[RPG] How to get players to invest in their character concept and stop making new PCs

group-dynamicspathfinder-1eroleplayingsocial

I have been playing in a specific group for some time now. I now am in a position where I am going to be the GM once more. However I have a recurring problem with the players continuously switching characters.

While we do a lot of role-playing, and don't have a high focus on combat, some of the players tend to spend a large amount of time on planning their characters. But, because they already have a plan for every possible mechanical situation their character could ever face, this large amount of planning time leads to them getting quickly bored and wanting to plan and switch to a new character.

What can I do to make the players get more invested in their existing characters, and not just enjoying the role-play with little interest in their character concept?

Best Answer

GMJoe does bring up two important points, although I fear he skipped the most crucial one.

Setting Entanglements: A player is far less likely to abandon a character if they feel that the character will be missed, that their presence and history is respected in the environment they live in.

I had a player who had a tendency to switch characters once every few sessions. I decided to put a stop to it. So the next time he brought in a character, a wandering foreign swordswoman, I had a young NPC the party usually dealt with as a contact and groom for their mounts fall head over heels for her. Suddenly, she was more than a generic cleave path fighter/paladin: she was Jimmy's Hero.

She was the one Jimmy asked to train him in combat during their down time. She was the one Jimmy's mom complained about in a conversation the rogue overheard while stealthing about town. She was the one Jimmy warned when there was an ambush waiting.

The player got more attached to the character because it was clear that the character was having an impact on the setting, that her disappearance would be noted and felt by someone, even if it was that young level 1 halfling commoner.