Help us stay In Character!!!

[woolybearundertaker]

I would like to get the Hive Mind s help on a little problem my group has been having.

Recently our game sessions have had way too many O-T comments, which are taking away from the roleplaying. The group has decided we want to stay on-topic more, but think that we might need a little stick to get us back on track when we do drop out of character.

I ve heard of groups who make people kick in cash to a kitty for snacks etc. Like a nickle for every O-T comment, a dime for a bad pun, and a quarter for discussing old adventures/previous characters.

I ve heard of groups where you can “call” someone once you get tired of the O-T conversation. Then, whatever they just said, they said In Character, and have to deal with the consequences.

Have you guys used this stuff? Does it work?

Do you have any other ideas?

Does anyone have the link to that old thread, I couldn t find it with a quick search.

We re playing for fun obviously, but I think we d have more fun if we stayed in character a little more.

Woolbearundertaker

 

[Quickbeam]

I actually created a roleplaying reward system that began as the brainchild of King_Stannis (I think) and evolved with some tweaks which suited our group's particular needs and style of play.

Essentially, players were rewarded "Elf Stones" (colored glass floral beads) for exemplary roleplaying. These Elf Stones could be redeemed at the player's discretion, in one of several ways. [The thread still exists somewhere in the archives, but here's my best guess from memory]:

1) Each stone was worth 25xp multiplied by current PC level. So a stone in the hands of a 5th level character was worth 125xp. Stones could be saved and redeemed in bulk to help level faster.
2) Stones could also be traded in to add a small modifier to an upcoming roll, such as To Hit, Skill Check, Saving Throw, etc.
3) Two stones redeemed simultaneously permitted a re-roll of any result, but this option could only be brought into play once per situation.

In any event, the awarding of Elf Stones did not eliminate out of game chatter, but it did drastically improve roleplaying efforts, and generally kept people more focused. After several months of using this system, we just let it fade into the background because the group just arrived more mentally focused on gaming each session. Hopefully you will find something that works similarly for you!!

 

[Crothian]

I try to just keep the PCs steered in the right direction (the Game). They know that when I interupt OT talk with game info they need to shut up and listen. In the past I've m,entioned critical info while they were talking knowing they would miss it. They learn fast.

 

[spyscribe]

I ve heard of groups who make people kick in cash to a kitty for snacks etc. Like a nickle for every O-T comment, a dime for a bad pun, and a quarter for discussing old adventures/previous characters.

Our group uses this system to pretty good result. Mostly--since the fines are not really a hardship--it's useful because it helps bring attention to OT talk before it gets out of hand.

It also provides a framework for the times when a bad pun is worth it. "I'm gonna pay the Hutt* for this but..." Everyone groans and the story moves on.

And then there are the games where I'm very careful about what comes out of my mouth because I know I need all of my quarters for laundry.


*Our "pig" is a Jabba the Hutt bank.