It’s called a Role Playing Game, but sometimes, you need to give your players a little nudge to get that roleplaying element going. In this episode of Game Master Tips, Matt Mercer has some insightful tactics to use to help your players get more into character.

First off, you can’t force your players to roleplay. If they’re uncomfortable, it’s not going to be fun for anyone. Get an idea of your players’ willingness to roleplay before you start your campaign by just talking to them about it. If the group is on board, have everyone write up a backstory for their character to help inform motivations and reactions throughout the campaign.

Once you start your game, try engaging your players the way that you want them to engage you. If you want your players to roleplay, you’ll need to roleplay as well; make eye contact with your players and gesture as if you were the NPC interacting with them, rather than just reading off a page. If a player summarizes an interaction, ask them how their character would respond to the NPC they’re engaging with. For more tips for both players and GMs, check out the whole video!

Watch the full video above to find out all of Matt’s tips and let us know if you have some of your own in the comments below!