I could use some input

[ororo]

I'm running a D&D 4e campaign, six players, home-brewed world. I am having a difficult time getting the party to role-play. I've given them openings for discussion, like long rides or time curled up around the campfire. I've introduced characters they can ask questions of, I've given extra XP for good roleplaying. That gets touchy because one of the best roleplyers is my boyfriend.

Two others of the party are fantastic role players. Another is great at it if he can be coaxed out of Quiet Mode (if you met his older brother, you'd understand).

The big problem is the "leader" of the party. He's great at conceptualizing--he made a nifty character--but his follow-through sucks. The player's personality isn't chock full of leadership, and it's the same for the character.

Any suggestions?

Comments

[jewelfox]

IMO, "experience for roleplaying" tends to backfire, as it creates inequality. >_>b It encourages the roleplayers the DM likes to ham it up, while doing little to help encourage people who are unsure of themselves or uninvested in their characters or the setting.

Keeping the world itself in-character, so to speak, and finding what parts of it the players respond to and become invested in, might work better if possible.

If you're looking for a mechanical solution, D&D 5e's "inspiration" system (which you can read about in the freely available Basic Rules) might be a place to start. It has players choose a quirk and a flaw to roleplay, and the DM can grant them "inspiration" when they roleplay either. As long as you have inspiration (it's an either/or thing, not points you can stack), you can cash it in to either "roll two keep the highest" on a d20 roll, or let someone else in your party do so. The latter's encouraged when roleplaying a flaw disadvantaged them. >_>b

Keeping things strictly 4e, if you have access to the Dragon Magazine articles or any sourcebooks that introduced backgrounds and themes, those might be useful also! Not only do they grant powers, they also encourage both players and DMs to think about how the character fits in the world, and what sort of NPCs might be related to them in what ways.