All Eyes on the Game: 12 Tips to Keep Your RPG Players Involved and Focused on Playing

It’s a problem as old as roleplaying: You have a few players who are engaged, paying attention and driving the story, and other players who may be shy, or not interested in what’s going on today. The result is that half your table may not be involved in what’s going on. A few weeks ago, DM Tony posted his article with 6 Tips to Get Everyone at the Game Table More Involved. That’s the tip of the iceberg for this essential DMing topic. On the show today, Thorin, Tony and Dave will dig into what causes players to disengage, how to bring their attention back to the table, and the tricks they use to keep everyone involved in the game.2:00 Why do players check out at the table (or your online gaming platform) in the first place?6:00 Hook ‘em right off the bat: Why DM Dave starts the game by asking each PC “what’s your character doing?”10:00 Using initiative to make sure everyone gets a chance to participate even outside of combat14:00 Don’t be afraid to call on players who haven’t spoken up to tell you what they’re doing17:00 Call on everyone in every scene: Don’t assume shy/wallflower players don’t want to be more involved — they may not be seeing the opportunity, and that’s on the DM to facilitate20:00 Recognize different types of role players: Non-actor role players may not want to engage as much in speaking in-character, but often they do want to come up with creative ideas and actions23:00 The lesson of Tropic Thunder: D&D is a game of individuals, make sure each player is enjoying the game and getting to do what they want their character to do27:00 Tactical engagement: Can you run a big heist caper in your D&D game? Who leads?36:00 Tactics of engagement: Skill challenges and other tools we use to get everyone in the party involved at the same time42:00 Using character backstories to keep players engaged (and why DM Thorin is a little cautious about them)52:00 How DM Tony teased a PC’s flaw to get the other players interested in that character59:00 Tempting the party into doing more exploration and discovery64:00 Final thoughts