Movement and body language is an underused element in TTRPG games and roleplay in general. You can define so much about a character by how they move and physically interact with the world, from how they walk to their fighting style.
Now obviously, you can’t expect players to act out every action. But encouraging players to think about how their characters move and to use some of those gestures and poses during play can really help with immersion.
Movement is also a great way to help shyer players feel more confident. Let’s face it, voice acting is hard, and people become really self-conscious about their voice. But simple movements and gestures are easy to think up and are easy to keep consistent over a session.
They also scale nicely, allowing more confident players to use them frequently, while shyer players can use them less, letting them build up their confidence and comfort level.
Obviously, movement-based mechanics need to be considered very carefully, as you need to account for both accessibility and different table setups. However, they act as a good tool in the roleplayer’s toolkit, even if the game itself doesn’t mechanically use them.
Though, Inspirisles shows how movement can be worked into a game in a unique and deeply meaningful way. So if you haven’t checked it out, I totally recommend that you do so!
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, artist, and tabletop roleplaying game designer who has written for CBR, Polygon, Nintendo Life, Gayley Dreadful, Enbylife, and many other publications. They have also published several popular and highly-praised tabletop roleplaying games including “You Have One Ability….The Ability To Fuck This Up,” “Macarons, Milkshakes, And Magic,” and “Wander Wizards.”
Jonathon has always been fascinated by media, from the big hitters to the small, obscure, and often overlooked titles that linger on the sidelines, capturing both the on and off-camera stories that make these shows so fascinating.
Jonathon is also a major anime fan, having been exposed to the medium through shows like Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Since then, Jonathon has maintained a passion for anime, watching most new shows each season and hunting down overlooked gems from previous ones.