So I'm fairly new as a DM and I have a solid group who consistently show up. Now my problem is whenever we travel and i try to fast forward to the location they are traveling to they always complain about me skipping even though I give them around 15 min irl for in game role play in the morning and afternoon before they sleep. Currently they won't allow me to have them sleep and continue the plot and they have been roleplaying the evening for 1hr now and currently im more worried i cant pace properly with this group and i dont know what to do. I personally think it might take two to three sessions for them to make it to this location two days away.
Just to debate it a little - if the group is having fun and enjoying themselves, when is role playing too far? Is all this role play between the party members or with your NPCs?
Between the party i could leave and they could play by themselves as they continue to roleplay I personally enjoy it when we talk but when im there idle doing nothing for 1hr+ i find the game rather dull
Then speak to them. Hit pause, and be honest about the fact that you're not having fun. There's nothing wrong with them wanting to roleplay, even if that takes far longer than expected. But if the whole table isn't having fun, then it's something that needs to be brought up. A middle ground needs to be reached.
attempted to tell them this and they all ganged up on me and said they dont like being rushed through a campaign meanwhile it's taking them this long to even roleplay I still dont know what to do right now
If they aren't being respectful of your wishes as a DM, then it's time for 'Rocks fall, everyone dies' (or something similar but less dramatic). Two hours just to roleplay a conversations and such without the DM being involved is definitely taking the piss.
Have you considered using the internet? My old DM used to use Discord to manage the campaign, and we had entire channels specifically for roleplay and talking to each other in character. That way, we could do casual RPing, downtime, and working out what to do next during the week, and by the time of the next session, we'd be all ready to jump straight in.
I would draw the line between "chitchatting" and development of character when the party is roleplaying among each other. Do the players tell each other about their past, which you can use to pick up ideas for future sessions, or are they just just discussing the stew they are cooking?
I think you should discuss, that your sessions will use all three pillars of TTRPGs (combat, social interaction and exploration/problem solving). Just roleplaying is not progressing the story and not just "having time enough time to travel".
If you tried talking to them and they won't listen...well..It is a living, breathing world with consequences. If they're on the road and idling you could always throw some hazards at them. Could be an attack of some sort, could be that during the weather has turned into a heavy downpour or some other event. Use it responsibly.
Dumb question - are you not having fun because you're not getting on with the plot... or because you're not doing anything? Do you want in on the role playing as well?
Normally, I dislike having NPC party members with the group, but maybe that might be the solution to your problem. Have a quest giver or some other non-combatant hang out with the group and you can interact. Maybe a merchant of some kind.
Sitting around and doing nothing is definitely boring. That shouldn't happen. So, what would you enjoy doing? If we could find a solution that does what both you and the players like, that would be ideal, I think.
Then walk out. What you are asking is for us to tell you the magic words that will get your players going. They don't want to. For whatever reason, they are stalling you.
So leave. You aren't playing, you aren't getting to do anything. Then go. Pack up. Go. Or send them home if it's your house.
But there's nothing we can tell you to make your players change if you've already tried talking.
If they're having fun, then - to a point - it's OK.
Players need to respect your fun as well. Make that clear.
Maybe get in on the action with an NPC so-as to not get bored.
Additionally, my rule of thumb ( which I seldom have to invoke ) is that every 3 or so minutes of table discussion is 1 minute of game time ( not 1:1 as the Players need to stop and remember, or look up, facts the Characters would just automatically recall).
So if they stop and chat, the world goes on. Bad guys get to do stuff, random events can occur, etc.
If the party is holed up in an Inn, talking about the last adventure over an ale around the fire ... well, I might start to web-surf on my laptop ( or have a nosey NPC listen in - possibly leverage what they overhear into a new adventure hook ).
If they're doing this getting ready to go over the wall to infiltrate the Fortress of Doom (tm) , well, that gives the guards that many chances to spot them. Nothing cuts a conversation short faster than a volley of arrows.
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Sounds super frustrating, but on the bright side, the group loves RP! If you do too and just feel left out, have an NPC walk up and ask to share a meal. See where it goes. If you are like me, you try to make sure no players are getting left out for too long, you count too!
If you would still be bored even so, then it's time to talk to the group again because you and they may have some fundamentlly different expectations. Maybe a compromise can be reached, or you switch DMs if need be.
Everyone gets to have fun, that's the only reason to play.
I see alot of comments about the players fun, both in this and other posts but people seem to forget that the DM needs to have fun aswell. I to would be a bit frustrated and even bored if the players keept chitchatting while I wanted to progress the story. (dont get me wrong, that they roleplay and bond is great, but sometimes its not the best time)
If your players are having an immersive roleplaying experience and talking about stuff in-character: take notes and use it.
Figure out how you can tie their in-character discussion (which the players are clearly expressing an interest in) to some plot hook you know will be coming up in a not too distant future. Maybe those marauders one character mentions when talking about how the old farm was raided are the same bandits you know will be found in the next town, or if the characters seem to agree that goblinoids are simply the worst in the next "random" encounter you can (if the story permits) switch the kobolds + guard drake for goblins + hobgoblin leader.
You might have a slow session this one time, but by using what you're hearing from the players you'll increase the enjoyment of the entire table further down the line.
people role playing out their characters is good, time spent doing it however is time passing for the characters in the world.
This means it's time the baddies use to set their evil schemes in motion, the more time they have to set their schemes in motion, the worse the outcome for the players,
so as you go forward let the players get clues to things that are already happening, rather than ones which could have been prevented if they got there earlier. finding out that something horrible is happening now because you sat in the pub getting drunk for a couple of days instead of finding out information that could have stopped it, might give them a boost to go find the info and stop things in future another option is to write something horrible and slip in that you came up with the idea in the extra writing time you had while they were enjoying themselves role playing for 3 hours while you had nothing else to do. i don't mean beef things up i mean make something more devious underhand and downright despicable keep repeating the horrible till one asks how you came up with the ideas then point out you do it while they are roleplaying as you have extra time to make things more troublesome.
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All plans turn into, run into the room waving a sword and see what happens from there, once the first die gets rolled
You may have orchestrated an adventure that doesn’t fit their style. If they have that much interest in RP, then perhaps more intrigue, NPC interaction, and opportunity cost for their time is needed. Don’t sit back and watch the RP as DM, interject yourself through the world if you can.You have simple stuff like convincing the stable hand to entertain the advances of the barmaid, world shaping things like negotiating the peace treaty between the nations X and Y, and reality bending psychological warfare with a deity the party could never hope to defeat physically. Matt Colville often mentions Diplomacy. Maybe look to that for inspiration for tension within your party. He said he even had people not in the campaign informing the actions of certain NPC’s. I could imagine something like that interjecting some unexpected interactions for your players.
So I'm fairly new as a DM and I have a solid group who consistently show up. Now my problem is whenever we travel and i try to fast forward to the location they are traveling to they always complain about me skipping even though I give them around 15 min irl for in game role play in the morning and afternoon before they sleep. Currently they won't allow me to have them sleep and continue the plot and they have been roleplaying the evening for 1hr now and currently im more worried i cant pace properly with this group and i dont know what to do. I personally think it might take two to three sessions for them to make it to this location two days away.
Just to debate it a little - if the group is having fun and enjoying themselves, when is role playing too far? Is all this role play between the party members or with your NPCs?
Currently going on to 1hr 44min of them roleplaying and they wont allow me to continue
Between the party i could leave and they could play by themselves as they continue to roleplay I personally enjoy it when we talk but when im there idle doing nothing for 1hr+ i find the game rather dull
Then speak to them. Hit pause, and be honest about the fact that you're not having fun. There's nothing wrong with them wanting to roleplay, even if that takes far longer than expected. But if the whole table isn't having fun, then it's something that needs to be brought up. A middle ground needs to be reached.
attempted to tell them this and they all ganged up on me and said they dont like being rushed through a campaign meanwhile it's taking them this long to even roleplay I still dont know what to do right now
If they aren't being respectful of your wishes as a DM, then it's time for 'Rocks fall, everyone dies' (or something similar but less dramatic). Two hours just to roleplay a conversations and such without the DM being involved is definitely taking the piss.
Have you considered using the internet? My old DM used to use Discord to manage the campaign, and we had entire channels specifically for roleplay and talking to each other in character. That way, we could do casual RPing, downtime, and working out what to do next during the week, and by the time of the next session, we'd be all ready to jump straight in.
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I would draw the line between "chitchatting" and development of character when the party is roleplaying among each other. Do the players tell each other about their past, which you can use to pick up ideas for future sessions, or are they just just discussing the stew they are cooking?
I think you should discuss, that your sessions will use all three pillars of TTRPGs (combat, social interaction and exploration/problem solving). Just roleplaying is not progressing the story and not just "having time enough time to travel".
If you tried talking to them and they won't listen...well..It is a living, breathing world with consequences. If they're on the road and idling you could always throw some hazards at them. Could be an attack of some sort, could be that during the weather has turned into a heavy downpour or some other event. Use it responsibly.
Dumb question - are you not having fun because you're not getting on with the plot... or because you're not doing anything? Do you want in on the role playing as well?
Normally, I dislike having NPC party members with the group, but maybe that might be the solution to your problem. Have a quest giver or some other non-combatant hang out with the group and you can interact. Maybe a merchant of some kind.
Sitting around and doing nothing is definitely boring. That shouldn't happen. So, what would you enjoy doing? If we could find a solution that does what both you and the players like, that would be ideal, I think.
Then walk out. What you are asking is for us to tell you the magic words that will get your players going. They don't want to. For whatever reason, they are stalling you.
So leave. You aren't playing, you aren't getting to do anything. Then go. Pack up. Go. Or send them home if it's your house.
But there's nothing we can tell you to make your players change if you've already tried talking.
When roleplaying goes too far
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfxXug5ZMdk
(Mazes and Monsters, Tom Hanks, 1982)
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Pull out the ole random encounter chart. Here comes the gnolls, or two owl bears, or a dragon. That will cut the conversation short.
Or like others have said tell them you don't see why you are needed for this and leave, especially if they are being weird after you talk to them.
I agree with much of what's been said here:
Additionally, my rule of thumb ( which I seldom have to invoke ) is that every 3 or so minutes of table discussion is 1 minute of game time ( not 1:1 as the Players need to stop and remember, or look up, facts the Characters would just automatically recall).
So if they stop and chat, the world goes on. Bad guys get to do stuff, random events can occur, etc.
If the party is holed up in an Inn, talking about the last adventure over an ale around the fire ... well, I might start to web-surf on my laptop ( or have a nosey NPC listen in - possibly leverage what they overhear into a new adventure hook ).
If they're doing this getting ready to go over the wall to infiltrate the Fortress of Doom (tm) , well, that gives the guards that many chances to spot them. Nothing cuts a conversation short faster than a volley of arrows.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
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Sounds super frustrating, but on the bright side, the group loves RP! If you do too and just feel left out, have an NPC walk up and ask to share a meal. See where it goes. If you are like me, you try to make sure no players are getting left out for too long, you count too!
If you would still be bored even so, then it's time to talk to the group again because you and they may have some fundamentlly different expectations. Maybe a compromise can be reached, or you switch DMs if need be.
Everyone gets to have fun, that's the only reason to play.
I see alot of comments about the players fun, both in this and other posts but people seem to forget that the DM needs to have fun aswell.
I to would be a bit frustrated and even bored if the players keept chitchatting while I wanted to progress the story. (dont get me wrong, that they roleplay and bond is great, but sometimes its not the best time)
If your players are having an immersive roleplaying experience and talking about stuff in-character: take notes and use it.
Figure out how you can tie their in-character discussion (which the players are clearly expressing an interest in) to some plot hook you know will be coming up in a not too distant future. Maybe those marauders one character mentions when talking about how the old farm was raided are the same bandits you know will be found in the next town, or if the characters seem to agree that goblinoids are simply the worst in the next "random" encounter you can (if the story permits) switch the kobolds + guard drake for goblins + hobgoblin leader.
You might have a slow session this one time, but by using what you're hearing from the players you'll increase the enjoyment of the entire table further down the line.
I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.
people role playing out their characters is good, time spent doing it however is time passing for the characters in the world.
This means it's time the baddies use to set their evil schemes in motion, the more time they have to set their schemes in motion, the worse the outcome for the players,
so as you go forward let the players get clues to things that are already happening, rather than ones which could have been prevented if they got there earlier. finding out that something horrible is happening now because you sat in the pub getting drunk for a couple of days instead of finding out information that could have stopped it, might give them a boost to go find the info and stop things in future
another option is to write something horrible and slip in that you came up with the idea in the extra writing time you had while they were enjoying themselves role playing for 3 hours while you had nothing else to do. i don't mean beef things up i mean make something more devious underhand and downright despicable
keep repeating the horrible till one asks how you came up with the ideas then point out you do it while they are roleplaying as you have extra time to make things more troublesome.
All plans turn into, run into the room waving a sword and see what happens from there, once the first die gets rolled
You may have orchestrated an adventure that doesn’t fit their style. If they have that much interest in RP, then perhaps more intrigue, NPC interaction, and opportunity cost for their time is needed. Don’t sit back and watch the RP as DM, interject yourself through the world if you can.You have simple stuff like convincing the stable hand to entertain the advances of the barmaid, world shaping things like negotiating the peace treaty between the nations X and Y, and reality bending psychological warfare with a deity the party could never hope to defeat physically. Matt Colville often mentions Diplomacy. Maybe look to that for inspiration for tension within your party. He said he even had people not in the campaign informing the actions of certain NPC’s. I could imagine something like that interjecting some unexpected interactions for your players.
This is a 2018 thread, so I doubt that the campaign is still running.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)