How Do Mobile Devices Affect Your Game?

How does mobile technology affect your game? On the one hand, it provides access to resources - dice rollers, looking up rules, character managers, game-specific apps; on the other hand phones provide the distraction of Facebook, email, and text. I've been in many situations where a fellow player is just randomly showing another one a (hilarious?) YouTube video rather than playing the tabletop game in progress. Of course, it's far from a gaming-specific question; I've sat in pubs and liked around at tables of 3-4 people where all of them were looking at their phones rather than each other, and I'm far from innocent of that particular transgression myself. So, when gaming, how do you adopt technology? Do you have rules or restrictions, or are you lucky enough that your game is so captivating that it overrides the impulse to check Facebook?

One thing I've seen happening in London is that diners at a restaurant put their phones in the centre of the table. Anyone who touches their phone buys (depending on the strictness of the rules) a round of drinks, or everybody's dinner - and the result is that everybody engages with each other the whole time, as though mobile phones had never existed.

That doesn't translate easily to a roleplaying game scenario (unless you're ordering pizza for the group). But some groups, I've heard, enact in-game penalties. Touching your phone negates your next crit, for example.

On the flip side, there are many mobile applications which enhance games. A mere browser allows for instant rules lookups; dice rollers and character managers abound, as do initiative trackers and GM helper applications.

What are your mobile device policies at the game table?

 

[EthanSental]

I enjoy reading the I'm an adult, most of my players are adults type comments. After going out to eat last weekend and looking over at the 40 something adults at the table next to us and the guy is checking FB every 5 minutes while ignoring his significant others...he's adult in age but etiquette and manners, that would be a NO. This is the type player and behavior I would not enjoy being in a group with and I believe what most people are talking about when they mention checking social media endlessly. Checking rules or spells is one thing, checking to see what your "friends" posted on FB or Tweeted about how great his steak dinner was is tacky.

 

[JeffB]

I enjoy reading the I'm an adult, most of my players are adults type comments. After going out to eat last weekend and looking over at the 40 something adults at the table next to us and the guy is checking FB every 5 minutes while ignoring his significant others...he's adult in age but etiquette and manners, that would be a NO. This is the type player and behavior I would not enjoy being in a group with and I believe what most people are talking about when they mention checking social media endlessly. Checking rules or spells is one thing, checking to see what your "friends" posted on FB or Tweeted about how great his steak dinner was is tacky.

Bingo.

In addition I run a game for kids..they started when they were 11-12 and now are 16-17. They are like crack addicts with their mobile devices.

 

[Talmek]

In my games we don't normally have to address it anymore due to a 10 second time limit (house rule) to decide and begin your turn. If you are not paying attention to the game (reasonable exceptions include complicated combat scenarios, texts from significant others, jobs or family members) due to paying more attention to a mobile device then you do not mind losing your turn to other players who choose to pay attention. From my perspective as the GM other players should not be required to wait excessively while you decide what to do, especially since your distraction was unnecessary.

To be clear, this started as a mutual experiment agreed upon among the group prior to playing, and for us was successful that we decided to keep it for all of our sessions. As a player I've actually found that it makes me focus more on the game and in turn I bring more to the table from roleplaying and combat effectiveness, which in turn makes the game more fun.

 

[Whirlingdervish]

I have zero problems at my table with the use of technology at my table and none of the other GM's who run at my table have a problem with it either. With the ezxception of oldest member of our group all of us from my twelve year old nephew up to me uses technology of some sort. Be it a phone , tablet or, laptop. We also utilize a VTT for map presentation. we get the facebook posts, youtube videos and even the playing of freemium rpg and other games. We also get texts and phone calls Half the group works IT so we are on call on the weekends. The biggest distraction is my six year old son who has Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Fortunately my group is very tolerant

 

[Olaf the Stout]

In my 5E group most people have their phone with them. Occasionally someone will discreetly sent a text or step away from the table to answer a call. A couple of times we’ve tried to quickly search for a rules situation online to see if someone else had the same problem as us, but usually the DM just makes a call and we look stuff up online between sessions.

When we were playing 3.5E one player used to look up abilities and such related to his character on his tablet. When I was DMing I used to have a laptop open to the d20SRD website to quickly look up some rules, spells or monsters as I found the search function and hyperlinks quicker to find what I wanted instead of looking in the rulebook. I also normally had a spreadsheet open to track XP and magic items. If a player was missing from the session I’d also normally bring their character sheet up on Obsidian Portal, but often this sheet was out-of-date.

There has been one player that I’ve seen playing a game on their phone during a session. I was a little miffed at that, but didn’t say anything about it to him or anyone else. The biggest distraction with mobile phones is probably when we get off-topic during the game and someone whips out their phone to show everyone else a funny pic or YouTube video they saw.

 

[Brodie]

I feel the need to add that when I run (our group has a rule where everyone has to be able to run something, and we split the day between the two games that get voted in), I tend to like to my laptop handy for sound effects or background music. The halloween one-off I ran for my western game included wolf howls and thunder storm sounds, I made an 'opening credits' video for another game, and when I ran my WW2-set Dresden Files game I started each session with Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy with war sounds playing over it. It helps me get in the mindset and hopefully helps my players get into the mindset, too. I enjoy using external aids like that.

Minor anecdote of my phone humorously derailing the game momentarily: The switch on my iphone for setting it to silent got flipped at some point. I had Torgue from Borderlands 2 shouting "PLOT TWIST!" as my notification that I got a text. A tense moment had come up and a reveal was made by the GM. There was a second of silence followed by Torgue shouting "PLOT TWIST!" at a rather appropriate time. Even the GM laughed. I'd gone a little red from embarrassment and quickly set it back to silent.

 

[beaumontsebos]

I DM a group online via virtual table using audio only. So I have no idea what they are doing on their devices while we play. Sometimes they'll post a link or something in the chat for us all to look at. I don't care, really. As long as they are ready when it's their turn and I don't have to repeat myself because they were distracted, it really doesn't matter.

 

[Blue]

The group I run for has no policy because we don't need it. I occasionally need my laptop when the players do something unexpected and I need to reference my extended campaign notes or look up a foe. (Running 13th Age and some of the material I bought the PDF only.)

Was in a game with "Wall of Dell". That was a higher level 4e game which means there was a decent delay getting back around to you for combat, and players (myself included) quickly fell into the habit of fiddling on the internet when they weren't doing anything - and quickly extended out of combat. We'd get things like three PCs talking about what to do next with the other players not paying attention, do it,and then 45 minutes later get "why are we doing this, my character never would have agreed to it?!"

As a side note, I play a regular friendly poker game, could win/lose $20 in a night but it's mostly about hanging with friends. We have one person who once their phone comes out will be stuck to it, and asks for reviews of who bet/raised what every round of betting. Delays the game, and it's supposed to be a social occasion. Before the phone hits the table he's enjoying and talking. We have one other who isn't as bad but if her phone is out she will occasionally get lost in it and not talk and delay the game.

I feel like they are seductive. Once easily available for some people they can fit into crevices you aren't actively engaged and pull you away.

 

[Koloth]

My current group allows them. Mostly not a problem but one player's family doesn't understand that texting him every few minutes with trivial status updates can be very distracting to the rest of the group. Plus an app on his phone signals weather alerts, which in Oklahoma can be a fully time distraction. Also have the opposite happen. One player doesn't bring print books or character sheets. If there is a network issue, he has no way to play.

 

[sleypy]

As long as people switch their phones to vibrate I have no problem with people using cell phones. I use my laptop to run games. I use OneNote for all my notes and xMind for mind maps for session notes.