Getting your players into it! DMing

[Jurble]

So i was reading the DMGII (great book) and checking out the part of presentation techniques for keeping the players interested. Using simple presentation skills to keep the game interesting and i loved it. this is definately something ive has problems with in my few attempts at DMing.

I was wondering if people have techniques they like to use which really help them keep the players interested and make the game more fun. Do you speak quieter in a suspenseful dungeon search, or raise your voice in a pitched battle? Do you change music by the scene (battle music then "travelling music"

Do you guys like to use voices for your different characters (do some people just not use accents, i know im pretty bad with accents)

Also body language, when playing an NPC to imitate what they are like?

anyway be really interested in seeing what sort of techniques ppl like to use to make their games more interesting!



M

 

[Ds Da Man]

All my dwarves sound like pirates. I always try to give a little character to the NPCs. We thought about videoing and putting up some game sessions of ours. The wisdom came into play about how many people would say we were doing it wrong, so the idea got scrapped.

 

[wmasters]

I use voices for NPCs without really thinking about it - it keeps the attention of the players, but as much as anything it helps me remember which character I'm running.

There are other things that I do now that I think about it. Making sure I speak clearly and not too quickly is a big one. And I find standing up really helps - if I'm DMing I'll rarely sit down at all.

 

[Jurble]

ARRR Dwarves we are! Hey thats really cool. I read a post not long ago about someone who makes all their dwarves slavic. Im still wokring out what i want to build my dwarves and elves on.

So i guess a better question to put to this really broad topic, when you notice your players loosing attention, what do you do? How do you try and Kick something back into the game usually? (or what are your favorite ways of doing it? )

video sounds really interesting, sad that people would say your doing it wrong coz everyone does everything differently!



M

 

[Jurble]

I use voices for NPCs without really thinking about it - it keeps the attention of the players, but as much as anything it helps me remember which character I'm running.

There are other things that I do now that I think about it. Making sure I speak clearly and not too quickly is a big one. And I find standing up really helps - if I'm DMing I'll rarely sit down at all.

i gotta remember the speaking clearly and slowly one, im definately one for mincing words usually

standing up is interesting i wonder if most Dms lounge or are up and jumping around all the time *ponders*

 

[delericho]

At the start of the session, while the group's assembling, we talk about non-game things. Once everyone has arrived, has got together what they need for the game, and is otherwise settled, we make a start. I start my game sessions with a recap of the previous session's play, and then adopt my "Introduction Voice", and I do the equivalent of the Star Wars title crawl.

Where possible, I try to start sessions with action. Then there's a lull, generally involving roleplaying, broken up with further encounters, and then I try to bring the session to a close either at a cliffhanger or immediately after another action scene. Pacing all this is a bit tricky, but getting it right does seem to keep players in the moment.

As far as characterisation is concerned, I try to do something to make characters distinctive, so that players can keep them seperate in their mind. This generally means giving characters one or two distinguishing features, and playing those up. So, my one-armed dwarven bartender sings songs of home and of loss, and while I'm in that character I move only my left hand. When playing my happy-go-lucky rogue, I speak just that bit too fast, hop from one idea to the next, and smile like a maniac. And so on. And, of course, I make heavy use of stock characters. (I tend to run into problems when trying to run several characters in the same scene. Switching between mannerisms and voices isn't easy.)

When describing locations, I focus on the things that make the scene unique. So, I don't comment on how the forest has trees, since that can be assumed. But I might comment on the sickening smell of rot about the place, or the fact that despite the trees being widely spaced there seems to be no light. When talking about taverns, I comment on what food and drink is served, and the tenor of the place. For wide open spaces, I'll make big sweeping gestures, while for enclosed spaces I lower my voice, and move only my hands (as opposed to my arms).

And so on. It's really all just a few simple tricks and nonsense, but it seems to work.

 

[delericho]

So i guess a better question to put to this really broad topic, when you notice your players loosing attention, what do you do? How do you try and Kick something back into the game usually? (or what are your favorite ways of doing it? )

Have some orcs kick in the door. (Seriously - it's a classic and it works.)

The best way to regain a player's attention is to not lose it in the first place. The second best way is to have something happen that demands he do something.

 

[Gold Roger]

"When things slow down, have somebody kick in the door." I.e. if things start lagging, the DM should induce some new action. If the action keeps flowing players don't get the time to get bored.

 

[ashockney]

I make up my own special effects sounds, which people seem to think are funny.

When things turn south and dire for a party, I slow down the game, and begin to go to great lengths to describe the action. When the party is winning, I speed it up and exaggerate their destructiveness (anime style).

I often reflect on the strengths of the villians, and what tactics the party used specifically to defeat them. They really enjoy this around the game.

Also, if a player seems to be losing interest, I will try to shift the "spotlight" to them, in an effort to pull their character back in. For example, if the rogue is sitting in the back firing his crossbow at a villian immune to critical hits, I may add a threat(s) to the back of the room that he can "spot" and "address".

 

[schporto]

Along these lines, we have an issue that outside of combat, when folks are trying to decide to go left or right, it produces an endless debate. I really don't want to a) force a decision on them, b) throw random bad guys at them (not always appropriate). Any ideas or suggestions on that aspect?
-cpd