Do you "pay the pig?"

[ForceUser]

"Paying the pig" is, I believe, a term I heard from Piratecat's group meaning that players have to pay actual money when they break character at the gaming table. Is there a penalty for off-topic remarks and out-of-character comments in your campaigns? I've played like this in the past, and while I love it as DM, as a player I sometimes chafe under the restriction. So I'm torn: do I include some form of penalty for breaking character while roleplaying, or do I just let it ride and not worry about out-of-character remarks and conversations?

I hold my game once a month and a typical session is around six hours long. I try to give breaks for stretching legs and getting food at least twice a session. I have asked my players to refrain from off-topic remarks and to take a conversation into another room if they want to chat about something out of character. As a DM, I much prefer it when players stay in character because I'm trying hard to create a mood with my roleplaying and descriptions, and it's difficult to maintain that when people are talking about baseball or the family dog. In fact, it's downright irritating, because it indicates to me that they're not as into the game as I'd like them to be.

My head tells me to let it ride and suffer through the out-of-character comments as long as they aren't particularly disruptive. My heart wants people to be into my campaign and their character enough to want to stay in character. I'm wondering if enforcing a "pay the pig"-type policy would encourage roleplaying, or if it would simply irritate everyone involved. I'll have to discuss it with my players, but this being Friday and me being bored, I'd love to hear what you do in your groups

 

[Davelozzi]

I try to keep things focused when we play but I don't think a pay the pig policy would go over well at all with my group.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Salutations,

My players definitly make a root beer & pretzel kind of group. OOC conversations often take over.

FD

 

[Psion]

Nope. For us, off-topic chatter is part of the social experience and we don't fight it. That said, my wife has joined the group and is generally less patient to get to the end of an adventure, so she tends to be a force in cutting down on the off-topic chatter.

Edit: There are exceptions. One time they started to chatter in the middle of adding up combat damage. I had to put a stop to that...

 

[Buttercup]

We meet once a month, and our sessions run about 4 to 5 hours. I haven't been very strict about out of character talk at the table, but it hasn't been all that much of a problem. Sometimes we laugh and joke, but I don't think it has ever gotten out of hand.

We play at our house, and since we have a dog who has to be let out, wants the players to pet her, etc. sometimes stepping out of character can't be helped. If we had kids underfoot the distractions would be even more extreme, I imagine.

I once ran a session for some teenagers, and the out of character goofing off was most annoying. If my regular players were like that, I'd probably just quit, rather than instituting 'pay the pig' rules. I mean, if you don't want to take the game seriously, that's your right. I won't try to force anyone to behave a certain way. But I'm not going to do all the work it takes to be a good DM if I don't like what goes on at the table.

 

[Desdichado]

Depends on the group. Is the social exercise what's most important to them, or is it the game itself? For my money, I could easily do "pay the pig" but it'd never work in my current group.

 

[Heap Thaumaturgist]

Jeez, my players would string me up, I'm sure.

We represent the "gamer to hang out" set. -I- don't even stay "In Character" and I'm the GM.

I could do voices and pantomimes and, really, play the goof ball ... but that's how I'd feel, so I don't. My voices and playacting are usually for comedy, so the people who associate with me associate my voices and playacting with, well, comedy.

I weave story, characters, plot, action ... I like when my players get into it, sure. We don't actually have alot of problems with, like, people saying: "Y'know what I heard on the news last night?" Everybody is playing the game when we're playing the game.

--ht

 

[Storminator]

I once ran a session for some teenagers, and the out of character goofing off was most annoying. If my regular players were like that, I'd probably just quit, rather than instituting 'pay the pig' rules. I mean, if you don't want to take the game seriously, that's your right. I won't try to force anyone to behave a certain way. But I'm not going to do all the work it takes to be a good DM if I don't like what goes on at the table.

Much of my gaming consists of DMing teenagers, and yes, the OOC is rampant. I sometimes let it go and sometimes rein them in. Fortunately, I've found that I need much less prep time to run a satisfactory game for them than I would require for more discerning players.

My family and I just played a weekend tourney at my FLGS, and at the end of the session they hand out amusing prizes. My son won the gag for constant OOC comments. That's now a taliman at my home. Too much OOC and we hand you the gag. If we think you need the gag and you're already holding it...we use it!

PS

 

[Wolfen Priest]

You gotta be kidding me...

 

[Arravis]

I hold a loaded .38 special in my hands while I DM... first one to make an OOC comment gets one in the gut. Thank god it holds 6 rounds... leaves 2 extras for fun .

JK
I'm not super-strict on the OOC comments thing... I don't like them and wished that myself and my players made less, lol, but D&D is just as much a social event as it is a RPG.