Topics concerning the dynamics of RPG groups.
39
votes
11answers
938 views
How do I deal with GM burnout?
There are groups that share the role of GM/DM/Storyteller/Ref, and there are those that don't. In either type there is always the threat of burnout - too much responsibility is put into the hands of a ...
16
votes
11answers
710 views
How can you find a balance between effective/optimised characters and creative characters?
When creating characters, I often face a dilemma between making a character. It feels like they can either be optimized so they can "pull their own weight" or having a character I think is creative ...
18
votes
5answers
359 views
How do I run a game for a larger group?
I am currently running a Dungeons and Dragons 4 campaign for a group of 9 players. Whittling the group down to a more manageable size is not really an option since they are all family. When we do ...
5
votes
2answers
96 views
Reward distribution and story continuity with rotating players/GMs
There are some people who like to GM, and maybe even like it more than role playing themselves. If you have one of those rare specimen in your group consider yourself lucky. Others are not averse to ...
16
votes
8answers
500 views
How do you deal with a player that's determined to play the game in a way that is detrimental to the advancement of the story?
I GM a Dresden Files campaign, and I have a first time role-player that has become a problem in terms of advancement of the story. At first I chalked it up to inexperience, but its become more and ...
4
votes
1answer
350 views
Average gaming time and session frequency
Any (semi) hard data on average gaming time and session frequency?
(How often does an average party play and how long does an average session of theirs last?)
Has anyone surveyed this yet (with ...
2
votes
1answer
192 views
Looking for Group in RPG-deprived cities [closed]
I live in Santiago de Chile. RPG resources here are -to my knowledge- few and far between. AFAIK there's one single shop selling RPG dice, the rest of the bookstores having dwindled and waned their ...
51
votes
21answers
1k views
How can I avoid players spending too much time planning?
Several times when I have played in or ran a game in which the players had an objective and reasonable resources, a lot of (real) time was spent trying to plan for every contingency.
For example, ...
24
votes
5answers
626 views
Dealing with people who turn up late for sessions
I run sessions every Monday evening at a pub in the centre of London, and most people come to play straight from work. Up until recently we were attempting to start at 7pm, but there were one or two ...
22
votes
5answers
475 views
How do I increase role-playing during combat?
Right now, the group that I GM for is very, very tactical combat focused. To some extent we may as well be playing a dungeon crawl boardgame for all the role-play we manage.
Now, in itself that's not ...
16
votes
11answers
513 views
Narrativist Gaming: How do you transition more traditionally-trained players into them?
This was obviously inspired by the corresponding question on GM-less gaming.
For the past couple of years I've become really interested in RPGs that are less about dungeon-crawling and combat and ...
16
votes
6answers
366 views
Techniques for speeding up a game with many players at the table?
I have a table of six players already, and have more people interested in joining my game. I wanted to consult people who had experience with running large tables to see if running for larger groups ...
17
votes
9answers
557 views
How to help players settle down and focus?
We have a weekly game in the evenings; however, we often don't start playing for a few hours after we get together, if at all. This has been exacerbated recently by other events with the same people ...
21
votes
8answers
812 views
How do I make my role playing group a not exclusively male one?
My role playing groups have been, almost exclusively, male. What are some ideas/options for making the group and the experience more likely to attract, and retain, female players?
24
votes
5answers
2k views
How do I quit a game gracefully?
I've been in a game for a while and I've been distracted for several sessions because the game simply hasn't been very interesting to me. The setting and story set by the GM aren't very gripping and ...
17
votes
11answers
732 views
Encouraging out-of-the-box thinking in combat encounters
I'm a GM currently running D&D 3.5.
I try to think of situations that present the players with a number of possible solutions.
The players, however, always resort to the same pattern of killing ...
10
votes
2answers
294 views
How can I rescue the game when the player characters refuse to work together?
I am a Game Master, and the characters in my group have started to regularly split up. The group's mage has always been a summoner and recently started summoning smaller demons. The fighter's player ...
7
votes
3answers
180 views
How to gather a group of players in a foreign country?
I am a person who has to relocate a lot due to employment reasons. I tried to build English-playing groups with little or no success. In some cases, I was able to gather only one person or two. Only ...
27
votes
6answers
667 views
How can I check whether an extremely adult/mature plot idea would be accepted by players without revealing any details of the idea itself?
I am running a post-apocalyptic zombie game with a dark and mature story, exploring a number of adult themes. I have complete buy-in from the players; some of them have stated it is their favourite ...
