I´ve been running my game for 3 sessions now and I have a friend which seems to loose interest easily and just starts distracting the other players, What can I do?
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Had a friend who would drink to much and pass out. I would just incorporate it. He'd be asleep on the couch and the barbarian would be using his Gnome as a shield.
I hold the opinion that problems like this can be solved in game. Maybe your game is to slow, throw some more epic events or sinister twists at them. Maybe they aren't invested in the plot, then weave their character more into the story. Maybe they don't know what they can do, challenge them in specific ways.
I can't, and don't think anyone should tell you specifically what to do. Give me a few more hints and I'll suggest something more specific.
My problem is I get everyone over for a session , after weeks of matching schedules to get everyone together, and they kinda just want to do other things and we are on a tight time restraint. We have to start at 8:00 and have to be done by 10:30. Not much room for messing around. Took us 2 months to do a one shot. It took me 3 months to just get characters made and two people I just have pregen characters for.
I would look for a new group but these are my friends and I'd be afraid my schedule would conflict with a new group I don't know well. Also my level of D&D knowledge may be lower then a new group of hardcore players. We are kinda loose with the rules at my house but that's to keep the interest of the group I have.
I usally get my D&D fix by watching live games on YouTube and twitch but it isn't the same.
I always tell myself that it may not be a great group but it's the group that I have.
Talk with this friend, 1 on 1. Casually let them know that you can tell they get distracted and that it distracts others. Note that it's important for everyone to have fun while playing as a group and you want to know more about what you could do to make it more fun and interesting for him/her. If the response is "No, no, I'm all good. I love it I swear!" that's cool but respond by stating that they distract other players and lessen the fun in the process. Then ask again what you can do to make it more interesting.
By keeping the focus on changes you can make to improve things you avoid any blame game and need to deny the issue.
Oddly enough, I also posted a similar thread. Please feel free to gander the extra responses on the subject. Best of luck repairing and strengthening your game!
I´ve been running my game for 3 sessions now and I have a friend which seems to loose interest easily and just starts distracting the other players, What can I do?
Pay attention to what elements of the game he seems to enjoy the most and try to cater to that. If your player likes combat then give him some challenging fights. Can even be a small unarmed contest ran in the town. (shouldn't be that time consuming at low levels.) If it's roleplay try making some interesting encounters.
Talk with this friend, 1 on 1. Casually let them know that you can tell they get distracted and that it distracts others. Note that it's important for everyone to have fun while playing as a group and you want to know more about what you could do to make it more fun and interesting for him/her. If the response is "No, no, I'm all good. I love it I swear!" that's cool but respond by stating that they distract other players and lessen the fun in the process. Then ask again what you can do to make it more interesting.
By keeping the focus on changes you can make to improve things you avoid any blame game and need to deny the issue.
Absolutely this - you're playing a game with your friends for fun, but it can happen that people lose sight of this - talk to your friend, but please try to avoid being confrontational over it.
Rather than, "You lose interest, what's the problem?" you can ask them some open questions, "How are you finding the game?" "Are there any parts of the game you don't really enjoy?"
You should be able to talk it through and figure it out.
I have that problem every session, I have two solutions, give them a turn to play through their stuff or ask them if they wish to do anything during a hectic situation that is outside combat, or forces them to watch by providing large story pieces or important information. They often realize they missed something when a dragon descends on the party and they look back at me and ask what just happened. I tell them you need to pay attention and listen to what is going on, not just what affects you because it can do so sooner or later. Sometimes this gets too bad and I have to verbally berate them for their rudeness for talker louder than me or meta-gaming while another person is taking their turn. I do this by either saying a quick shut up and returning to the other person or by just stopping talking to wait for them to return their attention to me. If you are going to do this to your group, you need to judge how they will react, I have a lot of friends who knows that when I stop talking or I call them out like that, they need to stop and pay attention because I should have the floor and they should not be dawdling outside of the game and interrupt the in game. It really just depends on how you group will react as to how you need to do this. I have talked to them constantly myself, but they are still prone to this so I have to be more forceful during the moment to control them and push them back on course. Hopefully, your group is not as distractable as mine. Good luck with your players and hopefully you can find something that works and sometimes an aggressive or assertive DM is needed, but you just have to judge when.
Has this person played before? Not to be rude. My wife watched me play and wanted to play d&d, I knew she wouldn't like it but let her do it in case she did. She was in a few failed games and she was upset cause all the games she was in didn't last past 2-3 sessions. I looked at her and asked out of everything she play if she really was having fun or was just doing it for me to have something in common. The answer was no.
So your friend/player may not be a person that can enjoy d&d.
And if they have played and had fun, like everyone else said, find out what's causing the issue and try to fix it as much as possible.
I´ve been running my game for 3 sessions now and I have a friend which seems to loose interest easily and just starts distracting the other players, What can I do?
When you say "distracting the other players", what exactly do you mean? If you mean just generally talking about things unrelated to the game when you started the session an hour ago, then just do what I do... Stare at them with one eyebrow raised and a half smile. Don't say a word. Just let them talk til they feel uncomfortable. A silent DM makes the players uneasy.
But yeah, "Distracting other players" can mean a lot of things. So it would help to narrow it down.
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Welcome to the Grand Illusion, come on in and see what's happening, pay the price, get your ticket for the show....
I should point out this isn't the correct forum for this, DM's Guild isn't a place for DMs to talk, it's about Wizard's online marketplace for homebrew content.
I should point out this isn't the correct forum for this, DM's Guild isn't a place for DMs to talk, it's about Wizard's online marketplace for homebrew content.
I should point out this isn't the correct forum for this, DM's Guild isn't a place for DMs to talk, it's about Wizard's online marketplace for homebrew content.
I've had a similar problem. I run a custom world, and I required at the BEGINING of the game that each character have a personal goal. Each player came up with something different, and those goals have literally forged 90% of the story. I took those goals, identified the challenges, and made the story.
That also means I have 3 different plot lines to follow and weave together. When I notice a player getting bored or distracted, I'll plan some bone for them to chew on the next game. Oh. here's a hint to where your lost dragon ancestor may be, or there's a temple that way with sun blades if you can pass the trial. Having the players each have their own goal means I can moderate the encounters to accommodate those goals. It really helps get them back on track, because the player is invested in their plot.
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I´ve been running my game for 3 sessions now and I have a friend which seems to loose interest easily and just starts distracting the other players, What can I do?
Had a friend who would drink to much and pass out. I would just incorporate it. He'd be asleep on the couch and the barbarian would be using his Gnome as a shield.
I hold the opinion that problems like this can be solved in game. Maybe your game is to slow, throw some more epic events or sinister twists at them. Maybe they aren't invested in the plot, then weave their character more into the story. Maybe they don't know what they can do, challenge them in specific ways.
I can't, and don't think anyone should tell you specifically what to do. Give me a few more hints and I'll suggest something more specific.
My problem is I get everyone over for a session , after weeks of matching schedules to get everyone together, and they kinda just want to do other things and we are on a tight time restraint. We have to start at 8:00 and have to be done by 10:30. Not much room for messing around. Took us 2 months to do a one shot. It took me 3 months to just get characters made and two people I just have pregen characters for.
I would look for a new group but these are my friends and I'd be afraid my schedule would conflict with a new group I don't know well. Also my level of D&D knowledge may be lower then a new group of hardcore players. We are kinda loose with the rules at my house but that's to keep the interest of the group I have.
I usally get my D&D fix by watching live games on YouTube and twitch but it isn't the same.
I always tell myself that it may not be a great group but it's the group that I have.
View my StartPlaying.Games profile to see my games!
Oddly enough, I also posted a similar thread. Please feel free to gander the extra responses on the subject. Best of luck repairing and strengthening your game!
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/tips-tactics/1551-handling-fading-player-commitments
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I have that problem every session, I have two solutions, give them a turn to play through their stuff or ask them if they wish to do anything during a hectic situation that is outside combat, or forces them to watch by providing large story pieces or important information. They often realize they missed something when a dragon descends on the party and they look back at me and ask what just happened. I tell them you need to pay attention and listen to what is going on, not just what affects you because it can do so sooner or later. Sometimes this gets too bad and I have to verbally berate them for their rudeness for talker louder than me or meta-gaming while another person is taking their turn. I do this by either saying a quick shut up and returning to the other person or by just stopping talking to wait for them to return their attention to me. If you are going to do this to your group, you need to judge how they will react, I have a lot of friends who knows that when I stop talking or I call them out like that, they need to stop and pay attention because I should have the floor and they should not be dawdling outside of the game and interrupt the in game. It really just depends on how you group will react as to how you need to do this. I have talked to them constantly myself, but they are still prone to this so I have to be more forceful during the moment to control them and push them back on course. Hopefully, your group is not as distractable as mine. Good luck with your players and hopefully you can find something that works and sometimes an aggressive or assertive DM is needed, but you just have to judge when.
Has this person played before?
Not to be rude. My wife watched me play and wanted to play d&d, I knew she wouldn't like it but let her do it in case she did. She was in a few failed games and she was upset cause all the games she was in didn't last past 2-3 sessions.
I looked at her and asked out of everything she play if she really was having fun or was just doing it for me to have something in common. The answer was no.
So your friend/player may not be a person that can enjoy d&d.
And if they have played and had fun, like everyone else said, find out what's causing the issue and try to fix it as much as possible.
But yeah, "Distracting other players" can mean a lot of things. So it would help to narrow it down.
Welcome to the Grand Illusion, come on in and see what's happening, pay the price, get your ticket for the show....
I should point out this isn't the correct forum for this, DM's Guild isn't a place for DMs to talk, it's about Wizard's online marketplace for homebrew content.
Definitely talk it out.
[ Site Rules & Guidelines ] --- [ Homebrew Rules & Guidelines ]
Send me a message with any questions or concerns
Good to know. Can't wait until a DM's discussion area becomes a thing.
I've had a similar problem. I run a custom world, and I required at the BEGINING of the game that each character have a personal goal. Each player came up with something different, and those goals have literally forged 90% of the story. I took those goals, identified the challenges, and made the story.
That also means I have 3 different plot lines to follow and weave together. When I notice a player getting bored or distracted, I'll plan some bone for them to chew on the next game. Oh. here's a hint to where your lost dragon ancestor may be, or there's a temple that way with sun blades if you can pass the trial. Having the players each have their own goal means I can moderate the encounters to accommodate those goals. It really helps get them back on track, because the player is invested in their plot.