Diva
Role-playing games are a performing art. They’re also games, sure, but there’s more than a little theater in the mix. When you’re portraying characters, plunging them into dramatic situations, and imagining their reactions to a fictional world, it’s hard not to let echoes of the stage mix with the clatter of dice. That means that the familiar foibles of the theatrical company can enter into your gaming group. And if you’ve ever heard the terms “prima donna,” “upstage,” or “spotlight-hog,” then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
This mess hits close to home for yours truly. That’s because I identify with Wizard more than anybody else in this comic. There’s nothing I like better than chewing some in-character scenery, adopting accents, and waxing eloquent about my extremely-interesting backstory. But as a self-acknowledged Wizard type, I think that an important part of being a good player lies in being a good ensemble player.
When you’re a natural diva, there’s a risk of becoming “the protagonist” rather than “a protagonist.” And if the other players feel like you’re overshadowing the rest of the cast, it’s on you to be proactive about the situation. In that regard, my favorite tactic is to check in with my party members from time to time: “What are you hoping to do with your character? Is there anything my guy can do to help set up a cool moment?”
You see, I think that there’s a little bit of GM in every player. The common wisdom is that it’s the GM’s job to manage the group and make sure everyone is having a good time. But I think that it’s the mark of a good player to shoulder a little bit of that load as well. You’re not just there to have fun. You’re there to help everyone else at the table have fun as well. That means playing foil to other PCs, standing out of the way when it’s time for someone else’s special moment, and in general helping your more introverted castmates to shine.
Not everybody thinks of RPGs in terms of performance, and it is by no means a requirement to game. But if you are the kind of gamer that likes to go for the Oscar, it pays to remember that RPGs are a group effort. Let your pals take center-stage from time to time, and your own performance will be stronger for it.
Question of the day then! Have you ever gamed with a diva? Did they ever manage to share the spotlight, or was the game doomed to crumble under the weight of their scene-stealing ego? Let’s hear your tales of spotlight hoggery down in the comments!
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I wax and wane between the Diva and the Support myself, so I feel your pain. But, I also know what it looks like on the other side, cause I see it in my current group whenever I’m running. The other Diva in our group (also our resident munchkin), often seems to overshadow the other two relatively newer players. I’ve chatted with him about it, but he doesn’t seem to get it. I mean, he acknowledges that he does it in hindsight, but he doesn’t seem self aware enough to catch himself doing it. I’ve gotten to where I will give him a little gesture, a wave of my hand twice downward, that roughly means tone it down a notch whenever it looks like the others are getting frustrated.
Here’s a question: Do the new players seem bothered by it? I remember bringing this kind of thing up to other ‘support players’ and having them wave it off with a, “No, I don’t mind letting them take the lead.” Of course, if it’s a problem for you then it’s still a problem.
Yes. That’s actually how I cue myself to tell him to tone it down. I’ve gotten pretty good at reading the other two players. One of them is my partner, and the other typically hangs out at my house until 8 in the morning on game day when the game ends at 2 to 3 and we just chat about whatever. The guy has a fairly obvious slump of his shoulders, head tilt thing he does when he is frustrated, and my wife will give me just a hard look.
I’m the kind of support player who doesn’t really mind someone else hogging the spotlight at times. But I’m watching my players really carefully any time I’m not literally reading my script, (I write out scenes, but always leave space for improv to react to the players ) so I can gauge their reactions. It works for me, but I’ve always seemed to have a good “Sense for people.” My player apparently put a lot of ranks in Sense Motive.
One thing I like to do when I notice a player has been quiet for awhile is just ask, “What’s going on in your guy’s head? I mean, a second ago your were tied up in a cart and headed for your execution, and now there’s a friggin’ dragon attacking the town. How is he processing this?” For quiet player especially, receiving that invitation to reveal character can count for a lot.
This anecdote brought to you by Colin’s Skyrim campaign.
What? Sky who now? I’ve never heard of such a thing. >_>
“He’s mostly focused on chewing through the ropes due to his failed save against dragonfear, but…”
“Who hired these entertainers for the cruise?! Talkin’ about pirates on the main stage isn’t exactly the way to put the passengers at ease…”
I feel like Bard is fuming on Stage 2, gesturing furiously at some luckless stagehand to swing the spotlight back his way. Meanwhile, Stagehand is struggling against Wizard’s telekinesis, unable to move said spotlight an inch.
I don’t understand what’s supposed to be wrong in this scene. Thief explicitly stated that she doesn’t like talking about that chapter of her life. Wizard’s just helping!
While I don’t think I’ve ever played with a diva, I constantly worry about not hogging the spotlight in fear of turning into one. Not for any actually valid reason mind you (at least I don’t think so), I’m just really paranoid about this sort of thing. This was only exacerbated the one time I ended up playing the Face by accident (it was very much a “one-eyed king of the blind” kind of situation. Made for a funny conversation when it came up: “Alright, who’s good at talking to people?” “YOU ARE!”).
The problem here is twofold.
Firstly and most importantly, the hypothetical player of Thief quite clearly wanted to have a moment of thief opening up about her past which Wizards hypothetical player denied them.
Secondarily, even from an in-character perspective Thief is showing a degree of emotional vulnerability and sharing something difficult for her with people she know and care about.
It’s pretty insensitive to brush her off and change the subject like Wizard does, instead of listening and showing sympathy.
…I know that. I was making a joke.
Poe’s Law is a CR 10 encounter. :/
My apologies, in my defense tone is notoriously difficult to recognize on the internet.
True that. They made a whole law about it! 😛
lol. What was the party composition that you stumbled your way into Face duties?
Well, it was a Shadowrun game, so it’s not like we were forced into any roles, but for some reason I was convinced that the Shaman was going to be the Face (I mean, he has to talk to spirits, right? ). Besides that, we also has an Adept, a Rigger, and a Street Samurai (the latter played by yours truly).
Street samurai are naturally gregarious people. Everyone knows that!
Wow, Wizard just upstaged her own girlfriend. That’s low. Best case scenario for later, she’s sleeping on the couch for a couple of weeks. Worst case, she’s out a girlfriend and the cost of a Resurrection spell.
I guess it was revenge for the shampoo: https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/blatant-thievery
Except that shampoo can be replaced. Spotlight time can’t.
I think she’d be out a girlfriend, the cost of a resurrection spell, and all her worldly possessions in that case. Thief is, after all, a thief.
Slander! Thief is merely an avid collector of odds and sundries.
…Why are they still together?
I find intentionally or not, parties tend to have main characters, and to claim otherwise is Communism. They tend to be the more serious characters in the party, Dwarves, Charisma-focused, or holy in nature. So long as you’re not talking over the other party and letting them have their chance to shine it’s fine.
In Storm King’s Thunder the main character was the Dwarf War Cleric (Serious character, Dwarf, holy nature) whose unit was massacred by Fire Giants. The goofy Halfling Rock Star Bard (Me), the Joseph Cambell-esque farmboy ranger, ambiguously evil Half-Orc Barbarian, and the Drow Thief (New player, got handed a pre-made sheet, didn’t realize all the edgy baggage that came with that combo. Due to random loot rolls eventually ended up with Slippers of spider climbing and a Scimitar of Speed to complete the Driz’zt image) were all clearly supporting players in spite of my being a low-key diva, and the party’s face.
In Tomb of Annihilation I played a Dwarven Devotion Paladin who by most metrics was the main character. He was the party’s leader, (Serious, Dwarven, Charisma, Holy) he was the face, he came up with most of the plans, was usually the party’s face, and had the most concrete motive for being there since in addition to backstory stuff involving hunting a plot-MacGuffin as a DevoPal there was no way he could turn down this chance to save the world/punch evil. It also helped that most of that table was introverted, new to D&D, or both.
In a mid-length homebrew the party leader was a young Noble Hexblade Warlock with a magical destiny. My Gnome Wizard served as a grumpy sidekick/adviser/comic relief. To be fair my Gnome voice is a high-pitched fast-talking squeaky cartoon character which hurts the chances of any Gnome I play being the protagonist.
They steal from each other. This is a relationship known as “mutualism.” Or possibly “dependency.”
In my experience, the best “performers” (ie: people actually good at getting into their character and roleplaying) are the worst divas. That’s what makes it so frustrating. The players in general, and especially the GMs, want more roleplaying, because that’s the entire point of the game. However those who are best at making it a roleplaying game are the ones who basically make sure that nobody else gets to play. I’ve had a couple times where such people ruined the game enough to break the group apart.
In a sense, they’re the flipside of the “munchkins”, who are the best at utilizing the mechanics, and suck the fun out of the game for everyone else. They take about the same effort to keep controlled, and in either case, if the player isn’t doing his best to keep himself reined in, it’s a losing battle where either the group accepts that the game is all about the performer/munchkin, or the group breaks apart or kicks the player out (or those who are hit hardest by the downsides just leave).
I lean more towards the munchkin side, and have to put a lot of effort to keep that reined in. Likewise I’m on Thief’s side of the performance issue, and it is incredibly frustrating to be steamrolled by the performer types while I’m also doing my best to not let my own proclivities ruin the game for others.
Still, the performers are necessary as a component to a good game. Just not the divas.
That’s the thing about chewing scenery. Do it long enough and hard enough, and you wind up chewing straight through and letting scenery fall down. Now there’s a weird apocalypse scenario for ya!
It’s not just characters that can diva out. I’ve had plenty of occasions when something REALLY grabs a player and they hog the game from there on out. This is especially common when city-building is involved in game, you can always find someone who wants to design the laundry rooms and libraries.
Keep an eye out for a comic called “Interior Decorating.” It will also involve Wizard and Thief.
Thief was a pirate? Huh… I guess most of her ill-gotten gains went into eye-patches.
Also, what are those mystical rods of arcane artifice they’re holding? 😀
Used to have a print on the Handbook Store featuring pirate Thief. Figured we might as well make it official.
More like a meta-example, back in a Exalted game my group played, we were doing our best to appreciate Creation, its people and culture, by sucking their souls with our Fair Folk characters. The diva behavior started as a small joke, we were playing Fair Folks, not being a diva is like playing an Abyssal and start signing The Sound of Music in a field of flowers. Then it become a small tournament to be the diva of the freehold and from there to try to be the diva of the group. Had not the Dragon-blooded intervene and forced us to focus on other things we could have ended trying to become an Ishvara to be a diva among divas 🙂
Being a diva can be risky, it can destroy group or at least make the other kick you out. When used as a “friendly” and “healthy” form of competition among player it can be quite funny 🙂
Social combat for days!
I have had the world bend to drama queens, one player whips up four characters that she wants to play decides to write one out by having another player sexually harass her which he agrees to do to get her out. They do a drinking contest of which they fail two saves and are tipsy while I fail one and am apparently black out drunk. Later the character who is supposed to be my friend decides to find a fight club to kill himself in which I being the good guy I apparently am follow him to make sure he’s ok. I save his life via firing a grappling hook arrow into his leg and another into the wall and pull him from over a cliff. Beat a mage that is all about will saves which I beat despite having a 0 to my saves.
Then when the two of us make it out alive I’m at four hit points and he’s at negative 5 and gets healed up to two hit points so he’s apparently fine to walk around and engage in plot while my character is bed ridden from pain.
Three sessions earlier I fell 80 feet broke both legs and still walked around sniping all the enemies to death but now at 4 hit points I can barely stand.
Bunch of drama queens that demanded the spot light and the dm focused only on them. I was a mute ranger and I was better then both of them.
Well at least it all ended happily… I think?
Games for a while with a guy who was a filmmaker. He was nice enough, but he tended to write out plots in his head. When he played, he was–by his own admission–viewing his character as the main character, and the rest as supporting cast. He’d get frustrated when “side characters” (like everyone else’s) got more attention than he felt they deserved, or gods forbid, went in a different direction than he thought they should go. When he DMed, he’d do that to everyone. If he decided your character was supposed to go into a dark and brooding arc after the revelation his plot had brought upon them, and instead the rest of the party helped them through it, he’d get frustrated and end up doing the game within a session or two.
No game he ever ran got very far, because in his head there was a script, but we didn’t know what it was, and wouldn’t end up perfectly following it.
M̶e̶m̶o̶r̶i̶e̶s̶.̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶’̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶a̶l̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶
Railroading. You’re talking about railroading.
Well, as a DM he was certainly a railroader. It’s interesting that he sort of managed to be one as a player too.
Wizard learned where? Did she happen to learn from one particular gender-bending, spellcasting playwright?
I wasn’t aware that Elminster dabbled in stagecraft.
I was the Diva in one of my campaigns. Playing a particularly large ham Cavalier and we enjoying my speechifying.
DM at one point had to pull me a side and make sure to let other people participate in the game. So that the campaign didn’t turn into “Basque’s Great Adventure”
How’s it been since then? Do you find that you’re a little more aware of the other players?
Pretty good. That was awhile ago back when I was still new.
Now I’m actually the one GMing and enjoying getting to play up the NPCs.
Such is the fate of the diva. One character cannot contain our spotlight hoggery!
I’ve talked about him here before, but I will take this opportunity to once again mention the player I knew who was the exact opposite of this. In the example of the comic, his armour was as shiny as a Glitterboy’s (not literally), reflecting the spotlight onto the entire party.
His character was CASE, the most amazing robot. He was effectively indestructible, could punch tanks to death, and had dozens of useful tools and tricks up his sleeve. And yet, despite all this, CASE never took the spotlight, instead thrusting every other person into it like he was Rafiki.
Good old CASE. Everybody’s friend….
Let me introduce you to DERRIK DARKLUSTER; Gentleman Adventurer! A Swashbuckler/Hexblade Folk Hero with a bodacious cocksure attitude that is a public front for a very practical approach to taking on challenges however ruthlessly is required to ensure success. His goal? Make the world better for Tieflings as a whole by demonstrating to the world that they could be heroic if given the chance and a proper upbringing (raised in a temple of Tymora) It worked for Drizzt Do’urden, right? Now everyone wants to be a broody heroic drow.
He would never try to steal the spotlight, and would always give due credit, but because of his goals, there was always a spin to his stories that put as much of the spotlight on himself as he could possibly muster.
Though the other players couldn’t point to a specific instance, it eventually came out that they felt like he was constantly hogging scenes. Some of this may have been that, as the first character I played with this group, they didn’t realize what was part of the character choice and what was player choice.
A later campaign with a more reserved Shillelagh Samurai allowed me to showcase a more supportive playstyle, which the other players have noted as putting a different contextual spin on Derrik. Maybe I’ll be able to bring him back some time in the future.
“”That’s because I identify with Wizard more than anybody else in this comic.”
This aged like fine wine.