"I don't know what my character would do!!" The analysis paralysis that I see players (and actors and improvisors) get into, over and over again, is a strangely easy fix, once you realize one important thing: **You often don't *think* about what you're going to do. You react. ## GM fixes Some techniques can work with a GM or another player. When I have an actor who can't make a character decision, I tend to ask quick binary questions. "Coke or Pepsi?" "Winter or Summer?" "Spider-Man or Batman?" And then either hit them with the question they need to answer or break that down into smaller, binary choices. Example The character is trying to decide what their next course of action is going to be while talking to a thieves' guild leader. "Do you trust them?" "Do you think they're trying to use you for their own ends?" "Do you think you can manipulate them or not?" "What leverage do you think you have?" Once you've walked them through the basics of what they think, it's often easier for them to make a decision. This is strongly akin to when two improvisors are afraid to start a scene. Both of them have some vague ideas in their head that they could go with but their confidence keeps them from making that choice. Once the other person has committed to that idea, it's very easy to suddenly have that confidence. This is one of the big reasons "yes, and..." is important in improv but doesn't quite make the same leap to ttpgs. Giving them a solid foundation for their decisions or, probably more correctly, making them realize that they already have that foundation. This technique is usable in ttrpgs but it can feel clunky in practice. The one that I see the most powerful results in anybody, is done by the player. ## Emotion as the Foundation of Player Decision As I said above, we don't tend to think through all the things we're going to do and say. We feel a specific a way and then we just do it. If we're trying to figure out the huge list of reasons why a person might do something, we're going to get stuck on creating examples or analyzing people in a way that people, in reality, don't tend to act. How does a 30 year veteran detective approach dealing with someone? I don't know. You probably don't either. We have a glut of examples in fiction we can try to steal from but that tends to mean I'm scanning my memory or making up hypotheticals while the rest of the table is fiddling with their phones. But I know how someone who's angry reacts. I know how a heartbroken person is going to react. Emotion is a much stronger doorway. ### Choose a Strong Emotion FIRST Before the other person speaks, choose a strong emotion. We often say, in improv, that there are no bad choices but we tend to leave out the truth: **There are no bad strong choices. (Which is also not entirely true but is true enough that, for our purposes, we're fine. That's what rehearsals are for.) If you choose a strong emotion before your scene partner (GM or player) says whatever it is they're going to say, suddenly the analysis paralysis on how you react evaporates. It doesn't matter if the emotion "makes sense" for whatever's said or done. In fact, this often adds a great deal to your character because someone come to us with great news ("I'm getting married") and, since you were recently almost-married, your joy can be tempered pretty strongly by that. (I have video of me giving 'advice' as a groomsman at a friends wedding that pretty strongly supports exactly this situation.) The fact that you didn't know why your character was thrilled, upset, angry, jealous, blissful, etc. gives you a good reason to figure that out. In an improv long form, I have to ask myself why my character is angry after someone says something and that lets me figure out what's going on in this character's life and who they are. You can backfill your character's story through the decisions you make in the moment and, for my money, this makes them feel more organic. Choosing strong emotions such as these work well. - Suspicion - Hatred - Love - Infatuation - Aggravation - Strong Curious - Terrified What you never want to do is not care about what's happening. And this is just something for players in general. For the love of whatever you consider holy, give a damn about what's happening or communicate the things you actually do find interesting. Don't try to get to the heart of the character through their brain. Go through their gut.