I used to have an issue with this, where players would be on their phones during the game. But this has sort of passed for me.
Do you care if your players are on their phones during the game, presuming it's in downtime when their PC isn't doing anything?
Doesn't bother me. My group ranges from people that take the whole game quite seriously, to some that mainly enjoy just the combat and action parts, to others that are really just there for the social element. It's also a group of 8 players (plus me), so sometimes one player can be out of the action for a bit while others do their thing.
I would prefer if everyone was attentive and involved at all times, but if someone wants to entertain themselves quietly while others are doing their thing, I have no issue with it at all.
Quite frankly it irritates me. I don't mind someone taking a call or replying to a text, but if they are going to sit there updating farcebook or surfing the web, im gonig to take issue with it.
I didn't mind it when they were being used for game purposes: dice roller, calculator, notes, etc. Then people started facebooking, texting other people who weren't at the table (laughing and giggling), watching Youtube (with the volume on). It really started to tick me off, especially because we only game for a few hours a week and I felt like people were there but not really there, if that makes sense.
It got to the point where as soon as someone wasn't involved in what was immediately happening they would whip out the phone. And I mean immediately. Like their action in combat was over so out comes the phone until initiative comes back around to them.
I eventually snapped and told them all that I felt it was pretty disrespectful to the people currently involved in what was happening and pretty disrespectful to me. I apologized for not running a game they found interesting enough to pay attention to and I closed up my stuff and ended the session. I got a bunch of funny looks like "what stick got stuck up your ass" and no one said anything about it over the week before our next game. It was slightly better then next weekend. At the least they remembered to turn the sound off, not lol and most of them didn't do it during combat.
These days, I just ignore it. I run the game for those paying attention and don't bother with any extra effort for those that can't be bothered to actually "be there" for the game for the few hours we play.
If only my players weren't playing games or reading manga at the table.
Memes browsing isn't all that distracting but when the whole room is talking to you and no one can get your attention, it's a problem.
I have an issue with electronic anything at the table. I've yet to see a person manage it without being distracted, including the GM. Not saying it can't happen, but I've yet to see it.
I am weird. I don't allow electronics at my table, because I want to enforce an analog gaming experience, but when I play in someone else's group, I use an iPad all the time.
For me gaming is about two things. Hanging out with/making new friends and escapism. Playing with mobile devices at the gaming table IMO gets on the way of that.
I adore my Dice Ex phone app. It lets me set up profiles with score tracking (hit points and other expendible resources) and dice presets that can be rolled separately or all at once.
As a GM it lets me track whole combats quickly and easily. As a player it lets me track my hit points, ammunition, spell slots and other resources (ex. Bardic inspiration dice, Hit Dice, Healing Surges, Action Points, etc.) and roll all my checks and damage.
In my more modern games set in the real world I also find street maps and such to be extremely useful at the table and pulling it up on a phone or tablet is much less expensive than having to buy street maps for places all over the world. Particularly when Google Maps often has street views that really give a better feel than any topography map ever could.
Phones are tools and so are neutral. They can benefit or hinder things depending on how the tool is used. The chronic doodler who spends every second that isn't their turn working on some piece of art is every bit as distracted as the person checking Facebook; but we don't ban pens/pencils and paper from the table. The problem isn't the tool, it's the person using it.
Even more accurately, people use tools to solve problems. The really important question to ask is "what problem are they trying to solve?" If a player is more engaged with their phone than the GM then the odds are that player is using a tool at hand to entertain themselves because they aren't being engaged by the GM's game.
As a GM, I take players turning to their phones (beyond using game apps) as a sign that I'm not engaging them with the adventure like I should be and need to take measures to get them re-engaged; either move the current situation along or throw in a complication to get their head's back in the game. Forcing them to put down their phones is just treating the symptom, not the core problem. When I'm doing my job as GM properly they aren't paying any attention to their phones either and the game is healthier than it'd ever be with a 'no phones' rule.
I'm fine with them and I would leave any game that bans devices. The last thing I would want is to find out an emergency happened too late because of an elf game.
Quote from: Winterblight;1037281For me gaming is about two things. Hanging out with/making new friends and escapism. Playing with mobile devices at the gaming table IMO gets on the way of that.
^This. With the exception of something to play atmospheric music, I hate seeing any tech at the gaming table. Phones, laptops, and tablets. All of it. It's an opportunity for distraction. Respect the GM (and the players) and pay attention to the game. That's what we're there to do. Nothing annoys me more than hearing 'oh sorry, I missed it...what happened?' because someone was checking their email, sending a text, or surfing the net and wasn't paying attention. Playing a .pdf game? Print out what you need ahead of time or get the book.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1037258I used to have an issue with this, where players would be on their phones during the game. But this has sort of passed for me.
Do you care if your players are on their phones during the game, presuming it's in downtime when their PC isn't doing anything?
I don't mind, especially when it's to fill some down time. But I'm not fond of it. Thankfully none of my players have been obnoxious with personal electronics.
Once upon a time, there was this MMORPG called Everquest. A few times while trying to GM, my players at the time would log into EQ to play at the same time. That pissed me off, and colored my attitudes towards such distractions.
With any live gaming I do (as opposed to Play by Post) being on Hangouts/Roll20 it would be hard to enforce no electronics...
I have to confess to extreme distraction as a player. Ultimately I dropped out of the game as I realized my distraction was coming from just not being invested in what was going on (a combination of somewhat arbitrary character deaths, and at least a couple times the direction of the campaign getting hijacked by one player, one who only made every 3rd or 4th session...).
Even back in the day, some players would have their heads buried in a book (sometimes at least the rule book for the game being played, other times another game book, or even a novel) so distraction isn't anything new. The best way to keep people from finding distractions is to not spend more than a short time on one person before calling on the next (so fast combat systems for example). Even then, there will be times when a player isn't actively involved in the current scene. It may be better for the uninvolved players to be able to quietly distract themselves rather than get fidgety or make too many comments from the peanut gallery (though some games do encourage such out of character talk, so if the peanut gallery is making a positive contribution, then that's fine, but then really the player is actively involved in the scene by virtue of the way the game works even if their PC isn't).
I totally agree that people should be able to have their cell phones active to receive emergency calls.
Watching you tube and laughing is no different than two uninvolved players telling jokes or talking about something out of game. People should just know better...
Frank
I honestly used to have more trouble back in the 80s with friends coming to a game after hitting the local comic store. Guys who'd read comics at the table when their character wasn't doing anything. That was irritating.
Now, as grown up type people with jobs and families and such, everyone who comes to the game comes -to game-. And if we bust out a phone at the table now and then, it's no big deal. Often I'm shooting a text to my wife or kids asking how they're doing, or responding to a text from them. Some of the other players might have to take a call for their business (two of my usual players are small business owners and basically need to be available by phone 24/7). It's really no big deal.
But we all respect the game, and the time to hang out with our friends. We keep the phone distractions to a minimum, but all totally understand when something comes up.
Yes, it's rude and disrespectful to the other people who are present at the table. Having your phone close by when you're expecting a particular important call is not the same thing as pissing around on your phone whenever it's not "your turn". When you engage in an activity, you give it your full attention out of courtesy to everyone else giving up their free time to be there.
Quote from: Krimson;1037284I'm fine with them and I would leave any game that bans devices. The last thing I would want is to find out an emergency happened too late because of an elf game.
Does anyone actually do that? The most I've seen is telling people to put their phones on vibrate, and giving them nasty looks if they spend too much time staring at the little screen.
That said, I care, but never bothered with rules. If someone's more interested in their phone than the game, it's just a sign they don't belong.
We have one person with whom this is an issue, and it's a big one. He's definitely got a problem.
Quote from: Pat;1037302Does anyone actually do that? The most I've seen is telling people to put their phones on vibrate, and giving them nasty looks if they spend too much time staring at the little screen.
That said, I care, but never bothered with rules. If someone's more interested in their phone than the game, it's just a sign they don't belong.
As was mentioned earlier, you don't need an electronic device to be distracted. I certainly used to read during those games where you got to roll a dice every half hour before waiting another half hour. I've known groups that demand the phones get turned off, and as someone who found out after the fact that a relative died while someone was trying to call me, no elf game is worth that. However these days, if you have the technology and you aren't using it to enhance the game, you can be losing out. I have one app that syncs character sheets across devices. Another with spell lists. Another with a loot generator, which the DM has often asked me to use. Not to mention Donjon.
I think if you don't want people to be distracted at the table, then the sure way to do it is to run a game that is more interesting than a cellphone. I never have issues when I run a game.
No, it doesn't bother me. If my game isn't sufficiently engaging to keep their attention, than forcing same won't make it better. I can't recall the last time someone was tuned out on their phone, but if that happened I would just keep things moving and not backtrack later for that person's convenience.
Most times, the phone being used is momentary and not disruptive. A quick text, etc.
Quote from: Krimson;1037307As was mentioned earlier, you don't need an electronic device to be distracted. I certainly used to read during those games where you got to roll a dice every half hour before waiting another half hour. I've known groups that demand the phones get turned off, and as someone who found out after the fact that a relative died while someone was trying to call me, no elf game is worth that. However these days, if you have the technology and you aren't using it to enhance the game, you can be losing out. I have one app that syncs character sheets across devices. Another with spell lists. Another with a loot generator, which the DM has often asked me to use. Not to mention Donjon.
I think if you don't want people to be distracted at the table, then the sure way to do it is to run a game that is more interesting than a cellphone. I never have issues when I run a game.
Quote from: EOTB;1037313No, it doesn't bother me. If my game isn't sufficiently engaging to keep their attention, than forcing same won't make it better. I can't recall the last time someone was tuned out on their phone, but if that happened I would just keep things moving and not backtrack later for that person's convenience.
Most times, the phone being used is momentary and not disruptive. A quick text, etc.
Yea, this is the key. Make sure the game is engaging. If someone doesn't seem engaged, and you care about the player, ask what's up. Maybe they've just had a hard day and need a less intense activity. Maybe something has happened in game that has got the player disengaged (like what happened to me in the Classic Traveller game I was playing in, my investment dropped when a third player showed up with a Noble PC and a Yacht and the "mission" I had crafted for myself just got abandoned - I should have done something about it, but the GM could have also checked in with me). In the end, I chose to bail out (at which point the GM offered his observations of my engagement, but honestly, no understanding of why I became disengaged - oh well, better luck next time).
Frank
It's about the behavior and its effects. A phone in a pocket or used very briefly as needed, or away from the table by an inactive player, is ok. But players who are supposed to be playing who are focused on something else and/or distracting other players is no good, whatever the cause. And ya, some people have annoying device habits that would fall in the "no good" category.
I've rarely had someone at the table doing something distracting like going into mobile device limbo, but if/when it does I have them stop or leave the table. (Same if they start to go off-topic or OOC in a problematic way.)
I don't ban devices because everyone pretends they are CEOs / Batman who have imminent life emergencies. So fucking laughable. Somehow we all survived pre-cell phone, but that level of self reliance is a lost art apparently.
However, much like your genitals, keep your phone in your pants when at my game table.
If you want to play with your phone, go do that. We are here to game.
BTW, this again is a problem I see FAR more with RPGers than with minis or boardgame players. In our game design Meetup, we have an utter spaz who has to keep his phone next to him at all times, but even Mr. Spaztastic only glances at texts and fast responds, no surfing, no games, no dicking around.
And I razz him.
Quote from: ffilz;1037318Yea, this is the key. Make sure the game is engaging. If someone doesn't seem engaged, and you care about the player, ask what's up. Maybe they've just had a hard day and need a less intense activity. Maybe something has happened in game that has got the player disengaged (like what happened to me in the Classic Traveller game I was playing in, my investment dropped when a third player showed up with a Noble PC and a Yacht and the "mission" I had crafted for myself just got abandoned - I should have done something about it, but the GM could have also checked in with me). In the end, I chose to bail out (at which point the GM offered his observations of my engagement, but honestly, no understanding of why I became disengaged - oh well, better luck next time).
Frank
And in some cases, maybe the DM is simply running a boring game.
First, answering the phone is OK because it might be an emergency. Keep it brief.
Playing games, browsing, etc...
It's a team game. If you're that disconnected from the team, the game is dead.
Only if it causes delay of game.
Facebook will still be there.
Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1037345First, answering the phone is OK because it might be an emergency. Keep it brief.
Playing games, browsing, etc...
It's a team game. If you're that disconnected from the team, the game is dead.
And the question then becomes, is it the players fault they're disconnected or is it that the GM just isn't very good at creating an engaging session?
For example, I would laugh at the GM who was upset their players were more focused on their phones if he was the type to run his players through rail-roads that are fanfic for him DMPC. The GM isn't doing his job and is pissed that no one thinks he's as good a writer as he does and are voting with their phones for anything better to do with their time, but don't want to just get up and leave because telling someone "your game blows" and walking out feels even more rude than just playing on your phone as inconspicuously as possible until they're done.
Alternately, the player might have ADHD (I've had a few who do) and getting them to focus on anything for more than two minutes is nigh on impossible whether they have a phone or not (pre-cell phone era one of my players who would later be diagnosed with it ADHD would literally be swinging from the basement rafters between turns).
Neither of those situations is particularly helped by banning cell phones from the table.
And as I said before, I actually prefer it as a GM in a way... it gives me an easy visual cue that my players are not engaged with the situation and I can take steps to remedy it.
I do this arcane, eldrich thing called "talking to my players." If they're dicking around with their phones, I stop the game and ask them why. If they are so disengaged from the game I'm running, then I want to know how to enhance their engagement. If what they want is drastically different from what I want in a game, then shit, I have plenty of other things to do. And if I can't engage them, I'm not going to waste their time and mine.
To play with your phone or other device is to tell your GM that you're not interested in the game. And you know what? I'm totally cool with it. Don't bother showing up if my games bore you and everyone will be happy. Assuming of course, it's just one player. If several, that's when you discuss it with them.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1037258I used to have an issue with this, where players would be on their phones during the game. But this has sort of passed for me.
Do you care if your players are on their phones during the game, presuming it's in downtime when their PC isn't doing anything?
No phone use. And no down time for players.
Long as players are ready on their turn, don't make me repeat myself and don't allow it to disrupt the game for others (playing Youtube videos, etc), I don't have a problem with them having their cell phones at the table.
Yes
...and its getting worse.
Next campaign I start I want to ban all smart phones during the game sessions.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Winterblight;1037264Quite frankly it irritates me. I don't mind someone taking a call or replying to a text, but if they are going to sit there updating farcebook or surfing the web, im gonig to take issue with it.
Yes.
Sorta like at the cinema, when someone in the audience is talking/texting and not watching the movie. It's rude, both to the players and the GM. Keep it on vibrate and take a call or text only if you need to.
Quote from: Krimson;1037307As was mentioned earlier, you don't need an electronic device to be distracted. I certainly used to read during those games where you got to roll a dice every half hour before waiting another half hour. I've known groups that demand the phones get turned off, and as someone who found out after the fact that a relative died while someone was trying to call me, no elf game is worth that. However these days, if you have the technology and you aren't using it to enhance the game, you can be losing out. I have one app that syncs character sheets across devices. Another with spell lists. Another with a loot generator, which the DM has often asked me to use. Not to mention Donjon.
I think if you don't want people to be distracted at the table, then the sure way to do it is to run a game that is more interesting than a cellphone. I never have issues when I run a game.
Fundamentally disagree. It's is
not the job of the DM to entertain the players. It's
everyone's responsibility. RPGs aren't TV shows or theatre, with a passive audience. They're dynamic, and require the players to be engaged. If someone's more interested in the phone than the game, it's a sign they're in the wrong hobby. The correct response is to talk to them, and if necessary give them the boot.
While you may have met a group that took no technology to an extreme, I think that's an extreme outlier case. It's fine if you want to insist your phone be on in case there's an emergency. But conversely, it's also perfectly reasonable for a DM to ask everyone to put their phone on vibrate and not respond unless it actually is an emergency. That's just common courtesy and basic communication. And if you need to respond, that's what breaks are for -- you do have breaks, I hope? They're actually very important, but so many people forget them unless the group contains smokers. And if there's a lull in the game, it's perfectly reasonable to have a longer break. But again, that's a social issue not a technology issue.
It's rude and it annoys the fuck out of me. An RPG session isn't a TV show playing in the background for you to halfheartedly snatch peeks of while you do other shit. I used to just let it slide because it's become so common and I didn't want to cause a scene (As a teacher I've seen teens cry and/or LOOSE THEIR FUCKING SHIT when devices were taken away or turned off so perhaps that's made me a little gun-shy). But recently I've reached a breaking point and I'm putting my foot down the next time I run.
Quote from: Pat;1037399Fundamentally disagree. It's is not the job of the DM to entertain the players. It's everyone's responsibility. RPGs aren't TV shows or theatre, with a passive audience. They're dynamic, and require the players to be engaged. If someone's more interested in the phone than the game, it's a sign they're in the wrong hobby. The correct response is to talk to them, and if necessary give them the boot.
While you may have met a group that took no technology to an extreme, I think that's an extreme outlier case. It's fine if you want to insist your phone be on in case there's an emergency. But conversely, it's also perfectly reasonable for a DM to ask everyone to put their phone on vibrate and not respond unless it actually is an emergency. That's just common courtesy and basic communication. And if you need to respond, that's what breaks are for -- you do have breaks, I hope? They're actually very important, but so many people forget them unless the group contains smokers. And if there's a lull in the game, it's perfectly reasonable to have a longer break. But again, that's a social issue not a technology issue.
As a DM, I do feel it is my job to keep the players entertained. This comes from years of having to fit in drop ins, several of whom never played an RPG in the past. These days it's a little easier, since you can explain things in terms of video games. I not only look at every sheet that comes to the table, I copy it by hand on to another character sheet which sometimes ends up being the main character sheet because I am cursed with good handwriting. There are also players who just never learn to take initiative and are reactive in their style of play, often reacting by hitting things. I go over each sheet, and make yet another sheet with the character summaries that I use when encounter building and tracking combat. I want to know what the party composition is, because I adjust my encounters to take their abilities into consideration. Then I make sure they have something to do. All of them. I talk directly to the players, looking straight at them until I have their attention. As a GM, I could care less if they are using a phone. It's not a single bit different from reading a comic book, a novel, or even a game book when not looking for something specific to the action at hand. I don't care because when it's their turn, I give them a quick and concise summary of their current situation, unless they are already on the ball. For the most part, I ignore their device because it's presence can hardly stop me from getting someone's attention. If that doesn't working saying something along the lines of, "Okay, Bob the Fighter just seems to be standing there staring into space while the hobgoblins send a barrage of crossbow bolts at the party. So, onto Hendrix the Bard..." A little bit of observation helps to figure out how to get someone's attention. Sure it might take a few sessions, but figuring out someone's buttons isn't exactly hard.
If a DM wants me to set my phone to vibrate, that is fine. Heck, I usually mute it then lay it face up, because if I get a text then I can quickly glance at it to see if I need to respond and then turn the screen off. An all out ban would probably end with my leaving the game. I have very little family left and I don't want something to happen over an elf game. At my table. I invite adults to play and I treat them as such. My one big rule is people have to wash their hands before they touch my stuff. That's about it. The beer is there to be drank. The food is there to be eaten. The books are there to be read... with clean hands. I see Cheeto dust on a book, out the door they go. :D Not that I have Cheetos in my house. If someone's phone is making a lot of noise I might ask the player if that is going to be happening for the entire game. Then I sit there, sometimes with one of my cats, and wait for them to do the right thing. :D And if one of the other players wants to make a remark, well I can hardly control what comes out of other people's mouths, now can I?
If it is a distraction, and it often is. Yes. Its a problem.
If your cellphone/pad is more important to you than the session then why the hell did you even bother coming?
Quote from: Omega;1037454If it is a distraction, and it often is. Yes. Its a problem.
If your cellphone/pad is more important to you than the session then why the hell did you even bother coming?
Its more what's ON your cellphone that's important and I rank a lot of things as more important than elf games. Anything to do with my family or job (where I work appointments and deadlines which is great for being able to game even at odd hours, but means I often have to field business calls and texts during the game) for example take absolute priority over elf games. I have a few other players in similar work arrangements. As I've mentioned elsewhere, many of the people I game with are married couples who have sitters watching their kids. They NEED their phones on hand in case of emergency.
I also haven't carried physical dice around in five years and with my new phone I've started keeping my character sheets on my phone because that way I never leave them behind. At least half the people I game with use a dice roller app and/or keep their characters on a digital platform too (one player has eyes so bad that even printing his sheet in 16 point font is nearly illegible for him. He plays with his sheet on a laptop screen so he can zoom it enough to read as needed).
Ban my phone from the table and I won't bother with your game because you are making my life harder than it needs to be. It's that simple. Among the people I know, you wouldn't have ANY players with that sort of rule in place and a GM with no players is just a frustrated fanfic writer.
Fortunately, I'm in plenty of game groups where this is no problem at all.
Quote from: Omega;1037454If it is a distraction, and it often is. Yes. Its a problem.
If your cellphone/pad is more important to you than the session then why the hell did you even bother coming?
This, so much this.
Quote from: Krimson;1037415As a DM, I do feel it is my job to keep the players entertained. This comes from years of having to fit in drop ins, several of whom never played an RPG in the past. These days it's a little easier, since you can explain things in terms of video games. I not only look at every sheet that comes to the table, I copy it by hand on to another character sheet which sometimes ends up being the main character sheet because I am cursed with good handwriting. There are also players who just never learn to take initiative and are reactive in their style of play, often reacting by hitting things. I go over each sheet, and make yet another sheet with the character summaries that I use when encounter building and tracking combat. I want to know what the party composition is, because I adjust my encounters to take their abilities into consideration. Then I make sure they have something to do. All of them. I talk directly to the players, looking straight at them until I have their attention. As a GM, I could care less if they are using a phone. It's not a single bit different from reading a comic book, a novel, or even a game book when not looking for something specific to the action at hand. I don't care because when it's their turn, I give them a quick and concise summary of their current situation, unless they are already on the ball. For the most part, I ignore their device because it's presence can hardly stop me from getting someone's attention. If that doesn't working saying something along the lines of, "Okay, Bob the Fighter just seems to be standing there staring into space while the hobgoblins send a barrage of crossbow bolts at the party. So, onto Hendrix the Bard..." A little bit of observation helps to figure out how to get someone's attention. Sure it might take a few sessions, but figuring out someone's buttons isn't exactly hard.
I like this approach, and thinking about it a bit, even when paying attention, it can sometimes be hard to keep everything straight, so a short "Player, Bob is in the front ranks, the hobgoblins are armed with crossbows, Joe just took one out with a single shot. What do you do?" may be a lot more effective than "What does Bob do?"
Frank
Quote from: RPGPundit;1037258I used to have an issue with this, where players would be on their phones during the game. But this has sort of passed for me.
Do you care if your players are on their phones during the game, presuming it's in downtime when their PC isn't doing anything?
Not really. We have a player who gets bored easily and checks things out on his phone. It gets annoying when he shows the results to other people, but they tell him to stop more than I do.
But, there again, in our old RQ2 group with between 6 and 8 players, we had a player who used to bring a book and read it when it wasn't his turn in combat, when it was his turn, he'd put a bookmark in, look at the table and ask "What's happened since my last turn?"
We're all getting used to this behavior in various social situations, and probably quite a few of us do things like this. But, I think it is horrible and everyone who does it is, at that moment at least, the absolute worst. If you are a social animal of any species occupying the same space as another social animal of any species, and there is any reasonable basis for the two of you to interact in any way, then your $%&#ing phone should stay in your $&@#ing pocket until you are by yourself. The only exemption to this rule is answering a significant call or peeking briefly if your $#%&ing phone bleats at you in some random way. Seriously, it is all so horrendous it makes me think the whole world has stuffed its head up its collective ass.
Quote from: soltakss;1037550he'd put a bookmark in, look at the table and ask "What's happened since my last turn?"
"You died."
Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people. How can you be that God damned uninterested in the rest of the game.
It would rather play with 3 engaged players than 6 people where my 3 engaged players were being immersion drained by 3 half there fucknuts.
Hell, I can happily run with 2 players. Either go Exemplars & Eidolons (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/144651/Exemplars--Eidolons), higher level, or 2 PCs each.
Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1037578"You died."
Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people. How can you be that God damned uninterested in the rest of the game.
Quote from: Spinachcat;1037583It would rather play with 3 engaged players than 6 people where my 3 engaged players were being immersion drained by 3 half there fucknuts.
Hell, I can happily run with 2 players. Either go Exemplars & Eidolons (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/144651/Exemplars--Eidolons), higher level, or 2 PCs each.
Agreed in full with both of you. Is it really so difficult to give a shared social activity your undivided attention?
Quote from: Kiero;1037657Agreed in full with both of you. Is it really so difficult to give a shared social activity your undivided attention?
It really seems to be something about gaming... or perhaps gamers.
Look also at the amount of complaining about people showing up late, or blowing off the game, or similar things. And it's always answered with "people are busy, they have jobs and families, things happen." Yet other hobbies, from bowling leagues to chess clubs to model railroad clubs to bingo games to God knows what else, manage to get people to reliably commit to them.
Maybe some critics are right... maybe "gamers" really are a bunch of social maladroits.
Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1037699Maybe some critics are right... maybe "gamers" really are a bunch of social maladroits.
What surprises me is when people are surprised at a group of nerds acting like nerds. :D
Quote from: Krimson;1037737What surprises me is when people are surprised at a group of nerds acting like nerds. :D
If you think gamers are nerds, you've never seen a bunch of model railroaders impassionedly discussing the difference between the SD-7 and SD-9. Yet, they show up on time.
Of course, I think it's mostly because if you show up late for a model railroad operating session, you don't get a train.
Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1037741If you think gamers are nerds, you've never seen a bunch of model railroaders impassionedly discussing the difference between the SD-7 and SD-9. Yet, they show up on time.
Of course, I think it's mostly because if you show up late for a model railroad operating session, you don't get a train.
So there you go. Tell your players if they show up late, they have to play a henchman. :D
Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1037741If you think gamers are nerds, you've never seen a bunch of model railroaders impassionedly discussing the difference between the SD-7 and SD-9. Yet, they show up on time.
Of course, I think it's mostly because if you show up late for a model railroad operating session, you don't get a train.
We are nerds, but like all things in life, it's a matter of degrees. But sadly, to most of the human population, we are the Nerds.
But not these kinds:
(https://www.candywarehouse.com/assets/item/large/strawberry-and-grape-nerds-126961-im.jpg)
I don't mind if a player checks texts and steps away for the occasional phone call. Hell, when I'm GMing, I have to do it for work (as the manager of a nursing floor, I'm effectively on-call 24/7), but if it's going to take more than a minute or two to resolve I'll call for a break. Generally everyone likes breaks as they usually have an orifice they need to fill or empty.
Quote from: soltakss;1037550But, there again, in our old RQ2 group with between 6 and 8 players, we had a player who used to bring a book and read it when it wasn't his turn in combat, when it was his turn, he'd put a bookmark in, look at the table and ask "What's happened since my last turn?"
As a GM, I'd be asking myself why the player didn't feel engaged.
Quote from: Ratman_tf;1037808As a GM, I'd be asking myself why the player didn't feel engaged.
It was many years ago, with a multi-GM campaign. We did ask him and he basically said "Why should I worry about what happens to everyone?", admittedly, we had around 10 PCs fighting complex battles with hundreds of NPCs, so a round of combat could take up to half an hour.
Quote from: soltakss;1037815It was many years ago, with a multi-GM campaign. We did ask him and he basically said "Why should I worry about what happens to everyone?", admittedly, we had around 10 PCs gighting complex battles with hudnreds of NPCs, so a round of combat could take up to half an hour.
That's more understandable.
Also, anybody with a job where they are on call, of COURSE they should answer their phone. Brief conversations aren't what this is about.
Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;1037389No phone use. And no down time for players.
So you don't run campaigns where the entire PC party isn't necessarily together all the time?