Any table that has a “main character” can fuck right off
I 100% relate to this! It gets really old being the only one who plays their character instead of themselves, and I try to help others be motivated to engage, but lots of times it doesn’t work out and it feels like I’m a frontman to the whole group when that’s really not what I want at all.
I actually really appreciate the basic intro to FATE core because of this. When I led a one-off it’s what I started all the players with before they created characters, and I feel like it helped them become more engaged. The rules of your character in FATE Core are (my summary):
- Your characters are proactive, competent, and dramatic
- you are an active participant in storytelling - everything needs to make sense - narrate your rolls and justify [using inspiration]
- Fighting isn’t the best outcome many times, look for creative solutions as you can
I used to be in a lot of bad groups, with really horrible DMs and they would regularly shame me for actually roleplaying my character and engaging in roleplay instead of just shitposting and being a dumbass, or for like, actually making a character instead of exclusively hyper-optimizing for solely combat.
Eh, I’ve seen it cut both ways (as someone who GMs 90% of the time).
Had a player I was friends with, and roommates for a while, who was a huge ‘spotlight hog’. Since some players are quieter and less assertive, I try to make sure each player gets at least one ‘spotlight moment’ each arc. And this player was real bad for always kinda muscling into other player’s ‘moments’.
After having multiple talks, eventually just had to kick him (cause he didn’t stop), which has pretty awkward considering ‘roommate’.
So I’d take players that need to be coaxed into RP over players that have main character syndrome any day (though, of course, ideally all the players just RP readily but politely).
I’ve seen this too; the problem is people who use this legitimate problems to shame someone who’s doing nothing wrong.
For sure. Like a lot of ‘social stuff’, context matters a lot.
Groups are different too; a table full of engaged RP-heavy characters can work, but put one of those players in a more quiet group, and suddenly, they can talk over everyone and be a ‘problem player’ (or vice versa; quiet player an a very social group).
The key to being a good spotlight hog is to know you do it and drag the quieter players along with you.
“Hey grog, let’s go check out that huge rock that seems to be sitting on a big red button, maybe that will unlock the door”
I’d say the key difference between a ‘spotlight hog/main character syndrome’ and ‘a player who RPs a lot in a group full of quiet people’, is does the player also start talking/engaging whenever the spotlight is on the quiet player.
Because I think that’s the real rub; that difference between a player ‘dragging’ the less engaged players behind them (good and fine), and a player who can’t allow themselves to step back and let someone else be the main character for a single scene.
You might feel that way, but if they’re complaining that you steal the spotlight too much, theyre probably introverts who find it too hard to cut in without you allowing them a chance.
I’ve had one of my players pull up another for this. Matt would always engage and RP. He became the defacto leader. And James who never RPd pulled Matt up for declaring himself leader.
