Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sialia" data-source="post: 794965" data-attributes="member: 1025">My current group was reluctant to try to Pig system.After a bit, I asked them to "just try it once to see how it goes."Also offered to spot them the first night's cash. Really.I've got a big jar of pennies around. With the point system reduced to pennies and me supplying them, they agreed. Basically, what you have left is a point system.You do something that distracts the group from the RPGing, you lose a point.It doesn't take but a few mintues of game time to realize that the out of game distractions can usually wait until the session is ended. Or, that if something is really worth interrupting for, it's really ok to spend a point to buy permission to say it. If it's good enough, we waive the fee. The act of paying the point stops the game dead for a moment, everybody waits to hear what you have to say, responds to it briefly, and then they resume game. Because you've transitioned out of game time in a clearly marked way, it's easier to keep track of the fact that this is a digression, and then complete the digression and get back to the main event.And since making use of Pig indulgences feels slightly guilty, people may do it a couple of times, but are unlikely to do it all night long.We use the Pig now, but mostly it sits up on a shelf. Most of the time we forget to even take it down and put it in the middle of the table. Knowing that it is there is sufficient.The group is a lot more focused.Tell them there's a very simple trick to getting away without paying the Pig a thing all night. Stay in character, or at least avoid doing anything that pulls someone else out of character.Finally, begin the sales pitch with the silent  mantra "I love my players and want to play with them because they make me happy." If you are thinking about offering them something that will make all of you happy, they will come around. If you are thinking of bullying or dominating them or coercing them to your will or condescending to doing them favors, then they may respond to that rebelliously and resentfully. Players are canny creatures and can smell your fear. But they will return loyalty and obedience for love with discipline. (And a good story that involves them personally.)</blockquote>

Verification