Flow, Pacing, and Gaming

[I'm A Banana]

It has occurred to me that one of the most important features of any table-top RPG experience is that concept of flow, of pacing, of getting the right feel when you don't stop playing, and instead you just keep surging forward. When you're having so much fun, you stop paying attention to the time.

So I'd like to talk a little bit about what it is, how you achieve it in your games, and, of course, what grinds it to a halt for you.

I expect this to be different for different people, or at least a kind of continuum. For instance, verisimilitude is important -- games can and do grind to a halt when the players just don't buy what's going on around the PC's. The players get disconnected from the action and the flow is disrupted. But how important that is probably varies between people, or even just between games (perhaps HARN is a game of high-accuracy verisimilitude, whereas Feng Shui is more accepting the motifs of the genre it emulates).

So, anyway, this is more about finding out what it's like for you. What contributes to you just getting caught up in the game? And what takes you out of that vibe? And how would you advise others to capture that?

 

[Flynn]

Combat tends to pull me out of my pacing, particularly if someone involved isn't interested enough in the game or in the system to consider their actions before their turn comes around. Combat can be very good at keeping the tension high, so long as the players and DM are involved. As soon as one person interrupts the flow of the scene because they weren't prepared for their turn, the momentum tends to die out.

I don't know how to fix this, but I've heard lots of suggestions. The game needs conflict, just like any story, but participants should be prepared. (That includes the DM as well, so I'm not singling anyone out in particular, in case one of my players happens to read this thread).

That's where I see the greatest obstacle to pacing and the flow of game.

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[sniffles]

Flynn's got a good point there. An exciting combat can instantly turn dull if some players aren't as invested in the action.

The same is true of roleplaying moments. If most of the players are enjoying trying to interact with each other or NPCs as their characters, but one player keeps making OOC remarks that are inappropriate, that will ruin my suspension of disbelief.

I also tend to get a little irritated - and hence lose the pace - if another player insists on making his character speak with a lot of modern-day, real-world slang and colloquialisms. I don't expect everyone to speak in faux-Old English, I just don't want them to call other PCs "bro" or things of that ilk. Depends on the setting we're playing in, of course.

I don't worry so much about verisimilitude as a rule. It's a game, it has rules that don't equate to real-life constraints. I don't want to act out real life; I want to have a fantasy experience where my characters can do stuff I can't do, or stuff that may be impossible in real life. So it will interrupt the flow for me if we get into an argument over the reasonability of a certain action.

Pausing the game to argue or look up a rule is of course a game-stopper. But I understand the impulse to want to be correct.

As a player, not a GM, I think keeping the pacing smooth and tight must be one of the biggest challenges a GM faces. I don't envy GMs trying to run a game with a bunch of players who may be tired or irritable, or simply have different goals or desires for the game.

 

[buzz]

So, anyway, this is more about finding out what it's like for you. What contributes to you just getting caught up in the game? And what takes you out of that vibe? And how would you advise others to capture that?

I get caught up when:

• I care about what's going on in-game
• Everyone else at the table cares about what's going on in-game
• There is some clearly-defined goal that the group is trying to achieve
• The rules are actually being used, and in a fun way
• My input matters.

My advice to others:

• Play with people who are on the same page with you as to what makes for fun gaming
• Play an RPG that actually supports the kind of fun you prefer
• Play hard and fast; don't waste time on boring stuff
• Bring the awesome
• Make other players awesome
• Don't play campaigns to death; end things with a bang and move on.

That's all I can think of at this point.

 

[Umbran]

What contributes to you just getting caught up in the game? And what takes you out of that vibe? And how would you advise others to capture that?

Ooh, tough one. It is different when I'm a player and when I'm DMing, for one thing, so the answer isn't at all simple.

I think the number one way to capture it is to know your group, and plan to work with them - both their strengths and their foibles.