Been a while since I’ve posted a roleplay warmup because my home game has started a new campaign! We’ve gone back to older, simpler warmups from previous weeks. Players struggle to answer questions like “what decision do you most regret?” when they just got 2nd-level spells. 😅 I generally like to start campaigns with easier, more surface-level roleplay warmup questions. Things like:
– What's your character's favorite season?
– The last meal your character ate?
– How does your character prepare for bedtime?— Justice Ramin Arman (@justicearman) February 25, 2022
These kinds of questions are like player worldbuilding. I sprinkle in things that help me as a DM but also get the players more comfortable with improvising, like:
– Who is one of your character’s childhood friends?
– When was the last time your character treated someone poorly? Then, after players have had time to feel out their characters and make some decisions, I start asking them questions that make them think more dynamically about their characters or their philosophies. I try to relate these to the themes of our current campaign.— Justice Ramin Arman (@justicearman) February 25, 2022
For example, when we were running Descent into Avernus, I asked the question “Describe your character’s own personal hell.”
I also subtly ask questions that might get the characters to see the villain’s point of view (if they’re sympathetic) or foreshadow future events.After a few months of playing, then I can start to ask my favorite type of questions: the ones that invite players to consider how their character has changed!
Moments of joy, decisions they regret, unfinished business. People or places they want to see again.
It's awesome. ❤️
— Justice Ramin Arman (@justicearman) February 25, 2022
I love this and might do a version of it for my Avernus game! Yay! That makes me happy. My favorite RP warmup from that campaign was asking basically how Avernus had changed each character's appearance. The players really leaned into it—rusted armor, jagged weapons, sickly skin and damp hair. It made the whole table feel 666% more metal.
— Justice Ramin Arman (@justicearman) February 25, 2022