Why players misbehave (from a teacher's perspective)

[pogre]

I don't necessarily think of it as misbehavior, but occasionally I do have to confront issues that slow down the game. If I have a player that does not know their spells - I provide them with spell cards. I am not afraid to tell a player who likes to kibbitz that it is not their turn. I occasionally will skip a player's turn if they hem-and-haw, although that is a last result. I have players roll all of their attacks and damage at once. A fast pace is important to me to keep the game engaging - particularly because I tend to run bigger games.

I am a teacher too (high school) and just like in the classroom, setting expectations is key. Phone use should be kept to a minimum. Distracting conversations should be mostly avoided. I expect you to be on time or at least text me to let me know you are running late. If you are bored or do not enjoy a session - I expect you to be an adult and let me know so we can adjust the game to make it more fun for you. I say these things at the beginning of a campaign. In education-speak: I explicitly set norms.

I try to model these norms. I start on time. I end on time. I do not hem-and-haw while considering monsters' abilities. I am well prepared for the session - to keep the session as smooth as possible.

All I have to do during campaigns is the very occasional gentle reminder.

 

[Fenris-77]

Cool, doesn't look like you have much use for this thread. Have a great day!

There is one in every thread. I think the analogy here works, broadly speaking, and I say that as an Elementary/Middle School teacher. The remedies, however, are different. Dealing with maladjusted adults is a different game. The same approaches might work, but I would carefully clothe them in profanity and sarcasm before deployment.

 

[Schmoe]

My players are adults.

Back in the 80s, I didn't have the vetting options I have had in the last couple decades, and I encountered people who didn't mesh. but I just kicked them.

The first, and greatest, criteria for a player is the social contract: show up on time, be involved, keep it within the lines.

In any case, my group is motivated by four basic principles: spite, greed, petty-mindedness, and irrational affections for inconsequential NPCs. They operate off a common page. I keep the campaign geared towards their interests, and aside from the farting and verbal vulgarity & abuse, the table hums along smoothly.

One of the games I run, with my eldest son as a player (15 when the game started), includes two other father-son pairs. It was deliberately arranged, at least partially, as a parent+child game to give the younger ones the opportunity to interact in social situations with adults (and their parents) and help their social development. We still do goofy things, laugh, and have a good time, but the younger ones get to experience normal social boundaries and see that you can have a lot of fun within those boundaries.

 

[jasper]

Hmm wonder if I can get a bunch pink slips to send bad players to the office? And the good players get to stay behind and clean the battle map.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Hmm wonder if I can get a bunch pink slips to send bad players to the office? And the good players get to stay behind and clean the battle map.

Remember to schedule conferences with your players' parents a few weeks in advance so they can take time off from work.

 

[Maxperson]

Remember to schedule conferences with your players' parents a few weeks in advance so they can take time off from work.

What do I get for being player of the month?

 

[BookTenTiger]

What do I get for being player of the month?

Inspiration.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I should really do a thread on similarities between being a GM and a teacher. Both pretty much boil down to:

You spend hours planning for A, B, and C; the players/students do D.

 

[Maxperson]

I should really do a thread on similarities between being a GM and a teacher. Both pretty much boil down to:

You spend hours planning for A, B, and C; the players/students do D.

I improvise a LOT as DM. Work and family life keep my spare time to prepare to a minimum. Are there teachers like that? It seems to me that improvising as a teacher would be less desirable than it is for a DM.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I improvise a LOT as DM. Work and family life keep my spare time to prepare to a minimum. Are there teachers like that? It seems to me that improvising as a teacher would be less desirable than it is for a DM.

Oh man let me tell you about improvising!

My first year of teaching I was working literal 16-hour days, drinking 6 cups of coffee at dinner, getting 4 hours of sleep a night trying to figure out how to teach. I was drained, exhausted (at least level 3 exhaustion), and wanting to quit. I thought I had to have all my lesson plans written out, all my copies made, everything prepared to be a good teacher.

I was not a good teacher, I was a tired teacher.

Finally in the Spring I decided since I would probably quit anyways I might as well sleep. I remember waking up after an actually 8-hour night and realizing I didn't have a plan for that day's writing lesson. But in about 5 minutes, my rested brain came up with one. In class, I was responding to the needs of students. We were having fun. There was a visitor in my classroom that day and she went and told the principal how great the lesson was.

Improv is the heart of teaching. Responding to students' needs, going to plan B, cutting the lesson in half, switching it up to support this group but making it more challenging for that group... If I'd known how valuable sleep was as a resource my first year, I would have prioritized it more! When you can improvise, you can teach!