The social aspects of role-playing games.
16
votes
4answers
452 views
How do I, as a DM, help a girl integrate into a group of all male role-players? [closed]
We have recently had an addition to our gaming group. She is very bright and has picked up the rules quickly and seems to have enjoyed herself. We have had one session with her involved and she has ...
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 ...
24
votes
3answers
322 views
How to support useful Intraparty Conflict
This is a question calling for tried and tested methods for facilitating entertaining CvC intraparty conflict.
Although Player versus Player (PvP) seems to be the accepted term among a large ...
5
votes
1answer
195 views
Powergamer to Roleplayer [closed]
I would classify myself as a powergamer. Most of the characters that I make are carefully optimized and crafted. However, the most "Fun" I ever had in a game was when my character was not optimized ...
20
votes
6answers
481 views
How to encourage new GMs (in a club environment)
I am part of a games club that has been running for years. Our size varies but we usually have around 10-15 members and run 2-3 games at a time. We change games every 6 months (this also varies ...
23
votes
9answers
1k views
Is there a limit to Rule 0?
Rule Zero: All other rules can be changed by the GM.
I appreciate that there is a massive amount of work that goes into be a GM and the last thing that any GM wants or deserves is to have his ...
31
votes
4answers
344 views
What policies should be made at the start of a campaign, to define the desired game experience and avoid bad feelings later?
My group and I work on the assumption that a game system's default assumptions are its manifesto, and that by choosing a system we are choosing to let its assumptions stand except where we institute ...
10
votes
5answers
303 views
How can I create a more serious atmosphere when playing with siblings?
At our gaming table the players are always making jokes, and some make nonsense noises for some strange reason. My players generally act like hooligans.
Getting a new group is not an option – they're ...
8
votes
6answers
282 views
Looking for Role playing games with interesting social mechanics
Hopefully this produces some interesting sources for inspiration for my own designs: does anyone know of a system with an interesting take on handling social and similar situations, such as a debate ...
17
votes
10answers
973 views
How do I encourage a GM to use the rules as written?
Related to this question, there are some game masters who either don't know the rules or ignore them properly. They come into conflict with rules lawyers, players who know the rules well and expect ...
11
votes
6answers
514 views
How do I handle a player who plays his character far differently than the character was originally presented?
I'm not asking how to make every character be played as I would play them. I'm asking how to handle a situation in which the character that the player presents to me as a GM (with complete back-story, ...
16
votes
2answers
330 views
How do I politely decline to hear a gaming story? [closed]
Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to hear a story about a game that I wasn't in, especially if it's objectively a lot less interesting than the people who were in the game thought it was. Or, and ...
23
votes
6answers
1k views
How to deal with players not taking things seriously?
As both a player and GM I play with my group of players (and close friends) on multiple occasions and they will often make fun of either my characters, NPC or a specific situation and won't stop ...
14
votes
1answer
241 views
How to play a character that has an alien mindset and thought process?
I have a character that I am currently portraying who is not human, and I would like to increase the obviousness of his non-humanity ( mainly through dialog and actions ).
The character is a ...
14
votes
0answers
175 views
How can a GM calm down the group when they're chatty? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When and how should I get the players to cut back on their out of character chatter?
Now and then the groups I play in or GM can get rather chatty. They're talking and ...
11
votes
7answers
888 views
How can I deal with a “goof-ball” player in my WoD group?
I am a storyteller in a World of Darkness group, and I'm about to start designing a new scenario. However one of my players (let's call him Eric) is worrying me. Eric usually goes the goofball route ...
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, ...
5
votes
3answers
385 views
Which is the best rpg to introduce people to role playing? [closed]
I'm also kinda new, but I understand the idea of a RPG and its basic rules.
8
votes
6answers
380 views
Giving Players the Game They Want
Currently I am running a game of Legend of the Five Rings, 4th Edition that is an extension of my 3rd Ed campaign. The current setting is a courtly endeavor, which dredges up certain problems. When ...
31
votes
3answers
658 views
How to handle a 'power-GM'?
My rpg group is generally very good about 'playing well with others' and most of us lean towards story-gaming more than anything else. We have one member, though, who tends to be a pretty prototypical ...
15
votes
3answers
178 views
Remind players of critical information that would be obvious to the characters?
To make a long story short, a campaign I was playing in [as play-per-mail] has come to a standstill. The cause of this is the following:
My character dove into the river, to retrieve something that ...
4
votes
3answers
302 views
Mitigating conflict in a 'mixed' nWoD game
The last (and only) time I ran a mixed game (containing Changeling, Mage and Vampire characters) for nWoD. I explained at length that nWoD started with a clean sheet and no one 'instinctively' hated ...
21
votes
6answers
630 views
How can I treat old and new players fairly, without upsetting anyone?
The last time I ran a game of D&D there was a lot of tension between new players (both to the group, and D&D) and old players. It stemmed partly from oldbies not wanting their ball taken away, ...
13
votes
6answers
372 views
Finding time to play
How do people find time to play an RPG with friends, around work, study and partners? I've a preference for weekly play but I just can't find the time to dedicate to roleplaying anymore. And when I ...
30
votes
6answers
947 views
What To Do When You Just Seem To Not Belong With a Group?
I'm looking for some advice and input on a situation I've found myself in as a player. To give a little background, my gaming group (4 men, 2 women, between the ages of 25 and 32) is about to end a ...
18
votes
5answers
965 views
Group social issues when roleplaying as the opposite gender
Some time ago I was thinking of a character for a system (which I won't mention, to avoid any bias) who was of the opposite gender. I'm fairly convinced that it's because of the characters background, ...
4
votes
4answers
398 views
Are there any major faux pas one should avoid when joining a game?
The question:
EDIT 2 (for more clarity):
I'll happily award the answer to the person who answers the following question with the most sincere and considered response:
Are there any major faux pas ...
13
votes
8answers
580 views
How valid is lying to players about the rolls they are making in The Dresden Files?
In last weeks Dresden Files game, the players followed the bad guy using a tracking spell, and found him in the projects at an apartment that they knew little about. Seeing his car, they decided to ...
7
votes
7answers
488 views
Experienced player behaving badly, challenging my motivation
This is a long question. I´d be much obliged, if you would read it completely
My group and I just migrated from a DM whose VERY incongruent storytelling and deliberate punishment of ...
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 ...
11
votes
6answers
531 views
Out-Of-Control Characters
As I review the suggestions the DMG (pg32) has I wonder what other suggestions that realistic.
I know that if a player is out of control (ie: killing masses for no reason) a DM would send Imperial ...
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 ...
0
votes
0answers
139 views
How do I deal with parents which still consider D&D to be an introduction to occultism? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
How do you reassure a worried parent?
Best comeback answer for people concerned about RPG activities?
There are some old booklets that are still doing the rounds on ...
27
votes
11answers
400 views
How to get better feedback from players?
OK, we started a new campaign yesterday and I really want to take quality feedback from my players. When I ask, "How was it? Do you like it?", I generally get some vague answers like "It was good, I ...
7
votes
6answers
170 views
How do you keep the book keeping/game management work balanced between players?
For most games, the work required in running a game is, by default, distributed unevenly between a "master" and the "player characters".
In our group, many/most of the group members have had ...
21
votes
8answers
814 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?
33
votes
11answers
2k views
Is it practical to run a weekly lunch-hour game of D&D with my coworkers?
I'm looking to get some of my coworkers together and start a lunch time, casual, D&D game. Has anyone done this - is there a practical way to do this?
Our lunch breaks run for about 1 hour, but I ...
8
votes
11answers
308 views
How do I catch a Player Character up to the rest of the group after returning from an extended hiatus?
This is somewhat similar to "How do you deal with missing players?", but I'm looking to address slightly different issues. Also, this query is about longer breaks than the one or two sessions ...
26
votes
7answers
2k views
My children want to start playing RPGs; at what age should I allow them to participate unsupervised?
Some games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, come with ratings/recommended ages before they can be played. Are those accurate? Beyond the ratings, are there any general guidelines I should follow when ...
5
votes
5answers
526 views
What career options are available for a role playing game addict?
What, if any, careers are there out there that are built around playing role-playing games for a living? That is, jobs which go beyond supporting the addiction ;)
36
votes
14answers
872 views
When and how should I get the players to cut back on their out of character chatter?
I like that my players have all become such good friends. But they're all louder than me. We end up just chatting and hanging out more than gaming because I can't get them to stop having out of ...
23
votes
16answers
1k views
How to design game elements other than combat?
Most RPGs I know about and have played are fighting-centered. That doesn't mean that all gaming is only about fighting, but that most of the rules and character abilities are primarily useful in ...
9
votes
5answers
301 views
How can I encourage my group to seek success, rather than entertaining failure?
Our weekly group has a tendency toward playing into escalating spirals of self destruction, regardless of the system or genre. Players will look for opportunities to fail, or to set up other player's ...
21
votes
6answers
403 views
How do you switch from parenting-mode to GM-mode?
Directly related to this question.
My players are my children. A GM has a different relationship with players than a parent does with children. A parent tries to encourage and nurture children; a ...
65
votes
9answers
2k views
How does a player correct a GM mistake without being a rules lawyer or pushover?
You are playing in a game. The GM says that you need to roll a given roll. The rules clearly state something different. I realize one solution is to go along to get along, then tell the GM after ...
5
votes
9answers
290 views
What is best practice for auditioning a prospective new player?
Continuing on this question how is the best way to set up an auditioning session? What gamewise should you do differently? What are the expectations on the group and the potential new person? What is ...
13
votes
4answers
220 views
How can I encourage a style of play where enhancing others' fun is the most important goal?
Let's assume that we can break play styles into two categories: "selfish play," where you want to have fun, and "less-selfish play," where you want to have fun but you want everyone else at the table ...
16
votes
9answers
739 views
What real world skills can RPGs improve?
What real world skills can be improved by playing Role-playing games? What skills have you or others in your experience improved through gaming?
17
votes
7answers
399 views
What makes a good pitch for a new game?
What should make up a pitch about a new game to a prospective group of players? What does a good RPG pitch entail? What should go into the case for why a game should be played (and why that GM is the ...
39
votes
11answers
941 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 ...
