This isn't about Thanos
You've been planning
for your upcoming session all weekend.
The mini's are set, notes ready.
Your dice are primed, 20's face-up. You've set the mood,
queued your favorite Elder Scrolls ambiance.
You're reading through your carefully articulated plot hook,
and... Blake is checking his Facebook?
and... Blake is checking his Facebook?
Gorram millennials and their Gorram internets!
The unmitigated audacity! How could he not be listening to my
perfect villain monologue?!
But it's not just Blake.
Pat, Matt, & Eric are checked out too?
What am I doing wrong? Not enough goblins?
Relatable NPCs? Spooky dungeon crawls?
Relatable NPCs? Spooky dungeon crawls?
The Hard Truth
Your players are checked out because they're not active in your world.
A world without consequence is a world of no consequence.
A world without consequence is a world of no consequence.
They don't have any influence and therefore, no investment.
You keep shutting them down to make your story unfold
the way you want it to, and it's killing your table.
Blake has a five-page backstory you haven't touched on once.
Matt's parkour monk is useless in your underwater campaign.
Eric is a silver-tongued savant and all your villains
are "too evil" to turn to the light.
The problem is you.
You've been playing your one-player campaign
while everyone else sits and watches.
They don't have to worry because your
OP NPCs will swoop in to save the day.
OP NPCs will swoop in to save the day.
Nothing is on the line.
They don't care if their character dies
because it won't change the story.
They don't care if their character dies
because it won't change the story.
Letting Go
Here's the kicker.
You can write your Game-of-Thrones-esque
world shattering novella and have it unfold exactly like you think it will.
But in 2-3 months, you could be the only one playing it.
You have to realize that everyone has trusted you with their fun.
It's going to be a hard lesson when good friends of yours walk away
because week after week you've shut down their fun.
The game has become something they aren't excited about anymore.
If everyone is looking at their iphones, they're going to start
wondering why they keep showing up in the first place.
We have a lot to compete with as Dungeon Masters,
and Facebook crushes are only one of them.
Yes, you are one of the players at your table, but
you're only 1/5 of that fraction.
Their fun is valid and their time just as important.
You need to let that villain die instead of vanishing by DM fiat
at the last possible second.
After all, he has minions... or maybe he was the minion.
Change the story, don't be rigid with your plans.
Let the narrative play out at the table.
Let the dice fall where they will and your
players will love you for it.
You will begin to establish trust and they will lean into
whatever devious plot you have awaiting them at the inn
instead of the hidden cavern.
Show them their backstories matter by connecting
someone in their past to the main narrative.
Give them that undead aerial combat they've been craving
since they made their aasimar paladin.
You might get lucky and have that perfect group
that eats up everything you throw at them,
but even that won’t last forever.
We all have a life outside of this hobby we love
and often it demands our attention, even at the table.
Everyone is there to have a few hours of fun and get away from
whatever trouble is bothering them, even if it means
flirting with every dwarven griffin rider they come across.
Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.
Jordan Cribbs
world shattering novella and have it unfold exactly like you think it will.
But in 2-3 months, you could be the only one playing it.
You have to realize that everyone has trusted you with their fun.
It's going to be a hard lesson when good friends of yours walk away
because week after week you've shut down their fun.
The game has become something they aren't excited about anymore.
If everyone is looking at their iphones, they're going to start
wondering why they keep showing up in the first place.
We have a lot to compete with as Dungeon Masters,
and Facebook crushes are only one of them.
Yes, you are one of the players at your table, but
you're only 1/5 of that fraction.
Their fun is valid and their time just as important.
You need to let that villain die instead of vanishing by DM fiat
at the last possible second.
After all, he has minions... or maybe he was the minion.
Change the story, don't be rigid with your plans.
Let the narrative play out at the table.
Let the dice fall where they will and your
players will love you for it.
You will begin to establish trust and they will lean into
whatever devious plot you have awaiting them at the inn
instead of the hidden cavern.
Show them their backstories matter by connecting
someone in their past to the main narrative.
Give them that undead aerial combat they've been craving
since they made their aasimar paladin.
You might get lucky and have that perfect group
that eats up everything you throw at them,
but even that won’t last forever.
We all have a life outside of this hobby we love
and often it demands our attention, even at the table.
Everyone is there to have a few hours of fun and get away from
whatever trouble is bothering them, even if it means
flirting with every dwarven griffin rider they come across.
Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.
Jordan Cribbs
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