iserith
Magic Wordsmith
Five years or so ago, I ran a game for some WotC forum regulars including @Bawylie via text on Roll20 with the goal of creating a transcript of actual play. (I thought example play was sorely lacking in the new edition.) At the time, I received a number of comments and messages that indicated that we covered more content in 2 hours of text-based play than their groups could in 4 hours of regular play. I was somewhat thrown by this. How could this be? I had definitely been in pickup games where it was terribly sluggish, but text play is frustratingly slow compared to voice and I hadn't considered exactly what we were doing to make things so much faster.
Some years later (and many games with many different groups later), I've pinned this to some table rules that I've been employing for years now to great effect. None of these are new ideas, but they really do make a difference in the game experience if everyone at the table buys in. Here are a few of those table rules specifically geared toward making things smoother and faster. My players are asked to read, agree to, and implement these rules.
"Goals of Play. We are here to have fun and to create an exciting, memorable story together. We will choose our actions accordingly. If it's not fun and/or does not help create an exciting, memorable story, don't do it."
This most important of table rules, which is just a restatement of what the PHB says, cuts down the Set of All Possible Actions to the Subset of Fun, Exciting, and Memorable Actions which makes it easier for players to decide what to do. It also means that there are fewer disputes at the table since, presumably, there are shared values on what is fun, exciting, and memorable (otherwise we wouldn't be playing together). Giving direction on the sorts of choices players are expected to make means getting to the action quicker with less debate. Getting to the action quicker means the group covers more content per session.
"Bold Adventurers Only. We will play characters who want to go forth and confront deadly perils for reasons we can establish. Then during our precious session time, we'll play as if there is no tomorrow, living the sort of adventuring life that we can brag about later."
This table rule means that we don't have to spend time convincing Tom's character to go on a quest when the Call to Adventure is heard. It means that we don't have to spend time on shopping or running mundane errands or the sort of upkeep and management that is best done in my view expediently and only as necessary. This doesn't mean we lose out on roleplaying; rather, we spend time on the roleplaying that actually matters and eschew the stuff that doesn't.
"Pay Attention. When the spotlight is on me, I will act immediately. My turn is for acting, not for thinking about what to do."
When players understand that each of them acting efficiently as individuals benefits both themselves and their group, you will tend to see players stepping up to resolve their turns quickly. The faster everyone's turns go, the faster their turn comes back around which means they don't actually have time to look at their phone or wander away from the table. They have to be paying attention and thinking about what to do so they can act, being nimble enough to change course if something happens just before their turn. Framing this as a benefit to the player is the best way to sell this in my experience - more content per session means more XP and treasure. Their efficiency benefits them personally. And who doesn't like that?
"Say What You Do. I'll say what my character wants to do by stating a clear goal and approach - what the character hopes to achieve and what he or he does to achieve it. Questions aren't actions, nor are requests to make ability checks. The DM calls for checks, not players."
Clarity of communication is important when playing a game that is basically just a structured conversation. When players understand their role in this conversation and how to make succinct yet reasonably specific action declarations, then things go smoother and play proceeds faster. There are fewer misunderstandings, the DM finds it easier to adjudicate their actions, and the group can get to resolving those actions right away without a lot of back and forth. This also avoids the problem of "20 Questions" play wherein a player asks a litany of questions before actually taking an action (only to botch a roll after 5 grueling minutes of questioning, ugh). If they state a simple goal and approach, there is no need for questioning, provided the DM has adequately described the environment including the basic scope of options. And if they put their actions in terms of goal and approach rather than asking to make an ability check, the DM doesn't have to in turn question the player about what the character is actually doing or, worse, assume or establish what the character is doing, which isn't the DM's role and can lead to disputes if the player does not agree with the DM's characterization. If players get this part right, there is a remarkable impact on how smooth play goes!
"Keep Things Moving. I'll do this by saying "Yes, and..." to my fellow players. When a reasonable idea is proposed, I'll accept it ("Yes...") and add to it ("and..."). I won't shut down other people's ideas or try to tell other people how to play their characters unless they ask for help. It's discouraging to others and slows the game down."
This table rule short-circuits time-wasting player debates which can ruin a session both in terms of progress and relationships. We've all seen this before: A player offers an idea, someone poo poos it, no progress is made, repeat. Eventually the barbarian just rushes in and the debate was not only pointless but everyone's annoyed now. If players instead accept the idea and add to it, not only is the person who came up with the idea happy, but the player who accepted it gets to add their say. The next person then accepts that idea, which makes that player happy, and they get to add their part. And so on. By the end of the interaction, which can be remarkably short before the plan is ready to execute, everyone's happy and eager to see if their collaboration will pay off. When you do things this way, even shy players become more vocal because they know they're in an environment where their ideas are likely to be heard and embraced. This is a win all around. It's only a loss to players who love crapping on other peoples' ideas during play. And frankly, who even wants that kind of person at the table? (Not me.)
So these are a few of the things that my groups do. As a result, we absolutely run circles around many other groups in terms of quality and quantity of content per session. What other tips do you have for smoother, faster play?
Some years later (and many games with many different groups later), I've pinned this to some table rules that I've been employing for years now to great effect. None of these are new ideas, but they really do make a difference in the game experience if everyone at the table buys in. Here are a few of those table rules specifically geared toward making things smoother and faster. My players are asked to read, agree to, and implement these rules.
"Goals of Play. We are here to have fun and to create an exciting, memorable story together. We will choose our actions accordingly. If it's not fun and/or does not help create an exciting, memorable story, don't do it."
This most important of table rules, which is just a restatement of what the PHB says, cuts down the Set of All Possible Actions to the Subset of Fun, Exciting, and Memorable Actions which makes it easier for players to decide what to do. It also means that there are fewer disputes at the table since, presumably, there are shared values on what is fun, exciting, and memorable (otherwise we wouldn't be playing together). Giving direction on the sorts of choices players are expected to make means getting to the action quicker with less debate. Getting to the action quicker means the group covers more content per session.
"Bold Adventurers Only. We will play characters who want to go forth and confront deadly perils for reasons we can establish. Then during our precious session time, we'll play as if there is no tomorrow, living the sort of adventuring life that we can brag about later."
This table rule means that we don't have to spend time convincing Tom's character to go on a quest when the Call to Adventure is heard. It means that we don't have to spend time on shopping or running mundane errands or the sort of upkeep and management that is best done in my view expediently and only as necessary. This doesn't mean we lose out on roleplaying; rather, we spend time on the roleplaying that actually matters and eschew the stuff that doesn't.
"Pay Attention. When the spotlight is on me, I will act immediately. My turn is for acting, not for thinking about what to do."
When players understand that each of them acting efficiently as individuals benefits both themselves and their group, you will tend to see players stepping up to resolve their turns quickly. The faster everyone's turns go, the faster their turn comes back around which means they don't actually have time to look at their phone or wander away from the table. They have to be paying attention and thinking about what to do so they can act, being nimble enough to change course if something happens just before their turn. Framing this as a benefit to the player is the best way to sell this in my experience - more content per session means more XP and treasure. Their efficiency benefits them personally. And who doesn't like that?
"Say What You Do. I'll say what my character wants to do by stating a clear goal and approach - what the character hopes to achieve and what he or he does to achieve it. Questions aren't actions, nor are requests to make ability checks. The DM calls for checks, not players."
Clarity of communication is important when playing a game that is basically just a structured conversation. When players understand their role in this conversation and how to make succinct yet reasonably specific action declarations, then things go smoother and play proceeds faster. There are fewer misunderstandings, the DM finds it easier to adjudicate their actions, and the group can get to resolving those actions right away without a lot of back and forth. This also avoids the problem of "20 Questions" play wherein a player asks a litany of questions before actually taking an action (only to botch a roll after 5 grueling minutes of questioning, ugh). If they state a simple goal and approach, there is no need for questioning, provided the DM has adequately described the environment including the basic scope of options. And if they put their actions in terms of goal and approach rather than asking to make an ability check, the DM doesn't have to in turn question the player about what the character is actually doing or, worse, assume or establish what the character is doing, which isn't the DM's role and can lead to disputes if the player does not agree with the DM's characterization. If players get this part right, there is a remarkable impact on how smooth play goes!
"Keep Things Moving. I'll do this by saying "Yes, and..." to my fellow players. When a reasonable idea is proposed, I'll accept it ("Yes...") and add to it ("and..."). I won't shut down other people's ideas or try to tell other people how to play their characters unless they ask for help. It's discouraging to others and slows the game down."
This table rule short-circuits time-wasting player debates which can ruin a session both in terms of progress and relationships. We've all seen this before: A player offers an idea, someone poo poos it, no progress is made, repeat. Eventually the barbarian just rushes in and the debate was not only pointless but everyone's annoyed now. If players instead accept the idea and add to it, not only is the person who came up with the idea happy, but the player who accepted it gets to add their say. The next person then accepts that idea, which makes that player happy, and they get to add their part. And so on. By the end of the interaction, which can be remarkably short before the plan is ready to execute, everyone's happy and eager to see if their collaboration will pay off. When you do things this way, even shy players become more vocal because they know they're in an environment where their ideas are likely to be heard and embraced. This is a win all around. It's only a loss to players who love crapping on other peoples' ideas during play. And frankly, who even wants that kind of person at the table? (Not me.)
So these are a few of the things that my groups do. As a result, we absolutely run circles around many other groups in terms of quality and quantity of content per session. What other tips do you have for smoother, faster play?
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