Developing a voice for your roleplay character (WITHOUT accents!)

Thanks to Penny Dragon Games for sponsoring this video! Check out their incredibly tragic and chaotic Kickstarter here: bit.ly/tragictreasure (just kidding, it's lovely and very well-organized!!)
► INDEX
0:00 - Intro
1:43 - Creating a Voice
2:08 - 1) Physicality
3:47 - 2) Personality
5:03 - 3) Quirks
6:40 - Sponsored by Penny Dragon Games!
8:25 - Using your Voice
8:32 - 1) Practice
9:58 - 2) Character Phrase
10:54 - 3) Accept Discomfort
11:53 - Conclusion
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[@GinnyDi]

Thanks to Penny Dragon Games for sponsoring this video! Check out their incredibly tragic and chaotic Kickstarter here: bit.ly/tragictreasure​ (just kidding, it's lovely and very well-organized!!)

[@pendragongameart]

I almost feel obligated to check this out. No idea why...

[@moonbabescosplay8331]

The sponsor part was brilliant!!!

[@inkblots9244]

The "That would be a lot of compositing effort for an add" KILLED ME.

[@jamiedorsey4167]

I hope these sponsors are willing to pay more for all the effort you put into the ads. It makes people actually want to sit through them!

[@MarsM13]

12:06 You do streamed games? Can you link to these streamed games?

[@mayas3422]

"critical role george who is 8 actors in a trench coat is an outlier and should not have been counted" LMAO

[@sarar4901]

my new favorite version of this meme

[@torstenwinkler8610]

who is critical roll george? there is nobody in the cast who goes by george. am i stupid?

[@sarar4901]

@@torstenwinkler8610 it's a joke she makes in the first minute or so of the video. It's a reference to an old tumblr meme called "spiders georg" - the knowyourmeme page is pretty good if you want context for it.

[@torstenwinkler8610]

@@sarar4901 thank you. I was upset when Ginny made that joke and even though I know Critical Roll, I've never heard of that Georg and after googling for about 15 minutes I couldn't find even the slightest hint of what that was supposed to mean. So it was just a total meaningless thing that has no relevance than for those who are into memes ... ok, thank you.

[@sarar4901]

@@torstenwinkler8610 I wouldn't say it's meaningless at all. It's actually a pretty apt use of a reference to communicate her point. Spiders Georg is a statistics joke about how outliers (extreme examples) distort the mean (average). Just as Spiders Georg supposedly eats many spiders and therefore distorts the average (leading to that silly fake statistic about "you eat two spiders a year on average"), Critical Role distorts our sense of what a normal table's roleplay "should" look like - we aren't all professional voice actors, and we shouldn't act like that's the standard. I can see how it's confusing without the context, but it really does add something to her point (in addition to being really funny and clever). It's a danger of using references, I guess; even the Critical Role reference would be confusing to someone who isn't familiar with it!

[@Dynax85]

I'M YELLING AT YOU IN THE COMMENTS BECAUSE YOU SAID WE SHOULD. I LOVE YOUR HAIR COLOUR. YOU NAILED IT.

[@meganm4713]

IM ALSO YELLING. YOUR AD BREAKS ARE SO, SO GREAT AND CREATIVE. THESE TIPS ARE SO HELPFUL. THANK YOU.

[@roswynn5484]

YOU KNOW JINNY, MOST OF THIS ADVICE COULD GREATLY BENEFIT CREATIVE WRITING TOO. ROCK ON GIRL.

[@thisjust10]

I like to be contrary so I'm not yelling but this video was very helpful!

[@zboson]

What do i look like an Imbecile? OF COURSE I LIKE THIS VIDEO!! I LOVE THE WAY YOU MAKE THEM!!

[@lydiacheshire5183]

YOU ARE THE BEST GINNY WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH YOUR'RE CONTENT IS THE BEST. YOU ROCK!

[@SarahZ]

critical role georg is always messing up statistical analysis

[@bakatako9767]

What are you doing here defemmed Tumblr Historian?

[@andrewbuchanan1506]

I know right. The other day I was trying to calculate a posterior distribution from a prior using some new evidence and he comes in and shits on my desk!

[@thalesguidote3728]

I feel validated when I see Sarah commented on something I'm watching

[@mimipeahes5848]

@@bakatako9767 Sarah has a DnD podcast.

[@impagain]

Also, VERY BIG THING!! Don't make fun of other player's voices!! Under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. They're putting themselves out there, and trying really hard, and just the wrong comment can make them not want to do it anymore. For instance, even though I'm an aspiring voice actor, I haven't been able to bring myself to try doing a voice at my table after a player made an offhand degrading comment. I lost a whole lot of trust at that, cuz I had practiced that voice for so long. She didn't mean to be mean about it, but it was still just so disheartening.

[@itwasidio1736]

I would be glad to hear any voice for a unique character.

[@Ocelot80524]

If you encourage people, practice makes you better usually. So they'll do it more and hopefully build confidence and improve :D imo it's only awkward and kinda off when someone isn't really into it, and that's usually being forced (school performances when ppl half-assed dance moves omggg) or just lacking confidence. I can't always ENJOY everything but I agree, never make fun of someone. If you help lift them up you might really like what they're capable of

[@KevinLCrawford]

Anyone willing to try is welcome at my table anytime. As a DM for 40 years now I love when players put themselves forward and try to reward them when they do

[@deffdefying4803]

Unless they're making a silly voice whose intention is to make you laugh. Then you have permission to laugh.

[@azareii]

@@deffdefying4803 Then you're not making fun of it; you're getting the point.

[@macy6611]

I have a barbarian whose voice is basically just my customer service voice but with slightly more repressed rage beneath it. Constantly smiling really changes voice quality even if you're not doing much else.

[@a.morphous66]

Is it really a customer service voice if it isn’t laced with repressed rage?

[@jessegoonerage3999]

"Welcome to rage how can I help you today?"

[@Sellesion]

Oh my gosh this is perfect. I have always been too self conscious for voices, even as a tot I wouldn't voice my Barbie dolls. But customer service voice was just something that *happened*. I have a character who it might suit as well. Thank you for mentioning it, cus maybe this will finally get me to break out of my shell. ^^"

[@NicholeParker]

THIS IS SUCH A GREAT IDEA WHY DID I NEVER THINK OF THIS

[@SerenityM16]

Oh gods my customer service voice, which is so much higher and sweeter than my normal voice, it was a big joke at the KFC I worked at to point out how I would say “Call US rate US” with a higher inflection on the Us XD

[@kaivoid7649]

"Not every table with welcome character acting." My adrenaline shot up at this, I actually got scared imagining a roleplaying game like that.

[@GinnyDi]

You would be STUNNED the things people get mad at me about in the comments on these videos. In my "how to flavor your spellcasting" video, people were literally upset with me because they find it annoying when people do that in combat at their own tables

[@carlycchapman]

@@GinnyDi Really? It's people like that who play this as a single player game or the DMs who just constantly throw monsters at their players with zero rest and potentially try and kill their players on purpose. 🙃

[@TJtheBee]

@@GinnyDi It's aljmost as if it's a roleplaying game or something! How dare! XD

[@josefzalusky7307]

Honestly. "I fire my bow." "I cast burning hands." "I kill him." "Tracing my fingers back, I pull back on my bowstring, line him up, and-- BAM!" "Softly chanting the words my mentor taught me, I feel primal flame bursting from my hands as I cast Burning Hands." "With a whirl of my ax, I slice the mage's head from his shoulders, ready to defend myself once more against his followers." A table full of people who don't do at least a little flavor is a table full of people who are missing out.

[@derpfluidvariant0916]

The people I'm DMing(I was a player for two campaigns before, first time DM don't kill me) voice act in social scenarios, but don't flavor attacks. They flavor the crap out of skill checks though. For example: Against mud Gargoyle, which are basically glass cannon cr 4 creatures, the party barbarian just said "I bonk the mud baby" ooc. As we were falling from a tower, which we were meant to get knocked out by for a time skip, the same man said " I pray to Big Daddy Arm(he was a demigod son of a giant divine arm), and ask him to save us with his big muscles and giant huge biceps." He roll succeeded and we lived to do more quests, and Glorcanork became even more zealous. Now that I'm the DM, Im trying to learn from the previous DM and make a campaign that's fun for the players, and is memorable enough to not be immediately forgotten. So I guess what I'm trying to ask is, how do you make fights more interesting?

[@TacticalTokens]

It pains me whenever I hear players and DMs say that they can't roleplay because they can't do accents. YOU DON"T NEED ACCENTS! I will now forever be sending people this video the second they mention accents as a barrier to roleplaying.

[@melissawardjohns220]

Right? Pace and tone and word useage can change to ten characters without changing accents.

[@TacticalTokens]

@@melissawardjohns220 100%! Add in pitch and you're up to 20+ characters without even getting into mechanical vocal changes like throat openness, tension, rasp, nasality, etc. Then there's speech patterns. A million possible character voices and not a single accent required.

[@fenixmeaney6170]

Just because you don't think you can do an (authentic, real world) accent doesn't mean you can't talk in a funny voice and say "ah, yes. This is how all elves of this region talk"

[@matrimalviarin5043]

Monotone players amd DMs can role play just as well, if not better, than the actors. While playing a game of D&D, the simple description of an act carries more weight than any voice.

[@TacticalTokens]

@@fenixmeaney6170 Right? I love it. Just roll with it. 😜

[@Obstreperous_Octopus]

I once had a character who didn't use verbal contractions. As in, he'd say "cannot" instead of "can't", "did not" instead of "didn't", "he would" instead of "he'd", etc. Little things like that can do a lot to make a character feel unique, real, and whole. Does that make sense?

[@princessjello]

U playing captain holt?

[@tinaha1477]

seriously, this alone can help define a character! i play(ed) a warforged who woke up in a dungeon with 0 memories and is learning how to be a person so it makes sense for them not to use any "slang" or contractions. i struggled with this a little cause i use them a lot myself but then i just slowly leaned into using them more, like they're picking up speech patterns from their party and actual living people around them :D

[@joshuabryant974]

Oh, cool, like Data?

[@kharnthebetrayer8251]

I had a similar character in a Barbarian, inspired by a real-life brain disorder, where the person just, cannot say certain words (I think its Brocca's Asphagia) So he was just, literally incapable of saying: Me, I, etc. Along with words more than 3 syllables. So he'd come across like an idiot when he's like: 'Kelbore going to help now'. Cuz he sounds like a simpleton while having 13 Intelligence. And then would occasionally have these really good ideas, and be like 'Kelbore not dumb. Kelbore just not... say words' For the voice, I also always jutted out my jaw when I did his voice, which forced me into a very classic Orc-like voice.... It does get painful after a while, so It would also stop me from being able to speak as him for very long, but I just made that part of his thing, that speaking for too long was painful for him.

[@rachelnovak1404]

Rock Lee

[@ulfruss5636]

"It can be scary to try something new and expose that you give a fuck." I feel this so hard. I feel foolish enough trying to voice my characters as is given that they are not the same sex as I am. Doesn't help when people comment when I try playing an overtly extroverted character when I personally tend to avoid conversation if I can get away it. It's hard enough disengaging my filter and play a character that will constantly speak their mind as is, thanks. My immediate reaction is go back into my own manner of speaking and it pulls me out of the game.

[@HPgirl]

I am sorry, you have had that experience. Have you tried telling your fellow players? What kind of comments?

[@ulfruss5636]

@@HPgirl Comment tend to be in the same vain as "You don't normally talk this much." innocuous but off putting all the same. The player themselves is also either very dense or very forgetful because I've spoken to them to the point of finding it pointless on both this and a second issue. I suspect that the only reason I there has been a break from this behaviour is because the game is one hiatus while the DM sorts some IRL stuff. I am expecting to occur within the first few sessions. The first and second issue occurred with another character in a one shot run by this person with this person making those comments several time while also treating my players a talkitive character like a spectical. Honestly if the behaviour resumes when the main game does, I won't be playing anything where she is the DM.

[@HPgirl]

@@ulfruss5636 Damn. If my advice is worth anything, next time just get snappy: Them: "You don't normally talk this much." You: "Well, I'm not being me right now, am I?" Otherwise yeah, find a different DM. ... Or if you're feeling petty, return the favor: "You're not normally this religious" "You aren't usually that stealthy" "You wouldn't normally be able to lift that".

[@ulfruss5636]

@@HPgirl They are a player in another game a reminder about interrupting with irrelevant chatter will stop it but by they they've usually already said it. Your advice is pretty petty and passive aggressive, I appreciate the attempt but I wont be taking it, I don't want to bring down the mood of the group over some stupid comments.

[@chrisplambeck36]

@Helene It may feel good in the moment or more likely feels good when you're thinking about and it works perfectly in your head. It almost always a bad idea IRL. It sounds like this guy is either *extremely* or going it on purpose. Have you expressed this to your group? Even if you tell the 'the guy' at the game table they mayn't have picked up on that it's a problem. Start by talking to the DM or someone else at the table you're comfortable with.'

[@caspian6916]

Ginny: Most D&D players are not actors, so this isn't targeted for actors. Me, an actor: welp, I'm watching anyways

[@r.coburn3344]

Me too, they can’t stop us!

[@commandercaptain4664]

Actor: *eloquently enunciates* Regular player: I say there, do you have any Grey Pou-COUGH COUGH.... COUGH! Nope, not doing that again.

[@yoshifan33]

@@commandercaptain4664 "Where did ya last- *cough cough* UGH, god I hate this, I'm so sorry, I sound stupid."

[@theblaze5530]

The theater kids table is the best lol

[@valiroime]

The key word is _Most_

[@adami6187]

As someone who has as really "feminine" voice, using a deeper and rougher voice for my new dwarf PC has been a challenge, but it's always fun to try new things!

[@adreabrooks11]

Very true! I'm a long-time fan of a variety of voices. If I may offer a bit of advice: Try moving your voice back in your throat as you speak. Think of the brief sounds you make when clearing your throat, or when you give a growling "Uuuugh," of frustration. Extend those sounds and make words as you create them, and you get a deeper, more gravelly tone than your usual. Another pointer is to limit how much air you're allowing to pass as you speak. "Feminine" voices tend to be more airy or breathy. This is epitomized by the husky femme fatale/Jessica Rabbit stereotype - but it's true even of a higher, more rapid voice like Ginny's. Say: "Aaaaaah" and pay attention to how much you're breathing out while doing it. Then, consciously adjust how much air you're letting out while you make the sound. You'll find that less air results in a deeper tone - for a bunch of scientific reasons that no one wants to hear. ^^; Good luck! Keep experimenting!

[@bubblegumbishonen]

I'm in the same boat for my Pathfinder character, a deeper and husky voiced tall tiefling who's usually high 😂 it's a struggle bc microphones always make me sound like a barbie to everyone in the end 😭

[@brennanhaley7141]

As a bass, I've always had the opposite trouble with smaller or more feminine NPCs. It's almost nice to hear about someone with the other problem!

[@spacecowboyeddie6803]

Hey, at least you’re trying! That counts for a lot.

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

Same! My voice is so "clean"; I can't apply any gravel at all to it for any reason

[@Lunar_DeBrie]

"A nervous character might, um, stutter a little a-and repeat themselves, a-and they might be anxious to say anything too firm... if that works for you..." I love the "if that works for you," tacked on the end, you really nailed those voices! ♡

[@whitestarHokie]

Heard this part. First thought was "Oh, umm... Hello there, Fluttershy. Thanks for the instructions."

[@altoclef4989]

Help I talk like this

[@Trees...]

@@altoclef4989 Same! I have trouble doing the opposite. I cant stop. :(

[@nyxstyx388]

My DM just started trying out accents and voices within our last 3 games. He's getting pretty good at it, but we do have to keep reminding one of our players not to laugh at him so he doesn't get embarrassed. His biggest hang up is he has a sort of Irish accent for one character and he occasionally will accidentally slip into a Scottish or English accent instead, but we support him and let him work his way through it

[@lethalchicken1173]

My husband is the DM in our current campaign, and SAME That Irish accented bartender is really challenging him. Oddly, he goes Scottish and then veers German??

[@logansmallwood1708]

I’m in the same boat that’s why I’m watching this video often times when I do and accent I’ll accidentally switch through six while saying something abs the accents won’t even be close to each other

[@shovelhund7067]

I’ve seen our Dm mutter “fooking hell” to slip into the weird fantasy Irish of one of our allies, and half the players are a tad young and are still uncomfortable with swearing so it’s hilarious to see her not so subtly trying to zone into this tiefling who you can tell would have every other word be fuck if she had her way.

[@TanitAkavirius]

@@shovelhund7067 Say "peepeepoopoo" 3 times and let the kids laugh to desensitize them.

[@AVspectre]

Appreciate that you guys are aware of helping him build his confidence. There is nothing like putting yourself out there and feeling vulnerable only to panic and pull your head back in their shelves. He is lucky to have a supportive space to develop in. :)

[@Chelsey.A.L]

The phrase that helps me get into my tempest cleric's voice is "oh, for Kord's sake..."

[@velentr]

Mine's "Oh Hey there heathenrios, have you heard the good word of He-Whom's-Call-Cannot-Be-Denied Kelemvor?"

[@tabathamoonstone8633]

I usually quote Gandalf's "Bilbo Baggins! Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks!" line, because it's pretty on-theme and I love it.

[@sadiemcc9363]

For me it's usually them saying their names. I can do a fine Scottish accent, but it only gets the liltly, soft quality of my half-orc wizbarian when I say "Hi, I'm Elli." ...And then there's my C/N light domain cleric, who's voice I get into by saying "I LIKE FIRE."

[@Reoh0z]

I really like this. Having a phrase they use a lot can help you slip into your character's mindset and voice. [edit] lol I posted this during the sponsor break before discovering it's literally in the video.

[@quinnsinclair7028]

Mine is "If you had a chance to change your fate, would you?" Quoting Brave helps me adjust my cadence to my aasimar's scottish accent.

[@VampPhoenix99]

"Are they someone who apologizes a lot, or who says 'does that make sense?' after they explain something?" Boy do I feel called out

[@rishithegray9559]

In Star Wars the clone wars the voice actor for all the clones gave each clone a word to describe their personality like stoic or proud to help differentiate them since they all technically have the same voice but different personalities

[@DrB1900]

"Do you want a hug?" "That would be a lot of compositing effort for an ad" lol

[@paulscouten1868]

Ha ha ha ha! I can't get over how excited I get when you have a word from our sponsors... "that'd be a lot of compositing effort for an ad..." Comedy gold... I kinda want a compilation video of your ads.... like, honestly...

[@kpdubbs7117]

Yes, when do we get the 4K box set with 6 hours of behind the scenes footage??? Take my money NOW!

[@warmmilk9480]

Second best only to Sam Riegel!

[@brianroberts783]

Honestly, this is the one channel where I actually look forward to the ads!

[@rarazalproductions519]

@@brianroberts783 Ryan George is also pretty good with his "adstronaut" bits.

[@corvusdove874]

That joke made me bust out laughing while I was trying to lowkey watch this during a meeting on Zoom. Thankfully I was muted :D.

[@sashaknight5142]

Another thing that you didn't mention and that I personally find very important and helpful, which I noticed you actually doing while demonstrating voices: Use your entire body to speak. When you were talking about the anxious character, you got really tense and were glancing around; when you were talking about the sultry character, you lowered your eyelids and took a more confident pose. These little things can help out a LOT when doing voices, and I don't see people talking about it nearly enough.

[@Raven.flight]

“that would be a lot of compositing effort for an ad” ROFL - Ginny, you’re a card.

[@MarcusBeirne]

This!

[@denniswijker7162]

I had this question a few month's ago, as I'm playing a young female elf, eventho I'm a dude. I desperately didn't want to do like a cliché high pitched voice, but DID want to really give her her own voice. In the end I really thought about her character, how she WOULD sound, and did that with my own voice. She's shy, softspoken, and a bit nervous. Similar to the example given here, she stutters abit and repeats herself when speaking. It works miracles, as it makes staying in character so much easier, and actually role playing so much more fun :D

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Observation from my High School Drama teacher (or she read it up in a book etc...) Guys tend to build their voices by resonating into their chests a little, opening the throat almost like growling... While Gals tend to resist that, tensing slightly and lightening their voices more than raising the pitch... I normally have a nice booming baritone that can carry through a well constructed wall as if it's made of toilet paper... BUT I can also deliver a fairly believable "Southern Belle" by using less air, sitting a little straighter (reduces pressure on my abs) and speaking just "shallow" in my throat rather than deeper from my diaphragm... if that makes any sense... It takes practice, and you can get some surprisingly quicker results by recording yourself and listening to it... I'd recommend this practice in short sessions, as I've always hated listening to myself, and it turns out I'm not alone in that mentality... BUT it is useful, even in figuring out just how screwed up my accent is "regularly"... ;o)

[@denniswijker7162]

@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Thanks for the tip! I'm gonna see if that works for me and the voice :D We're currently on DnD Hiatus, so that gives me a while to practice the voice ;)

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@denniswijker7162 Best hopes and luck! If you're interested in a "quiz" exercise, see if you can fool anyone with a made up (practiced) voice over the phone... It can be as much fun as it is informative. ;o)

[@sophiatrocentraisin]

@@gnarthdarkanen7464 I second this, that's the first thing I learned when feminizing my voice for my transition. If you want some great ressources for your situation, vocal feminisation guides aimed at trans women can be extremely useful (you need to be ok with being misgendered during the tutorials though, since you're not part of the core audience)

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@sophiatrocentraisin Thanks, actually... I hope Dennis (O.P.) sees this and considers it, too... AND I'm "just another faceless mook on the internet" pretty much anywhere I go... If being misgendered bothered me, I wouldn't role-play females at Live (IRL) Tables... Not that I do it all the time, but it IS something I'm liable to do... ;o)

[@theunknownreturns]

I was in the forefront of role-playing in my group. One of favorite moments was when I played an Elf who spoke in yoda/ broken English style. When we finally got in an elven area he spoke with a better vocabulary and a lot smoother. The other guys dog piled on me for messing up my voice until I explained he went from speaking common to elven. Their minds were blown. We then ushered in an age of really really bad voices, lol.

[@aylahanson5790]

I love the spiders george reference, absolutely made my day

[@GinnyDi]

scripting this, I was like "is this going to age me???" and in the end I decided I DON'T CARE!!

[@symphony_in_plaid4592]

So good 😂😂😂

[@MercuryA2000]

@@GinnyDi Being able to say "I don't care" is so fun and liberating and I wish I could do it more.

[@Lunixis]

“The best way to practice is if you have time to talk to yourself!” Me, talking to my husband, friends and cats in 6 different character voices daily: 🙃🤡

[@The_Crimson_Witch]

I'm playing two characters atm. One is a tortle druid, who's basically a wandering therapist. I get into his character voice by going "Hmmmmm..." And nodding my head thoughfully. My second is a valor bard who's basically a budget paladin. His character phrase is "Oh bloody hell. Come onnnn!". This is all I need to do and I'm set XD

[@Griff1011]

I think your second character is just Gordon Ramsey.

[@The_Crimson_Witch]

@@Griff1011 Well, a horribly depressed stressed out Gordon Ramsey constantly running around after his basically adopted daughter loosing his hair like there's no tommorow because she likes to press big red "Do not touch" buttons. So yeah, basically.

[@USMarshmallow]

I had two very different characters I was playing (I'm still playing my gnome). Orla sound like a little child, is very shouty and extroverted and giggles at pretty much anything she thinks is fun or new. My Drow fighter in the other hand had a deep voice, spoke slowly, and rarely showed emotion unless it was a very intense one. I loved the juxtaposition between the two

[@maddiek963]

You’re playing Master Oogway

[@The_Crimson_Witch]

@@maddiek963 More Uncle Iroh

[@a.morphous66]

My character almost always starts their sentences with “Wow,” “Okay,” “Yeah,” or some other fairly pointless space-filling word, so I always begin with one of those to get into the voice. That said, it’s made easier by the fact that they’re basically just me doing an impression of Scorpia from She-Ra. But that’s okay! You can definitely just do an impression, and it’s even better if you’re not good at impressions and people don’t recognize the character you’re mimicking. Also, I love Critical Role Georg.

[@wompusslompus5424]

Same here! Something that's specific but easy to slip in mid-sentence will be much more conversational. Specific phrases like " the beer is in the pickup truck" can be still be super handy for performers backstage because we have those built in private moments offstage.

[@yodamcyoda]

As a DM, one easy voice I’ve used for creepy and strange characters is to randomly speed up and slow down during each sentence and add emphasis to random words creates a unique voice without using an accent

[@proto303]

that Criticalrolegeorg joke was really good, nice

[@symphony_in_plaid4592]

spiders georg is quite possibly my favorite classic meme 😂

[@joshdavis1849]

"Seems like a lot of compositing effort for an ad." actually had me laughing out loud... while at work...

[@tiffany02020]

0:16 omg Ginny I nearly shot coffee out my nose, that was unreasonably funny hahahaha holy fuck caught me so off guard

[@datorin2653]

I use Jacquimo from Thumbelina in order to get into my characters fake french accent. It's pretty hilarious when I sing if you follow your heart to get into my voice.

[@GinnyDi]

thee most imposseeble love story of all ees also IMPOSSIBLY SMALL!!!

[@BackAlleyArtist]

I voice a character when i draw so i can figure out how that person's voice. Say for example my female knight she has a deep voice for a female and is very intimidating and she is really fun to voice.

[@autumn6110]

To get into my senile Tortle gunslinger's voice, I say his name like a Pokémon 😂😂 (Old Reliable)

[@waffles5860]

Reminds me of Remag a bit (senile tortle)

[@penn2763]

Love the voice I came up for my gunslinger. It's a little bit of a gruffer voice. My halfling rogue I use a little bit of an Irish accent.

[@penn2763]

I also realized without accent on thr video after the fact

[@KRfromthePaleozoic]

My halfling rogue also has an Irish accent. B[rogue] intensifies 😆

[@penn2763]

@@KRfromthePaleozoic (b)rogues from a different set of dead parents

[@DannyboyO1]

I love this. And that is an awesome shirt. Although I keep thinking "Hey, my eyes are up here!"

[@Cpt50Caliber]

Cockney Ginny Di is not something I realised I wanted until just now xD

[@jeremyfrost2636]

That was brilliant. 😂

[@Cpt50Caliber]

@@jeremyfrost2636 I actually got confused at the use of "April" as Cockney slang, so I looked it up. I highly encourage you to do the same. The Riddler is less cryptic than Cockney Slang.

[@katherinethegreat508]

One of my most successful character voices was my half-orc barbarian who I'm in the midst of retiring. Her voice was only a little deeper than mine but her cadence was very slow and deliberate with hard consonants. No accent, but it created a really effective personality and roleplay element that has made the character WAY more fun and effective.

[@firestorm165]

"Today's sponsor is just so tragic!" You have my undivided attention

[@Ninterra]

This is exactly what I've needed since I started D&D! I have a hard time not just playing myself in my games.

[@Daphne1780]

I'm developing my first DnD carachter ever right now ( a necromancer Drow elf with a pretty tragic backstory named Meredith ) so these videos are really helpful! I imagine Meredith having kind of a deep and mysterious voice

[@pLanetstarBerry]

Ginny: "Have a phrase that puts you into character" Me: "cool, cool cool cool..." *goes to dig up the playlist I already made for my criminal bard to pick out some lyrics he'd sing*

[@rhyskallins5862]

Wow, I'm working on a Vampire: The Masquerade character right now, and this is gonna be so useful! They're a Nosferatu, a sneaky and tech-oriented vampire clan with less desirable and attractive features due to the harsher transformations they go through. So, I decided to make my character a faceless video game streamer! I thought it would be a fun way to incorporate some more pop-culture references, but I've been struggling on how to characterize their voice. They had a really rough, and fairly recent transformation, and their throat got screwed up in the process. I obviously figured they would have to whisper most of the time, sound rough, like they were sick, but I hadn't even considered speech patterns, so this has given me a lot to think about. Awesome video!

[@fireballedbard4620]

I’m just about to play a tiefling and am really trying to make a unique voice and this video was really helpful

[@flimsyfun4960]

Just started but I already know this is great so THANK YOUUU the only reason I have enough voices for NPC's is because I switch languages and that leads to so much chaos XD

[@syk2973]

How to practis: 1. Read something, act a dialogue or a monologue, do this about three times per training day (maybe once each). 2. Visualize how would you act or sound for 15 seconds. Repeat between 50 to 75 times, three to five times per week. Once you have accquired the desired skill, you can change the visualization to other skills, this works for any cognitive and/or motor skills, and is better (or more effective) for things you can already do and want to get better at.

[@simonpelletier8047]

Giny : it's gonna be uncomfortable and its normal Me : I needed that 5 years ago

[@slipshodaverage844]

I've always found practicing how your character says their name to be really helpful, both for finding their voice, and getting into character.

[@EmissaryofWind]

You didn't have to put so much production value into a ten second joke, but I'm glad you did

[@pagingdoctorsideburns]

Okay, I'm never skipping an ad break on this channel. They're just too good.

[@andrewbaker5493]

“That’s a lot of composting effort for an ad” I died Ginny, you killed me.

[@TinyDragonOnFire]

I really appreciate how much work you put into making D&D accessible and approachable to new players! I love sharing these videos with friends who are new to D&D and tabletop RPGs in general. It helps them feel more comfortable with where they're at and confident in the knowledge that they'll keep improving as time goes on!

[@TaberIV]

I would kind of love a party with a gnome with a deep booming voice and a Goliath who's voice is so high he barely speaks out of embarrassment lol

[@momogal04]

This is SUCH a good basic voice acting guide for roleplay! I’m sharing this with my group, since we like to voice our characters and often have some good laughs when we lose the character voice or stumble over simple words that are accented. My tiefling monk was taught to talk by a dwarven orphanage matron, so she has a Dwarven accent. Except whenever I do any Scottish sounding accent, I ALWAYS slip into either Northern Irish or Cockney.

[@lunaredelvour2972]

A bit of extra advice. Take your campaign notes (or memory) and write diary entries as your character for the session. I find most people write in a similar way that they talk. Not only will you get more comfortable knowing what your character feels/thinks about a certain thing and really get into their voice a bit better, but you will have an easier time knowing what your character will say on the fly. Once you do the journal entries, read it aloud in their voice. It's amazing how much it helps. I *really* clicked with my character with this and it helped me, the girl who cannot do voices to save her life, to really get his voice down. It is seriously a win-win-win situation (For reference, I have a very quiet character with a lot of thought behind each word. So when he speaks, it's a low, quiet, almost monotonous voice with lots of pauses between phrases. Took inspiration from Caleb's voice, just without the accent (fitting since they both have the Haunted One background. At least I think that was his background-))

[@montionetwothree8899]

I feel like at this point I'm just watching these videos for the ads, and I'm okay with this.

[@abandoned__]

i come to this video every time i make a new character. this time im voicing a rather old elven woman, and "singing" 50s love songs in her voice is a reason to live for

[@sailthemarigold_7864]

I love role-playing in D&D because I'm a Theatre nerd who's only kinda good a improv.

[@Vampyre_Bytes]

But I *am* an actor.... But, seriously, thank you for this. It really helps me as a GM think about the difference between the NPCs.

[@llamafromspace]

"Do you want a hug?" "Sob, that would be a lot of compositing effort for an ad" "...Fair enough" 😆😆😆😆

[@missikenyon5307]

I feel like you’re reading my mind with all the D&D tips you’ve been coming out with lately! Noob player who wants to get better and it can be overwhelming figuring out what to focus on and how! ❤️ Super helpful stuff!

[@johntrevy1]

For me it would have to be a kitty voice with random purrs, meows and trills along with lots of smart mouthed sarcasm.

[@paulscouten1868]

awwww I'm sorry everyone yells at you down here..... ILY!

[@trey5718]

that dead-on meg impression caught me SO offguard!! you're REALLY good at this, clearly

[@goingpostale]

a spiders Georg reference in this, the year 2021? I LIVE

[@ChestersonJack]

I’m absolutely so grateful for this. I’m working with my DM for my halfling’s (who’s got an Irish accent) hometown to have this modified North Dublin dialect, and it’ll be so strong and filled with so much slang (some real and some fantasy) that our fellow American players should have very little understanding of what’s being said, even when speaking in common. With regards to that, I think my DM may get so focused on trying to get the accent right that he may make all the inhabitants of the village sound the same as each other. Hopefully this resource can help bolster him.

[@abysssss]

Ginny Di: "I have to deliberately slow my voice down" Me: *continues watching at 2x speed like I do everything else*

[@Rocksteady72a]

As someone too self-conscious because I can't do accents in general, this is the video I didn't know I was waiting for 🙏

[@clockwork_mind]

The voice of the character I'm mainly playing right now is my own imperfect copy of Matt Mercer's Enchanter Pumat Sol from C2. It's mostly just a deep, kinda nasally voice, with a touch of what I think is a Minnesotan accent (I don't really think of it as an accent, it just happens when I put my voice in that position). That character's voice is also really versatile, because he's a Charlatan who only uses that voice when he wants people to think he's cute and oafish. My plan, so far unrealized, is to give him a repertoire of voices/accents to switch between, depending on the situation and how he wants to present. But I've been so bad about actually practicing other voices. EDIT: oh, and my phrase for getting into character is, "Why, hellooo there!" Works great since I use it at the beginning of every dialogue.

[@MarcusBeirne]

Anyone else going to rewatch this video multiple time with a notebook out to take notes? It can't just be me.

[@teawithtanden5658]

Me too though.

[@jeremyfrost2636]

I made a Ginny Di playlist specifically so I can find these videos more easily when I need to refer back to them.

[@darrenflavelle1845]

I know this video is 2 years old, but it is still excellent, and I wanted to say thanks! This is really good advice. I used to do accents for my characters, but I'm recovering from a stroke, which has given me dysarthria and screwed with the language centers of my brain a little bit, so can't do accents anymore, and I need a way to differentiate me from my character; Also, your tip of changing speaking rate, is literally a part of my speech therapy so I can re-teach my tongue how to move properly.

[@dinos7318]

I am german and we use a RPG-System, which is very popular in Germany (besides D&D) which is called "The Dark Eye" in the US (i guess). But nevertheless: Although i am guiding my players for decades and got a lot of experience as a (as u would call it) DM, i really find your clips very educational, they always give me inspiration. And boy....they are entertaining. :) I love your work and would like to thank you in the name of the whole pen and paper role playing community.

[@waterbenderpoodles]

This is exactly what I needed today. I've been struggling for weeks over possible voices for my new character. This video was very helpful and by the end I had had some quirks to help build off.

[@fynnsternis6432]

I really appreciate your videos, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. You make D&D content incredibly accessible, and inviting; especially in a hobby that's considered nerdy and has a good amount of gate keeping. Most big D&D youtubers are very open and don't gatekeep but you just have additional comfy vibes. Or something. I don't know, you just manage to make me very excited to try new things and actually go all in with my character ^^

[@user-fq4ny4mo1l]

You're incredibly intelligent and very perceptive. Obviously empathic, it's easy for you to read the room, so to speak. I loved listening to you explain things in a mannerism that anyone would understand yet not be put off by or feel they're being talked down to. Very well done video. Be well and take care!

[@williansnobre]

My imagination went into a terrifying journey when you compared Mickey Mouse and Princess Peach and now I am deeply cursed

[@robinischaotic]

This is going to be so helpful!!!!!!!✨ What? She said yelling was allowed!

[@Mercenary1993]

Damn girl this was excellent. Such great ideas and such good info. I could see this being just as useful, if not even more so, for DMs as it is for players. Keep up the amazing work!

[@Leto85]

Just as I love your information given (and thank you for that), your acting scenes in your videos are very entertaining. You know your stuff and present it in a unique way as well. Well done. :)

[@aileeny3798]

I played a Morlamaw in Starfinder and let me tell you, pretending to be a walrus is the most fun voice you can ever do 😂

[@LeeCarlson]

I happen to love "Roll up your Attributes" and have actually linked it to one of the local TTRPG groups for their enjoyment.

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

Somehow I never consciously picked up on the fact that Jester says the same word at the start and end of many sentences but now that it has been pointed out I can think of enough examples it amazes me that I didn't.

[@NeauxWai]

Thank you for making this! We get into these discussions all the time on twitter and discord, and it's excellent to have a video to point people to when we talk about accent-free character voices and building confidence.

[@shayulghul]

A perfect Meg voice! She's the best part about Hercules.

[@mattsmartialartsmadness5285]

Ode to those times we have to remind our Method Actor friends, “Dude, they were talking out of character, it’s okay.”

[@bluemagequartet]

Thank you so much for making this video Ginny! It had a lot of well-thought out and in depth tips that I hope to try and incorporate in the games I am in. Thank you for your hard work and effort!

[@theeverelusivesjr]

Loving all of this helpful and accessible D&D advice-including the amazing music videos! Thank you, Ginny!

[@sadiemcc9363]

3:54 My character is not talkative. He never speaks. He does not need a voice. Problem solved👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@symphony_in_plaid4592]

...you can't just drop that bit of information and not offer anything else come on

[@cedricbauman9537]

@@symphony_in_plaid4592 strong silent type.

[@Ikaraii]

Kenku all the way!

[@artimisjlunar]

Why are Ginny's ads as fun as her videos half the time, I've stopped even considering skipping them

[@GMToolbox]

I keep coming back to the video whenever I make a new character. It probably is one of the most helpful videos I have found for coming up with character voices. I may have to mention you and this video in one of my future videos as I really consider this video a real tool in my own dm toolbox!

[@amethyst6965]

You're videos are so useful for reminders, and articulating points in a well thought out and easy to digest manner for me and ill definitely be using this to help some newer players

[@gohantanaka]

My voice sounds like *vengeance* One day I’ll get a response to this running joke.

[@aquastartv1895]

Well now, that's interesting.

[@quinnlee-newbury9003]

Wow thanks for reminding me about Glow being cancelled lmao

[@GinnyDi]

misery loves company 😥

[@quinnlee-newbury9003]

Curse you Ginny!!! Great vid btw :)

[@amaeve1950]

Well, I snorted at the compositing effort made in the ad 😄 fabulous video, as ever. I love having unique inflection for my characters, it really helps to keep them and their actions seperate.

[@hannahbonanabear1786]

I love how much fun you have with the sponsors 💙

[@DangStank]

Got me a cockney character. I end up throwing “bloody” and “innit” out there a lot.

[@nealbrewer3799]

"That would be a lot of compositing effort for an ad" Yes, yes it would lmao

[@nikibear_7236]

This is actually the most helpful video I have ever watched. I have always struggled with voices in DnD, thank you! I can't wait to use some of these techniques!

[@bennettcard571]

I love it when you open with “Hey friends!”, it makes me smile each time!

[@mechoroll]

My tiefling barbarian is an ex circus performer, raised by a half-orc strong arm. The half orc has a really thick Georgian accent and he smokes a lot, so my barbarian has a sweeter, Southern Bell type of voice that sounds really friendly yet powerful.