Combating My Own Boredom as a Player

[payn]

I like Adventurer's Guilds or similar in-setting constructs that allow players to easily swap out PCs if they want.

Yeah if im going with something more like PFS or west marches that works for sure.

 

[Theory of Games]

I used to get bored and stopped playing. Then I was reading acting advice and came across a good tip: Focus on the other characters. What they're doing and saying. Get involved with the party, rather than focusing on just what your PC is doing. IME it enhances your gameplay experience and aids in immersion.

I love PF1's Teamwork feats: you set those up with another player's PC and it can make combat FUN. As a GM I used 'em with NPC parties to occasionally slam PCs. PF2 has teamwork built into several features, like Demoralize, Trip and Aid. Things your PC can do to give your teammates bonuses on their actions.

But again, making the other PCs important can eliminate your boredom.

Fighting boredom in combat as a player

Sometimes (as a player) I get bored during combat. At times I feel like all my turns are the same (especially when playing lower level characters) and when that is combined with no combat progress (

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[BookTenTiger]

I get bored as a player, too. Some of the things I do to stay engaged and not be disruptive are:

• Take notes or draw maps for the group
• Track initiative
• Draw pictures of memorable events or NPCs

I will also choose to play a character who doesn't excel at combat so that I'm forced to figure out other things to do in combat. In fact in a long 5e game that lasted years I played a wizard with almost no damaging spells. I had to rely on things like Grease, Illusion spells, and Charms rather than Fireball or Lightning Bolt.

 

[payn]

I used to get bored and stopped playing. Then I was reading acting advice and came across a good tip: Focus on the other characters. What they're doing and saying. Get involved with the party, rather than focusing on just what your PC is doing. IME it enhances your gameplay experience and aids in immersion.

I love PF1's Teamwork feats: you set those up with another player's PC and it can make combat FUN. As a GM I used 'em with NPC parties to occasionally slam PCs. PF2 has teamwork built into several features, like Demoralize, Trip and Aid. Things your PC can do to give your teammates bonuses on their actions.

But again, making the other PCs important can eliminate your boredom.

Fighting boredom in combat as a player

Sometimes (as a player) I get bored during combat. At times I feel like all my turns are the same (especially when playing lower level characters) and when that is combined with no combat progress (

rpg.stackexchange.com

PF1 campaign guides, traits, and team work feats all aided the group structure. I really enjoyed those items and was glad they added them.

 

[overgeeked]

I'm not a forever referee, thankfully, but I still feel this when playing RPGs. There's so much to do when running the game that there's no time to be bored. But as a player you're expected to sit there and do nothing while waiting 20-30+ minutes for your turn to come around. Perhaps even longer if another part of the group is engaged with some important scene. Worse, you're expected to be fully engaged and pay perfect attention while waiting? Nah.

I have the excuse of ADHD, but I can't imagine anyone enjoying just sitting their doing nothing while watching other people at the table play the game. Ugh. I learned real young that the other players at the table get pissy when you check out, so I'd always dive into the rule books with the excuse I was looking something up, some spell or class ability, or whatever.

Now with phones it's even easier. As long as the referee isn't a jerk about phones at the table. If you want my undivided attention you better be entertaining as hell. And trust me, you're not.

The funniest part? Even while fully engaged with my phone or the rule book I can keep better track of what's happening in the game than most of the other players.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Cocaine. Lots and lots of cocaine.

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm a usual GM/DM and I also tend to get bored when playing. Actually I won't say bored, more... frustrated. As a GM I have more control over the direction of the game which I don't have as a player. It's also why I prefer to be the GM when I can. Not being a control freak, just I guess I'm more suited to running over playing.

 

[Retreater]

I don't mind games with "tactical depth," but they're not enough to hold my attention for a year. It's the same reason I don't listen to only Rush.
Playing the same character in PF2, going from scene to scene has basically been listening to "Tom Sawyer" on repeat.
We have roleplaying, sure, but the AP structure means we can't really influence anything. Our characters are rarely threatened in a meaningful way - even including our relationships with NPCs.
I just feel so passive in games.

 

[uzirath]

As @BookTenTiger mentioned above, finding other supportive tasks can help. I usually take meticulous notes including sketched maps and whatnot.

I'm also a fan of leaning heavily on intra-party role-playing. Could be as simple as the banter between Legolas and Gimli about how many orcs they kill. Or a bard considering how to convert the action of a hum-drum battle into an epic song. Or an ongoing conversation with another PC about the best and worst camp cuisine.

Another option would be to find an in-character side project to do. So you're on a jungle island? Maybe your character decides that in addition to accomplishing [insert quest], he's going to write a book about the local cultures. Suddenly you've got a million things to be curious about in the setting, exploring customs, looking over the bodies of your foes not just for treasure but for clues about their religion, social hierarchy, etc. These sorts of queries might prompt the GM to flesh things out more imaginatively or to create mini-side-quests.

 

[overgeeked]

I don't mind games with "tactical depth," but they're not enough to hold my attention for a year. It's the same reason I don't listen to only Rush.
Playing the same character in PF2, going from scene to scene has basically been listening to "Tom Sawyer" on repeat.
We have roleplaying, sure, but the AP structure means we can't really influence anything. Our characters are rarely threatened in a meaningful way - even including our relationships with NPCs.
I just feel so passive in games.

It sounds like a lot of that would be fixed by playing a lighter game with less forced structure, i.e. something more open and sandboxy instead of an AP.