Paying the Pig vs. Goofing Off

[Velenne]

My group is currently embroiled in a debate about hyjinx at the table. This is an inevitable phenomenon anytime friends get together, but during a D&D session it can be disruptive to the flow of the game. Ultimately this can serve to detract from the atmosphere.

On the one hand, friends get together to have fun. Playing D&D is fun, but hey so is goofing around. Movie quotes, off-color comments, rough-housing, and general OOC are admittedly a source of enjoyment. Part of the reason we get together at all is to enjoy one-another's company, right? Why should there be a penalty for that?

On the other hand, you have a DM who puts in a great deal of time and effort into creating a world that is rich with detail, flavor and ultimately, potential enjoyment waiting to be discovered. But while one player may be RP'ing with the DM, the other players are goofing off and robbing the DM of seeing the fruits of his hard work. In this sense, you cheat yourselves of a more enriching game.

In the end I think it comes down to what you're looking for in your games. If you want a light-hearted escape from the weekly grind then by all means, sit back, drink some Dew and chat it up with your friends. If you want a deeper experience, you have to cut back on all that and focus on the game at hand.

All that said, if a DM wants to encourage more RP in his games and less goofing around, what are some good ways to go about it?

 

[Tsyr]

Personaly, I would never be involved with a group that demanded real money. That's my money. You aren't getting any of it unless I _WANT_ you to have it. I'll contribute for snacks if you ask me. I buy more than my share of books that your welcome to read. You aren't getting my money for a jar.

XP penalties are ok, if you must to anything. A good question though, is how much are we talking about? A little is fine. I just let it go. If it becomes a serious problem (1/3 of the game time lost, or something like that), then I'll start talking XP penalties.

 

[bwgwl]

well, my response may not be that helpful to you.

i'm definitely in the "light-hearted escape" camp. i'd never let the game get in the way of having fun. if having fun means spending more than half of the session's time talking about stuff that doesn't relate to the game at all, so be it. i like playing the game, but i like socializing with my friends even more.

i don't think anyone should be forced or coerced into "role-playing more," whatever that means. not everyone has the same level of dedication to the game. some people are casual gamers and don't want to get that involved. that's fine. if everyone is comfortable with their own level of involvement, then the game is on track, IMO.

 

[Crothian]

Paying the Pig will only work if everyone agrees to it. XP penalties can be prejudice to certain people who have a tougher time of concentrating. Our group has these problems added into that children, so I just try to keep things moving. And that can be hard as a player.

Some suggestions are to encourage people to show up early so they can talk and BS while the DM sets up and others arrive. AS a DM I used to have random encounters happen when the side discussions got out of hand. These encounters were never easy, but also never lethal. No treasure was ever gained through them though.

 

[Tcheb]

For all the posts I see on this, I have to say I'm supprised that it's such a problem. In all the groups I've been in (10+ years), the problem is usually solved with a gentle reminder (ie, The orc is attacking you). In the cases where the whole group is goofing off, well, that's what we all got togther for anyway. The general feeling is goof off, and maybe we'll get more of the plot advanced next time.

I guess I'm just lucky.

 

[Umbran]

Other - I find that simply communicating to the players is reasonably effective. Before you start fining them cash or XP, you might actually try using these new fangled things called "words"

Really - the players are generally your friends. If you find you need to punish your friends into cooperating, you've got something seriously wrong. You really shouldn't need to use negative reinforcement on your friends.

Now, fines (in pocket change or in XP) may be used as a reminder, rather than a punishment. However, I find them to have side effects, and generally be less efficient and effective than simply asking the players to focus. "Paying the pig" tends to be come a running gag or ritual more disruptive than the infraction it's meant to suppress. And XP fines always feel like punishment to players. YMMV

 

[brun]

I actually go the other way around, I give bonus XP for good role playing and staying in-caracter. Oh, and I've stopped repeating. When 2 players miss something, I usually go:
- You were in the moon. or
- Your caracter weren't paying attention.or
- Margash the barbarian was just to amased by a passing fly to follow the conversation.

 

[Numion]

We just let it go. I game with my friends, and we don't get to see too often, so it's always a social occasion too. So it's quite ok to say "I love GOOOOOLD!" in Goldmember voice when loot is found.

 

[Bagpuss]

Russian Roulette, you step out of character then its Deer Hunter time. Spin the chamber, pull back the hammer and CLICK... it soon shuts them up.

Of course you get the odd joker, so I alway play with a plastic sheet over the carpet. Luckly the battlemat is already wipe-clean.

 

[Piratecat]

Paying the pig works for us! Of course, that's probably obvious. Tsyr, I think you're missing the point; it isn't like someone grabs your wallet and pulls nickels and dimes out of it. But we've agreed that once "chat time" is over and the game starts, we minimize table talk. Everyone agrees, it's fun, it makes people think twice, and it keeps folks focused on the game.

For reference - $.05 for bad puns, $.10 for OOC talk, $.25 for war stories about old PCs. It goes to pay for soda.

I play in a game that doesn't do this, and it drives me nuts - we never accomplish anything.