Energizing your players

[steenan]

While not often, I have had similar situations in my games. Here's some ideas that may help a little:

1. Use a rules-light, simple system, so that there is no need to wait for somebody crunching numbers and making tactical decisions for twenty minutes or so.
2. Don't split the group. If it's unavoidable, switch between the players often, not leaving anybody without your attention for more than 2-3 minutes.
3. Encourage players to describe their actions, reward stunts. It makes people much more active than just declaring what they do.
4. Try to keep the action fast. Remember that action is not always combat and in most games combat tends to slow the play down.
5. Use personal hooks, make players care about what happens in game. Emotional involvement is a powerful energizer.
6. Serve something to eat that is sweet, but not heavy. Lack of sugar makes people sleepy.

 

[BrokeAndDrive]

Don't split the group.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waa2ucfgVgQ]Truth indeed, good sir[/ame]!

Another way to energize your players is to get up, get up, and get down.

 

[Woas]

Maybe a mandatory light exercise regime before or at the half-way mark of the game to get the blood flowing? Like a 10-20 minute walk, or some jumping jacks or just some laps around the table? Anything really. Do you guys play on sleep-inviting couches around a coffee table or hard dinning room chairs?

 

[nedjer]

Maybe a mandatory light exercise regime before or at the half-way mark of the game to get the blood flowing? Like a 10-20 minute walk, or some jumping jacks or just some laps around the table? Anything really. Do you guys play on sleep-inviting couches around a coffee table or hard dinning room chairs?

100% with you here I insist everyone strips to their pants and does ten minutes hulahooping on the Wii Fit before they get a seat at the table.

 

[pukunui]

Thanks, guys.

Saturday's no good (my wife works Saturdays and doesn't get home till about 8:45pm), nor is Sunday really. Friday is really the only day of the week that works for the majority of the group on a regular basis.

We play at the dining room table of one of the older guys in the group. The lighting isn't the best, but the chairs aren't the most comfortable either. He does have a futon couch in the lounge nearby, though, and one of the other older guys goes and lies down on it when he gets too tired (or else he just puts his head down on top of his rulebooks). The guy who's house we play at is the other one who generally falls asleep at the table.

We do tend to have a look of sugary snacks, but it doesn't always help.

Getting people to stand up and walk around and do some exercise every so often might do the trick, though. I'll have to try that out this Friday and see how it goes.

Thanks!

 

[RangerWickett]

Before every episode of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert does a stand-up bit with the audience, plays peppy music, and dances around to energize them and get them used to cheering, laughing, and applauding.

I had a friend who started every session of his Conan game by playing this audio track:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LANHWwEjOAU]YouTube - Prologue/Anvil of Crom - Conan the Barbarian Theme (Basil Poledouris)[/ame]

By the time it was done, we were ready to crush our enemies, to see them driven before us, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

 

[Marius Delphus]

I'm actually going to recommend *against* junk food -- speaking for myself, too many carbs (as found in most salty snacks) lead to satiation crash, and too many simple sugars fuel a short-term "buzz" that is followed by a longer-term post-buzz crash. Therefore, I'd say see if you can share out the cost of a fruit or veggie tray instead every Friday night, and mix up a pitcher or two of sugar-free flavored drink.

I like the "opening credits" idea RW presents above. Music can definitely serve as a mood-lifter: "Time for Adventure!"

If the game is high on heroism, the players should be too. One trick (this is a borrowed trick) is to start every session by rolling initiative -- you can spend part of your week figuring out why, but some players respond well to "instant action" mode and that can jazz them up for the rest of the night's festivities.

HTH. HAND.

 

[pukunui]

I'm aware of the carbs issue. I've tried to get them to stop bringing chips and cookies in the past for that very reason. And here in NZ: fruits and veggies are very much a seasonal thing. Now that we've gone into winter, it's hard to get much aside from apples for a reasonable price. But when they're in season, we certainly do get plenty of grapes and strawberries and such at the table. I'm not sure that it has really helped all that much though.

As for starting with Initiative: I've actually been trying to do that in my current campaign. It definitely helps set the mood, but some of them still have trouble sustaining their energy levels, so by the end of the night, they're crashing and falling asleep at the table again.

I'm running a SWSE game at the moment, so I might try playing the main Star Wars theme or the Imperial March or something at the beginning of each session. I've been meaning to have music playing during the session as well, but I just haven't had time to set anything up yet.



p.s. I just had a chance to watch that "Never Split The Party" music video. Hilarious!

 

[IronWolf]

Another idea might be to at about the half-way point take a break and everyone get up and head outside for a few minutes, get some movement and the cool air of winter for you might be just the snap you need to get another couple of hours of productive game time from the group.

Also - not sure if you all are coffee drinkers, but sometimes a nice tall coffee can give you the boost you need on evenings folks are tired. Coffee makes a nice way to get the caffeine boost without the large amount of sugar that could lead to the post sugar crash.

 

[pukunui]

Yeah. I might try that too.

I think some of the guys drink coffee. I don't. But then I'm not the one who needs it anyway. Just being there and playing the RPG gives me all the buzz I need.