Energizing your players

[pukunui]

Hi folks,

I am wondering if people can share their tips and tricks for energizing their players and getting them enthusiastic for the game.

The guys in my group all enjoy what we do, but several of them are older (39-45) and we play on a Friday night, so they're tired from a long week at work and that. Some of them start to fall asleep even during combat encounters, never mind the non-combat bits.

I sometimes feel quite tired by Friday night, too (looking after two under-5s full-time can be very exhausting), but I find that gaming actually gives me energy, so by the end of the session, I'm often more awake and "buzzed" than I was when we first started (it could partly be the sugar, but that doesn't seem to work for the other guys).

Anyway, without rambling on too much: does anyone have any suggestions to help my players (particularly the older ones) overcome their end-of-week tiredness and sustain their enthusiasm and energy (if not get it to increase, like it does for me) through a particular RPG session?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Jonathan

 

[weem]

It really helps, as a DM, to be excited yourself

I wrote (a brief post) about this semi-recently called "Don't Forget the Excitement (when DM-ing)".

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[Oryan77]

I keep a double-barrel shotgun on the game table within arms reach. You'll be surprised how energized my players get when my hand slowly inches towards it. You don't have to keep it loaded of course (they won't know), but it makes the threat more serious when it is.

 

[IronWolf]

Yeah, maybe a different day of the week would be better to play?

Energetic DM'ing can help, but that probably won't take you all of the way.

Keeping the temperature in the place you play just a bit on the cool side could help. Meet up a little before the game is supposed to start to sort of socialize and get energized before the game starts?

 

[Dausuul]

I find that a 20-minute power nap does wonders when I'm sleepy but need to be awake and alert. Consider providing space to crash and some time to conk out before the game, for anyone who needs it; and encouraging folks to take advantage of it. The rest of you can hang out and chat or whatever. Nap-time isn't just for your 5-year-olds.

(Switching to Saturday would be ideal, but I'm assuming you've considered that already.)

 

[Umbran]

I am wondering if people can share their tips and tricks for energizing their players and getting them enthusiastic for the game.

Well, for my sci-fi games, I simply reverse the polarity of the neutron flow, and reroute power through the phase inducers. When I then hook the players up to the jumper cables, they get plenty energized, I tell you. They blow out the Heisenberg compensators with alarming regularity.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Mountain Dew and Red Bull! Really, what the foods that are out, look at items that will keep energy up.

Being an older gamer, best to move the game to Saturday of Sunday. If you can't do that, keep the playing time within a two hour window. Also talk to your players and see IF they have any ideas.

 

[Dioltach]

Years ago my group used to play on Friday nights. Then a time came when about half of had graduated university and had jobs, and the other half were still students. Two hours into each session you could tell which ones were still students: they were the only ones still awake.

To answer your question: lately I've discovered that a daylight lamp works wonders.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I had a game going on Tuesdays which is a pretty OK day to play on. People have just had a weekend to "relax" and one day at work and want something fun to do.