I'm playing in a group with a diverse group of players. Some have everything about their character planned (like myself and one other player), others came to the table with a concept and nothing else. As a player, I would like to encourage other players to role-play, if not equally, than moreso than they already do. We are still in the first few weeks of the game, so the issue may be that other players need to warm up to their characters. My goal is to find a way to "warm them up" to getting in touch with their character, which would lead to a more comfortable atmosphere and culture.
I know these players intend to role-play from playing with them previously, and that one of the players is a slow starter and needs to get a feel for their character, and another player develops their character best through in-character interactions rather than backstory. The best games I've played in tend to be the ones where everyone is comfortable with each other and willing and excited to explore each other's characters.
What tactics as a player can I use to encourage them to explore their characters during the setting of the game?
Best Answer
Questions
Well, the easiest way is to have your character ask or empathize with other characters in play. "This war has to be pretty hard on you. Weren't you a civilian before?" These work well because they can be a chance to roleplay your character and ask valid questions of theirs.
Some players get stage fright though, so be mindful of that and willing to speak out of character ("Hey, it's cool. I was just hoping to give you a chance to spotlight your character a bit.")
"Remember the time?" loaded questions
This is a fun way, but requires the players to have some trust with each other. You ask loaded questions to them that serves as a starting point, and they take it as true and build off of it.
"Wait, you're not THE 'Nebula-Smasher' Johnson? How DID you escape the Queen's fleet?" "Is this going to be like the last time you got us BOTH arrested? You still owe me..."
Players who are not good at improv will not roll well with this, and you may want to talk out of character to let people know you might do this.
Scenes and focus of play
This requires the whole group to buy in on it, but it works in a lot of games. "Hey, I'd like to have a scene where I can talk to (fellow PC) about the fallout from these failed negotiations. Can we do that?"
Openly requesting and declaring scenes makes it really easy and fun to set up scenes about beliefs, personality, history, and thoughts on the situation. It lets everyone know what you're interested in, and to spend time exploring characters specifically.