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I'm seeking advice. How do you encourage players to talk to each other and do stuff?
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<blockquote data-quote="jsaving" data-source="post: 7833484" data-attributes="member: 16726"><p>There are several reasons why your players might take a passive approach to your campaign. Probably the most benign is that they simply enjoy being passive, either because they're tired from work/school or because they prefer listening to the stories you tell. A less benign possibility is that they take longer than you do to formulate plans and have stopped trying because they know they'll be interrupted by an "injected" encounter before they can finish. Or, it could even be that they aren't enjoying the campaign enough to take any action.</p><p></p><p>Under none of these scenarios would it be helpful to send an article urging your players to be more proactive. Instead, especially if your players are unusually introverted, a more personalized approach might prove fruitful.</p><p></p><p>I would start by speaking individually to your players and asking what they would like their characters to accomplish in-game. Perhaps they have interesting ideas but are unsure how to get from point A to point B and would benefit from a conversation with you on how to do that. You could even encourage them to write background stories for their characters which you would offer to treat as canon in your campaign, giving them an opportunity to "write the story together" as you say you would like. This wouldn't work for some players but for highly introverted people it would potentially be just the jump-start the campaign needs.</p><p></p><p>If in some of those conversations your players are unable to name any objectives for their characters, you could then explore why this is so. Would they like to brainstorm a new character with you that would get them more excited? Is there something about the current campaign they would like changed? Is there a different campaign/module/AP they would like you to run? Are they enjoying your homebrew material or would they prefer a setting they know, like the Forgotten Realms? And last but not least, are there tangible improvements they would like you to make for future gaming sessions? </p><p></p><p>That last question would probably be the toughest to ask but might also potentially be the most fruitful. If you do ask it, I'd suggest letting them speak their piece even though you may be tempted to rebut each point as it is made. That kind of honest feedback isn't something you get every day and if it enabled you to improve your DM style, it could be a "win" for everyone no matter what the reasons are for your players' passivity. Best wishes and good luck!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jsaving, post: 7833484, member: 16726"] There are several reasons why your players might take a passive approach to your campaign. Probably the most benign is that they simply enjoy being passive, either because they're tired from work/school or because they prefer listening to the stories you tell. A less benign possibility is that they take longer than you do to formulate plans and have stopped trying because they know they'll be interrupted by an "injected" encounter before they can finish. Or, it could even be that they aren't enjoying the campaign enough to take any action. Under none of these scenarios would it be helpful to send an article urging your players to be more proactive. Instead, especially if your players are unusually introverted, a more personalized approach might prove fruitful. I would start by speaking individually to your players and asking what they would like their characters to accomplish in-game. Perhaps they have interesting ideas but are unsure how to get from point A to point B and would benefit from a conversation with you on how to do that. You could even encourage them to write background stories for their characters which you would offer to treat as canon in your campaign, giving them an opportunity to "write the story together" as you say you would like. This wouldn't work for some players but for highly introverted people it would potentially be just the jump-start the campaign needs. If in some of those conversations your players are unable to name any objectives for their characters, you could then explore why this is so. Would they like to brainstorm a new character with you that would get them more excited? Is there something about the current campaign they would like changed? Is there a different campaign/module/AP they would like you to run? Are they enjoying your homebrew material or would they prefer a setting they know, like the Forgotten Realms? And last but not least, are there tangible improvements they would like you to make for future gaming sessions? That last question would probably be the toughest to ask but might also potentially be the most fruitful. If you do ask it, I'd suggest letting them speak their piece even though you may be tempted to rebut each point as it is made. That kind of honest feedback isn't something you get every day and if it enabled you to improve your DM style, it could be a "win" for everyone no matter what the reasons are for your players' passivity. Best wishes and good luck! [/QUOTE]
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I'm seeking advice. How do you encourage players to talk to each other and do stuff?
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