One big disadvantage of online games. Due to delay and not being in the same room it can be really hard to pick up when another person is truly finished speaking and when they are just making a little pause.
Reading body language is so important. Especially as a dm. It's really hard to see how your players are feeling about a situation when everyone is taking turns to talk to see if they're liking a section if they're a bit bored.
True, so often I think someone is finished an then we talk simultaneously. Or there are seconds of pure silence but it turns out one player actually wants to answer only he takes time to think.
I only get to play online mostly, and sometimes that makes it difficult, the few sessions I played irl are just so much better because you can really bounce off eachother better.
@@SquirrelGamez Sure they do - most BBEGs are actually kind of lonely and just want someone to talk to, and hey, they also wanna brag a bit about their evil plan otherwise no one will truly appreciate its nuance. They just want to be understood, really. And maybe make a friend?
Easy to adapt that to the sentinel Comics RPG too. Interrupt the monolog (or the GM doing scene setup description), grant the baddie a +1 bonus. Do it again and the next bonus is +2, then +3, etc. That'll put a stop to that right quick.
I once had a player interrupt me three times while I was trying to set the scene for a big boss fight. As I tried to describe the room he kept going "then I do this..." we politely asked him to wait, but he did it again and again. The most frustrating thing? He wasn't even first up in the initiative order. Same guy has literally interrupted my description to ask questions I was in the process of answering before being interrupted!
Well, kudos to you for getting him very excited. Those players are annoying but they make the payoff worthwhile in the end. They get the whole table excited for what's about to happen or your other players walk out. I've had both happen. lol.
As a player/DM also with ADHD... these things are exactly why I have to keep a special notepad or paper separate from my campaign notes at the table. Taking note when others are speaking helps me pay attention more and having space to jot down stray thoughts is the only way I can avoid being the worst.
I got the issue as well, by actually randomizing my games and setting up dice to roll for that as well gives me busy work that and taking moms little helper/study aid/diet aid/whatever prior to the game by about 1 hour also helps.
I find this helpful, too, for keeping my ADHD in check. I now have a few hundred pages of Google Docs that I share with the other players to help us track treasure. I started this when we played in person, and since Covid-19 I continued the practice. I don't think I could have survived Discord TTRPGs without this technique.
Seth, I can't thank you enough for your videos. I've been following your for several years now and you are the main reason I managed to go from failure GM to someone whose players are asking for the next session and more content. Your videos helped me understand my own mistakes, but also recognize when its the player's fault AND most importantly to accept that some player-GM-combinations shouldn't be playing together for the benefit of all at the table.
As someone with quite heavy ADHD, I highly recommend figuring out some ways to keep your focus halfway on the game even when your only listening for prolonged period of times, like in combat rounds. If possible I try to play characters that are obsessive note takers tinkerers or something like that. Cause it allows me to just kinda method act their behaviors as a fidget at the table. And when I do get distracted I can just assume my character would be distracted as well, which allows me to use this for role-play and the occasional comedic moment.
Conversely, if the DM is going to break into a monologue after combat has started, give the characters a reason to let it continue. I have played several characters who would totally finish off an enemy mid-speech. And one who did.
Man it's just the greatest when I'm in the middle of describing in detail how an original monster looks in a horror game just for people to say they shoot it before I'm through saying that it's large. The DM/GM/Keeper/What have you's job is to set the scene and atmosphere, let them.
@@dreamwanderer5791 There's the classic story of a DM describing a corrupt noble BBEG to the party. A player interrupts mid-description, screaming "I shoot him!" DM lets him make the attack roll, nat 1. DM says "You shoot the princess, killing her." The party is shocked in confusion, "What princess?!" "The princess that the noble was holding at knifepoint, you would've known that if you let me finish setting the stage."
I was waiting for the “They’re excited” part… my players LOVE to interrupt either my descriptions or whatever the NPCs are doing to show how tough they are.
I had a Blurter I use to play with back in the late 2000s-early 2010s. We'll call him Jim, cause that's his name. While we'd be watching a new movie or playing any game, video game or TTRPG, as the plot is playing out or the DM/GM is describing the area or role playing an NPC, Jim would always blurt out "Dude, I bet there's [Insert a wild guess or cliche here]" usually right as the DM is getting to it or the movie's about to reveal a twist, like he's doing a modern Let's Play or something. And like 75% of the time he was right. This pissed off me and the one other DM friend we had, to the point that the other friend just didn't want to DM anymore. One game, after confronting Jim about it *multiple* times, said DM tossed aside the DM screen. The DM friend yelled "You be the fucking DM then!" and stormed off to play a video game. Don't recall him really playing as any sort of Game Master since. There were multiple other things Jim did we didn't like but he was the friend with the place with the space for 5-6 people. His parent's basement, his dining room table and so on. So we just kinda lived with it. Long story short, don't be a Jim.
Back in the 1980's I was DMing a group with two "Jims". One session, they just kept interrupting, then talking to each other, getting louder and louder. Asking them to be quiet would only work for about 5 minutes, and after the third time I said I needed to go to the bathroom. - I went downstairs, got my coat and keys, got in my car, and just drove West for an hour until I actually needed to use a bathroom, and found a McDonalds. One bathroom trip and a Big Mac later, I found a place to just sit and breathe for an hour, then drove back home. - Never had that problem again.
As a Autistic player, I'd like to add another reason or two for interrupting. I can't always tell that it is an inappropriate moment to speak up, which makes things difficult. I know it's an issue for me, and I work hard to minimise it, but it's not something I can eliminate entirely, especially if I get excited or am really tired. Something that I also struggle with is needing to finish what I'm saying. It's deeply uncomfortable for me to not be able to. This tends to result in me "counter interupting," which isn't great, but the gremlins in my brain don't seem to care. There are also times the "gremlins" decide that I absolutely MUST share a thought or fact but if I do manage to infer that it's not a great moment I can usually just wisper it to whoever is sitting next to me or put it in the text chat if we're online. Ultimately, communication and understanding are the solutions for me here. I let the people I play with know that I'm autistic and that although I am making a conscious effort to control some of my more unhelpful habits I won't always succeed and that some understanding and forbearance on their part along with gently letting me know what I did (cos I'm often unaware in the moment) keeps things running smoothly and enjoyable for all involved.
Oh kiku - you just described my wife regarding the need to finish what she says (and yes, she's on the spectrum). When it's really bad, she'll just start over at the beginning, which often creates far more interruptions.
My friend who stutters, as much as it may be his issue, I just let him have his time and do not finish his thought as much as I know what it may be. If its just part of who you are, the rest of us can be better at accomodating the issue, so as always, communication is two ways!
@@michaelwest4325 Absolutely. Now that my daughter & I understand my wife's psychology more, we're far better (usually) at accommodating her needs and conversational style.
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Hey Seth, thanks for mentioning your ADHD. It’s pretty amazing to see other people who are neurodivergent being successful and good at stuff. It gives me hope.
@SSkorowsky Like your vids and I'm a fan of the Cthulhu mythos myself. But what if there's a real life medical emergency like a stroke, heart or athsma attack during a game and you could implement this into your own. I've played a few PC based Cthulhu mythos games
You are great man, this not only works for TTRPG but also for conversation in general. There's allways that one dude/tte who interrupts when you're talking. Now a question: how do you deal with anti-authority players? those who allways badmouth the king or disrespect the general? I mean, it's not a PC thing but a player thing. Sorry if you already adressed that in other video.
@@cosmicwartoad2587 I've had various emergencies happen during games, including a player getting the emergency room call about a life-or-death situation. My response, whether it be medical of a waterpipe rupture back at their house, has always been, "What are you waiting for? Go!" It's one of the reasons I don't subscribe to the advice of 'no phones during games'. If a player missed that important phone call that their wife was in the emergency room or their house was on fire because I forbade them from having their phone, I'd never forgive myself.
One thing I've found helps as a GM is when players are doing things, try determining if there is a player who maybe hasn't spoken up and ask them what they want to do. Doesn't have to be all the time but having this happen occasionally will help players not feel like there's a race to get their action in before the GM moves on to a new scene.
I missed that one when it was new and scored it around 2003 as part of a deal the FLGS owner made with one of his distributors. Apparently they'd been warehouse cleaning and found boxes full of badly water-damaged miniatures packs and boxes from the 1980s, and rather than just chuck the whole mess they pulled the lead out of the ruins of the packaging and offered them in random lots by weight. Not sure how cheap they were to him as a retailer, but he only asked us for $5 a pound on preorder so it couldn't have been much. My five pounds was a gold mine of early Grenadier stuff and some TSR Star Frontiers and Gamma World. Good times, best deal I've seen since the late 90s when Games Workshop had their parts shelves collapse at the US warehouse and resorted to doing a shovel sale (as in, they used actual shovels to pick all the jumbled parts up) at by-the-pound rates as well. Random as hell what you got, but it fed my bits box and conversion needs for decades.
This video feels like it was written for me and one of my groups. They say I'm being too wordy and descriptive so I limit things to 3 key points in as many sentences, and guaranteed they're still talking (IC, I'll give them that) then tell me what they're doing before I finish. I let them, then they complain when something happens that I hadn't finished describing, saying something like "you didn't say anything about X!" :D I found Mothership has a great combat mechanic where each round starts with the Warden describing what it looks like will happen if the players do nothing, and nasty monsters, environments etc automatically do damage if not prevented. Everyone makes Speed checks each round (success goes before the Warden, fails go after) so they *have* to listen each round to tailor what they are trying to do to not get spaced/eaten/minced up. I think your point about the GM being a player too is really good. I'm running games because I like to paint a scene and see what these characters will do and add their metaphorical paint as well. If I'm constantly having to fight to get the basics out then it just turns into something more like trying to set a food bowl down in the middle of a fur-storm of hungry pets i.e. get it down as quickly as possible so that the hassling stops.
Im literally giving this to my players today. None of them have done anything on the list, and I'll state that to them but game etiquette is always nice. Its good to share that they have been doing well without instructions. If you are reading this, I'm hyped for tomorrows game!
Someone said that the true communication is when you actually LISTEN to what the other person is saying, not dismiss it and file it away and your mind whizzes to think about what YOU will say next. LISTEN first, then ponder, then speak.
I've had a few games with this type of player. From experience, we found in these situations that adding initiative to story events or towns can be useful. Basically, giving everyone 3-5 minutes to talk or do something before switching and looping back around as needed. I always tried to frame it like a TV show where we are going back and forth between characters and scenes. Not a silver bullet, but can be handy in the right situation.
One "trick" a Master should use to lower the "overexcited" interruptions, is to always start the description with what is most obviously dangerous. Human brain is talking monkey brain after all - we treat the first information received as the most important one. So if you start your description with obvious giant snakes, players will start strategizing around them, willing to learn more about the scene to plan ahead. If you start your scene with the description of masonry... they will simply assume they are safe to enter.
@SSkorkowsky at his gaming table, "So guys I put a new video up!"" The players at his table," yeah, we know...." His players are going to go full murder hobo next chance they get just to stick it to you lol 😆 🤣
The frustration here is sooo relatable. I am glad you pointed out that, often, player interruption is due to excitement and I try to keep this in mind (usually successfully). The killer for me is the distractions, especially in key narrative moments. Sometimes there will be a scene or moment that has been building for hours and, as it arrives, there is usually at least one player who isn't fully focused. Now, there are sometimes good reasons for this (maybe a longer than expected session, a long day leading up to the session, or any number of other legitimate reasons). With that said, it is enormously demoralizing to have an epic moment or setup fall flat because a player is only partially engaged. Ill admit that sometimes I am tempted to use/abuse my gm powers to steer the big payoff moments to other players, at least for a while... but then it becomes a reinforcing cycle. Ugh... game master is a tough job. Still good fun and an exceptional creative outlet. Thanks for the great videos to keep us reminded of this... even in the tough moments.
Small idea from an ADHD player that may or may not work for you: try to schedule in short breaks before these key moments, so that everyone has some time to recharge their batteries, resolve whatever distraction was occupying them, and go into the scene with fresher focus. I've noticed some sessions where I really struggled to keep paying attention, just a few minutes break made it a lot better for me. Could be all you need to make the moment work.
@@greenjuice123 Great feedback, thanks! We usually do a short break in an unofficial capacity about every 1-1.5 hours, but it might work to do some sort of 'Key Details Round-up' at the end of these. Players can restate important plot points and/or character motivations as a way of refocusing ahead of major story beats. You've given me some ideas, thanks!
If the entire party is distracted, and there's a quiet moment before some important reveal, then a short break is a good way to bring everyone back to full attention; however, I can also see where the mere fact of taking a break reduces the tension too far. Another way is to tingle their "Spidey senses." Especially if one particular player is distracted, give them a focal moment, such as the hair raising on their neck, getting a feeling of dread in the pit of their stomach, break a sudden sweat on their brow, or have a shiver run down their spine.
Yep, definitely guilty of this. Doesn't help that social circumstances make me anxious to a point that I want a reprieve from that with some distraction.
Truthfully, I had a player who finds interrupting monologuing villains to be the absolute height of comedy. "The Incredibles," while a great film, is probably one of the most poisonous things that ever happened to DMs because of that joke.
Some great tips and reminders in here. One of these days I'll have to make my own ADHD friendly DM screen or something with Mork Borg fluro highlights reminding me to be a better player/DM.
In our online games via Foundry VTT we solved some of those problems by intruducing the "raise my hand" module (a simple button that promts a big yellow hand and the name of the person who pushed the button into the chat). Some interruptions are bound to happen regardless because of latency or the other reasons you mentioned that can not be covered by a raised hand of course.
Ohh the excited interruptions, maaaan those hurt, especially since sometimes i have to translate the descriptions on the fly, as we are not primarily playing in English... and i am too guilty of being too exicted
Cutting off villain monologue brings into mind a game I was playing in where I was the person doing it. We were in the lair of this evil Vampire and after defeating his pet Shadow Dragon he casted a darkness spell and talked to us but then removed the darkness trying to blackmail/bargain with us about something. My character having lived as a thiefling for 20-40 years (don't remember anymore) in the city as it fell mostly because of doings of this Vampire didn't hesitate a moment. Bow in hand launched a suprise on the Vampire as soon as he showed himself. Killed him before he got to do anything else. Looking back at it I should have refrained from jumping into action but to this day it is something memorable to the group as we lost quite a lot of hints to the rest of the campaign (which was maybe 5 ish sessions left). So I cherish the moment as a point of history but can see it I was out of line for it. Especially as I think the GM was making him lose the darkness for dramatic effect which I should have picked up on. But yeah awesome notes on the video. I also think one additional point is that players who have difficulty concentrating because of ADHD or similar attention conditions they might do good with some fidget machine (like one of those cubes with different fidget mechanical things on each side) Just having that to get something to do for your hands while you listen could help a ton.
Was not expecting that shout out to r/rpghorrorstories like that! Also hilarious, because you know a few dozen players have absolutely posted about that exact situation.
Sometimes some players interrupt others as they are in a group that has one or more players that hog the spotlight. Which results in some players not being able to do anything unless they interrupt.
That's true in real life as well. I've been told to stop interrupting by friends these past few years... but in my defense I spent most of my life as a quiet person who could never place a freakin word in a conversation and I've learned that I *had* to interrupt people in order to say anything. I try not to interrupt anymore, but it's hard to work against 3 decades of dealing with people who wouldn't let me talk, plus there's this one friend who never stops talking so I still have to interrupt him to say anything at all, or else it's a one-way conversation (and he's one of those who hate being interrupted but man... stfu and I won't have to).
Seth, I am a long time DM and have endured all of these. The one that sticks out is the interrupted BBEG monologue. Oddly enough, it is fondly remembered in my group as the guy who did it was a first time player and it was completely on brand for him to do so. The other examples are extremely annoying at best and utterly derailing at worst.
Hello Seth, this is a VERY on-the-nose topic for me. I *hate* this. I too have something of a condition that makes it exceedingly hard for me to recover from being interrupted. I have actually left & stopped GM-ing for an entire small gaming group because all of them kept doing it for years, and I finally got fed up with it. It felt like "me vs. three giant egos" who thought I was always the "comic relief" for our small group, in and out of games, so it was "okay" for me to be the one being interrupted. I'm about to start DMing for an entirely new group...and I've already got 1 person who forcibly interrupts. SIGH...
Have you considered using a "party caller"? The purpose is not to deny individual agency to players, but rather to allow you to impartially evaluate their actions (including speech acts). There are, of course, many times when you'll want to either interact with a player directly, or base your adjudication on what they've stated to the party caller; however, it definitely keeps the players from interfering with you doing your part as referee. As referee, you might even inform that they should consider not overwhelming the party caller with information about what they want their player to do, especially because you are still evaluating what they are having their characters do.
I’m guilty of this, generally out of both excited anxiousness and worry that I will forget something I thought of. I watched this primarily to give me tips to be a better collaborator if I ever get to be a player again. I generally want to build on what is happening, and it’s not out of selfishness or a desire to be the center of attention. I’m just over excited mostly. Keeping a notepad handy helps to jot down ideas or note down things I want to accomplish when it’s my turn. I also often have a problem doing it when there’s another interrupter at the table who likes to completely derail other players actions or ideas. I end up trying to use my character to steer things back into focus despite the show stealer, and sometimes make things worse. I think for that the key is to let the DM take control of the disparate voices and patiently wait til my turn to act in support of the player who was interrupted.
I had the reverse problem. I'd be saying something. When someone else began talking, I assumed that no one was listening to me. It got so bad that the other members of my group had to ask me to continue.
I do this a lot because I GM mostly, and when I play I am so excited to get involved that I am always busting in. At least it is because I am involved, too involved perhaps.
Given how eager to jump on monologuing villains players tend to be (at least I have found) a lot of the time you are better off doing the story critical dialogue in non-combat situations. ie players are hiding or the villain monologues by proxy (be it a magic mouth spell, recording or from behind a wall).
One of the big cases of interuptions I see if players wanting to investigate a room or something before I've finished describing it. For a while, I had to keep reminding my players to let me finish describing what they see without a check first before they go looking for things that aren't obvious.
The Roleplayer in my group tends to do this AND tries to butt into other player's moments(even if their PC isn't even in the area). They especially like to do it whenever we play Star Trek games, it's very fustrating for me as the GM and the other player's don't appreciate it either, I just have no idea how to handle them without coming across as the GM Tyrant...
@@oz_jones unfortunately, I've tried to talk to them about it and they either don't think what their doing is wrong("Star Trek is an Ensemble Show...") or they'll ignore or change the subject entirely("okay, so about what Casual did last week..." and/or "So, didja see the new MTG stuff coming out yet?...") and since I'm a guest at their house at the time, I feel it'd be rude to press the issue.
I have had good results by very direct right in the moment. "We will get to you, Dave, after Barb and Carl's turns. What were you saying, Alex?" "(finger point)You're not even there. (eyes on other player) carry on, Ed. "
@@dutch6857 I'll try it next game(which is Saturday btw) and let y'all know what happened. Thanks for the advice, it's really been bugging me for awhile...
One potentially useful way to keep an "excitable" roleplayer busy (at least when their own PC isn't in the scene) is to let them act as a minor NPC, with a quick brief on what the PC's goals are. Won't always work and you may have to veto them if they get carried away with something too out-of-non-player-character, but it will at least keep them from randomly interrupting and can occasionally produce some interesting twists. I've been at some great tables where any player whose PC wasn't in a scene was expected to help out with the "bit parts'" now and then, especially for complex social situations. The GM would even do little character briefs on an index card for some NPCs, with a quick motivation and a couple of lines of canned dialog to give a feel for the "voice" they should have. Very thespian-heavy group, which helped - and we were playing either Amber Diceless or Ars Magica, which have some built-in expectations of playing more than one role all teh time anyway.
I've adopted a tried and true school method and it's been working very well for me. If I want to interrupt, either with a comment, or a request, I rise my hand and wait to be acknowledged by the GM. This way they know I have something to say, but can finish their current thought first.
I stopped prepping room descriptions beyond the bare minimum because of this, I’ll have to try this out! As a side note as well for ADHD and being off topic, for most it isn’t that the brain is elsewhere, but that it was listening, picked up on a single word, and then ran with it into a full side tangent. Additionally, there is something called the stimulation threshold were people with ADHD require a certain amount of scenery input to stay focused, for example using your phone while watching tv or listening to an audiobook while you read. I personally watch videos of trains on their routes when I gm. This prevents the brain from seeking stimulation from elsewhere, but too much can lead us astray.
I wrote a similar PSA about monologues on the Alexandrian's vid, but I'm going to repeat myself. I read something like this, but probably better stated. Players- That BBEG was lovingly created by your GM. They represent a significant amount of creativity and skullsweat. The GM and the villain have spent weeks, months, or even years fighting, manoeuvring, and plotting together. Now it's over. And your GM is good with that (or they should be) because that is the reason for the BBEG in the first place. Just let your GM have their moment. This is their goodbye to their creation.
If you are an outgoing player, it's much more rewarding to set the other players/charachters at your table for great moments. Obviously, you have to avoid making a wallflower or "Jesse who plays 2nd Cleric" uncomfortable, but helping others shine is simply the best and often helps cement hangers-on to the group/hobby.
Group effort. It's like play-making in sports, set each other up to score. If someone hasn't participated in a scene or in a while, pick them to pass the ball to.
I feel there was another reason for blurting that wasn’t brought up: your table isn’t offering the player a way to interact any other way. A few years ago I joined a group of strangers, they weren’t malicious or anything but they were out for themselves and didn’t really care if I was having a good or not. Whenever we had interactions with NPCs I tried to think through how my character would react while the other more confident players just jumped right over me, which just made it worse and worse, so blurting became the only way to get a word in edgewise. I tried talking to the DM about a way to get involved in roleplay more but it ultimately didn’t amount to much.
Hey, Seth. Thanks for the video. Boy, do I have LOTS to say about this subject! I could write a freaking 70 page essay about disruptive player habits and this particular issue would easily occupy 50 of those pages. In a nutshell: You can try to be pacient. You can try to be understanding. You can try to be flexible. You can try to go with the flow. Be the cool DM. But at the end of the day, you WILL have to put your foot down. You can be civil and not make a whole thing about it, but you'll have to be firm and totally serious about not being OK with interruptions ("Hold on, they're towing my car!" or "Excuse me. I don't so feel good" are valid OOC comments. "Guys, check out this funny dude in TikTok!" is not) Pro tip: Lead by example. If you don't want silly non-sequiturs or random jibber-jabber during your gaming sessions, don't be the first to exhibit such behavior.
This just a me thing, but I wanted my players to interrupt me at times, when the big villain is opening a portal or is doing some other nefarious deed I don't want the heroes to just stand there like statues. I eventually gave a sort of signal that interruptions were okay by simply putting out something that could not be missed near the middle of the table to signal that actions are happening in real time and that the players have initiative. To be fair my group came from video games and they have been trained to let cutscenes and whatnot play out so I have to tell them that tabletop games don't work like that.
It's the paragon/renegade interrupts from Mass Effect, TTRPG style! Love it! And I'm willing to bet you weren't even thinking of those when setting it up that way, so neat to see how similar mechanics can evolve in completely different environments like that. :D
as a forever gm I have used the order "Belay that action" My players have learned that this means that they want to let me finish as something that i am about to say will effect their action.
Thanks for the video! I have found if players are blurting, at least it shows they are enthusiastic about the game and that can be refocused if you are careful not to remove the enthusiasm as you are adjusting the behavior. It's tricky, for sure!
A suggestion for a video: a short,completely down to basics video, what is roleplaying to show to people who are completely new to roleplaying. No specific rules, lore, classes, just simple what can you expect when playing. Have been looking for a good video like that to show when trying to convert/corrupt/recruit civilians to players.
For me, a much bigger problem than players interrupting GM is the problem of players interrupting players. As a GM I have no problem raising my voice if need be, and people generally understand and police each other in regards to talking when the GM is talking. But some players can get boxed out from the gane entirely because they get talked over constantly, and this is an issue that I'm more likely to be pretty draconian about because it's ultimately an accessibility issue. One method I've been working on is to consider the game always to be in "turns" even outside of combat. I'm training myself not to say "what are you guys doing?", But rather "Dweebles, what are *you* doing?" And no one else gets to talk until he's done. This prevents awkward silences and hopefully can help against interruptions. If a player thinks Dweebles is about to do something stupid, they may shout him down before he finishes talking, because they are used to GMs who take every statement as a final commitment and never let anyone roll back their action. Playing in "turns", they understand that everyone will get a chance to give their two cents before any of the actions get resolved.
Look Seth I don't appreciate being called out like this 😂. In all seriousness a great video, definitely one of my worse struggles when I'm a player and not a GM. Some really useful tips here.
I'm going to borrow that whole notepad trick. I already do it when I GM, if a player says something I don't want to risk forgetting - but I could do it a LOT morr
I feel like that last one is quite possibly the trickiest, as it sort of blurs the line between narrative and player agency. I'm sure many people have watched a movie or show and begged the protagonist to do something, anything, rather than wait for the villain to finish monologuing or press the big red button in some dramatic fashion. As well, some players who would do that are simply being ruthlessly pragmatic, not murder-hobos. It's a big area of give and take where, yes, the GM is a player too, but the players also don't want to feel like they're in a cutscene of a video game either. Villains, in their own way, should be aware that monologuing unprotected in front of people who want to kill them isn't a good idea because those people aren't obligated to politely wait for him to finish in character, and telling characters "no, you must stand there politely and wait for him to finish" can be as much of a downer for the players as a cut-off monologue is for the GM. If you want to prevent players from shooting first and asking questions later, the scene should ideally be set to show that immediate violence will cause more problems than it solves, forcing the player to wait by virtue of needed to assess the situation. If the players aren't murder-hobos and actually consider and care about the consequences of their actions, they'll refrain, and then there needs to be an understanding that you'll tell them what they've gleaned from their assessment conveniently around the time the villain has stopped talking.
I try to minimize monologuing as much as possible. Whenever I come across a villain monologue in a module, I rather convert it to things the villain will say during their turn in combat while attacking the players. Makes for more interesting combat as well. You do run the risk that the villain may die before getting to say their piece, but such is life.
6:40 I think a good GM tip for this is to have a standing rule that people can retcon things that don’t immediately affect their situation. So, Dweebles wanted to buy a warhorse, but totally forgot. Half way through the next day the group come across a burned out wagon which, for some reason reminds Dweebles that he wanted to buy a warhorse. It’s not going to directly affect the situation they are in, so, Dweebles can buy the warhorse. However, if they come across a cliff they have to climb down and Dweebles wanted to buy rope, that DOES affect their current situation, so he doesn’t get it. Of course, I play Call of Cthulhu, so luck rolls reign supreme 😇
In my D&D games, we use Hero Points (similar to Mutants & Masterminds) which can help with minor plot conveniences like your warhorse example. It helps some players a lot!
Online play probably needs its own video to deal with the dynamics of voice-only, variety of reliable internet connections, etc. I am absolutely a blurter in online play and am terrible about taking notes in online play whereas at a table i would be much more likely to pick up the visual cues and would scribble notes like i was in a lecture
Now not to say you should never interrupt if the player goes off on a tangent that might take a minute or two but that tangent is predicated on a misunderstanding, they’ll usually appreciate you bringing that up before we spend 3 minutes on it
I have a player who constantly is on my case about the next session, they will rudely interrupt others to express that they want them to do less RP but also he will play videogames during the session. Super rude behavior.
I have totally done some of this. Having the light shown on it has given me some cringe memories! But now that I'm more aware I can try to do better to not do it.
lol, usually when you start to describe a dark room, more than half the party says, 'I have darkvision'. Makes me want to limit dark vision to 30'. I have been cut off numerous times when monologuing, "I attack". Which is valid, but it really interrupts the rhythm of the game. I'll try that tip next time!
There's a sizable fraction of the D&D and OGL community that outright remove darkvision and similar "darkness doesn't matter" sensory advantages from the game, or at least from easy access to PCs. Enormous amount of debate has gone on for decades about the best approach to managing expectations about "light management" in dungeoncrawls, with different tables having entirely different preferences. The subject really ought to be discussed in session zero right alongside boundaries and X cards, but very few people do so and I've seen it lead to some real bad experiences.
There is a clear analogy to this in band dynamics. When a band has one or more flashy musicians, hell bent on showing off their skills and thus not providing the proper "musical space" for ALL the musicians. The result, regardless of how talented those flashy players are, is a train wreck that brings the entire performance down several levels.
This definitely isn't a new problem to TTRPG. Question: Do you think this is the PRIMARY reason the OG's like Gygax pushed for a designated "caller" at the gaming table? 🤔
My first DnD experience was with an old Gygax style DM, like, she sat behind a black curtain and did all the rolling and you would slowly starve to death if you didn't mention you were eating at least once a gameday. She did the one caller thing too, so yes, I do believe this is why. I've only experienced it with oldschool DnD and ADnD2 DMs.
@@J2982able Creepy! I started playing D&D back in the 1980s and we tried playing by the rules using a "caller" for our group...and like everyone else that only lasted 2 or 3 gaming sessions. 😂
@@lionelhutz3142 Oh, DM Peggy terrified us, great storyteller, but not the easiest on prepubescent kids lolol Did great voices too. Some I'd have sworn she had her husband sitting back there with her were he not sitting with us.
@@J2982able Sounds like something I would like to try for a while. My only experience so far has been with 5e, if you dont count the... 5? sessions of Runequest I had years ago or the some sessions of Cyberpunk 2020 I had 20+ years ago.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video! I get interrupted all the time (in conversation and while GMing), and it really destroys me. I really appreciate how you pulled no punches, including sharing that you have ADHD, which is a common excuse of a lot of people for why they interrupt (and won't try to stop it). Great suggestions on how to mitigate and manage this in the different types/situations.
The radio thing with monologues feels especially appropriate for thode playing online without cameras. Interruptions were always a nightmare when I primarily played over Discord. The cue for players would be super helpful.
I want to add "Can't help but make a joke" to this list, which is the problem I struggle with the most. GM or a player is describing something and the right combination of words triggers your brain to "make the funny". It's hard to hear a joke in your head and not share it because jokes rely on timing, so you have this impetus to share immediately, interrupting whatever is being said, before the timing has passed and the joke ceases to be. Even if you summon the will to not share, there's still a likelihood you smile, laugh, or otherwise interrupt with facial expressions. How many times have you played in a game that got interrupted by a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference?
This video should be made a mandatory part of the school curriculum.
Terminally underrated comment
I think that it might wind up being for my games
That can’t happen this is educational!
One big disadvantage of online games. Due to delay and not being in the same room it can be really hard to pick up when another person is truly finished speaking and when they are just making a little pause.
Reading body language is so important. Especially as a dm. It's really hard to see how your players are feeling about a situation when everyone is taking turns to talk to see if they're liking a section if they're a bit bored.
made even worse if only using chat.
True, so often I think someone is finished an then we talk simultaneously. Or there are seconds of pure silence but it turns out one player actually wants to answer only he takes time to think.
I only get to play online mostly, and sometimes that makes it difficult, the few sessions I played irl are just so much better because you can really bounce off eachother better.
Especially if the group doesn't use video.
In the BASH! Ultimate Edition superhero rpg, interrupting a Villain's monologue gives the Villain extra HP!
Yeah, villain monologue are a huge superhero trope!
But in most other games, they make no sense...
@@SquirrelGamez Sure they do - most BBEGs are actually kind of lonely and just want someone to talk to, and hey, they also wanna brag a bit about their evil plan otherwise no one will truly appreciate its nuance. They just want to be understood, really. And maybe make a friend?
Easy to adapt that to the sentinel Comics RPG too. Interrupt the monolog (or the GM doing scene setup description), grant the baddie a +1 bonus. Do it again and the next bonus is +2, then +3, etc. That'll put a stop to that right quick.
That is friggin awesome 😂
Oh my. I am using that….in every game.
Thanks for this one. Our group (including me) suffers from the jokey McJokester problem. Feeling we gotta get the gag in before the moment is lost.
Way to call out one of my own flaws there.
I once had a player interrupt me three times while I was trying to set the scene for a big boss fight. As I tried to describe the room he kept going "then I do this..."
we politely asked him to wait, but he did it again and again. The most frustrating thing? He wasn't even first up in the initiative order. Same guy has literally interrupted my description to ask questions I was in the process of answering before being interrupted!
You try talking to them? Some folk are denser than my Monday pound cake.
@@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus ...Made with real Mondays?
Well, kudos to you for getting him very excited. Those players are annoying but they make the payoff worthwhile in the end. They get the whole table excited for what's about to happen or your other players walk out. I've had both happen. lol.
@@markcampbell4080 Yeah, its definitely better when its the former!
The absolute savagery with which he called out all of his players
OMG 😂 The horse part got me so hard. I’ve seen this happen so many times
As a player/DM also with ADHD... these things are exactly why I have to keep a special notepad or paper separate from my campaign notes at the table. Taking note when others are speaking helps me pay attention more and having space to jot down stray thoughts is the only way I can avoid being the worst.
I got the issue as well, by actually randomizing my games and setting up dice to roll for that as well gives me busy work that and taking moms little helper/study aid/diet aid/whatever prior to the game by about 1 hour also helps.
I find this helpful, too, for keeping my ADHD in check. I now have a few hundred pages of Google Docs that I share with the other players to help us track treasure. I started this when we played in person, and since Covid-19 I continued the practice. I don't think I could have survived Discord TTRPGs without this technique.
You should make a video about players who don't pay attention
Well played, Daniel! Well played.
That does sound like a good idea, but hey, did you see this Seth video about players who don't pay attention?
@@paleposter You should make a comment about this video we just saw which discussion players not paying attention!
Maybe make it a RUclips Short rather than a full video 😊
Seth, I can't thank you enough for your videos. I've been following your for several years now and you are the main reason I managed to go from failure GM to someone whose players are asking for the next session and more content. Your videos helped me understand my own mistakes, but also recognize when its the player's fault AND most importantly to accept that some player-GM-combinations shouldn't be playing together for the benefit of all at the table.
Thank you very much. It's good to hear my channel's been helpful.
Same, honestly. I sign under every word. Seth has been incredibly helpful.
As someone with quite heavy ADHD, I highly recommend figuring out some ways to keep your focus halfway on the game even when your only listening for prolonged period of times, like in combat rounds. If possible I try to play characters that are obsessive note takers tinkerers or something like that. Cause it allows me to just kinda method act their behaviors as a fidget at the table. And when I do get distracted I can just assume my character would be distracted as well, which allows me to use this for role-play and the occasional comedic moment.
When the DM is monologuing before the big fight, please let them. They're saying goodbye to that character
Just wrote the same thing. But you said it with a tenth of the words and ten hours earlier. Well done!
Conversely, if the DM is going to break into a monologue after combat has started, give the characters a reason to let it continue. I have played several characters who would totally finish off an enemy mid-speech. And one who did.
@@Ziergon That's why I adore the combat system in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades.
Man it's just the greatest when I'm in the middle of describing in detail how an original monster looks in a horror game just for people to say they shoot it before I'm through saying that it's large. The DM/GM/Keeper/What have you's job is to set the scene and atmosphere, let them.
@@dreamwanderer5791 There's the classic story of a DM describing a corrupt noble BBEG to the party.
A player interrupts mid-description, screaming "I shoot him!" DM lets him make the attack roll, nat 1.
DM says "You shoot the princess, killing her."
The party is shocked in confusion, "What princess?!"
"The princess that the noble was holding at knifepoint, you would've known that if you let me finish setting the stage."
Holy guacamole! I literally just had this in my game last night. Can you see the future? Putting out exactly what I need
Yes. Yes he can.
I was waiting for the “They’re excited” part… my players LOVE to interrupt either my descriptions or whatever the NPCs are doing to show how tough they are.
I had a Blurter I use to play with back in the late 2000s-early 2010s. We'll call him Jim, cause that's his name. While we'd be watching a new movie or playing any game, video game or TTRPG, as the plot is playing out or the DM/GM is describing the area or role playing an NPC, Jim would always blurt out "Dude, I bet there's [Insert a wild guess or cliche here]" usually right as the DM is getting to it or the movie's about to reveal a twist, like he's doing a modern Let's Play or something. And like 75% of the time he was right. This pissed off me and the one other DM friend we had, to the point that the other friend just didn't want to DM anymore. One game, after confronting Jim about it *multiple* times, said DM tossed aside the DM screen. The DM friend yelled "You be the fucking DM then!" and stormed off to play a video game. Don't recall him really playing as any sort of Game Master since.
There were multiple other things Jim did we didn't like but he was the friend with the place with the space for 5-6 people. His parent's basement, his dining room table and so on. So we just kinda lived with it.
Long story short, don't be a Jim.
Back in the 1980's I was DMing a group with two "Jims".
One session, they just kept interrupting, then talking to each other, getting louder and louder.
Asking them to be quiet would only work for about 5 minutes, and after the third time I said I needed to go to the bathroom.
-
I went downstairs, got my coat and keys, got in my car, and just drove West for an hour until I actually needed to use a bathroom, and found a McDonalds.
One bathroom trip and a Big Mac later, I found a place to just sit and breathe for an hour, then drove back home.
-
Never had that problem again.
@@MonkeyJedi99 And now the Village People song is stuck in my head.
As a Autistic player, I'd like to add another reason or two for interrupting.
I can't always tell that it is an inappropriate moment to speak up, which makes things difficult. I know it's an issue for me, and I work hard to minimise it, but it's not something I can eliminate entirely, especially if I get excited or am really tired.
Something that I also struggle with is needing to finish what I'm saying. It's deeply uncomfortable for me to not be able to. This tends to result in me "counter interupting," which isn't great, but the gremlins in my brain don't seem to care. There are also times the "gremlins" decide that I absolutely MUST share a thought or fact but if I do manage to infer that it's not a great moment I can usually just wisper it to whoever is sitting next to me or put it in the text chat if we're online.
Ultimately, communication and understanding are the solutions for me here. I let the people I play with know that I'm autistic and that although I am making a conscious effort to control some of my more unhelpful habits I won't always succeed and that some understanding and forbearance on their part along with gently letting me know what I did (cos I'm often unaware in the moment) keeps things running smoothly and enjoyable for all involved.
Oh kiku - you just described my wife regarding the need to finish what she says (and yes, she's on the spectrum). When it's really bad, she'll just start over at the beginning, which often creates far more interruptions.
@@kurtoogle4576 yes
My friend who stutters, as much as it may be his issue, I just let him have his time and do not finish his thought as much as I know what it may be. If its just part of who you are, the rest of us can be better at accomodating the issue, so as always, communication is two ways!
@@michaelwest4325 Absolutely. Now that my daughter & I understand my wife's psychology more, we're far better (usually) at accommodating her needs and conversational style.
Yeah, the whole not knowing when to speak is annoying (autistic DM here)... It will forever remain a mystery how people parse their timing.
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Hey Seth, thanks for mentioning your ADHD. It’s pretty amazing to see other people who are neurodivergent being successful and good at stuff. It gives me hope.
@SSkorowsky Like your vids and I'm a fan of the Cthulhu mythos myself. But what if there's a real life medical emergency like a stroke, heart or athsma attack during a game and you could implement this into your own.
I've played a few PC based Cthulhu mythos games
You are great man, this not only works for TTRPG but also for conversation in general. There's allways that one dude/tte who interrupts when you're talking. Now a question: how do you deal with anti-authority players? those who allways badmouth the king or disrespect the general? I mean, it's not a PC thing but a player thing. Sorry if you already adressed that in other video.
@@cosmicwartoad2587 I've had various emergencies happen during games, including a player getting the emergency room call about a life-or-death situation. My response, whether it be medical of a waterpipe rupture back at their house, has always been, "What are you waiting for? Go!" It's one of the reasons I don't subscribe to the advice of 'no phones during games'. If a player missed that important phone call that their wife was in the emergency room or their house was on fire because I forbade them from having their phone, I'd never forgive myself.
One thing I've found helps as a GM is when players are doing things, try determining if there is a player who maybe hasn't spoken up and ask them what they want to do. Doesn't have to be all the time but having this happen occasionally will help players not feel like there's a race to get their action in before the GM moves on to a new scene.
The best part about Seth is he doesn’t talk down to us and is very kind in his advice
For a moment I thought Todd was going to make it through the outro without being interrupted. That would've been a missed opportunity.
Oh wow! 7:39 Seeing the giant snake miniature from Grenadier's "Denizens of the Swamp" gives me such sweet nostalgia 😄 That was my first set!
I missed that one when it was new and scored it around 2003 as part of a deal the FLGS owner made with one of his distributors. Apparently they'd been warehouse cleaning and found boxes full of badly water-damaged miniatures packs and boxes from the 1980s, and rather than just chuck the whole mess they pulled the lead out of the ruins of the packaging and offered them in random lots by weight. Not sure how cheap they were to him as a retailer, but he only asked us for $5 a pound on preorder so it couldn't have been much. My five pounds was a gold mine of early Grenadier stuff and some TSR Star Frontiers and Gamma World.
Good times, best deal I've seen since the late 90s when Games Workshop had their parts shelves collapse at the US warehouse and resorted to doing a shovel sale (as in, they used actual shovels to pick all the jumbled parts up) at by-the-pound rates as well. Random as hell what you got, but it fed my bits box and conversion needs for decades.
This video feels like it was written for me and one of my groups. They say I'm being too wordy and descriptive so I limit things to 3 key points in as many sentences, and guaranteed they're still talking (IC, I'll give them that) then tell me what they're doing before I finish. I let them, then they complain when something happens that I hadn't finished describing, saying something like "you didn't say anything about X!" :D
I found Mothership has a great combat mechanic where each round starts with the Warden describing what it looks like will happen if the players do nothing, and nasty monsters, environments etc automatically do damage if not prevented. Everyone makes Speed checks each round (success goes before the Warden, fails go after) so they *have* to listen each round to tailor what they are trying to do to not get spaced/eaten/minced up.
I think your point about the GM being a player too is really good. I'm running games because I like to paint a scene and see what these characters will do and add their metaphorical paint as well. If I'm constantly having to fight to get the basics out then it just turns into something more like trying to set a food bowl down in the middle of a fur-storm of hungry pets i.e. get it down as quickly as possible so that the hassling stops.
The description of trying to put a food bowl down in the middle of a fur-storm is perfect.
Got to meet Seth at Origins. He was amazing and friendly in person. Thanks for the chat, Seth!
Forgot to say thanks for the dice... they have punished both my players and me. So good times all the way around.
Im literally giving this to my players today. None of them have done anything on the list, and I'll state that to them but game etiquette is always nice. Its good to share that they have been doing well without instructions.
If you are reading this, I'm hyped for tomorrows game!
Someone said that the true communication is when you actually LISTEN to what the other person is saying, not dismiss it and file it away and your mind whizzes to think about what YOU will say next. LISTEN first, then ponder, then speak.
I've had a few games with this type of player. From experience, we found in these situations that adding initiative to story events or towns can be useful. Basically, giving everyone 3-5 minutes to talk or do something before switching and looping back around as needed. I always tried to frame it like a TV show where we are going back and forth between characters and scenes. Not a silver bullet, but can be handy in the right situation.
Seth, you're just too good at identifying and precisely describing these scenarios. Great video.
One "trick" a Master should use to lower the "overexcited" interruptions, is to always start the description with what is most obviously dangerous. Human brain is talking monkey brain after all - we treat the first information received as the most important one. So if you start your description with obvious giant snakes, players will start strategizing around them, willing to learn more about the scene to plan ahead. If you start your scene with the description of masonry... they will simply assume they are safe to enter.
@SSkorkowsky at his gaming table, "So guys I put a new video up!""
The players at his table," yeah, we know...."
His players are going to go full murder hobo next chance they get just to stick it to you lol 😆 🤣
Haha bounty hunters go brr
The frustration here is sooo relatable. I am glad you pointed out that, often, player interruption is due to excitement and I try to keep this in mind (usually successfully).
The killer for me is the distractions, especially in key narrative moments. Sometimes there will be a scene or moment that has been building for hours and, as it arrives, there is usually at least one player who isn't fully focused. Now, there are sometimes good reasons for this (maybe a longer than expected session, a long day leading up to the session, or any number of other legitimate reasons). With that said, it is enormously demoralizing to have an epic moment or setup fall flat because a player is only partially engaged. Ill admit that sometimes I am tempted to use/abuse my gm powers to steer the big payoff moments to other players, at least for a while... but then it becomes a reinforcing cycle.
Ugh... game master is a tough job. Still good fun and an exceptional creative outlet. Thanks for the great videos to keep us reminded of this... even in the tough moments.
Small idea from an ADHD player that may or may not work for you: try to schedule in short breaks before these key moments, so that everyone has some time to recharge their batteries, resolve whatever distraction was occupying them, and go into the scene with fresher focus. I've noticed some sessions where I really struggled to keep paying attention, just a few minutes break made it a lot better for me. Could be all you need to make the moment work.
@@greenjuice123 Great feedback, thanks! We usually do a short break in an unofficial capacity about every 1-1.5 hours, but it might work to do some sort of 'Key Details Round-up' at the end of these. Players can restate important plot points and/or character motivations as a way of refocusing ahead of major story beats.
You've given me some ideas, thanks!
If the entire party is distracted, and there's a quiet moment before some important reveal, then a short break is a good way to bring everyone back to full attention; however, I can also see where the mere fact of taking a break reduces the tension too far. Another way is to tingle their "Spidey senses." Especially if one particular player is distracted, give them a focal moment, such as the hair raising on their neck, getting a feeling of dread in the pit of their stomach, break a sudden sweat on their brow, or have a shiver run down their spine.
@@Archaeo_Mattexactly! Sort of like the ominous music and scene right before a commercial break.
Yep, definitely guilty of this. Doesn't help that social circumstances make me anxious to a point that I want a reprieve from that with some distraction.
I love Seth's sage advice videos more than being the first post on my favorite channel!
Truthfully, I had a player who finds interrupting monologuing villains to be the absolute height of comedy. "The Incredibles," while a great film, is probably one of the most poisonous things that ever happened to DMs because of that joke.
While I do not want to disparage your experiences, there is some truth to the adage of "If you want to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."
Once has a BBEG break their own monologue to cast silence on an interrupter. It was probably railroading, but it was quite cathartic .
Some great tips and reminders in here. One of these days I'll have to make my own ADHD friendly DM screen or something with Mork Borg fluro highlights reminding me to be a better player/DM.
Keeping the bit going even through the outro is gold!
In our online games via Foundry VTT we solved some of those problems by intruducing the "raise my hand" module (a simple button that promts a big yellow hand and the name of the person who pushed the button into the chat). Some interruptions are bound to happen regardless because of latency or the other reasons you mentioned that can not be covered by a raised hand of course.
Ohh the excited interruptions, maaaan those hurt, especially since sometimes i have to translate the descriptions on the fly, as we are not primarily playing in English... and i am too guilty of being too exicted
This was the most savage passive aggressive video I ever saw
Cutting off villain monologue brings into mind a game I was playing in where I was the person doing it.
We were in the lair of this evil Vampire and after defeating his pet Shadow Dragon he casted a darkness spell and talked to us but then removed the darkness trying to blackmail/bargain with us about something. My character having lived as a thiefling for 20-40 years (don't remember anymore) in the city as it fell mostly because of doings of this Vampire didn't hesitate a moment. Bow in hand launched a suprise on the Vampire as soon as he showed himself. Killed him before he got to do anything else.
Looking back at it I should have refrained from jumping into action but to this day it is something memorable to the group as we lost quite a lot of hints to the rest of the campaign (which was maybe 5 ish sessions left). So I cherish the moment as a point of history but can see it I was out of line for it. Especially as I think the GM was making him lose the darkness for dramatic effect which I should have picked up on.
But yeah awesome notes on the video. I also think one additional point is that players who have difficulty concentrating because of ADHD or similar attention conditions they might do good with some fidget machine (like one of those cubes with different fidget mechanical things on each side) Just having that to get something to do for your hands while you listen could help a ton.
Was not expecting that shout out to r/rpghorrorstories like that! Also hilarious, because you know a few dozen players have absolutely posted about that exact situation.
Few dozen, few hundred, few thousand...anyone who's roleplayed long enough runs into some dreadful cases of this behavior.
MORK BORG REFERENCE! I’M EXCITED ABOUT THAT
Sometimes some players interrupt others as they are in a group that has one or more players that hog the spotlight.
Which results in some players not being able to do anything unless they interrupt.
Too true. The group really has to intervene collectively on someone that does that.
That's true in real life as well.
I've been told to stop interrupting by friends these past few years... but in my defense I spent most of my life as a quiet person who could never place a freakin word in a conversation and I've learned that I *had* to interrupt people in order to say anything. I try not to interrupt anymore, but it's hard to work against 3 decades of dealing with people who wouldn't let me talk, plus there's this one friend who never stops talking so I still have to interrupt him to say anything at all, or else it's a one-way conversation (and he's one of those who hate being interrupted but man... stfu and I won't have to).
Seth, I am a long time DM and have endured all of these. The one that sticks out is the interrupted BBEG monologue. Oddly enough, it is fondly remembered in my group as the guy who did it was a first time player and it was completely on brand for him to do so. The other examples are extremely annoying at best and utterly derailing at worst.
Hello Seth, this is a VERY on-the-nose topic for me. I *hate* this. I too have something of a condition that makes it exceedingly hard for me to recover from being interrupted. I have actually left & stopped GM-ing for an entire small gaming group because all of them kept doing it for years, and I finally got fed up with it. It felt like "me vs. three giant egos" who thought I was always the "comic relief" for our small group, in and out of games, so it was "okay" for me to be the one being interrupted. I'm about to start DMing for an entirely new group...and I've already got 1 person who forcibly interrupts. SIGH...
Have you considered using a "party caller"? The purpose is not to deny individual agency to players, but rather to allow you to impartially evaluate their actions (including speech acts). There are, of course, many times when you'll want to either interact with a player directly, or base your adjudication on what they've stated to the party caller; however, it definitely keeps the players from interfering with you doing your part as referee. As referee, you might even inform that they should consider not overwhelming the party caller with information about what they want their player to do, especially because you are still evaluating what they are having their characters do.
I am looking forward to your future videos on how to be a great player!
Going to rewatch this every few months, very much needed suggestions for me and my players
An absolutely fantastic video, my group has been behaving this way far, far too long, maybe 25 years. Great job sumarizing it Seth. 👍
Seth putting his players on blast in a new video is the icing on my otherwise crappy morning cake.
Great stuff, Seth. Thanks!
I’m guilty of this, generally out of both excited anxiousness and worry that I will forget something I thought of. I watched this primarily to give me tips to be a better collaborator if I ever get to be a player again.
I generally want to build on what is happening, and it’s not out of selfishness or a desire to be the center of attention. I’m just over excited mostly.
Keeping a notepad handy helps to jot down ideas or note down things I want to accomplish when it’s my turn.
I also often have a problem doing it when there’s another interrupter at the table who likes to completely derail other players actions or ideas. I end up trying to use my character to steer things back into focus despite the show stealer, and sometimes make things worse. I think for that the key is to let the DM take control of the disparate voices and patiently wait til my turn to act in support of the player who was interrupted.
I had the reverse problem. I'd be saying something. When someone else began talking, I assumed that no one was listening to me. It got so bad that the other members of my group had to ask me to continue.
Thanks for the content Seth! Really good life lesson here, in and out of games
As fellow ADHDler i got even more mad respect for you, wouldnt have guessed. Good video and totally agree as GM, the last tip is pretty good!
I do this a lot because I GM mostly, and when I play I am so excited to get involved that I am always busting in. At least it is because I am involved, too involved perhaps.
Given how eager to jump on monologuing villains players tend to be (at least I have found) a lot of the time you are better off doing the story critical dialogue in non-combat situations. ie players are hiding or the villain monologues by proxy (be it a magic mouth spell, recording or from behind a wall).
One of the big cases of interuptions I see if players wanting to investigate a room or something before I've finished describing it. For a while, I had to keep reminding my players to let me finish describing what they see without a check first before they go looking for things that aren't obvious.
You caught me monologuing again, you sly dog!
I'm not sure if this is new or not, but I like the new Camera/lighting, looks really nice :)
The Roleplayer in my group tends to do this AND tries to butt into other player's moments(even if their PC isn't even in the area). They especially like to do it whenever we play Star Trek games, it's very fustrating for me as the GM and the other player's don't appreciate it either, I just have no idea how to handle them without coming across as the GM Tyrant...
Try talking to them like an adult
@@oz_jones unfortunately, I've tried to talk to them about it and they either don't think what their doing is wrong("Star Trek is an Ensemble Show...") or they'll ignore or change the subject entirely("okay, so about what Casual did last week..." and/or "So, didja see the new MTG stuff coming out yet?...") and since I'm a guest at their house at the time, I feel it'd be rude to press the issue.
I have had good results by very direct right in the moment. "We will get to you, Dave, after Barb and Carl's turns. What were you saying, Alex?" "(finger point)You're not even there. (eyes on other player) carry on, Ed. "
@@dutch6857 I'll try it next game(which is Saturday btw) and let y'all know what happened. Thanks for the advice, it's really been bugging me for awhile...
One potentially useful way to keep an "excitable" roleplayer busy (at least when their own PC isn't in the scene) is to let them act as a minor NPC, with a quick brief on what the PC's goals are. Won't always work and you may have to veto them if they get carried away with something too out-of-non-player-character, but it will at least keep them from randomly interrupting and can occasionally produce some interesting twists.
I've been at some great tables where any player whose PC wasn't in a scene was expected to help out with the "bit parts'" now and then, especially for complex social situations. The GM would even do little character briefs on an index card for some NPCs, with a quick motivation and a couple of lines of canned dialog to give a feel for the "voice" they should have. Very thespian-heavy group, which helped - and we were playing either Amber Diceless or Ars Magica, which have some built-in expectations of playing more than one role all teh time anyway.
damn must have a new camera, looking real HD looks good
Same old camera, but a slight change to the lighting made a huge improvement.
I've adopted a tried and true school method and it's been working very well for me. If I want to interrupt, either with a comment, or a request, I rise my hand and wait to be acknowledged by the GM. This way they know I have something to say, but can finish their current thought first.
I stopped prepping room descriptions beyond the bare minimum because of this, I’ll have to try this out!
As a side note as well for ADHD and being off topic, for most it isn’t that the brain is elsewhere, but that it was listening, picked up on a single word, and then ran with it into a full side tangent. Additionally, there is something called the stimulation threshold were people with ADHD require a certain amount of scenery input to stay focused, for example using your phone while watching tv or listening to an audiobook while you read. I personally watch videos of trains on their routes when I gm. This prevents the brain from seeking stimulation from elsewhere, but too much can lead us astray.
I wrote a similar PSA about monologues on the Alexandrian's vid, but I'm going to repeat myself. I read something like this, but probably better stated.
Players- That BBEG was lovingly created by your GM. They represent a significant amount of creativity and skullsweat. The GM and the villain have spent weeks, months, or even years fighting, manoeuvring, and plotting together. Now it's over. And your GM is good with that (or they should be) because that is the reason for the BBEG in the first place. Just let your GM have their moment. This is their goodbye to their creation.
If you are an outgoing player, it's much more rewarding to set the other players/charachters at your table for great moments.
Obviously, you have to avoid making a wallflower or "Jesse who plays 2nd Cleric" uncomfortable, but helping others shine is simply the best and often helps cement hangers-on to the group/hobby.
Toss the dawrf
Group effort. It's like play-making in sports, set each other up to score. If someone hasn't participated in a scene or in a while, pick them to pass the ball to.
I don't like that you made a video about me. Hurts.
I feel there was another reason for blurting that wasn’t brought up: your table isn’t offering the player a way to interact any other way. A few years ago I joined a group of strangers, they weren’t malicious or anything but they were out for themselves and didn’t really care if I was having a good or not. Whenever we had interactions with NPCs I tried to think through how my character would react while the other more confident players just jumped right over me, which just made it worse and worse, so blurting became the only way to get a word in edgewise. I tried talking to the DM about a way to get involved in roleplay more but it ultimately didn’t amount to much.
The "what do you do?" part is the best advice. I always do a round 0 of combat in every combat so monologues are never interrupted
Wait, this happens at other tables!? Great video
Hey, Seth. Thanks for the video. Boy, do I have LOTS to say about this subject! I could write a freaking 70 page essay about disruptive player habits and this particular issue would easily occupy 50 of those pages. In a nutshell: You can try to be pacient. You can try to be understanding. You can try to be flexible. You can try to go with the flow. Be the cool DM. But at the end of the day, you WILL have to put your foot down. You can be civil and not make a whole thing about it, but you'll have to be firm and totally serious about not being OK with interruptions ("Hold on, they're towing my car!" or "Excuse me. I don't so feel good" are valid OOC comments. "Guys, check out this funny dude in TikTok!" is not) Pro tip: Lead by example. If you don't want silly non-sequiturs or random jibber-jabber during your gaming sessions, don't be the first to exhibit such behavior.
The similarities between GM tips and manuals on good parenting or teaching children are kind of remarkable.
This just a me thing, but I wanted my players to interrupt me at times, when the big villain is opening a portal or is doing some other nefarious deed I don't want the heroes to just stand there like statues. I eventually gave a sort of signal that interruptions were okay by simply putting out something that could not be missed near the middle of the table to signal that actions are happening in real time and that the players have initiative. To be fair my group came from video games and they have been trained to let cutscenes and whatnot play out so I have to tell them that tabletop games don't work like that.
It's the paragon/renegade interrupts from Mass Effect, TTRPG style! Love it! And I'm willing to bet you weren't even thinking of those when setting it up that way, so neat to see how similar mechanics can evolve in completely different environments like that. :D
as a forever gm I have used the order "Belay that action" My players have learned that this means that they want to let me finish as something that i am about to say will effect their action.
Thanks for the video! I have found if players are blurting, at least it shows they are enthusiastic about the game and that can be refocused if you are careful not to remove the enthusiasm as you are adjusting the behavior. It's tricky, for sure!
A suggestion for a video: a short,completely down to basics video, what is roleplaying to show to people who are completely new to roleplaying. No specific rules, lore, classes, just simple what can you expect when playing. Have been looking for a good video like that to show when trying to convert/corrupt/recruit civilians to players.
For me, a much bigger problem than players interrupting GM is the problem of players interrupting players. As a GM I have no problem raising my voice if need be, and people generally understand and police each other in regards to talking when the GM is talking.
But some players can get boxed out from the gane entirely because they get talked over constantly, and this is an issue that I'm more likely to be pretty draconian about because it's ultimately an accessibility issue.
One method I've been working on is to consider the game always to be in "turns" even outside of combat. I'm training myself not to say "what are you guys doing?", But rather "Dweebles, what are *you* doing?" And no one else gets to talk until he's done.
This prevents awkward silences and hopefully can help against interruptions. If a player thinks Dweebles is about to do something stupid, they may shout him down before he finishes talking, because they are used to GMs who take every statement as a final commitment and never let anyone roll back their action. Playing in "turns", they understand that everyone will get a chance to give their two cents before any of the actions get resolved.
Late night skorkowsky?!??!! LETSSSSSSS GOOOOO
Look Seth I don't appreciate being called out like this 😂. In all seriousness a great video,
definitely one of my worse struggles when I'm a player and not a GM. Some really useful tips here.
I'm going to borrow that whole notepad trick.
I already do it when I GM, if a player says something I don't want to risk forgetting - but I could do it a LOT morr
I feel like that last one is quite possibly the trickiest, as it sort of blurs the line between narrative and player agency. I'm sure many people have watched a movie or show and begged the protagonist to do something, anything, rather than wait for the villain to finish monologuing or press the big red button in some dramatic fashion. As well, some players who would do that are simply being ruthlessly pragmatic, not murder-hobos. It's a big area of give and take where, yes, the GM is a player too, but the players also don't want to feel like they're in a cutscene of a video game either. Villains, in their own way, should be aware that monologuing unprotected in front of people who want to kill them isn't a good idea because those people aren't obligated to politely wait for him to finish in character, and telling characters "no, you must stand there politely and wait for him to finish" can be as much of a downer for the players as a cut-off monologue is for the GM. If you want to prevent players from shooting first and asking questions later, the scene should ideally be set to show that immediate violence will cause more problems than it solves, forcing the player to wait by virtue of needed to assess the situation. If the players aren't murder-hobos and actually consider and care about the consequences of their actions, they'll refrain, and then there needs to be an understanding that you'll tell them what they've gleaned from their assessment conveniently around the time the villain has stopped talking.
I try to minimize monologuing as much as possible. Whenever I come across a villain monologue in a module, I rather convert it to things the villain will say during their turn in combat while attacking the players. Makes for more interesting combat as well.
You do run the risk that the villain may die before getting to say their piece, but such is life.
6:40 I think a good GM tip for this is to have a standing rule that people can retcon things that don’t immediately affect their situation.
So, Dweebles wanted to buy a warhorse, but totally forgot. Half way through the next day the group come across a burned out wagon which, for some reason reminds Dweebles that he wanted to buy a warhorse. It’s not going to directly affect the situation they are in, so, Dweebles can buy the warhorse. However, if they come across a cliff they have to climb down and Dweebles wanted to buy rope, that DOES affect their current situation, so he doesn’t get it.
Of course, I play Call of Cthulhu, so luck rolls reign supreme 😇
In my D&D games, we use Hero Points (similar to Mutants & Masterminds) which can help with minor plot conveniences like your warhorse example. It helps some players a lot!
Ohhh I like that one, thanks for explaining/showing this one^^
Heck yeah!! Writing down notes for what to say when you get a chance is a really good suggestion!! I do that as a player, a gm, and as a teacher!!
Online play probably needs its own video to deal with the dynamics of voice-only, variety of reliable internet connections, etc.
I am absolutely a blurter in online play and am terrible about taking notes in online play whereas at a table i would be much more likely to pick up the visual cues and would scribble notes like i was in a lecture
Now not to say you should never interrupt if the player goes off on a tangent that might take a minute or two but that tangent is predicated on a misunderstanding, they’ll usually appreciate you bringing that up before we spend 3 minutes on it
I have a player who constantly is on my case about the next session, they will rudely interrupt others to express that they want them to do less RP but also he will play videogames during the session. Super rude behavior.
Send him this video.
Talk to him and if he doesnt inprove, boot him
Great vid, but I gotta say, my other GM Jeff does things a little differently.....
Todd and/or Dweebles: * Says anything *
Mike: "...Idjits."
I have totally done some of this. Having the light shown on it has given me some cringe memories! But now that I'm more aware I can try to do better to not do it.
lol, usually when you start to describe a dark room, more than half the party says, 'I have darkvision'. Makes me want to limit dark vision to 30'.
I have been cut off numerous times when monologuing, "I attack". Which is valid, but it really interrupts the rhythm of the game. I'll try that tip next time!
There's a sizable fraction of the D&D and OGL community that outright remove darkvision and similar "darkness doesn't matter" sensory advantages from the game, or at least from easy access to PCs. Enormous amount of debate has gone on for decades about the best approach to managing expectations about "light management" in dungeoncrawls, with different tables having entirely different preferences. The subject really ought to be discussed in session zero right alongside boundaries and X cards, but very few people do so and I've seen it lead to some real bad experiences.
There is a clear analogy to this in band dynamics. When a band has one or more flashy musicians, hell bent on showing off their skills and thus not providing the proper "musical space" for ALL the musicians. The result, regardless of how talented those flashy players are, is a train wreck that brings the entire performance down several levels.
This definitely isn't a new problem to TTRPG. Question: Do you think this is the PRIMARY reason the OG's like Gygax pushed for a designated "caller" at the gaming table? 🤔
My first DnD experience was with an old Gygax style DM, like, she sat behind a black curtain and did all the rolling and you would slowly starve to death if you didn't mention you were eating at least once a gameday. She did the one caller thing too, so yes, I do believe this is why. I've only experienced it with oldschool DnD and ADnD2 DMs.
@@J2982able Creepy! I started playing D&D back in the 1980s and we tried playing by the rules using a "caller" for our group...and like everyone else that only lasted 2 or 3 gaming sessions. 😂
@@lionelhutz3142 Oh, DM Peggy terrified us, great storyteller, but not the easiest on prepubescent kids lolol Did great voices too. Some I'd have sworn she had her husband sitting back there with her were he not sitting with us.
@@J2982able Sounds like something I would like to try for a while. My only experience so far has been with 5e, if you dont count the... 5? sessions of Runequest I had years ago or the some sessions of Cyberpunk 2020 I had 20+ years ago.
Dweebles saying "and that's what it feels like" as if he didn't interrupt the DM a few minutes earlier 😂
In my defense my DM has a bad tendency to let one player finish a whole scene without any input from the rest of the table.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video! I get interrupted all the time (in conversation and while GMing), and it really destroys me. I really appreciate how you pulled no punches, including sharing that you have ADHD, which is a common excuse of a lot of people for why they interrupt (and won't try to stop it). Great suggestions on how to mitigate and manage this in the different types/situations.
Now.... How best to share this video....
excellent video thanks
The radio thing with monologues feels especially appropriate for thode playing online without cameras. Interruptions were always a nightmare when I primarily played over Discord. The cue for players would be super helpful.
I want to add "Can't help but make a joke" to this list, which is the problem I struggle with the most. GM or a player is describing something and the right combination of words triggers your brain to "make the funny". It's hard to hear a joke in your head and not share it because jokes rely on timing, so you have this impetus to share immediately, interrupting whatever is being said, before the timing has passed and the joke ceases to be. Even if you summon the will to not share, there's still a likelihood you smile, laugh, or otherwise interrupt with facial expressions.
How many times have you played in a game that got interrupted by a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference?
8:54 one of my rules is “never interrupt the DM” … I also use the “what do you do?” Trick.
Aka- Seth's DMing vents 😅