Passing notes at the table

[Midknightsun]

No. I've actually beheaded a player for this, then set fire to his body in his own living room, in front of his wife and children.

You were far too soft on him. You should have set fire to the family first.

j/k

But sure, I have no problem with players handing me notes, as long as it doesn't get ridiculous or overly distracting.

 

[Pyrex]

I don't actively discourage it in my games so much as I engineer the game such that it's not necessary.

In my experience, note passing is generally only necessary when one (or more) players are working at cross-purposes to the party.

Since I tend to discourage PC's who don't play well with others, note-passing generally only comes up when one of the PC's has been dominated or replaced with a pod-person.

 

[Shadeydm]

I find that despite people's best intentions some level of metagaming occurs which can be easily prevented via note passing.

 

[Terraism]

Voted yes, but it's slightly tempered. I run an online game, currently (with the same group of folks that used to play in my local game, before I moved halfway 'cross the country,) using Fantasy Grounds. So there are no actual "notes," and more "private messages." But players can only send messages to the DM (me) with the system, so it is limited that way.

That said, I don't mind when they drop one another IMs outside of the client, either, so I guess that'd turn it into an unqualified yes.

 

[Hjorimir]

I allow it between PCs if it isn't done during combat or a situation where one PC wouldn't be able to communicate with the other. They can always pass me a message.

As far as the players trying to keep me out of the loop, there's no fighting it as they already get together and chart out plans and contingencies based on known factors and educated guesses.

I run pretty complex campaigns, but I love that my players take the time to excel in such an environment.

 

[ivocaliban]

I would...but I only have one player.

Who is not, as far as I know, dissociative.

 

[Desdichado]

I'm always a bit surprised at the notion that D&D is a team/cooperation oriented game. Why do you see it that way?

I see it as a roleplaying game. You take on the roles of certain characters. Characters may or may not work well together or get along. In fact, some level of intergroup tension can be much more interesting than any other conflict you've got going on half the time anyway.

Maybe it's because I've always approached RPGs as attempting to replicate (to some extent) books, movies, TV shows, etc. rather than be tactical miniatures games, but I've never really grokked the whole idea in the first place.

 

[Roadkill101]

I voted yes, but would've voted sometimes had that been an option. As a GM I either pass a note to the player(s) concerned or pull him/her/them aside with no regularity for one method or the other. If players want to pass notes to each other, it has to go through me, so I know what said players are planning.

 

[Hjorimir]

I voted yes, but would've voted sometimes had that been an option. As a GM I either pass a note to the player(s) concerned or pull him/her/them aside with no regularity for one method or the other. If players want to pass notes to each other, it has to go through me, so I know what said players are planning.

I actually love when I don't know what they are planning; I love to be surprised by their tactics.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Yes, I allow it.

And as a player I'm a prolific note passer.