What are some tips for keeping players focused on using their time for productive purposes whenever they’ve returned to their home base or have gone off visiting a town before getting into the meat of a quest.
Context: I love my players, and they’re an incredible group, but there’s been an emerging problem of the plot and sessions getting bogged down with them wanting to RP every bit of minutiae. Some examples include:
They’re going to a new climate or a particular function? They ask for a shopping montage or side quests for materials for a tailor. “Give us multiple options for all of our characters at the store!”
They’re back at HQ? They want to RP every moment of training and spell prep, and every meal is an occasion.
In a new city? Split up and do individual RP any time it’s an option!
I want to be clear that I’m not mad, nor do I want to mock my players or veto all of their fun, but when this stuff gets long winded, or when players hesitate on what they want, literally nothing happens, and people get bored waiting for their turns. I’ve a few players who get antsy with me over it every session, and I’m trying, but short of telling people they’re hogging air time or repeating irrelevant information, I’m not sure how to keep them action-oriented when they’re not in harm’s way. It also kills my fun as a DM because they miss tons of shit I HAD planned that we have to put off or never see, and it requires me to improvise details at such a microscopic level sometimes. I get that I’ve made a really lore-heavy world and they want to experience their characters fully, but can’t they do that gradually over the course of things? Isn’t that what should be happening?
I’ve got an “off session RP” channel in our Discord server, but that can be super time-consuming for me in some cases. We meet weekly, and the campaign is all homebrew, so it can be very labor-intensive for me to begin with.
Yeah lol, they consistently say I’m the best DM they’ve ever had, which is lovely and really touching. I just live in constant fear of the whole thing imploding if I’m not really careful with how sessions go.
Hmm, reminds me of what the answer was in the Army and that answer was a blanket party. A blanket party in the context of the Army was when someone had screwed up in their behavior be it sloth, greed, lying, etc that effected the group or unit and their buddies would hold them down and beat them with pillow cases filled with bars of soap to encourage a stop to that behavior. I'm not advocating violence in your game, I'm saying perhaps it's time to enlist the other players who are effected by the bandwidth hogs to do a bit of enforcement of behavior modification. If the problem is some are being bandwidth hogs a fellow player calling them out on that is more effective then the DM doing so, which can lead to embarrassment. Just a thought, not all social dynamics are the same across all groups, try and use your best judgement.
For the clothes shopping, you can go a couple ways. A lot of small towns will be so small there are not options. If they’re in a big city, tell them they can find anything they like, a good investigation check will reduce the amount of time. Then put it on them to describe what they find. RP dinners, let them have at it. If it’s taking too much time, you could tell them how you know this is fun, but you have other things planned as well, so let’s keep it to 5 minutes.
For splitting up in a new town — there’s a reason never split the party is a rule. Have someone get jumped and mugged or taken prisoner.
The bigger question overall is, is what they’re doing fun for you? If yes, then go with it. But I’m guessing no, or you wouldn’t be here asking, or if not “no” then you like it ok, but it’s wearing on you a little. If that’s the case, it may be time for a little session 0 type intervention where you explain that to them. You are playing, too, and should enjoy what’s happening. If you don’t, talk to them and ask them to rein it in.
I echo Lyxen's advice, and I wouldn't worry about imploding if you do things online. I think it is great your PCs want to RP like everything!
We tried a bulletin board, and one of my players was into it, another didn't have the time (but was fine with whatever), and another player wasn't. In my case it meant that the players had different ideas of what the campaign should be like ... that is your greatest danger, so talking to them individually and asking how much RPing each player is wanting is the lesson I learned (I was pressed into DM service like over night, despite having done months of VTT map prep and reading the premade "Borderlands" adventure from Goodman Games).
Can you elaborate on this a little more? I’m intrigued but don’t entirely follow. They do definitely have differing ideas, and it’s an issue for me.
I’ve definitely noticed also that some of them really can’t take the heat too long and . . . that’s less than ideal because I’ve not even begun to throw the worst of the campaign at them yet.
We created a bulletin board (think circa 2005) and for the RPG tavern banter players could post to chat. Two of the players were active on the bulletin board and interested in RPGing, but when we did the first virtual session one of the players was more interested in just rushing to combat (mind you this was a session zero). The third player was fine with the virtual roleplay and start, but didn't have time after the session to really make use of the bulletin board.
At the same time, I was sending messages to players with maps (each got a piece of an incomplete map to the Caves of Chaos ... when combined, players could generally figure out where the caves where at). Turns out one of my players was hoping to use a different character, but her husband moved this character into my campaign. The third player was also going to be in the other campaign, but had not problem with trading DMs (but he was the one who wasn't as comfortable with a bulletin board and didn't know I had sent him maps).
End result is one player was following his quests, sharing his map and rumours; the second was in a bad mood and didn't want to share, but would rather just hack and slash; the third was happy to share, but didn't see what was sent him until too late.
Bottom line, I needed to do individual session zeroes to iron these details out, but a bulletin board *can* work.
In one of our campaigns, the DM is very strict and we know he wants to "get to the fight/puzzle" as soon as we can, so we limit shopping and other things as much as we can. The biggest problem with that is that the players don't get to know the other characters very well outside of combat tactics. Which is fine in the right group and setting, but there are just as many players that want to explore the world around them and find out the other facets of each other's characters. Yes, it is a lot of work as the DM... but it provides a creative outlet for players just like the fight scenes do for others. Heck, some of us like both sides of the coin (well... there are still other facets of this "roleplay" dice that you can delve into, not just fighting, shopping, eating, etc.) Also, sometimes it is stress relief to not have to figure out a fight at the moment and some people relish the time just being with the other people. I try to remember when I am behind the boards that moderation is the key. Do I like descriptive combats? You betcha... but it takes time, so doing a moderate amount of description and elevating my performance is more important than a long cool description after every swing of an axe or block of a sword. There are some times in town where purchasing can be escalated and focus on the areas you want to play around in (and mix it up so it isn't always the same). One time they get the bar scene, the next time there is a shortage of potions and they get to talk to the clerk, the next time the tailor is out sick and they cannot get cold weather gear without whatever... but if they get all of those every time? Moderation. Puzzles are another area of contention at our table. Sure, some people at the table like intricate puzzles and some like to just bash down the door after 60 seconds. That doesn't mean there aren't times to have longer sequences of fighting or puzzling or shopping, but then the next time, shorten them up so there is variety.
Find out what makes different players happy too. If you know someone likes to discuss things with a tailor... have a reason for everyone to have to go the tailor. [You hear a knock at the door and a messenger presents you with a fancy letter from the palace. Inside is an invitation for tomorrow evening where your presence has been requested.] And now you have a barbarian in fancy garb going into Social combat, which can easily be treated just like physical combat in a dungeon. Moderation. Variety. Spice of life...
Honestly, it's perfectly ok to just ask them. Not "can you please focus?" but "what are you looking for?" - nothing wrong with that. If they visit a tailor, that npc isn't going to show them 25 different outfits; they'll show them what they think is the best sale they can make. So ask them what they're looking for and give them the closest thing you think is available. Shopping for items? Give them a few exotic options, but don't offer them an entire buffet - shopkeepers will have some enticing specimens on display to get customers inside, but keeping an eye on the entire shop is difficult if it's crammed with wares. A provisioner of magical accoutrements is not unlikely to prefer keeping resources on hand rather than finished products anyway (better to create on demand than to have a large number of items waiting to be found by a random walk-in), so most off-the-rack items are probably things picked up second-hand already. They want to roleplay training? Ask them how they want to train and give them one focused session. Meals: one for the fun of it, and maybe if something happened that warrants discussing in character they can do that while breaking bread too (or in the bath house, or over a wine sampling, or anything they like - just limit it to when it's pertinent). If they all want to split up, remind them it gets boring for everyone not involved in the current scene and suggest they at least go out in pairs or threes. Find some middle ground.
As for missing tons of shit you had planned... Well, that's par for the DM course if you plan a ton of shit. I do it too, and it's a lot of fun, but if it's frustrating that so much goes unused your only real options are to cut back on volume or to be more obvious with your cues. Believe me, they're not missing a lot because of all the gallivanting around during downtime. It's just how it goes.
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Hey folks, a DMing question for you all.
What are some tips for keeping players focused on using their time for productive purposes whenever they’ve returned to their home base or have gone off visiting a town before getting into the meat of a quest.
Context: I love my players, and they’re an incredible group, but there’s been an emerging problem of the plot and sessions getting bogged down with them wanting to RP every bit of minutiae. Some examples include:
I want to be clear that I’m not mad, nor do I want to mock my players or veto all of their fun, but when this stuff gets long winded, or when players hesitate on what they want, literally nothing happens, and people get bored waiting for their turns. I’ve a few players who get antsy with me over it every session, and I’m trying, but short of telling people they’re hogging air time or repeating irrelevant information, I’m not sure how to keep them action-oriented when they’re not in harm’s way. It also kills my fun as a DM because they miss tons of shit I HAD planned that we have to put off or never see, and it requires me to improvise details at such a microscopic level sometimes. I get that I’ve made a really lore-heavy world and they want to experience their characters fully, but can’t they do that gradually over the course of things? Isn’t that what should be happening?
What do y’all think? What am I missing?
I’ve got an “off session RP” channel in our Discord server, but that can be super time-consuming for me in some cases. We meet weekly, and the campaign is all homebrew, so it can be very labor-intensive for me to begin with.
Yeah lol, they consistently say I’m the best DM they’ve ever had, which is lovely and really touching. I just live in constant fear of the whole thing imploding if I’m not really careful with how sessions go.
Hmm, reminds me of what the answer was in the Army and that answer was a blanket party. A blanket party in the context of the Army was when someone had screwed up in their behavior be it sloth, greed, lying, etc that effected the group or unit and their buddies would hold them down and beat them with pillow cases filled with bars of soap to encourage a stop to that behavior. I'm not advocating violence in your game, I'm saying perhaps it's time to enlist the other players who are effected by the bandwidth hogs to do a bit of enforcement of behavior modification. If the problem is some are being bandwidth hogs a fellow player calling them out on that is more effective then the DM doing so, which can lead to embarrassment. Just a thought, not all social dynamics are the same across all groups, try and use your best judgement.
For your specific questions:
For the clothes shopping, you can go a couple ways. A lot of small towns will be so small there are not options. If they’re in a big city, tell them they can find anything they like, a good investigation check will reduce the amount of time. Then put it on them to describe what they find.
RP dinners, let them have at it. If it’s taking too much time, you could tell them how you know this is fun, but you have other things planned as well, so let’s keep it to 5 minutes.
For splitting up in a new town — there’s a reason never split the party is a rule. Have someone get jumped and mugged or taken prisoner.
The bigger question overall is, is what they’re doing fun for you? If yes, then go with it. But I’m guessing no, or you wouldn’t be here asking, or if not “no” then you like it ok, but it’s wearing on you a little. If that’s the case, it may be time for a little session 0 type intervention where you explain that to them. You are playing, too, and should enjoy what’s happening. If you don’t, talk to them and ask them to rein it in.
That’s . . . just gonna make them hate each other.
Pitting players against each other is basically never a good idea.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I echo Lyxen's advice, and I wouldn't worry about imploding if you do things online. I think it is great your PCs want to RP like everything!
We tried a bulletin board, and one of my players was into it, another didn't have the time (but was fine with whatever), and another player wasn't. In my case it meant that the players had different ideas of what the campaign should be like ... that is your greatest danger, so talking to them individually and asking how much RPing each player is wanting is the lesson I learned (I was pressed into DM service like over night, despite having done months of VTT map prep and reading the premade "Borderlands" adventure from Goodman Games).
Can you elaborate on this a little more? I’m intrigued but don’t entirely follow. They do definitely have differing ideas, and it’s an issue for me.
I’ve definitely noticed also that some of them really can’t take the heat too long and . . . that’s less than ideal because I’ve not even begun to throw the worst of the campaign at them yet.
We created a bulletin board (think circa 2005) and for the RPG tavern banter players could post to chat. Two of the players were active on the bulletin board and interested in RPGing, but when we did the first virtual session one of the players was more interested in just rushing to combat (mind you this was a session zero). The third player was fine with the virtual roleplay and start, but didn't have time after the session to really make use of the bulletin board.
At the same time, I was sending messages to players with maps (each got a piece of an incomplete map to the Caves of Chaos ... when combined, players could generally figure out where the caves where at). Turns out one of my players was hoping to use a different character, but her husband moved this character into my campaign. The third player was also going to be in the other campaign, but had not problem with trading DMs (but he was the one who wasn't as comfortable with a bulletin board and didn't know I had sent him maps).
End result is one player was following his quests, sharing his map and rumours; the second was in a bad mood and didn't want to share, but would rather just hack and slash; the third was happy to share, but didn't see what was sent him until too late.
Bottom line, I needed to do individual session zeroes to iron these details out, but a bulletin board *can* work.
In one of our campaigns, the DM is very strict and we know he wants to "get to the fight/puzzle" as soon as we can, so we limit shopping and other things as much as we can. The biggest problem with that is that the players don't get to know the other characters very well outside of combat tactics. Which is fine in the right group and setting, but there are just as many players that want to explore the world around them and find out the other facets of each other's characters. Yes, it is a lot of work as the DM... but it provides a creative outlet for players just like the fight scenes do for others. Heck, some of us like both sides of the coin (well... there are still other facets of this "roleplay" dice that you can delve into, not just fighting, shopping, eating, etc.) Also, sometimes it is stress relief to not have to figure out a fight at the moment and some people relish the time just being with the other people. I try to remember when I am behind the boards that moderation is the key. Do I like descriptive combats? You betcha... but it takes time, so doing a moderate amount of description and elevating my performance is more important than a long cool description after every swing of an axe or block of a sword. There are some times in town where purchasing can be escalated and focus on the areas you want to play around in (and mix it up so it isn't always the same). One time they get the bar scene, the next time there is a shortage of potions and they get to talk to the clerk, the next time the tailor is out sick and they cannot get cold weather gear without whatever... but if they get all of those every time? Moderation. Puzzles are another area of contention at our table. Sure, some people at the table like intricate puzzles and some like to just bash down the door after 60 seconds. That doesn't mean there aren't times to have longer sequences of fighting or puzzling or shopping, but then the next time, shorten them up so there is variety.
Find out what makes different players happy too. If you know someone likes to discuss things with a tailor... have a reason for everyone to have to go the tailor. [You hear a knock at the door and a messenger presents you with a fancy letter from the palace. Inside is an invitation for tomorrow evening where your presence has been requested.] And now you have a barbarian in fancy garb going into Social combat, which can easily be treated just like physical combat in a dungeon. Moderation. Variety. Spice of life...
Honestly, it's perfectly ok to just ask them. Not "can you please focus?" but "what are you looking for?" - nothing wrong with that. If they visit a tailor, that npc isn't going to show them 25 different outfits; they'll show them what they think is the best sale they can make. So ask them what they're looking for and give them the closest thing you think is available. Shopping for items? Give them a few exotic options, but don't offer them an entire buffet - shopkeepers will have some enticing specimens on display to get customers inside, but keeping an eye on the entire shop is difficult if it's crammed with wares. A provisioner of magical accoutrements is not unlikely to prefer keeping resources on hand rather than finished products anyway (better to create on demand than to have a large number of items waiting to be found by a random walk-in), so most off-the-rack items are probably things picked up second-hand already. They want to roleplay training? Ask them how they want to train and give them one focused session. Meals: one for the fun of it, and maybe if something happened that warrants discussing in character they can do that while breaking bread too (or in the bath house, or over a wine sampling, or anything they like - just limit it to when it's pertinent). If they all want to split up, remind them it gets boring for everyone not involved in the current scene and suggest they at least go out in pairs or threes. Find some middle ground.
As for missing tons of shit you had planned... Well, that's par for the DM course if you plan a ton of shit. I do it too, and it's a lot of fun, but if it's frustrating that so much goes unused your only real options are to cut back on volume or to be more obvious with your cues. Believe me, they're not missing a lot because of all the gallivanting around during downtime. It's just how it goes.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].