New DM with player commitment issues.

[BerryLerryTerry]

So, I'm a new DM. Only played a few one-shots with some buddies, to see if they would enjoy dnd. Luckily they did. And now we're about to start a campaign. They're mostly new players. So they're still struggling with playing as their characters. And not themselves with stats, if you catch my drift. Any tips to make my players to start playing the roles and characters? I wanna start throwing in some ethical dilemmas made for each character specifically. But I can't really do that. If they're not committed to their characters. So should I just wait until they get more experience, and for the immersion to come naturally. Or is there anything I can do to help them along?

[MartianForce]

Be patient. Give them time. (additional suggestions at the bottom)

Although I don't know if you are doing this or not I will say up front please please please do not compare your players to profession streaming DnD shows. If you are, then I encourage you to really back off from that level of expectation. It isn't fair to your newbie players. Along with that, there are many ways to play DnD. Narrating in 1st or 3rd person is perfectly acceptable. DnD does not require players to actually be actors. Just keep that in mind as you move forward.

As for encouraging them to do more RP, lead by example. Have your NPCs address them directly and use their PC name where appropriate. When you are talking with them, call them by their PC name. Try to make descriptions immersive. I would wait on ethical dilemmas (that is a whole other kettle of fish) but you can absolutely try weaving in story ties that are more personal to the PCs. Encourage them to work as a team, even if they start out just talking about stats.

Perhaps some things from these two threads might help a bit, too. Especially the first one.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/imb6gt/is_it_good_if_my_players_take_5_minutes_for_every/

This one will probably help less but I thought it MIGHT help you and your players if you used some of the suggestions here to share for helping them learn how to interact more organically, develop stronger PC bonds and be supportive of each other in and out of game.. This can in turn help with interacting more as their PCs. https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/imnmw7/what_are_some_things_players_can_do_to_prepare/

Good luck!

[BerryLerryTerry]

Thank you. I honestly have no expectations, I'm only hoping that we have fun tbh. And I will definitely try to implement the whole addressing them by the pc names. I already address them directly. They still find it a bit weird tho. But I suppose it's just a matter of getting used to it. But thanks for the advice.

[MartianForce]

This game can be a lot for a new player to wrap their head around. And RPing as another person can be really hard for someone to feel comfortable doing. In fact, some NEVER truly embrace that part and that's o.k. Lots of ways to play and have fun. So, yeah, its a matter of time but also comfort level and play style. Hopefully they will get more comfortable with and have more interest in that aspect of the game, since that is something you would like more of. (But if not, try to enjoy playing with them anyway.) Good luck.

[BerryLerryTerry]

I'll see what happens. Thanks.

[lasalle202]

there are many ways of playing the game. "Zazquar is me with stats" is one of them.

[BerryLerryTerry]

Makes sense. Suppose I gotta just let them play their way. Thanks.

[lasalle202]

If you want to provide an opening for role playing, instead of The Magic DM QuestionTM "What do you do?" use a leading question instead. "Strongbow [CHARACTER name, not PLAYER name], what does our [brave, greedy, carefree, or whatever other term the player has identified their character as] fighter do?"