10 tips for shy roleplayers

[@GinnyDi]

Thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring this video (and allowing me to get very weird with it!!) The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/ginnydi01201

[@epmeyer2273]

I love your videos!!

[@CyberianWaste]

This ad is amazing! So creative and different from the same scripted lists that others use! I love it!

[@seangall8055]

I hate myself for enjoying that ad

[@taiofmine]

The ad was perfection. *chefs kiss*

[@GinnyDi]

if it makes you feel any better, ads are how I pay for food and a roof over my head, and I work very hard to make them entertaining, so I very much do not hate people that tolerate them, let alone enjoy them.

[@Cap7171]

Say it again: "THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO OBLIGATION TO BE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN!"

[@seriousthree6071]

This applies to most games. Although if you are a member of a team doing extremely high level content it can be an issue.

[@Brickerbrack]

@@seriousthree6071 Though if you're a member of a team doing extremely high level content, odds are you're _already_ good at it... otherwise you wouldn't be on the team. 😜

[@seriousthree6071]

@@Brickerbrack I play Guild Wars, high level fractals (read dungeons), pvp and Raids. When I am doing that level we are totally professional. Doing anything else and we just have fun. I have played stuff with complete newbies, done in game acting, been an attendee at an in game wedding, and generally messed about. Occasionally this required alcohol consumption in real life.

[@MOTHHMAN]

@@seriousthree6071 I don't know what Guild Wars is, but I just wanted to say I think it's really cute that you participated in an in game wedding! That's just so adorable lol

[@seriousthree6071]

@@MOTHHMAN Guild Wars 2 is a massively multiplayer online game where hundreds of thousands of people fight with each other against computer controlled Dragons and other monsters but optionally against other people too. Similar to World of Warcraft online but no monthly charge and the original is now free to play on PC. If you like it there are expansions available. Geez, now I sound like an advert!

[@KirstenBayes]

In our game we hugely rely on our quietest player, to the extent we never play if she can't make it. Our game is investigatory, and she basically solves all the mysteries. Being quiet doesn't mean you are not wanted, needed and valued.

[@necromancer9829]

Not in our campaign. The people in our party always get the more loud and extroverted people to do everything, while the quiet ones are just watching

[@fabulouskelly3438]

i really needed to read this! thank you💖 i haven’t even played a game yet but i’m quiet and worried i’ll get talked over a lot :///

[@KirstenBayes]

@@fabulouskelly3438 I really hope it goes well! It's such a brilliant hobby.

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

Our quietest player's the ethical compass of the party most of the time. Also integral to the party for wilderness survival and weaselling out of jail-time.

[@doctorjay8673]

The quietest player at my table literally one shotted one of the BBEGs in the final battle. It was the greatest thing I had ever witnessed

[@penaeskoesiin]

Off topic, but as a non-native english speaker I really appreciate how carefully you pronounce each word. Even though you speak very fast it's still super easy to follow and understand what you are saying!

[@jeremyfrost2636]

Off topic, but as a native English speaker I'm very impressed with how well you phrased everything in your comment. I get the impression your English is better than you think.

[@key37raminus]

Also subtitles!

[@joannapohorecka3136]

Same!

[@kwafumaku6726]

@@jeremyfrost2636 it’s better than mine😂

[@jeremyfrost2636]

@@kwafumaku6726 Not a big sample size to go off of in your comment, but you got all four words right so I have to assume yours is pretty good too.

[@jordanw2741]

As a shy socially awkward person, it's amazing how just playing the extroverted "face of the party" has helped me speak up at the table in other games. It was tough at first. But it was more helpful for my RP than playing the out of touch druid (as my first character).

[@jamesakin9996]

What helped me was actually dming because as a dm I can't just hide i have to roleplay all over the spectrum

[@drskelebone]

I had a similar thing. My cleric is quiet, and doesn't like to draw attention, but the rest of my party (to put it kindly) are absolute idiots most of the time. So it's time to roll intimidation, maybe with a bit of thaumaturgy, and toss out an angry leader-quote, as long as everyone is patient enough to let me say it, then do a quick edit to use the much better words I thought up as I was speaking.

[@nriamond8010]

Oh yes! In one group, I have a very extroverted GM who thought he would help me by giving me a quiet character who does not say much. He meant well but it was the worst thing to do ... now I find it really hard to say something even if I WANT to because it would not be much in-character ... (and it's hard to change the character after playing for years; also the campaign end is already in sight, but this character choice was really bad!)

[@AVspectre]

Hmmm (as I’m currently playing my first character - an out-of-touch Druid)

[@AnAngryRedGummyBear]

Just jumping in to say if the face is too much for you, try something else. The wizened party Dad was what helped me break out, and I'm going to try the crazy hermit lady next!

[@pufflesfox]

*me who doesn't like to talk over my friends during roleplaying* This video: THE D&D GODS HAVE DESCENDED

[@danieltaber4924]

You are a smart girl, *and* your hair is blue and I can't get over that. Blue is very you!

[@dustinridge3996]

See I told you icarly is a roleplaying model

[@masonstubbs2075]

My god

[@PerfectAlibi1]

She should go pink 😁

[@funnyvideoguy3216]

When someone today wants to go against society, they dye their hair blue and make a blog post about houlw there aren't enough obese women of color is super smash bros

[@buttersquids]

@@funnyvideoguy3216 ok dude

[@robincollins3680]

Ginny: You fail sometimes A member of the party who usually rolls 1-5: Yes... Sometimes...

[@KylaFallenAngel124]

i'm that person... and i'm usually the dm! my players certainly don't seem to mind it though lol

[@sirilundgren4288]

SO relatable!! It's kinda interesting being a DM too! 😂

[@foxfire7]

One of our regular player had a night at some point, full of combat where they did not roll above a 4. it was so damn uncomfortable toward the end.

[@jamesakin9996]

I got no room to complain but I have the opposite problem nothing is fun anymore since I roll so high. I even use other peoples dice but it dosen't help. This is why I became a dm and can fudge them lower

[@gryphoncompanion]

WIl Wheaton wants his dice back.

[@ZArtifiziert]

I was once walking my dog at night, noone around, so i practiced roleplaying and the way my new character speaks and basically narrated her life story in character. Then my dog stopped to sniff at a corner, i turned around and had the horrifying realization that a person walking behind me had just listened to me rambling about how i accidentally burned down a village. With a lisp. I awkwardly greeted them and walked away as quickly as possible...

[@probablythedm1669]

This is why I only start making voices when I am sure I am alone in the areas where I like to walk. The occasional animal won't judge me... :P

[@shealupkes]

> I awkwardly greeted them and walked away as quickly as possible... now for the important part: was that in character?

[@TheLanceUppercut]

@@shealupkes I don't think we'll ever know. And that keeps me up at night.

[@foxyseven609]

Me when I'm talking with friends about killing people with fire on dog walks-

[@andrewstambaugh8030]

@@probablythedm1669 depends on the pet!

[@ladysymble2731]

Shy or new: stop talking over them when they are directly asked something, counting their dice throws for them and pointing to their own stats on their own character sheets all the time. Give them time to get comfortable with where everything is and how to play their character. That will do wonders for confidence.

[@alanarama]

As some one with dyscalcula PLEASE keep counting my dice 😂 (I'm very new)

[@melodymalone4076]

I loved these tips a lot!!! My main issue when I'm playing is my brain just does not think of stuff to say and it makes it really hard to play with groups. No matter how much I know about my character, my brain is my enemy from being tired and not able to think.

[@echothenardier8053]

Same!!!

[@criran]

How the hell did you keep a straight face for that promo? I would need like a million takes.

[@jaredjordan7094]

My biggest issue is that I tend to play characters who react nonverbally. Now that my group has moved to online sessions, my roleplay style has had to change.

[@chaonis24601]

Same!! I miss reacting with body language and casually cosplaying my character.

[@chinchillacat9964]

You could play with cameras (e.g.on Discord). That works well in my group

[@ZArtifiziert]

Maybe you can just narrate how they reacts?

[@wren5325]

Mine was as well. I found that if I tell my character’s actions as if telling a story, it helps with the narration and still participating in the RPing.

[@BeeBeeBean15]

omg me too! i play a character who operates a lot on the unsaid/ intuitive/body language level- so while two of my party members follow me pretty well, the other two miss all of my narrative cues! I've had to become what feels to me very obvious with my descriptions because they can't read my mind. 😅

[@Martina_horst]

I was the super shy role player for the first year or so of playing - I think it was a combination of a number of things: still learning the mechanics of the game, not knowing a few of the other players in the group, and not fully knowing how to immerse myself into my characters. Now that I’m more familiar with the game and my group I spend a lot of time creating characters and fully fleshing them out so that I know how to play each one properly. That really helped me come out of my shell and roleplay more. These tips will really help others who struggle with role playing - thanks for doing this!

[@king11456]

I wish I was more comfortable with my group. It’s been a year since we started playing together and it’s been sessions where I just don’t speak at all.

[@ThereseH2O]

I am super shy and have extreme social anxiety. I'm with a complete newbie group including myself. I noticed there was not much role-playing happening and everyone was kind of chaotic neutral and selfish so I made a goodie good character who's extremely extroverted. It's really helped some others come out of their shell too. Sometimes its hard for me to know how to react but my character is quite predictable so I always have something to fall back on. So that first tip of playing someone who's unlike yourself is a FANTASTIC tip!

[@sadlerbw9]

Both my kids tend to be...talkative. We have been working with them recently using Among Us to help them understand when to quiet down and how to let other people talk, even when you could keep going. We know several folks who fall on the shy side of the spectrum, and know how easy it is to shut them out of a conversation if you aren’t careful.

[@awfulhorrid]

As a 50 year old with purple hair, I have difficulty getting over someone that says they're "too old to get over" you having blue (or green, magenta, metallic silver, or no) hair. I'll at least agree with them about the smart comment, though.

[@kristinbenini7967]

I dyed my hair magenta when I turned 50 💜

[@lord6617]

When playing online, remember you can always type things out too. I sometimes feel its hard to get a word in, so I'll type it in chat. Use combat as your opportunity to get your "guaranteed" roleplay time as well. When its your turn in the initiative order, it is your opportunity to roleplay without other people drowning you out.

[@olorii]

I wish that were true, I've been cut off and drowned out in my own combat turn lol. Had to sit and wait for a good minute or two before I could carry on with my actions.

[@lord6617]

@@olorii But you DID get your time, your turn didn't get skipped.

[@amaeve1950]

That skillshare ad was amazing. Also,I made my husband watch this. I have also made him go through all your pov videos. They've really helped!

[@o0Inochi0o]

This video made me realize how much I am actually the quiet one haha. Every time I'm RPing I'm always asking if I'm hogging too much time and end up never doing much or responding fast enough. Also, that ad break was so well done! I'd honestly watch an entire video of just those tbh

[@montionetwothree8899]

I had to pause on that ad and take a breather. Man, that was funny.

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

Good tips Knowing your character is a very good tip for all players

[@FeiNixx04]

I used to roleplay stories with my online friends for years, it was a big part of my healing journey and got me through a lot of hard times in my teenage years. Being able to escape to another world where I had some sort of control over the reality and outcomes was refreshing for younger me. I recently joined into a group server, and I absolutely love the community and the people involved. They are all so sweet, creative, and caring. But, I haven’t roleplayed in almost 5 years- due to a dark period in my life keeping me from being able to engage regularly with my friends online. I feel so out of place, even though I’m very much welcomed there. This video helped me a lot, as someone whose more timid and unsure of how to approach new people after so long of being closed off. I appreciate this so much. ❤️

[@argeniosm]

Thanks for adding #10. To all those who are shy, your presence is appreciated, even if you talk up once, or just during combat, or not at all night. You are happy that you are enjoying playing with us.

[@nriamond8010]

Those are really great tips :D I'm a VERY shy player, too. And I'd like to add a few things which work for ME: - I find it really helpful to look for a character from a movie or a series as a „role model“ for my character. Not a main character, if possible, that might be too obvious. But I go specifically for movie/series instead of book character because then I can remember their way of speaking, choice of words, way of moving and behaviour better because I can SEE it. Helped me a lot with larp characters, too. In larping, things like „way of moving“ is even more important, but in tabletop gaming, you can also describe how your character moves or what he does even if you don't know what he would say right now. And then, it's a start because even if you're just telling the others that your character leans against the well and watches then you have _something_ to say and are not being silent. - I look for a setting I'm comfortable with. DnD is very difficult for me because I don't know any about the usual settings (Forgotton Realms? I'm not even sure about the name of the world we're playing in …) and I find it very hard to find out anything about it, especially in German. So instead, I go for a German RPG with lots and lots of information about the world. Also, I now prefer fantasy to modern or sci fi settings (although I absolutely love sci fi) because it's much easier for me to know what is possible in that world. I started roleplaying with Star Trek and because I watched every single show multiple times, I know a lot about the setting and it went fine. In random sci fi settings, I am completely LOST because of overthinking and not knowing how to react to things happening. For other people, modern setting might work better than fantasy. Just find something you know a lot about, if it's Harry Potter or a samurai setting or a 1920s Cthulhu game or whatever. - I look for a group of people who are more on the quiet side, too. Not always easy because we're a minority, but luckily my group of friends is mostly like me :) It's much harder to try to talk more if the others don't even give you a chance because they are constantly talking themselves. Of course, if you DON'T want to talk more and just like listening to others and just saying something now and then, a group of talkative people who don't mind someone not saying that much might be the right thing for you! But whenever you are in a group who constantly critizes you for not speaking up a lot: Run and look for another group. Not all people are compatible in their roleplaying preferences and that's absolutely okay, but don't force it. That makes nobody happy.

[@rustydynamo1088]

I completely laughed my ass off at that sponsor sketch. One of the best placements ever seen!!

[@Noor-oh4jq]

I wish my group had shyer people, our campaign consist of yelling at each other and running around like kids as we act out the action from combat

[@Squidbush8563]

a different method of communication can bring out a quiet player as well. i once had a VERY quiet player that rarely participated until I suggested she try a mute character that had, as compensation, the ability to see hints of the future. the challenge was to tell the rest of the party. She really came out of her shell and had a lot of fun with it. Especially once she found her voice as a player. I have found that, as a GM, it's important to sometimes give your players a little nudge in the right direction to help them enjoy the game.

[@Dekunutcase]

I came thinking we quieter players were going to get attacked and instead, you were very respectful. Thanks!

[@Bitterthorne]

I CHOKED when Josh turned around oh my gosh ahahahaha!

[@magdachlebicka3895]

My best tip: play an idiot. You'll never feel like you're interrupting the conversation and ruining the game for others. You'll be interrupting the conversation as a part of your roleplay and everyone will find it funny

[@jamespolk5955]

So I should keep my 8 int 8 wis Dragonborn then?

[@magdachlebicka3895]

@@jamespolk5955 yes!

[@cert2b]

I think a really good GM can help this type of player as well. If, as a GM, you notice someone isn't talking as much. Or if you notice people talking over each other, then a good GM can bring out the shy player. Start small, "OK, you swing your blade, but just barely beat his AC, so you just clip his arm, but still do 10 points of damage. Does your character say anything like 'More where that came from," or 'I'll chop you up one piece at a time," or does he/she just smirk knowing you true first blood. Then when they start to get a little more comfortable then start to ask, "What's your response to event X?" My group lost a player to real life shenanigans. And a friend of one of my players brought someone in. She was very shy and introverted. So I was asking some questions trying to help her flesh out her character's backstory while keeping it simple so she didn't feel overwhelmed. And she told me when it came to roleplaying that she was "petrified" of the idea. So I knew to keep it simple with the idea that she was a rough gnoll barbarian who just didn't trust strangers and as the group started to help her character out she started to roleplay and be more open while her character started to feel she could trust the other players characters. It was very organic and quite frankly, awesome to see. Now she's only been with the group for about two months now, but she feels like she's been with our group for years.

[@OtterThunder]

Great point on the role-playing a loud character. Most people I know think its easier to roleplay a character similar to themselves since it's comfortable. But I can see how that pigeonholes them into being less outgoing in game.

[@froggiefittoad]

Bless this video✨I really can’t wait to start playing again! I moved to a state where I don’t know anyone right before quarantine started so I’m hella deprived. I’ve just been binging DnD content but it’s fine everything is fine 🥲

[@mayawalker8905]

I normally skip sponsers but you are literally the only and best sponser youtuber i have seen - with these skits they have me rolling on the floor i love them so much lmfao 🤣🤣🤣

[@achimsinn7782]

One thing we stumpled over as a group that would also help shy players is to take turns speaking. We had to enforce that during battles because some of us became very excited and started talking all at the same time about what they were doing or planning to do, so our DM indroduced the rule that only the player who is currently on is allowed to talk, but he could talk to the others in order to explain his plans. That immediatly gave one of our quieter players the chance to suggest really good strategies. We later started to use a similar thing for certain situations where our DM asks every player individually what his character would do rather than asking all of us leading to the louder players just yelling out plans for the entire party.

[@loopycare]

My son is one of my DMs. He is also an actor. Most of our group is really good at role playing, but it takes me some time to get comfortable at he table (now online). I expressed my concerns to him and now he gives me homework. Right now my homework is to take a watch with each character and talk to them. I can ask them questions about their past or talk about what we've done. So far,though, I seem to be making them do all the talking, but at least I'm interacting.

[@ribbitgoesthedoglastnamehe4681]

Being a shy introvert with actual fears of dealing with people, I have noticed two things when I game. One is that if I dont want to speak, I still do enjoy a well played character. One of the best moments was when a new character almost panicked before enemies even attacked. It gave me too a rush of excitement that I have rarely had even on hardest battles. Battle IS scary, and we need other players to properly get into that feeling. Second is that when I do have a character who lets me open up, I speak too much just for the feeling of freedom it gives. This can challenge my anxieties but also make it worse; Im too vocal and bother other players and then feel guilty of doing it and decide not to do it again. :-/

[@iLikePie-lg2tj]

My group just started our 3rd campaign. I've always been a shy roleplayer, as well as the healer, so I've always just been the quiet guy that just heals people and enjoys and the story, but never actually really becomes part of the story. With this new campaign I'm still the healer, but also the frontline tank (Redemption Paladin), and after session 0 last week have been ordained the leader of the group (due to my character's written personality and 20 Charisma). It's going to be interesting, but I think being "forced" into those roleplaying experiences will help me become comfortable roleplaying. It's like learning a new language; you can study all you want but the only way to actually learn is to go out and experience it.

[@Halberdd]

6:31 I had a really good one for this in one of my first campaigns. I played a huge Locathah barbarian named Patrick, and every social encounter would always start with huge, thundering footsteps followed by an "I'M PATRICKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!". One of my favorite characters I've ever played.

[@secondrateseth8360]

All of these are fantastic tips but I would SWEAR BY the first. By pure accident my first three PCs haven’t been shy- the first was a little quiet, but very polite and charismatic and a natural negotiator so often took the lead when questioning NPCs etc (making a mental rule to always ask for and remember every NPCs name helped to get the ball rolling) my second was super uncharismatic so I played him as deliberately too blunt and given to asking very thoughtless questions, whilst my third is another high charisma character who’s very friendly and flirty and he’s been a lot of fun. All of these characters have forced me to speak up where I otherwise wouldn’t, to the point that I was sure I was more of a spotlighter and my usual shyness just got switched off at the table. About a week ago I got the chance to play a new character. Low charisma, sheltered, quiet, given to anxiety and to shyness... very much like me. *God* was it hard. I didn’t even make the connection until this video to how hard I found playing him to his similarity to me. I could barely talk. I didn’t know how to enter into conversations, even when the others were trying to rope me in. And I felt anxious in a way I haven’t at the table in years. I know it was intense enough that it was outwardly noticeable- I was talking with a friend after the game who said, “Yeah, it seemed to me like he was pretty much freaking out... but I guess I just know what you’re like when you’re panicking?” I’m excited to play him and sure it’ll get easier as he develops, but even though it seems like an easy out to play a quiet character so you don’t have to push yourself as much, I would strongly advise against it. In my experience it’s far harder.

[@SkylerBlackunday]

We put in an alert system to let other players know when I had something to say during rp, since I have a really hard time jumping in or talking around people. When we played in person, I used to give my dm a little hand sign, and he'd find a way to get me into the conversation (a lot of time it's as simple as "hey, did you wanna add something?" and the other players were always more then happy to pause and let me in.) Now that we're online, I put a little message in the chat that just says my character looks like they have something to say. We also always make sure to go around after a session and give comments and compliments to each player individually, like saying what our favorite moment of that character was, and having the group tell me I did well in a session and that I'm getting better at rp and character moments is super gratifying and encouraging.

[@shaundenehy4681]

Epic failures are some of my best moments in D&D. Also got my old group to ban me from almost every class lol.

[@quinhoprimeiro1049]

That Skillshare sponsorship segment was too well acted, you must be in some major movie role ASAP. 10/10

[@CL0WN_T3ARZ]

I have been doing online roleplay for YEARS now, and play as my own characters in many different fandom self insert role plays, and for a lot of games like The Promised Neverland. and I just want to say, after about 4 years of roleplaying and around 7-8 years of theatre, it is still going to take a bit of time to get used to playing your character and being comfortable with your roleplay partners. dont beat yourself up and have fun!

[@AllAboutNightcore]

11:05 Haha, this reminds me of the one-shot I just played. My character was a half-elf rogue (thief) who thought he was the best thief ever, very cocky, very vain, yet he was the lousiest thief ever. Dex was his dumpstat, but his charisma was sky high (+9 on deception and persuasion) that he always talked his way out of situations. Then it came to combat. So Dex and Strength already weren't high, but I kept rolling low, so much so that I only hit like, a handful of times. Yet, bc of the character it just made it so much more fun. Terry the Useless, you were amazing to roleplay

[@sprucemoose13]

I followed tip #2 like two or three years ago, and next thing I know one of those strangers in my party is my best friend, my girlfriend, my roommate, and likely fiancé and waifu for laifu. And also we practice roleplaying with our characters (now also a couple) all the time. The rest are also close friends now. So, be ready for that if you follow tip #2, it COULD work to the point of life changing. We both feel thoroughly "attacked" and delighted by this video :)!

[@jurottluff2364]

After my first character had been essentially me but in a bit cooler and with a sword, I wanted to challenge myself for the next one and made an introverted character. In the beginning, I wasn't really comfortable with roleplaying her and even though we share some characteristics, this made me go rather quiet. She has a sweet grandmotherly vibe to her and when she started to get warm with the party, I really let her caring side out more, which also got me more warmed up with roleplay. Since she is the oldest partymember and the youngest one is only a tenth of her age, she calls him "little boy" whereas he started calling her "grandma" in return. And since he is often the character taking the most damage, they now really embody this dynamic with her being a healer and having to keep him up during fights. It really enabled me to find this possibility with her grandmotherly attitude and gave me a better starting point for roleplay.

[@matthewletexier]

Its been a while since you've done jester, the accent really caught me off guard here

[@brandond2768]

not bad advice, and I do appreciate the final bit about "staying shy". i would like to add, it's not even about being shy for a lot of people. As an introvert who plays to relax, often I do not want to be super invested in the roleplay part of the game. a lot(most) of the time i just want to dwelve those dungeons, solve puzzles, and kill/romance those dragons. it's ok to not be outspoken; it's ok to play old-school and not act out your character's social interactions.

[@jikra]

I dont have a DnD group rn, but I was in one some time ago when i was like.. really young. And also had social anxiety. So of course I didn't talk much. But now I have friends who actually want to roleplay with me, even if it's without a storyline but actually just for fun, but I still struggle with it, because I feel like I can't actually roleplay my character well. I've actually had way less of a problem with role-playing when I was really, really young, but now I feel self-conscious about it. But while watching this video I realized that all of the rough edges that I need to polish in order for my character to be like I want them to be can just be put off as character development, and that kinda blew my mind.

[@bebesparks1775]

I love you videos and I love your ads honestly. You’re so creative with your sponsorship ads I never want to skip over them!

[@MrMetroMantis]

You are the only content creator whose ads I actually watch. They're great!

[@drbell26]

I like how you break the video up by points. And the advice is spot on.

[@glitterydazezombie]

Whenever I do roleplay as an active character, I always fear that I am talking too much and that I never let people a chance. So I just ended up not roleplaying anymore unless it’s a joke roleplay lmao

[@DamflokJace]

Next week I am doing an introductory game for 4 complete newbies. I have been sharing your videos with them and this one is especially helpful!

[@kearnsguitars2236]

Never thought I'd say this but, great job on the add...lol oh and the tips were good too

[@helensaunders99]

I am on a binge of your videos to get involved in D&D for the first time. Thanks for all the help!

[@HusConqueror]

0:01 I'm blue, da ba dee da ba daa

[@meganpowell2963]

Absolutely love your sponsorship ad here! And the tips are great! I've definitely pulled in some of these in my past games before I grew more confident with RP!

[@eternal7912]

#1 really hit me. As an introvert who is very socially burnt out I decided to make my pathfinder character a lot more reserved and all around, more like me. I didn't have much of a problem feeling attacked cause the other players didn't like my character (don't know if they did or not tbh); rather I simply didn't find the character fun to roleplay (the combat was fun and I had some interesting aspects to his backstory). So I talked to the DM the following day and made a similar character, with a backstory related to the previous one. Only this time, they were not quite so much like me. I mean there's almost always a little bit of me in my characters, but this one would be more talkative... and just had a more interesting backstory highlighting the interesting part of the last character's backstory. Sad thing is, I never actually got to play the new character as the campaign got put on hold indefinitely, but I was certainly excited to play her. With that out of the way, for whatever reason I always seem to have more fun playing female characters than male. I am male and don't have any desire to go trans, but the vast majority of my character ideas are female, and the few male ones I have tend to not excite me nearly as much as any of the female ones. Perhaps its just that part of the fun of D&D (and TTRPG's in general) is roleplaying something you aren't in real life. Or maybe its just cause I'm a single 23 year old man whose bored and horny. Who knows?

[@sarahsstitch2491]

brb sending this to all my shy players

[@Aquanios08]

Good god. Not only are the tips amazing advice, the ‘commercials’ are so creative and funny that I never skip them and even look forward to them sometimes xD

[@kevinking3798]

I randomly watched this video because I'm often the quiet one in social situations. I don't roleplay really, even though I've always thought it looked fun. And I think your video is exceptional. Great advice that can be applied in many situations. For example - "What does your character want and what is stopping them from getting it" is core storytelling advice I've heard for writers. "There is absolutely no obligation to be good at what you do for fun" is great advice in general. Your presentation is engaging - even your sponsored commercial was fun to watch. And even at 44 years old, I like the blue hair. It suits you.

[@lucaslj18]

That's probably the most creative ad I've seen on KZbin, congrats.

[@suddenenigma]

These are such good tips. And they can help even outside of the game. Especially practicing in private and advocating for yourself. And to stop fearing failing is a major thing. So, as a shy person learns to roleplay in D&D, he or she is also learning some valuable life skills. I'd call that a win. I'm autistic and I would get steamrolled every time in some groups. One was particularly bad. In it, when I spoke, other players would just talk over me. I couldn't play my suave artificer. Couldn't even persuade an NPC because the DM wanted me to RP it all out for ten minutes instead of using a Persuasion check. I tried many things, including most of these tips. The problem ended up being the group and the worst DM I've ever seen. Ultimately, I found my solution: I started DMing. That way, I could not only have a fun game, but not be ignored or talked over. It's not for everyone, since if there were only DMs and no players, how could we play our favorite tabletop?

[@Leshenn]

Question: How do you help out quiet players more without putting them on the spot? I am an experienced player in a group with a lot of new players. One is a bit of a selfish player (I don't mean it to come off harshly) who has some concerns featured in the sister video to this one. She can be fun but definitely doesn't notice when she has been taking most of the spotlight. I personally am an ambivert who is very comfortable with DnD at this point, and I take a lot of time to watch videos about how to be a better player. I am still growing, but try to make room for shyer players and at times initiate role play that I think they can enter easily. However, I find that the outgoing player will often times enter without waiting for shy players to get a chance, or more often than not the shy players won't take opportunities. I took a long time to get as comfortable as I am now, so I never want to push and mainly want to leave opportunities for them to grow. However, I wish I could tell most of my party to watch these types of videos and try to grow rather than mainly making decisions out-of-character and seeming disengaged whenever they don't have a turn coming up. I honestly have way less fun when I feel like I'm looking out for others and am really holding back roleplay because I'll be basically the only one getting into it.

[@Hannah-bz5vh]

as someone who is quite shy I would say if the quiet person is trying to speak and someone is speaking over them ask the other person to wait a sec or if that isn't possible once they have finished as the quiet person what they wanted to say. Often when someone is talking at the same time, I'm usually the one that stops talking which means sometimes people don't realise I was saying something or the topic moves on so I can't say what I wanted to, having someone that seems to value what you say and wants to hear it is really nice and boosts your confidence.

[@humanperson0798]

My favorite charecter I've ever made was a high elf sorcerer. He was an awful person who later sought redemption. Because he was so awful, even people of other nations knew of him and his terrible ways. Unable to figure out what else to do, he went to a diety and begged them to undo what had been done. Of course, they couldn't rewrite time, but they erased all of his memory's of what he had done, as well as removing him from the memory's of all those he affected. To them, he was simply a faceless figure of pure doom. This came at the cost of his power, meaning he had to relearn all his spells and become a wizard. Later he met a drow druid (who unknowingly to either of them was one of the people he's greatly harmed). Unaware of their past together, they became close friends and lived in the forest together for 100 or so uears before they started truly adventuring. Around another 100 uears later is when the campaign starts. I was really excited to play this chsrecter because the druid was being played by my IRL friend. I thought it would help me come out of my shell and actually participate more if I had a connection to someone at the table. I never got to play him. My friend and I were the only people who ever showed up. One other person came once, and they didn't even have a complete charecter sheet. The DM got passed off and canceled the entire group. I am extremely introverted and have no clue how to find another group...

[@haravikk]

I tried the "play a character that's not at all like you" method when I started 5th edition for the first time a few years back. Wasn't my original plan, I was originally going to play a secretive, learned dragonborn (so me with scales and horns) but some miscommunication made me think another player was going a dragonborn so I opted for my backup character Habard Ashery, the tiefling con artisté Bard; took me a few sessions to find my feet but turned out to be a lot of fun! And I even swapped in my original character for the Curse of Strahd leg of our stitched together mega-campaign when Habard went "missing", but it's all part of a larger plot that will see him return (soon hopefully, scheduling has been difficult on that campaign). But yeah, I was expecting to be the most nervous and shy player, but am now probably one of the most involved. Booze may have also helped, but definitely drink in moderation (or it just becomes disruptive)!

[@pikmaniac2643]

I'm still only on my first campaign, but a bit of advice that has worked for me is to play a character that is almost, but not completely, made for you. In other words, take a character that already exists in literature/film/games/any source you want, even irl. Try to make them into dnd, but not as a carbon copy. Instead, make them your own take on the character. That way, you already know who they are like, how they are likely to respond to certain things, and what sorts of strengths and weaknesses they may have in their character. I've done this for my first character, and it has gone pretty well so far, since no matter what unexpected scenario I'm thrust in to, I already have a means of knowing how to react/respond. I would note one caveat, and that is to make sure that you don't limit yourself by the source material. Like I said above, you don't want to make a carbon copy. That way, you can still add your own flair to make the experience truly yours.

[@quastor749]

You’re a talkative player: become a DM 🙃

[@Martha-Novalin-]

Ginny Di's ads are one of the few I watch voluntarily!

[@jongameaddict]

Glad my DM actually showed this channel(not this video, but I foud it from the one they showed), I'm normally the biggest extrovert ever but for some reason that inverts during D&D. Very helpful video, gonna try out this and the other videos I'm about to binge during tomorrow's session!

[@CompanyCoGamers]

Spot on for all of these tips! Knowing your character in and out helped me a lot when deciding what they talk like or how they act. What helped me the most was just practicing their accent in the shower with introducing themselves. The shower is the best place to practice roleplaying!

[@MarkCMG]

I don't always have time to watch every video from my channel subscriptions when they drop so I came to the party late on this one. Thanks for another fine and thoughtful gaming video!

[@BelegaerTheGreat]

I also consider myself and introvert, but also am the "definitely not shy" player. Being shy sucks, people need to get over it, sometimes by pretending to be brave.

[@kittymowmow12]

Really it's all just fake it till you make, both in game and real life Brains are easily tricked 😂

[@BelegaerTheGreat]

@@kittymowmow12 Nice catchphrase!

[@squidminion3801]

This is so helpful! I love these videos! I don't think of myself as particularly shy but I'm new to the game so it's all good advice!

[@lexiibattwitch]

I'm going to be borrowing quite a lot of your videos for my friend who I've just got into D&D. You're so helpful

[@clasherking4528]

Another thing a GM can do (with the players permission of course) is, if they see one or more players at the table who are quiet and the other players kind of forget that they are there, just have an NPC come up and introduce themselves Ex. The rest of the party is talking with the town guard about a conspiracy to kill the king, the GM notices that one player hasn't spoken for some time and recalls that that player dosen't say much at all (whether it be that the other players actions move the story along so fast that that person doesn't get the chance to speak, or they just can't think of what to say in that instance) so the GM looks at that player and out of character asks if they want to RP, the shy player nods quietly and then the GM gives them a friendly townsperson to talk to, this works because then if the rest of the party isn't getting any information on that conspiracy from the guards maybe this new person might know or have heard something and it gives the shy player someone to talk to (if they want to)

[@ronniehatter5118]

Just gata say with how expressive you are when i'm watching a video I get some pretty cute/goofy faces that crack me up when I pause thanks for making such awesome content makes an old grumpy guss feel a bit more confident when i do my own games and by that I mean playing anything but I burn down everything and eat the babies cause I got that character down.

[@VioletEyedSoul]

Thank You So Much for this video! The BEST part was the end where you said what no one else has said, in shy/how to be more extroverted videos, that it's okay to still be shy. This meant the WORLD to me, Thank You, =-)! It's like you gave me permission to be myself. =-)! Also the rest of the video was great too! =-)! It basically gave a basic How to Act class, thank you for this too. =-)!

[@DRProdegy]

So I'm going back, looking at a catalog of videos im recommending to a friend that have helped ME as a role player, and I'm coming back a year later and I had this video DISLIKED?! Had that changed and a comment added for the algorithm. These videos rock thanks Ginny!

[@Curraghchase]

Keep making these. 2020/2021 is the time work on the craft of being a playing D&D. These have helped me quite a bit.

[@ShawnBuckingham]

I won't lie, I locked eyes with you until 3:54 I can feel your battlescars. I was, I'll admit, physically scared about DnD, but I was told to build a character without looking at the meta, I did, and built Shaena, a crafty, fun loving female halfling rogue. This is by far the most sociable I think I've ever been. I had the worst game during a Christmas one shot, roll, after roll, after roll it was all lows. I genuinely feel like I let the team down.

[@likafoss]

I think something else that can help is trying to roleplay your character (that you're not familiar with) outside of the game in different, potential scenarios. That way you can have an in-character response already there when you might need it, and then you can just follow the attitude or mood from there. For me, the voice of the character is what makes the personality. I've done a grouchy, grumbly Deep Gnome, a Deep-voiced, Strong Dragonborn, and I'll be starting a 96 year-old Rock Gnome warlock.

[@nightfall89z62]

Great advice ginny. And if you hadn't said that you were relaying other people's thoughts, I would have sworn you thought of the ideas yourself. You definitely are very good at communicating with confidence. Kudos to you for giving credit to others where it's due. Not everyone would have.

[@marika4836]

Wow. Honestly that last tip was so so so incredibly helpful for me. I didn’t realize till you said it that I needed to hear that. Even though I’m shy and don’t engage as much as others, I’m still really having fun and enjoying myself!! And your last tip helped me admit to myself that at this time, being more engaged just isn’t a priority for me and that I’d rather take things at my own pace. And that’s ok! Because I’m still having fun. Thanks so much for this video.

[@vanny.ate_flower]

I got into a campaign a few months ago, and it's my first ever one. It took a few sessions for me to get comfortable with the group, even forming a friendship and doing a commission for another [well, technically almost every player asked me to design a character for them lol] we're on session like, 12 I think at this point. and I am still really shy and feel bad for talking over others. but I'm doing my best! I can cause so much chaos if I really feel like it >:)

[@Chigen_Atomic]

I definitely need to get to know my characters. Most of them are pretty reactionary. I have had some good RP moments, which probably weren't good for my characters wallet, as I snuck ten platinum into a blanket I offered to a little girl and her mother, but then offering to fight back against the demon who our Warlock was contracted to. For that same character, he has preexisting links to one of the PCs, but I was essentially drafted in to replace her and have not yet had any interaction with her. I'm thankful that one of our PCs would ask for my opinion during decisions and stuff as it allowed me to come out my shell.

[@OuchDoorPotatoe]

This counts for every RPG. I don't know how many times i failed in Shadowrun, Endland, Das Schwarze Auge/The Dark Eye, D&D, Earthdawn etc. Have fun and stay awesome.

[@tothemoon7909]

thank u sm for this video!!! i used 2 roleplay a lot as a kid and ive been feeling kinda sad now as an older teen so??? back 2 basics with old hobbies that made me happy! but i forgot how to roleplay without feeling silly? but im gonna do it and enjoy it!

[@chloemcdermott3293]

I've just started a campaign as tiefling rogue and I think this video is a good idea for me. Thanks for uploading.

[@concrete7215]

I remember I used to be super eager to roleplay, but then our group meshed with another one for space reasons (it was a school DND club), and when I introduced my character with his surfer dude accent, I got super made fun of by the new members, and it totally bashed my confidence, so this is really helpful!

[@TQV]

I find what has helped my tabletop experience the most was learning how to be a Dungeon Master! It's an incredible ego boost and really helped me break out of my shell, I am a really shy person and that always was a problem in my ttrpg's. DMing has allowed me to try so many more things than I would have if I had just stuck with being a player all the time. For anyone who really wants to be less shy at their gaming table, try DMing or at least -think- about DMing and how you'd handle it.

[@doukzu]

I can definitely back up a lot of these tips as a cosplayer/rper in general! Definitely going to apply this to DnD as soon as I... learn how to DM for my friends. When cosplaying, I cosplay who I like the most, but the more extroverted/confident the character is, the easiest it is for me to 'be' them, because they're not me, and I'm not trying to be me- I'm trying to be the character. Also more vocal characters have more quotes to pull from! The same with VRchat, except with a different route, I chose a very quiet character from a video game. The video game worlds/people provide plenty of content for me to more confidently build on rping this quieter bartender in the game. (Grillby)

[@TheOnlyTherazan]

One of my funnest moment in recent roleplay: I like doing one-liners when I fight: goad the enemy, laugh at them when they miss, gloat when I crit, etc. Except this time, I completely botched my lined, ended my phrase in an unintelligible stutter. I just shrugged, said "My guy has bad charisma, so I'll just leave it." It was infinitely more hilarious than if I just said my bit correctly.

[@LynKora]

On tip number 5. I have a character whose name is "the tool of the Almighty Rao, who is on vacation" . I actually do have it set in his character description that people do not pay attention past him calling himself "the tool". So, his name is Tool. *^_^* He's a favorite and has been reworked for many a campaign.

[@sigwolvs4954]

I think one thing to be careful of as a DM is that you create equal chances for PCs to be able to roleplay, for me that involves backstory, having a good relationship with each player and knowing how they want to develop their character. That moment when they know something that no one else at the table does from there back story and they take a lead is so empowering especially for a quieter player and gives them an in to lead the group and opportunity to grow in confidence.

[@andrewjohnson6716]

This is an important video right now. The pandemic has had unique challenges for quiet gamers. Some are just not participating anymore. We want those players to feel comfortable and included, but sometimes it can be hard to draw out of them how to do that (especially before they quit). You’re in a unique position of being a trusted community influencer so they may have told you things through text that they would not tell their gaming group. Writing the video based solely on their input avoids the problem that a lot of other videos on this subject had: a bunch of people who have never experienced something giving people who have spent their entire lives experiencing how they should adapt. To all the gamers out there: we want you to all be comfortable. We want you at the table. We want you to share how we can do that. D&D is for everyone.

[@danicaliforniadreamin7825]

Girl, I just found your channel an hour ago and I wanted to say first off, I love your blue hair, I too dabble in the blue! 💙 Second, thank you so much for this video, I'm new to D&D and as a bit of a wallflower, this was so helpful! Third, you had 666 comments on this video, and nobody this sweet needs that kinda bad number vibes. Roll to save 👍