Hi! I'm running the Dragon Delves campaign for my friends, and it isn't going very well. We play once a month, and have been since the Dragon Delves prerelease. We're on chapter two, because they talk WAY too much and WAY too loud. We can't get anything done because of all the noise, or interrupting, or staring into space for no apparent reason in the middle of combat. Or when I'm describing a new area, they don't always listen, and it feels kind of one sided. Please give me strategies and guidelines - even just suggestions on what to do, because I'm sick of taking an hour for two rounds of combat. Please. Help me.
It's all about having fun. If they are having fun, let them enjoy it.
As a DM it is frustrating, I know. Here are some ideas:
Figure out who is the mst disruptive, then engage them somehow in the game. Hard for them to talk if they are being pounded on (the character not the player, lol)
The people staring at nothing... it's because they are bored. That may because of the disruption...but if you can find a way to make them feel urgency, it will resolve itself.
Kill someone. I kid, but making them think one of their friends is going to die is a sure way to get people to engage.
"Danger Will Robinson!"
Have the talking attract more monsters.
For what it is worth, all DMs mostly face this issue. Learning how to manage it is part of the growth process.
Do you see each other often outside of the campaign? It could just be people are excited to be with their friends and are just catching up. If it’s something like that, maybe plan for a longer session. Expect the first hour or whatever to be time for chatting, then when folks are all caught up, maybe they can focus more on the game.
Or, it could be they aren’t really into playing.
Either way, I’d suggest an out of character conversation. Check in and see if they do want to play. Point out (generally, not naming specific people) that the side talk is disruptive and slowing things down and it’s not respectful of everyone’s time, especially you who have spent extra time prepping for the session.
I disagree with the above poster about in game consequences for out of game issues. People won’t understand why you are suddenly picking on them, and it’s really passive-aggressive. Treat them like adults and have a conversation.
I agree with Xalthu, talk to the players outside of the game. But also pay attention during the game to figure out what exactly is happening:
is one player instigating the conversations / being disruptive? in which case you need to talk specifically to that one player. Or are all the players chatting? Do the players just want to socialize and aren't really interested in playing the game? In which case you might want to just stop playing D&D and instead play board games or do something else. Or are the players bored by the campaign and you need to change it up to be more exciting for them? in which case you might want to jump ahead in the campaign to a more tense/climatic part, or just swap to a different module that is more exciting.
in combat, is one player the problem who takes way too long for their turn so everyone else tunes out? Again in this case you need to talk to that one player specifically. Or are there simply too many players / enemies so everyone is waiting ages for their turn and getting bored? In which case you might want to break the players up into two groups or use some mob rules to convert many weak enemies into one larger more dangerous enemy? Is combat too easy so the players feel like they don't need to pay attention? - in which case you want to add more and higher CR enemies. or are they struggling to understand their characters or being too indecisive hence taking way too long to take their turns? - in which case you should simplify things or skip players who are being indecisive and move them further down in initiative.
For your narration, is this a case where they feel like your descriptions are irrelevant so they don't pay attention - i.e. the dungeon is boring or there is too much lore? Some pre-made modules have lots of empty rooms or rooms just for world building with nothing for the players to do which makes the players start tuning out. If so you need to add more stuff to the rooms - i.e. traps, secrets, or funny things - to make them want to pay attention. Or are they catching up with each other and enjoying each others company? In which case you might want to set aside 30 minute-1 hour 'catch up time' at the start of sessions for them to talk with each other before starting the game.
You can also create urgency when someone is taking too much time, like just randomly start rolling dice as if an enemy patrol is approaching and you're rolling for perception. Or start counting seconds silently with your fingers and make sure the players see that. If they're still indecisive then throw them another enemy to fight or bring some other complication, like water level starts to rise.
Also, if it's a new party with new players they might need help just picturing the situation especially if there's a lot of monsters. Give them a quick recap of the situation to help them clarify their thoughts, such as "you know these have taken some damage, these haven't taken any. You know they're vulnerable to fire damage. You know somewhere here there's an enemy hiding and that's about everything you know for now.". And you can remind them of their spell slots or abilities. I do this for my newer players and slowly drop the amount of hints once they get a grip of their character.
And if my players are still indecisive I just say "decisions" and they know they need to decide on something.
But truly, as others have pointed out: if it's truly disruptive, talk to them outside of game. I don't believe they're disrespectful on purpose. They probably haven't noticed it bothers you so much.
they talk WAY too much and WAY too loud. We can't get anything done because of all the noise, or interrupting, or staring into space for no apparent reason in the middle of combat. Or when I'm describing a new area, they don't always listen, and it feels kind of one sided. Please give me strategies and guidelines - even just suggestions on what to do, because I'm sick of taking an hour for two rounds of combat. Please. Help me.
Two separate issues at play here:
The players talking 'too much' and 'too loud'. Realistically, this is a session zero/catch-up kind of talk. At the beginning of the next session you begin by making it clear that when you begin speaking as a GM they players need to be listening. If they're not, or if they interrupt in a disruptive manner then they might need to be removed from the table. If the group are adults, then talking over one another, interrupting and what have you just isn't okay. Not all players suit all tables. Even if everyone are friends outside of the game. I'd remove by closest friend from a table if they were incompatible with the group dynamic. Remind the group that part of what needs to happen to ensure everyone gets as much enjoyment as possible is consideration of each other.
Combat taking ages! This one is tricky. D&D is not designed for speedy combat. It just isn't. I've had really brutal combat sessions last an entire four hour session before now, but that's with eight players and a couple of dozen enemies in four waves. There is not a single 'correct' answer. There are plenty of strategies however. You can announce who's turn it is and at the same time who is next up (Jrena it's your turn, Keni you're up next please be ready). You can time turns (I REALLY hate this though). Personally, I have found that the closer I stick to the game's design mechanics, the quicker combat actually goes. What I mean by that is providing a lot of combat between long rests. Wicking away those resources. You can actually go entirely the other way and have speedy long rests so that no-one is agonising over when to burn their high level spell slot. If you're only doing one combat between long rests it's not an issue. I'd seriously suggest a search of the forms for a term like 'combat taking time' and reading through the multitudes of threads that have gone before. There's a goldmine of advice if you can search for it.
Coming back to descriptions though, mostly it's irrelevant. If the party miss the description of 'lifelike statues of adventurers', and then get all surprised when a basilisk petrifies a party member, you as a GM have the ability to simply say 'well you should have been paying attention'. Mechanically, the player characters aren't at any real disadvantage, the early warning that a basilisk is present won't affect their saving throws or to-hit rolls.
Dragon Delves, like many of the more recent publications from WotC are however, in my estimation, pretty weak and light on engaging content. It might be worth asking for feedback from your players. Ask them if this adventure is working for them. Keep in mind that D&D 5.5e (2024) is written as a system for one-shots. It's developed for short run adventures rather than true longer form adventures. Were it otherwise, we'd have already had word of a full adventure book from WotC. Everything since the publication of 2024 has been short one-shots that the GM has to work at stringing together. Maybe, the adventure isn't gripping the players. I know that one of my groups, by the time we hit Void Calls were pretty unimpressed with the adventures.
Similarly, it might be worth a quick ask around discreetly if there are any neurodiversity needs in the group. I've got a player with ADHD who is Inattentive type, and they really struggle with any session where there will be shopping, or NPC talk. So much so that they've actually requested just to skip those sessions, so we try to plan them or restrict them to an hour at the beginning or end of a session so that said player can come in or leave while the rest of the party engage with that. It works for them, and the resat of the table were cool with it.
Or when I'm describing a new area, they don't always listen, and it feels kind of one sided.
DM'ing will always take more energy than playing. And sometimes that shows up as you being invested more than they are. The things I look for is when the players cheer when they finally kill the bad guy or save the hostage or whatever. If they celebrate the victories, that's my cue that they're invested too, just in different things.
I'm sick of taking an hour for two rounds of combat. Please. Help me.
Woah. OK. That's a common but big problem.
If players are new-ish, its just going to go slow as the player running the wizard tries to figure out what spell to cast, and so on. If players are learning their characters and learning the rules and such, then its going to take some time to get through each turn.
If players are moderately experienced, what can happen is 'analysis paralysis', where they know all the different things their ploayer can do, but they start obsessing about the "perfect" turn.
If players are very experienced, they can usually do a turn per minute per player.
First thing I do is announce the name of the player whose turn is now, and point to the player and say their name and "you're next". The idea is to focus players so that at least everyone can start looking at their choices while the current player is going. It started out with seemingly little effect, but after a few months, it feels like my players are more focused and know what they're going to do whehn their turn rolls around.
Worst case, you might consider an egg timer or something similar. I think a minute is sufficient for experienced players. But maybe start out by just timing everyone's individual turns and get a sense of whether everyone is slow, or if one specific player is struggling, or if someone is just not paying attention. If its one person struggling, maybe work with them directly? Maybe see if they should use a simpler player character? If everyone's just slow and taking 15 minutes per turn, then maybe introduce an egg-timer per player-turn where everyone starts out getting, say, 5 minutes. And then maybe as everyone levels up, it goes to 4 minutes.
If you do the egg-timer thing, maybe have it give a 1 minute warning, adn 30 second warning, adn then you will have to be willing to cut players off and end their turn if they run out the timer.
The other question is simply: how big is the party? 4 players is probably a good number for a starting group. More than that can quickly bog down combat and everyone starts losing interest.
"Keep in mind that D&D 5.5e (2024) is written as a system for one-shots. It's developed for short run adventures rather than true longer form adventures."
It is?
Its been ages since i played first or second edition, but 2024 rules dont feel different on a "campaign length" design
My players are the same. I created a quiet signal (shut up sheep) and I give them bad magic items instead of good ones if they don't obey it. Is your campaign too much combat and not enough roleplay. Or is it too much roleplay? Do you take too long to do stuff so the players get distracted and you loose their attention and have trouble getting it back.
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Hi! I'm running the Dragon Delves campaign for my friends, and it isn't going very well. We play once a month, and have been since the Dragon Delves prerelease. We're on chapter two, because they talk WAY too much and WAY too loud. We can't get anything done because of all the noise, or interrupting, or staring into space for no apparent reason in the middle of combat. Or when I'm describing a new area, they don't always listen, and it feels kind of one sided. Please give me strategies and guidelines - even just suggestions on what to do, because I'm sick of taking an hour for two rounds of combat. Please. Help me.
(Also, we use paper and meet in real life rather than online.)
There are a couple ways to look at this:
It's all about having fun. If they are having fun, let them enjoy it.
As a DM it is frustrating, I know. Here are some ideas:
For what it is worth, all DMs mostly face this issue. Learning how to manage it is part of the growth process.
VTTeamPlayers, formerly DnDPlay20
I am a DM who believes in fun, roleplay and storytelling. The dice always have a story to tell
Do you see each other often outside of the campaign? It could just be people are excited to be with their friends and are just catching up. If it’s something like that, maybe plan for a longer session. Expect the first hour or whatever to be time for chatting, then when folks are all caught up, maybe they can focus more on the game.
Or, it could be they aren’t really into playing.
Either way, I’d suggest an out of character conversation. Check in and see if they do want to play. Point out (generally, not naming specific people) that the side talk is disruptive and slowing things down and it’s not respectful of everyone’s time, especially you who have spent extra time prepping for the session.
I disagree with the above poster about in game consequences for out of game issues. People won’t understand why you are suddenly picking on them, and it’s really passive-aggressive. Treat them like adults and have a conversation.
I agree with Xalthu, talk to the players outside of the game. But also pay attention during the game to figure out what exactly is happening:
is one player instigating the conversations / being disruptive? in which case you need to talk specifically to that one player. Or are all the players chatting? Do the players just want to socialize and aren't really interested in playing the game? In which case you might want to just stop playing D&D and instead play board games or do something else. Or are the players bored by the campaign and you need to change it up to be more exciting for them? in which case you might want to jump ahead in the campaign to a more tense/climatic part, or just swap to a different module that is more exciting.
in combat, is one player the problem who takes way too long for their turn so everyone else tunes out? Again in this case you need to talk to that one player specifically. Or are there simply too many players / enemies so everyone is waiting ages for their turn and getting bored? In which case you might want to break the players up into two groups or use some mob rules to convert many weak enemies into one larger more dangerous enemy? Is combat too easy so the players feel like they don't need to pay attention? - in which case you want to add more and higher CR enemies. or are they struggling to understand their characters or being too indecisive hence taking way too long to take their turns? - in which case you should simplify things or skip players who are being indecisive and move them further down in initiative.
For your narration, is this a case where they feel like your descriptions are irrelevant so they don't pay attention - i.e. the dungeon is boring or there is too much lore? Some pre-made modules have lots of empty rooms or rooms just for world building with nothing for the players to do which makes the players start tuning out. If so you need to add more stuff to the rooms - i.e. traps, secrets, or funny things - to make them want to pay attention. Or are they catching up with each other and enjoying each others company? In which case you might want to set aside 30 minute-1 hour 'catch up time' at the start of sessions for them to talk with each other before starting the game.
You can also create urgency when someone is taking too much time, like just randomly start rolling dice as if an enemy patrol is approaching and you're rolling for perception. Or start counting seconds silently with your fingers and make sure the players see that. If they're still indecisive then throw them another enemy to fight or bring some other complication, like water level starts to rise.
Also, if it's a new party with new players they might need help just picturing the situation especially if there's a lot of monsters. Give them a quick recap of the situation to help them clarify their thoughts, such as "you know these have taken some damage, these haven't taken any. You know they're vulnerable to fire damage. You know somewhere here there's an enemy hiding and that's about everything you know for now.". And you can remind them of their spell slots or abilities. I do this for my newer players and slowly drop the amount of hints once they get a grip of their character.
And if my players are still indecisive I just say "decisions" and they know they need to decide on something.
But truly, as others have pointed out: if it's truly disruptive, talk to them outside of game. I don't believe they're disrespectful on purpose. They probably haven't noticed it bothers you so much.
Two separate issues at play here:
Coming back to descriptions though, mostly it's irrelevant. If the party miss the description of 'lifelike statues of adventurers', and then get all surprised when a basilisk petrifies a party member, you as a GM have the ability to simply say 'well you should have been paying attention'. Mechanically, the player characters aren't at any real disadvantage, the early warning that a basilisk is present won't affect their saving throws or to-hit rolls.
Dragon Delves, like many of the more recent publications from WotC are however, in my estimation, pretty weak and light on engaging content. It might be worth asking for feedback from your players. Ask them if this adventure is working for them. Keep in mind that D&D 5.5e (2024) is written as a system for one-shots. It's developed for short run adventures rather than true longer form adventures. Were it otherwise, we'd have already had word of a full adventure book from WotC. Everything since the publication of 2024 has been short one-shots that the GM has to work at stringing together. Maybe, the adventure isn't gripping the players. I know that one of my groups, by the time we hit Void Calls were pretty unimpressed with the adventures.
Similarly, it might be worth a quick ask around discreetly if there are any neurodiversity needs in the group. I've got a player with ADHD who is Inattentive type, and they really struggle with any session where there will be shopping, or NPC talk. So much so that they've actually requested just to skip those sessions, so we try to plan them or restrict them to an hour at the beginning or end of a session so that said player can come in or leave while the rest of the party engage with that. It works for them, and the resat of the table were cool with it.
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DM'ing will always take more energy than playing. And sometimes that shows up as you being invested more than they are. The things I look for is when the players cheer when they finally kill the bad guy or save the hostage or whatever. If they celebrate the victories, that's my cue that they're invested too, just in different things.
Woah. OK. That's a common but big problem.
If players are new-ish, its just going to go slow as the player running the wizard tries to figure out what spell to cast, and so on. If players are learning their characters and learning the rules and such, then its going to take some time to get through each turn.
If players are moderately experienced, what can happen is 'analysis paralysis', where they know all the different things their ploayer can do, but they start obsessing about the "perfect" turn.
If players are very experienced, they can usually do a turn per minute per player.
First thing I do is announce the name of the player whose turn is now, and point to the player and say their name and "you're next". The idea is to focus players so that at least everyone can start looking at their choices while the current player is going. It started out with seemingly little effect, but after a few months, it feels like my players are more focused and know what they're going to do whehn their turn rolls around.
Worst case, you might consider an egg timer or something similar. I think a minute is sufficient for experienced players. But maybe start out by just timing everyone's individual turns and get a sense of whether everyone is slow, or if one specific player is struggling, or if someone is just not paying attention. If its one person struggling, maybe work with them directly? Maybe see if they should use a simpler player character? If everyone's just slow and taking 15 minutes per turn, then maybe introduce an egg-timer per player-turn where everyone starts out getting, say, 5 minutes. And then maybe as everyone levels up, it goes to 4 minutes.
If you do the egg-timer thing, maybe have it give a 1 minute warning, adn 30 second warning, adn then you will have to be willing to cut players off and end their turn if they run out the timer.
The other question is simply: how big is the party? 4 players is probably a good number for a starting group. More than that can quickly bog down combat and everyone starts losing interest.
"Keep in mind that D&D 5.5e (2024) is written as a system for one-shots. It's developed for short run adventures rather than true longer form adventures."
It is?
Its been ages since i played first or second edition, but 2024 rules dont feel different on a "campaign length" design
My players are the same. I created a quiet signal (shut up sheep) and I give them bad magic items instead of good ones if they don't obey it. Is your campaign too much combat and not enough roleplay. Or is it too much roleplay? Do you take too long to do stuff so the players get distracted and you loose their attention and have trouble getting it back.
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