D&D 5E Player Status aid

I am lucky to work in a engravers/printing business so I can make all sorts of cool things for myself in downtime.

I am also a poor roleplayer, I try and I am trying to improve and one of my bug bears for this "new me" is when in game your group meets some one or some other group.

player 1 " are we going to attack these guys?"
player 2 " no I reckon we talk first, they look friendly"

This discussion happens right in front of the npc's you have just met, it kind of ruins the vibe for me.

So I have come up with a idea, a spinable disk with a arrow pointing to one of 4 options.
Aggressive, Relaxed, Alert and neutral.

This would enable me to say how does the rest of my group look and I can glance around and guess based on how they set the dial.

As a DM I could ask players what level of alertness they are at and maybe give advantage on initiative to people who are alert. Maybe give them a point of exhaustion for always being alert.

Do you think this would work? Do you use any other type of player/dm aid similar? or do you reckon its a waste of time?

MoominT said:

player 1 " are we going to attack these guys?"
player 2 " no I reckon we talk first, they look friendly"

This discussion happens right in front of the npc's you have just met, it kind of ruins the vibe for me.

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NPC replies "I wholeheartedly support plan Not Attacking Me," while taking a step back, dropping his hand to his sword's hilt and fixing a glare on PC 1.

If players want a conversation, then make it in character (if only to prevent them having discussions in situations where it is unreasonable) and have NPCs overhear them. I suppose you could design a new subsystem to deal with the problem, but why not go with the simplest option?

Also check out this article on the Murky Mirror (or how to handle your players talking in front of NPCs): http://theangrygm.com/through-a-glass-darkly-ic-ooc-and-the-myth-of-playercharacter-seperation/

To me D&D is still a game, and just like with a board game, my players are allowed to discuss their game-plan amongst each other. My npc's will completely ignore what the players are saying to each other, and only react to things that their characters say. I don't mind that my players take the time to discuss a game-strategy. In the narrative of the game, there is no discussion, their characters just do what seems the most smart and logical (after a lengthy discussion by the players).

Imaculata said:

To me D&D is still a game, and just like with a board game, my players are allowed to discuss their game-plan amongst each other. My npc's will completely ignore what the players are saying to each other, and only react to things that their characters say. I don't mind that my players take the time to discuss a game-strategy. In the narrative of the game, there is no discussion, their characters just do what seems the most smart and logical (after a lengthy discussion by the players).

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I hear what you're saying, but some tables, I think, get bogged down with analysis paralysis. Not every encounter needs to be strategized. Certainly one of my players has communicated his frustration to me when the group can't make a decision (one of the other players is very prone to try and analyze all the possible outcomes....) Impressing on them that the "game world" is still functioning helps to move people along. I'm not saying that the game world immediately demands a decision - but it can be good to nudge people back into the game world.

Imaculata said:

To me D&D is still a game, and just like with a board game, my players are allowed to discuss their game-plan amongst each other. My npc's will completely ignore what the players are saying to each other, and only react to things that their characters say. I don't mind that my players take the time to discuss a game-strategy. In the narrative of the game, there is no discussion, their characters just do what seems the most smart and logical (after a lengthy discussion by the players).

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Depends on the table, of course. Those who are there to socialize as much as to play tend to do this a lot.

I think it’s a great idea. I’m one of those GMs who uses the Cloded Mirror approach mentioned earlier, but I do understand the desire to be able to get a read on how your party members are feeling about a potentially volatile situation without outwardly asking each other if they should attack. A mood spinner could function, through the same clouded mirror, as the characters reading each other’s body language, or communicating through other nonverbal cues. Of course, the NPCs might be able to interpret those nonverbal cues as well, maybe with a Wisdom (Insight) check.