Find a Reason For Your Character to Get Involved

It is every Game Master's worst nightmare. You've spent hours compiling maps and monsters, figuring out NPCs and rewards, and arranging a scheduled meeting time so that all of your players are gathered around a table, or sharing the same virtual space. You set the scene, and then the plot hook dangles. A child has been kidnapped, a merchant caravan has been attacked, a monastery has been sacked... whatever the event in question, it's something that only people with the PCs' skills can handle.

Rather than queuing up to tackle this challenge, though, everyone just stares at you, shrugs, and orders another round. That incident sounds like trouble, but it's none of their business, so they aren't going to get involved.

I say this now, both because a lot of Game Masters are too polite to tell players directly. If you are a player, it is your responsibility to find a reason your character is getting involved so that you can help the game progress forward. Don't dig in your heels and refuse to get on the bus; meet your GM halfway.

If you enjoy this article, and you'd like to see more, check out my gaming blog Improved Initiative, as well as the nearly 300 additional articles right here in my Vocal archive!

The Malleable Nature of Your Character

Too often when we make a character for a game, we see them as set in stone, and fully complete. We know their story, we know their personality, and we know what they're trying to accomplish, be it getting rich enough to retire from adventuring, repaying an old debt, getting revenge on someone, etc. And all too often we give ourselves tunnel vision, and we ignore anything the Game Master puts out that doesn't directly touch on a pre-existing, personal aspect of our characters.

However... these are our characters. If that initial hook doesn't look appetizing, ask yourself what kind of bait it would need to have to fix that, then add some details to your character or concept to give yourself a reason get involved, and bite down hard on that hook!

As an example, consider the plot hook of a raid on a monastery. You may not be playing a traditionally heroic character who would throw themselves into harm's way for strangers, or even someone with a personal stake in matter, such as a monk who is a part of that particular order. So why are you going to get involved in this fracas?

Come up with a reason, and tie that to parts of your character you've already established.

If your character is seeking revenge, was it against someone who had become a member of this monastic order to hide from authorities? Or was the leader of the raiders someone who matched the description of the bandit lord the PC seeks to slay? If the PC is greedy, does the prospect of "liberating" some of the loot stolen by the raiders appeal to them? Or perhaps the local lord is offering a bounty beyond mere coin, and this could be an opportunity to acquire land, or even a title? Was the PC once a member of this monastic order, or a member of the raiders, and so they feel obliged to get involved? Do they have a family member, an old friend, or someone else who has been affected by this, and whom they are willing to face danger for?

No character is ever so complete that we can't add more details to them. So any time you find yourself about to say, "This isn't really something my character would get involved in," take a moment, and find a reason!

This reason can be as deep or as shallow as you want, as long as it gets your character moving in a direction. Maybe your character is a cold-hearted mercenary, but the little kid with the missing mom reminds him of when he lost his parents, and how maybe if there had been someone like him around to save them he wouldn't have been plucked up by the free company The Sons of War. It's possible your assassin was cut off from her noble family when she fell pregnant with a scullery boy's child when she was young, and the family who has the town in an iron-fisted grip happens to be an extended relation of hers that she's all-too-happy to make miserable. Your wizard might have grown up poor and ridiculed in the area, and thus believes that tales of great heroism through her magic would let her build a towering reputation to silence those unkind words from so long ago.

We all know that saying, "It's what my character would do," to justify harmful actions doesn't work, because you're the one who made the character, and you are the one choosing how they act. Creating reasons for your character to get involved in the game is an extension of that philosophy; it's your story, so weave it into what's going on at your table so that everyone can have a good time!

Recommended Reading

If you're looking to take a firmer control of your character's motivations and story, but you need a little bit of inspiration to help you get from where you are to where you want to be, consider checking out the following!

- 100 Character Goals and Motivations: A laundry list of reasons you might have for pursuing plots and stories that may not be an ideal fit, this one will really get your brain churning!

- 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better RPG Player: This one is a lot more meta, but still has advice for things you can do to be more involved, and to shift your perspective to be a more active participant at your table.

- Do Content, Happy People Hunt Dragons? (More on Character Backstories): A rebuttal to the idea that only broken, damaged, or tragic people will take on the life of so-called "adventurers" when the plot comes calling.

- 100 Fantasy Professions (That Aren't "Adventurer"): Often we get caught up in the idea that "adventurer" is a job title in our games. However, if you think of your character in terms of their skills and job, you often find that they're more likely to get involved just because it's part of their profession.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Azukail Games, where I share a lot of video content. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more content, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!