenly shift to full on cockney like that dude from Mary Poppins
There's one guy in my group who, every time he tries to do a voice other than his own, ends up with a southern (us) drawl. As a result, both of his characters are country girls, despite not intending them to be.
@@Ellebeeby Lol exactly why I would go "hold on I need to dial it back I dunno wtf my voice is doing"
I made Bag of Nails (a senile tabaxi assassin from ToA) sound like Cicero from Skyrim and my party absolutely loved it
Oh yeah, speaking of gloriously failing at an accent, Welsh is a tricky mistress. It's just close enough to Scottish, I go from Nia from Xenoblade to Donald&Douglas really f***ing quick. It's frustrating.
"Actors aren't actually their role"
...
John Malkovich
Robert Downey Jr
You posted this 20 minutes before my session. Thanks! It'll help
10 minutes now! Plz tell me how it went down when you're finish! :D
@@christofferhougaard Sure will!
Hope your session went well! c:
Hey everybody! Just finished session. It went well. Players are exhausted. 3 hour dungeon.
Did a lot more voices though!
Bro, this is like EXACTLY what I need rn
>Good voice acting
>Me, only playing characters of the opposite sex
Just play an elf.
Play a non binary/genderfluid character. None of the normal limitation of gender. All of the fun of both. Play a Tiefling for max customization on the gender performativity. Also look up trans voice acting lessons, those also help, they're super useful for newer voice changers
I’ll admit it, I’m a DM that makes all my NPCS talk the same and I needed this so thanks chief.
I've got a total of three voices. They include: loud, slightly higher pitched th an my own, and my default voice.
@@Nightmare_vZ Same but add in slightly lower pitch than my normal
even if you can’t do voices you can do a lot with pace / choice of language / inflection and even describing body language
great video, keeping a consistent level of 'good rp' is easily the most difficult part of DnD for myself and I think probably most people like you've said. All about having fun but it's hard sometimes to keep that in mind as much as we should
4:11 "opportunity to have a mask" I agree with this wholeheartedly. A lot of my characters end up being similar to me in attitude but with one flaw blown up out of proportion, like being too angry or annoying or impulsive. This ends up making the character easier to slip into, as well as being a way for me to feel comfortable with my own flaws. It helps me get into the characters head easier and also to see how the things im embarrassed about can still be part of a rich character.
“I’m telling you how not to be better at it.”- Jacob 2020 in a video titled how to be better
Swing and a miss.
0:50 How does one obtain a group to play d&d nearly every day?
Make it a job.
force
Probably multiple groups. I play 3 times a week but only once with each group
Step one: Build cabin on top of a bunker in the mountains.
Step two: Bring friends and family to cabin
Step three: send code to start global nuclear war
Step four: hurry into bunker with people from step two
Step five: Play D&D every day (until the food, water or clean air run out).
He keeps his players locked in the basement
You're not alone
Me: *Curled in ball on ground holding book* So alone... So very alone...*Darkness*
Also me: Instructions Unclear, What are these "Friends" you speak of?
Remember the golden rule: Fireball solves everything.
when in doubt, cast friends *gets beat down by wizards* I...I mean fireball...fireball!!
th-cam.com/video/4ck6OCvuXAA/w-d-xo.html
Mood
I'm incredibly new to D&D, so new that my first game is in a couple of weeks and this video helped me immensely with my anxiety at going into an already established campaign with my limited amount of knowledge. My friend's party are going online due to lockdowns and quarantine, which made it accessible for me to join them, and having someone else there that I know (even in an online setting) has already helped but I'm still so worried that I won't know what to say, or how to act.
This video has helped me so much, so from a rookie player anxiously looking forward to her first game, I thank you for being so open.
Roleplaying is one of my favorite aspects about D&D but so many people are nervous about it. I hope this video helps all those that are nervous and gets them to roleplay more. D&D isnt a wargame it's an RPG.
You know it's going to be a warm heart-to-heart talk when he is sitting at the end of table, like we're there with him on the other seats and he's telling us "it's okay"
New player here and still getting used to it, thanks man 👍
I am a new player. How much have you played by now
Thanks for this video. Despite playing dnd for a while, I still break character during serious scenes because I panic and get nervous. I wanted to make my character emotionally vulnerable in a scene but I ended up awkwardly laughing and cutting it short.
The party knew I’m nervous with acting and bad been so supportive. They’ve taken that moment and treated with the weight I wanted it to have and I’ll keep trying to work at it for their sake as well :)
This Video is probably helpful to pretty much everyone because even the best of roleplayers sometimes fumble their words or get nervous when they are put on the spot but especially so for newer player. I mean it's acting who wasn't nervous the first time they stood on some form of stage right ? So chill and listen to Jacob :D
Honestly this was perfectly made. I am never socially inept, yet when I'm playing d&d I always feel like I'm not doing it right.... Thanks brotha
the Star Wars campaign I'm playing with my friends is my favorite for role playing because I'm a droid, so I don't have to strain for a voice, I just phrase things really literally and use weird tones to get across my low charisma stat.
Right as you leaned in and said "your not alone" I heard a noise outside, I'm home alone and to be quite honest it scared the shit outta me. Turns out a possum got into my trash can. Kinda funny now that I think about it. Thanks for the creepy foresight jacob
This…really helped me
I’ve been feeling like I’m not good enough for my friends even thought it’s my 2nd campaign ever-I didn’t know I wasn’t separating myself from my character until someone put it into words so thank you for the boost!
Setting roleplaying guidelines in Session 0 also helps promote a roleplay-friendly atmosphere. One of my early rules was "no RP shaming"
Occasionally messing up while doing improv and roleplaying is not the same thing as "you feel like everybody around you is way better at it, you feel like you made a terrible character, you can't focus on your character's voice or traits, you get super anxious and overthink it until you stop enjoying the game and then you stop playing" Of course I have felt the first thing, but the second things? No way. That set of feelings you described at the beginning is pretty extreme. I'm not lying or trying to pretend I'm so good at roleplaying by saying, "No, I have never had that second experience you described". I just fucking love acting. I fucking love Dungeon's and Dragons. I have since the first musical I was in and the first session I ever played. It's just so natural to me. I have never been super anxious at the table or felt that I had a terrible character or any of those things. I don't know why you're asserting that everyone who has every played D&D has had a negative experience with it at some point. Think about if you said that about, like, any other game? "EVERY PERSON WHO HAS EVER PLAYED THIS GAME HAS GOTTEN REALLY ANXIOUS WHILE PLAYING IT AT ONE POINT AND IF THEY SAY THEY HAVEN'T THEY'RE FUCKING LYING." Jesus, dude. Not a good look for the hobby.
I’m a DM and a player of mine is very anxious to roleplay and i am happy this vid Just came out and i think this Will help him out a lot. Thanks a lot Jacob. You helpen me into dnd and you’ve helpen me with a lot of stuff.
Thank you, keep it going. You’re a truly great person
I legit learned how to socialize through D&D (well actually Pathfinder)
Actually crying halfway through the video because this helps me so much
This is exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been playing characters that don’t really ever talk, even if I don’t really want to. Even though I’ve known them for a long time, I struggle with roleplaying because I always panic over what I should say in that situation. This helped me a lot, thank you.
I just played my first D&D game last week and this video said a lot of what I was feeling afterwards... Thank you so much for this, it's nice to be reminded that I probably wasn't the only one feeling that way ❤
Aw man, this really helped me. I made a paladin and I'm in a party full of 10 players. Everyone was doing these awesome accents and really made an impression, but me, I was just being awkward and kinda quiet. So comforting to know that this guy right here gets it.
I know this is years late but sometimes playing into that can be a huge help! Like you can make an awkward character, or a quiet character, or a dumb character so when they say dumb things it’s just the character and great role playing. Or you can tailor your character to how you feel you would be most comfortable role playing in the given situation. For example Marisa Ray from Critical Role said she made Keyleth awkward socially because she was nervous to join the campaign with all these experienced voice actors, so her chosen character allowed her something to fall back on. For me personally, my first dnd character is very closed off and a little rude, because I find it hard to talk about emotions with people I don’t know very well and when I’m nervous I’ll (jokingly) insult people to deflect and hide my anxiety. While some people may say this is just playing myself, I think it’s a good place to start for a new player to create a character perhaps similar to yourself but certain traits blown up. So my character will just straight up insult people rather than do so jokingly, and she never laughs. Gives me something unique about her to separate her from myself whilst still making her fairly simple for me to roleplay. Sorry this was so long but maybe it will help someone!
I’ve never felt scared of role playing or felt like I couldn’t do it, and this is for 3 reasons
1. I’m one of the few extroverted D&D players
2. I’ve only made characters I know in and out, and I make sure I know my friends characters
3. I have amazing friends
One way I disconnect from my character is by describing their actions in the third person, unless I'm doing the voice, in which case I almost always say it was my character saying that.
Example: "Worbus takes the decorative sword from the wall and begins swinging like a madman. 'Try and face me ye demons!' he screams"
I'd like to mention the scene, its comfortable and allows us to relax while watching the well passed and consistent tone that is in the video. This video was very delightful, thanks for it and it helped me out with my personal game.
Didn't expect the video to be this wholesome, thanks for the kind words!
I get really into role playing when I play. Every one of my characters has a new voice and completely different personality and my friends are always nervously looking around anticipating how my first turn in each game is going to be. But I always cause the most laughs and instigate in game hilarious things
This was a shockingly wholesome, serious, helpful, and very professional looking! All without losing any personality and comedy typically on your channel. Good job!
New genres of videos "behind the screen" it's going to be a hit just like the "From the floor" videos.
Thanks for this. I have never roleplayed before and only recently got into dnd and felt I was really bad at it so I would end up only really rping when called upon.
Really good video, but the best advice comes at the start: "Don't overthink it."
Don't get too hung up on, "What would my character do?" Most of the time, they're going to be trying to succeed at the thing they are trying to do. Because that's what people _do_ when they're trying to do a thing. Roleplaying is just taking on the role of a fictional character in a fictional world and making the decisions you think that character would make if they and their world were real.
And 99% of the time, real people _aren't_ trying to "express their inner self" to those around them. They aren't trying to tell everyone they meet the exact strictures of their religion or the precise implications of their moral code. They don't wander up to people and tell them their entire life story. They're trying to _hide_ their personality flaws, not flaunt them. They're just trying to succeed at the thing that they're currently doing.
So just relax, be normal and pay attention to the unfolding story and your character's place in it.
I appreciate this vid so much I’ve only been playing for a little over a year and I was struggling with my first game in terms of having a hard time finding my voice in character and speaking up. Thanks again Jacob ❤️
This is the kind of encouragement I've never had with my table, and I honestly just want to hear this. Thank you
BOUNDARIES! YES, THANK YOU JACOB, YOU BEAUTIFUL SAGE OF THE NERDIEST TEXT!
For real, that's such a good message to spread. Letting people know it's *ok* to have boundaries is so important. All over the place, I see people struggle with opening up because they'll be afraid of the backlash. I see it in the games I play and run, where people struggle to let things go by because they feel like they are required to participate in every moment possible. Which then leads into the "x person steals the spotlight" moments we hear so much about, because they're so used to playing up that very spotlight.
With every video you post, I get more and more thankful. You bring true wisdom to this community. Thank you ❤️
Thank you for this video!
Every time I search for this topic I just find 30 minutes long videos, so watching this, quick and cool video is amazing
Best dnd channel
Love your more serious videos. Thanks for the confidence boost when it come to role play. Best of luck on your dice rolls friend!
As a DM, it always makes me happy when I see my new players get more comfortable & open up in my games.
Clicked because I was tired of the sea of "how to be better at roleplaying" when I wanted help on improving my character, got mental support. Tysm, man.
First game the other day so came to TH-cam to find videos to help me be a better player and found this. What you said here has not only made me feel better about playing D&D but also about playing the game called life! Thanks dude, I've given you a follow and look forward to more of your content! Keep up the great work!
This topic works wonderfully with the background music and I love it.
Always a useful video to watch. Even if you don’t particularly agree it’s nice to find out all the different styles.
I love this video for the sole purpose that it has majorly helped me! Sure, I still get a bit of anxious when I’m up to bat and act my character, but this video has shown me that it’s ok! The first point you have made really has shown me! It’s just a game, and your playing with friends, and that everyone else is doing the same thing! Your all in the same boat and you shouldn’t be nervous! Thanks XP
I love the group I'm in, because they are super supportive and understand that I suffer from depression and anxiety and that I'm a socially anxious person. D&d has made a more sociable person.
Me Roleplaying at the table and also having a stress problem "I should probably get a therapist but this helps with D&D and it's free so only this for now"
This was really important to hear because I'm feeling really confused on how I should roleplay my character, thank you so much ❤
ive been playing a character recently Called Bucket, he's not great at remembering things, and so when im thinking of questions I just say bucket is stuck in thought, or say he's doing something else
I loved and really vibed well with the positive theme of this video, and the ambient music. I've been having a very hard time in life lately, and even though this was about role-playing in D&D, I felt really encouraged by you and this video. Thank you.
Wow as someone who really wants to start playing DnD and has been researching and bin watching every video with information as possible about the game, how to play, how to create a character, stats, lore, etc (including yours, which have made me laugh and smile seriously The Wizard ones have made me loose my air multiple times) this one... Wow this one touch my heart... as someone who is just starting the DnD journey and was really afraid of messing up on my first game this one video really helped... So thank you Jacob, thanks for helping a fellow noobie getting started into DnD I hope you and anyone else watching this video has a great day.
This was incredibly thoughtful, supportive, and helpful. It's hard not to be anxious - but this was super. Thank you - I know it's old but I just found it so don't @ me
Sometimes it's really important to watch a video like this one. And I really appreciate it. Thank you, Jacob!
I'm pretty new to D&D. Been playing with a group of friends online for 6 months. Enjoying the online game alot, I decided to join a local irl game with a bunch of randoms. This is the exact video I needed to see before our first session👍 Thanks alot👊
Big point about stepping back: It's infinitely more valuable to vocalize your feelings and step down from the edge of the cliff than it is to stammer endlessly in a situation you don't feel comfortable with just to meet an internal checklist.
"I have to speak right now, I haven't said anything all game and they're going to think I'm bad at the game." No, they aren't. And saying "I really would not like to talk right now" is far better for everyone's experience than for you to be anxious. Plus, if they're good friends, they'll sense that you're having a rough time and try to make it better for you.
One of my best RP scenes so far was (playing through Discord) when Netrunner was doing hacking stuff while my character was distracting fast food restaurant workers, the GM made the thing to run like combat so everything is in order, and while he was solving the NetArch stuff I had enough time to think through and type on command box what I am going to do, and once it was my turn I would just read it out loud and pulled out an epic believable monologue perfectly fitting into my Media character doing interview stuff. 10/10 [Cyberpunk Red]
I expected more about character motivation and flaws, but this works too. Good job addressing the other side of the issue.
This video recommendation came at the right time. Already a few sessions in in a campaign with friends and I'm still pretty reliant on text roleplay. Thanks a bunch, Jacob!
I am about to start my first session on a new group, you have no idea how much this video calmed me down. Thank you.
100% agree with this. As someone who has terrible anxiety god bless my group for willing to wait sometimes minutes for me to think of a proper response at times in pivotal role play moments when I'm too nervous to improvise. Being comfortable in a group helps make the game I feel.
Jacob, thank you. I am much much more happy to share this with my players that are a bit newer to the game, and you helped me as well as a DM by confirming that its ok to offer help and that its not pushy, I had some bad players recently ;-;
Story time
One of my best friends plays a Warlock Sea Captain (high charisma and all that stuff) and she really struggled with rp the first few sessions cuz she was so affraid of making a "wrong" decision so once we got together plus her boyfriend (who's also a member of the party) and casually rped for a while, without the pressure of the game and nothing serious. Weplayed a lot with the members of the crew and my own pc (cuz they've been traveling together for a few years). So yeah, rping outside the game with people you feel comfortable with is a great way to improve your comfortability level while rping.
This video was wonderful. I think confidence is why I am no good at RP in DnD and it helped me feel more at ease.
Since I'm going to be a DM for a campaign very soon I'm brushing up on my character portrayal skills and telling myself to just have fun and not let anxiety engulf me, this definitely helped :)
I've been subscribed to you since the beginning, and I've seen you go through lot of styles of trying to make videos that consist of you talking to the camera directly, and this has to be the best style you've found so far. It is fun, it is relatable, and it makes the words you say seem to have some more weight to them because now you're talking TO us. This is a brilliant video, man. Funny as shit, and has a solid message 👌
The DM (for my first game) introduced my character into the game on a real life arm wrestling match that I “won” 200gp for. It immediately brought the excitement and life out of my character and set his attitude for the rest of the game. The other players also gave me so much help and advice on making my character in general and it’s been awesome. Now I know that role playing a character can feel like an extension of your own personality traits. Way easier that way for me. Next dude is gonna be quiet and angry so that’ll be easy to do 😂
I play in a custom system my DM made and made a martial the campaign built around mainly just talking to people. I got an ability that allowed me to encourage people and give them advantage on checks bit my DM makes me say something moving each time I time I try to use it. I have basically 0 rp experience and have binged watched videos like these. You're a great guy Jacob and give really good advice. Thanks for all of the help
This has been up for a while, but I feel this. In our home game, I played my first character for almost a year. I had a really tough time building a backstory for him and in the end, I felt like he didn't really have a reason to be present in any setting. The group would have these big, in character conversations about the impact of everything, and I was sitting there thinking "ok, I have nothing to add to this and honestly have no reason to be here other than this is the group of PCs." After the end of the first major arc, I decided to send the character on a walk about with an NPC that we had encountered and brought in my current character. I spent a few days working and reworking a backstory, family, friends, goals, personality, EVERYTHING for him. I almost immediately started having more fun. I was able to really get into character and start having a great time with the RP. Having that background really helped build a foundation of just who this character is. Honestly, if someone is having trouble working on RP, make sure you have a solid backstory for the character. It'll give you a great jumping off point.
That being said, I still frequently have to go "guy's idk wtf to do/say right now." and that's entirely okay.
When I played with an old D&D crew, Roleplaying was the main reason we played. To my surprise, most of the time they'd say nothing when something happened. I always thought I was breaking the ice by reacting after like 2 seconds, but now I'm kinda worried it may be because they felt like they couldn't get a word in edgewise.
this is actually really reassuring, thank you Jakey
This is so true, as a dm it is always difficult to properly Roleplay just due to stress and what the players think.
Okay first 30 seconds and you’ve nailed down every problem I have playing DnD. I have a feeling this is gonna help a lot.
I've really appreciated your channel! I am starting to run a mouse guard homebrew based on a world I've been writing. My two kids will be the players and we are just gonna have fun as they explore the world and go on missions!
This is actually super helpful... I'm no rookie to roleplayer, LARP, etc I used to do it quite a lot but fell out of it cause life happened... I'm slowly getting back into it and the first thing I noticed is that my once great roleplay skills are replaced with self-doubt and worry about... basically everything you said at the start. I used to be Gurk Steelecleave the Gnollish Paladin of Selune striking out to find a better way for the races to intermingle and find common ground impressing nobles and common peoples alike with his power and people skills until finally being accepted by a small town in Faerun until his tragic death... now I'm Mal the timid paladin who for the life of him despite being charismatic (supposedly) and 'bold... can't muster up more than one line of dialogue in a session 0... Your video actually helped give me a bit of my old confidence back and I thank you greatly for this keep up the good work my dude!
My group right now is very roleplay heavy, and I've been playing with them for about a year and a half. It's taken me until now to start getting more comfortable roleplaying. It's okay to take it slow. It's okay to be nervous. It's okay to fumble. A lot.
Good video and wonderful points made.
I started playing D&D last year and ended up quitting because of the anxiety of sucking at role playing, and felt a little sting of jealousy whenever I heard my friends were playing without me. I was the one who quit, but I really did want to play. I just didn't think I was good enough at the role play aspects to avoid "ruining the game" for my friends.
The tone of this video was really comforting, I might give it another go with this stuff in mind.
Top tier content.
I'm sending this to one of my players. I really hope it helps them. They have been going through a rough patch for the past couple sessions. Thanks for the great video Jacob!
I do have really bad anxiety and I feel like remembering parts of this video will help me get through roleplaying when my heart stops, especially the "It's all make-believe, just blame everything weird on your character" sentiment.
I just joined an ongoing Starfinder game with my friends and while they're doing their best to accommodate for me being new to both Starfinder and RPGs, I still lock up when I don't know what to do (although to be fair I feel like it's expected because they warned me that Starfinder's frickin' weird). Thanks for making the video c:
I wish I could Like this ten times. This is a terrific way to introduce new players to a table-friendly attitude
I’m very late to this video, but this video spoke to me. I’m probably the newest player in my group and I’m just an anxious person. So this was just nice to hear and know I’m not alone. Having a supportive group definitely helps as well. 😊
YESSS the video we need. roleplaying is my favorite part of dnd. also I once didn't play for a month because I felt so selfconscious about my new character because another player called my roleplaying cringe and annoying and called me a bad actor (I am in fact an actor, and we gave him a talking to about chilling tf out). but I'm glad we are having this talk about role-play because I've seen SO MUCH role-play based hate on Marisha ray and it absolutely breaks my heart. I am now playing with my best friends, three carpers and actors who are in it for the role-play and its so great to have a space like that
My first game was so confusing and weird, but since then I've completely changed my character's personality as I've figured out how I and they interact with everyone else. Sometimes I kinda feel like I'm just being quirky for the sake of it (Like I practically gave my character an obsession with tea because of a joke we made in the beginning), but I also think that's part of some of the fun and inside jokes we end up having
is this Player advice or depression advice?
instructions unclear; played my depression