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Post by monkeym666 on Sept 2, 2017 12:19:41 GMT -8
Hey there guys. I've been a lurker here for a wee while, listening to the podcast for a lot longer and I'm in a bit of a pickle (PICKLE RICK!....ahem... anyway) and I’m hoping that ya’ll may be able to help.
I'm a new DM, never played an RPG (other than video games) game but picked up D&D 5e Starter pack and have been having a great time learning and flying by the seat of my pants. I'm now in a position where I also am DM'ing on Roll20 with some online mates and I'm noticing a problem with my real life group that isn’t happening with the midweek roll20 games. As it's a social meetup and as these things go we all get some nice beers and mead and I find that the play is great for the first couple of hours, but then as the juice sinks in the side conversations creeps in and as the session continues it gets harder and harder to engage everyone (usually in a fight of some kind) as they're attention is weighing. I'm not sure what to do! I don't want to stop the jovial relaxed nature of our meetups (ie: drinking) but I'm short on techniques on how to bring the interest back without raising my voice, or glaring at the offending players and spoiling the mood. How do you guys deal with this kind of problem? Is there anything I can do to bring the group back in line? Everyone is having a great time and love playing but I feel that as they’re all new players they don’t know they’re missing.
Thanks a load in advance!
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Post by chronovore on Sept 2, 2017 22:16:26 GMT -8
Don't let lightweights into your game. ... or, at least that's what I feel the Happyjack's advice should be! In reality, it is an much trickier situation than I have had to deal with. Maybe you can have a grown up talk with the player(s) who are having the most trouble focusing? Another fix would be to set a drink limit so people can pace themselves to fit the session duration? FWIW: My main gaming group consists of teetotalers. My Roll20 group tends to drink, and the DM is the one who gets the most surly the quickest.
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Post by uncommonman on Sept 3, 2017 0:03:20 GMT -8
Don't have fights in tour game.
Find a system that has super quick combat, just one or two rolls.
I think you and the players have different goals for the game.
You want to game and drink, they want to hangout, drink and do a little gaming.
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Post by monkeym666 on Sept 3, 2017 8:01:32 GMT -8
haha chronovore. I wish they were lightweights... it may be easier to deal with! These guys are seasoned sessioners (hence not really being able to curb it once they start up). I like the idea of just being open about it. They're all having a great time and I think that they would want it all to go a bit smoother. I was considering releasing table rules (hidden under the guise of "here's my homebrew rules")... so maybe I can get some results by finding some middle ground in there. One of the trouble makers if my wife so that'll be an interesting chat haha
I appricate the suggestion of changing systems uncommonman but it was tricky to get the d&d up and running (and that seemed to be due to stranger things more than anything else) I think I'm stuck with 5e until I can finish this campeign and then talk to them about moving to something else. Any suggestions for other systems? I'm super new to this and I've heard a lot of the RPG system names but really don't have much of an idea about how the machanics actually work.
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Post by uncommonman on Sept 3, 2017 8:08:40 GMT -8
haha chronovore. I wish they were lightweights... it may be easier to deal with! These guys are seasoned sessioners (hence not really being able to curb it once they start up). I like the idea of just being open about it. They're all having a great time and I think that they would want it all to go a bit smoother. I was considering releasing table rules (hidden under the guise of "here's my homebrew rules")... so maybe I can get some results by finding some middle ground in there. One of the trouble makers if my wife so that'll be an interesting chat haha I appricate the suggestion of changing systems uncommonman but it was tricky to get the d&d up and running (and that seemed to be due to stranger things more than anything else) I think I'm stuck with 5e until I can finish this campeign and then talk to them about moving to something else. Any suggestions for other systems? I'm super new to this and I've heard a lot of the RPG system names but really don't have much of an idea about how the machanics actually work. www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/178359Or if you want even simpler: One Page RPGs imgur.com/a/xRdx5More party game: 1d4chan.org/wiki/Everyone_Is_John
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Post by monkeym666 on Sept 3, 2017 9:55:40 GMT -8
Thanks heaps man. Greatly appricated
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Post by akavidar on Sept 3, 2017 16:03:31 GMT -8
Try to plan your sessions so you get combat and the heavy thinking done at the beginning. Then have the npc interactions and shopping happen during the heavy drinking.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2017 16:03:10 GMT -8
Drinking and gaming can be a mess.
I would think that a rules-light, more 'we're having fun just making rules up' type set up would be the way to go. We had a recent L5R campaign that would get derailed because of one player and his heavy drinking during the game, meaning he'd see everything as something to chop because that was his character's specialty. So we banned/limited drinking.
But, then again, I've been in some rough and tumble groups. First campaign I joined into with strangers (I was around 13 or so) would sometimes devolve into fisticuffs and drunk goofing around (the other players were much older, like 18-28)... favorite part was the brawl that happened between players that ended up with the instigator getting roundhoused in the face. #SpitTeethOutMouthFullOfBlood
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Post by chronovore on Sept 5, 2017 17:46:28 GMT -8
o_0;;
That's seriously more than I'd ever want to deal with. I mean, my impression is "that's more than any sane person would want to deal with," but whatever floats your boat. I'm surprised that it didn't turn you away from the hobby!
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tomes
Supporter
Hello madness
Posts: 1,438
Currently Running: Dungeon World, hippie games, Fallout Shelter RPG hack
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Post by tomes on Sept 5, 2017 19:05:56 GMT -8
Just limit the actual RPG part of the session to whatever that time limit is... 2 hours if needed. Then just let it devolve and stop the RPG. That or what they said above.
I just know that drinks and GM-ing don't always mix. I once had my players suddenly hop back in time 30 minutes to their utter confusion. I wouldn't have even remembered it the next day, except I recorded the session, and embarrassingly listened to the whole thing.
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Post by The Northman on Sept 7, 2017 12:41:14 GMT -8
My best advice would be to talk to people and see if getting hammered is their preference to playing in a game that needs a certain amount of attention and brain power. If it's the former, just ask them to wait to really crack things open till after the game wraps, or maybe limit themselves to 1-2. If that's not possible, you might need to start hosting an AA meeting instead of a game. If it's the latter....find some board games everyone likes and stop trying to herd cats.
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Post by weaselcreature on Sept 8, 2017 7:38:14 GMT -8
Just limit the actual RPG part of the session to whatever that time limit is... 2 hours if needed. Then just let it devolve and stop the RPG. That or what they said above. This is one of my 2 suggestions, the other is what was mentioned and have a talk with them. Let them know what you've witnessed, and see if they can be adult about it and just slow down the pace of the booze.
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Post by monkeym666 on Sept 11, 2017 1:34:11 GMT -8
Great tips guys. I'm going to try and change around the order of events in a session and see where that gets me (combat first, RPG later), as well as a chat on the sidelines. I'll def let ya'll know how I go! Great community here, I'm glad I decided to poke my head in propperly
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bobcatt
Apprentice Douchebag
Patron
An infinite number of monkeys can't be wrong...
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Preferred Game Systems: AD&D 1e, 2e, 5e, Top Secret/S.I., Classic Traveller
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Favorite Species of Monkey: Barrel of
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Post by bobcatt on Oct 4, 2017 15:52:31 GMT -8
When we were finally old enough to drink while we gamed (and never, ever before that - not even once) the sessions would get sloppy and peter out before the good parts came around. It made for some less-than-enjoyable afternoons & evenings, and probably contributed to one guy stopping play altogether. I then tried to schedule our sessions at times where you couldn't get 'faced because another event was following the game, or I'd "forget" to buy a case on the way to the host's place, and we'd make do with the (very) few tins on hand. My recollection is only one instance of fisticuffs in many years, and very few shouting matches. Lucky.
As long as everyone is reasonable in their consumption, a game can proceed despite having a few refreshments.
Since returning to the RPG fold, a few of the games I've participated in have had beer or wine available, but only a few of us /might/ have one pint of ale during the 9-10 hours at the venue. I think we're all old enough to recognise that the time we're setting aside to play is too precious a commodity to spoil.
Younger players are going to have to figure out this stuff for themselves. "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment." If I had a player get out of hand during a game, I'd probably ask them to leave. It would be the repercussion for their poor decision, and they could chalk it up to experience.
Chris in Canada
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HazelnutMudslide
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Preferred Game Systems: L5R, 7th Sea, TriStat, WoD, D&D5e
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Favorite Species of Monkey: grease, never know when you'll need one to fix things.
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Post by HazelnutMudslide on Oct 5, 2017 3:09:31 GMT -8
Just limit the actual RPG part of the session to whatever that time limit is... 2 hours if needed. Then just let it devolve and stop the RPG. That or what they said above. I just know that drinks and GM-ing don't always mix. I once had my players suddenly hop back in time 30 minutes to their utter confusion. I wouldn't have even remembered it the next day, except I recorded the session, and embarrassingly listened to the whole thing. Pretty much this, if it’s bothering you. State before game that you don’t want to be a fun sucker however if you feel things derail, you will call the table closed and drinking can continue.
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