How do you control talking at your table?

[WarKitty]

I need some ideas here. My group tends to talk - a lot. I almost got my character killed last session because I couldn't hear the DM say there was an area effect active. My group said they're sympathetic but they're not sure how to keep up the RP convos that they like and not bog the game down indefinitely while avoiding this problem.

[Aotrs Commander]

I usually kill one of the players at random when things get out of hand...



Failing that, the DM shouting "guys, shut up and pay attention to the fight!" is favourite. Convasations are fine, but not if they are actually interupting the game. The DM should be making sure the players show some decorum when talking (be it in or out of character.)

Still, I suppose it could be worse, if they're taking IN character...Most of the time this problem is usually people talking about non-game related things.

[HunterOfJello]

throw dice at them

or throw small pieces of paper in their face until they get really pissed off

[WarKitty]

I usually kill one of the players at random when things get out of hand...



Failing that, the DM shouting "guys, shut up and pay attention to the fight!" is favourite. Convasations are fine, but not if they are actually interupting the game. The DM should be making sure the players show some decorum when talking (be it in or out of character.)

Still, I suppose it could be worse, if they're taking IN character...Most of the time this problem is usually people talking about non-game related things.

They are in fact talking in character. It's just that I can't hear the DM very well - almost got fried last time by a group of shocker lizards because I didn't hear the DM saying it was an area effect.

[KillianHawkeye]

This is why, when I'm the DM, I always double check player actions. For instance, I would have said "are you sure you wanna move there? there's electric lizards gettin their mojo on!"

That being said, I have extremely poor control of the table chatter in my group.

[Paladineyddi]

I usually dont start the game until we have finished most of our in game related chatter then we sit down put some music on and get gaming

after that its thrown dice and -xp

[valadil]

They are in fact talking in character. It's just that I can't hear the DM very well - almost got fried last time by a group of shocker lizards because I didn't hear the DM saying it was an area effect.

Sit next to the GM.

I don't even try to control it. My players are all louder and more garrulous than me. I usually try to give them 15-30 minutes to get OOC chat out of their system and then I start game. That doesn't really help your IC chat problem though.

[WarKitty]

Sit next to the GM.

I don't even try to control it. My players are all louder and more garrulous than me. I usually try to give them 15-30 minutes to get OOC chat out of their system and then I start game. That doesn't really help your IC chat problem though.

Believe it or not that's already where I am sitting.

What doesn't help is that I have a minor processing disorder that means it's extra-hard to separate out different stimulii.

[FelixG]

as the DM i give two warnings then start deducting XP from players who insist on chattering OOC.

Also the GM should remember that the "talking" in character should be limited to short snipits as immediate actions, or used as actions on their turns, other than that everyone should STFU during combat to make things clear or risk XP loss as noted above.

On my online games it is easier, if i have an expressive chatty player i mute them and i tell them they can message me with their characters actions and words and i will dutifuly repost them as they cant be trusted to talk to the whole room apparently. Doing this once or twice usually gets them in line.

Alternative you could sit closer to the DM if you are a player so you can hear them over the other players shenanigans.

[Spiryt]

Say " bla bla bla" one more time, I dare you, I double dare you!

[Grendus]

When I GM, I usually stop the story until the chatter dies down. It usually works, as most of the conversation is about the game anyways (we eat first, so that gets most of the non-game talking out of the way).

[Gorgon_Heap]

I encourage IC conversation, but if it gets out of hand I will say some akin to, "Ok, paraphrase the rest or save it for later" or, if they're in combat, I will simply ignore them and let them be in awe and wonder of my magnificent cruelty when they start getting their asses kicked because they weren't paying attention.

Of course, I virtually always GM, so I'm not sure what I'd do as a fellow player aside from ignore the otehrs. Maybe write notes for GM eyes only so that you/I at least would be communicating effectively and he/she knows who is paying attention.

Booyah! Brownie points!

[Halaster]

Control IC chatter? Not usually necessary. I let it run for a few minutes, then gently push the action along. Once or twice players complained about not having time to talk IC, so I keep trying to adapt my pace to the group in question and strike a good balance between adventure pacing and player needs.

What you seem to have on your hand is a somewhat different situation, though. My groups usually alternate between talking to the GM, talking to each other IC and listening to the GM. Your group seems to be mixing these activities rather liberally. I can't really see that working among optimally adjusted players. Now if you have processing issues, that must be hell. So, I think one of two options might work:

a) the salami approach: slice the game time. Whenever there's a hot IC conversation going on, the GM holds his horses, Likewise, while there's GM-side action - like shocker lizards running around - the group stops talking. If your GM is good at what he does, he should find time for player conversation without the story grinding to a halt.
b) the apples approach: make up a safeword (like "apples") you can use if you have trouble following what the GM says. Whenever you say that word, your fellow players pipe down for a moment and the GM repeats what he just said.

[Tyndmyr]

I usually kill one of the players at random when things get out of hand...

And I thought killing off characters was a good way to get attention.

In general, I find that saying "init" is a great way to get attention. However, Its rare that I have a problem with too MUCH roleplaying.

As a player, Id suggest you, in character, yell at your comrades to knock off all the chatter in combat and focus on the job at hand.

[LibraryOgre]

They are in fact talking in character. It's just that I can't hear the DM very well - almost got fried last time by a group of shocker lizards because I didn't hear the DM saying it was an area effect.

One thing is make sure you sit closer to the DM. While them talking all the time (during a fight? There's gonna be some modifiers if you're chatting instead of fighting) is a problem, you also need to make sure you're close to the DM if you can't hear him, and close to the board if you can't see things.

One thing we instituted was a certain number of words per action. I think it was 5 words on your action, three words off. So, you can yell brief advice to your wizard buddy ("DON'T SHOOT ME!") on his turn, and be a little bit more verbose on your turn ("Chief is mine! Hit ogres!"). It was applied to everyone, but Hzurr (aka the DreamMasher) only got picky about it when the table chatter got a bit much.

[arrowhen]

First of all, you shouldn't be talking about "controlling" the talking at the table if you're the only one who has a problem with it. If everyone else feels like you're trying to make them stop doing something they enjoy just to accommodate you, it's going to lead to resentment.

Instead, sit down with the group and try to come up with ways that they can help you get the information you need to participate. That's going to depend on the specifics of your condition. Maybe it's something as simple as training them to wave at you and make eye contact before saying something that you need to hear. Maybe the DM needs to use visual cues or notes on a whiteboard pointing out things like area effects. Or maybe something completely different; I'm certainly no expert in the matter.

You might consider finding an online forum for people with your particular disorder and asking people there for advice. Even if there aren't any gamers there, the mental and sensory demands of a gaming session are similar enough to those of, say, a meeting in a typical office environment (with the one exception that unlike any meeting I've ever been to, the players in an RPG session actually want to be there) that you'll probably get plenty of helpful suggestions.

[Ihouji]

I'm all for random RP between PCs, but if its during combat I do put a limit on the chatter basically if that persons turn comes around and they are talking and don't realize they delay there turn until they shut up and realize "hey you skipped my turn". Same rule applies to the indecisive caster who is looking over his or her spell list for 5 minutes every time its that persons turn, after so long you just have to say "your turn is delayed until you figure out what you are doing".

Its poor table etiquette to talk over the GM at any rate, especially during combat when life or death information is being given.

[Person_Man]

During combat, give each player (but not the DM) a timer. There are plenty of little plastic "hour glasses" in various board games, or you could use a chess clock, or whatever. 1-2 minutes per person per turn. If your time runs out, you loose any unused actions. This tends to make everyone focus and cuts down on interruptions.

Out of combat, I do my best to write down and email all the players the background information before the game. "You are in the town of Whatever. Population 1,000. Mostly humans. And so on." In general, the DM should never read aloud any description that is more then a few sentence wrong. Exposition should be accomplished through dialogue between players and NPCs, not monologue between the DM and players.

If there is an NPC present, all discussion is considered "in character." So if someone starts mouthing off with Monty Python quotes to the king, the king thinks he's insane.

Now I understand you're not the DM, but you could talk to the DM about instituting the above suggestions. They work.

[Halaster]

Those suggestions quite emphatically don't work with players who care about IC talk and playing their characters. Do not suggest them to your GM or your group if you want to keep their respect. It's a roleplaying game, not timechess, not kindergarten group. Don't try to fight fire with nuclear weapons. A little more talk than you can handle is decidedly better than turning your group into something that resembles Jeopardy.

Players should have time to think their actions through in combat. Particularly those with special needs. I play a game with a stutterer. If our GM tried to set him a clock, he'd miss every other turn. As long as the game doesn't grind to a halt, let people think a bit.

Likewise, if the relaxed, pleasant gaming atmosphere is getting lost by disallowing OOC injections, everyone will lose their fun. If the game is not intense enough to make the players quit OOC talk, it is by definition relaxed enough to take them.

The one thing in the above post I can agree with is that overly long descriptions ought to be avoided. They'll bore your players to death in no time. But that was not the problem.

[Ihouji]

Those suggestions quite emphatically don't work with players who care about IC talk and playing their characters. Do not suggest them to your GM or your group if you want to keep their respect. It's a roleplaying game, not timechess, not kindergarten group. Don't try to fight fire with nuclear weapons. A little more talk than you can handle is decidedly better than turning your group into something that resembles Jeopardy.

Players should have time to think their actions through in combat. Particularly those with special needs. I play a game with a stutterer. If our GM tried to set him a clock, he'd miss every other turn. As long as the game doesn't grind to a halt, let people think a bit.

Likewise, if the relaxed, pleasant gaming atmosphere is getting lost by disallowing OOC injections, everyone will lose their fun. If the game is not intense enough to make the players quit OOC talk, it is by definition relaxed enough to take them.

I GM a mix bag of players and I have to disagree. Some of my players would simply lose interest and walk away if I let the 2 that come for RP talk through the whole combat or let the indecisive caster take 5 minutes to pick a spell.

I think a timer is a bad idea but at some point you do have to say pick a spell or the next person is going. I don't just skip that persons turn(unless it comes all the way back to them) just delay it, and the same applies to someone talking and not paying attention. It adds a sense of urgency to what is again supposed to be combat IE you react or you die, you have to make a fast decision.

Likewise I don't just run dungeon crawls as the combat people would love it but the RPers (and me) would be bored out of our minds.

As for running with someone with a speech problem that is again why a timer is a bad idea once you start talking no one is going to cut you off, its the guy who sits and stairs at his spell list not saying anything for 5 minutes, or the guy not paying any attention that bothers me.

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

boffer bat. nerf bat or equivalent. . . nerf projectiles work too. . . but only if YOU are the dm. . . as a player, you can ask people to focus and occasionly remind them but thats really it unless you talk to the DM about reigning them in.

[Halaster]

No need to disagree, we're on the same page. Like I said before, a good mix and a sense of pacing are what matters. Rigidly enforced rules like the ones I disagreed with are not going to accomplish anything but make people feel bored and treated poorly.

I said nothing about giving anyone 5 minutes, but setting them a timer is ridiculous. Sometimes you need a little longer, sometimes you go a little faster and after a while you know needs some encouragement to make a decision and who you can trust to take no longer than they need. This goes for both action and RP. There's a time for everything, and the players and GM need to get a sense of when that time is. The GM in particular.

I get the impression that the OPs group is getting a little carried away with the RP part sometimes. But since they've recognized that, they should be able to handle it without a buzzer.

[Thefurmonger]

Man, I guess my old group would be thought of as a bunch of &^%$%*s,
When it came to your turn you had 6 seconds to declare what you were doing. the dice rolling and other crap could take longer then that but you only had 6 to declare.

It made for some REALLY fast conversations between ppl. at least to us it felt more real. and really its funny as hell to watch a Wiz fire off a spell that cant actually reach the BBEG.

*It's worth pointing out that none of our players had any special needs*

[Halaster]

I'm not saying it can't be fun. But it's not a good way to improve pacing or control conversations at the gaming table. In fact, if your fellow players are making it difficult to hear the GM, it won't help if you have only 6 seconds, or a minute, to make a decision, on the contrary, it will make things that much more frustrating.
"Could you please repeat wha..." - "Sorry, turn's over, next!"
Not so cool.

[DabblerWizard]

For the most part, I didn't have much trouble "controlling" talk during the game session.

When we all arrived at the host's house, I would intentionally give them about half an hour to chatter before starting the game. If they wanted to start sooner, that was fine too.

I would provide a very discrete transition between 'game hasn't started', and 'game has started' - "Are we ready to start now?" would often be enough to get everyone to quiet down, and listen to me (1) giving background on what's currently happening or (2) listen to a summary of the previous session(s).

It's also worth noting that my players were good about listening intently to what I had to say. They were courteous enough not to interrupt me, and if they did, I would tell them to not do that. If they had continued ignoring me, or only half listening, I would have just stopped the game until they were ready to pay attention. Since my play style is fairly RP heavy, players (and characters) need to be engaged or they will miss the story.

Another point along these lines has to do with DMing style. Some DMs know how to set pace well. They quickly move past boring elements to a story, and focus on those parts that interest their players. Whether that means story, or action, or treasure, or choices, etc, the players are almost always engaged because they are interested in what is happening. Throwing in plot twists and tense moments and other dramatic effects can be quite fun too.

Also, some players have better attention spans than others. Some of these less attentive players are better at keeping their cool and not being distracting. This partially has to do with age, temperament, etc.

[WarKitty]

Ok here's how things stand:

I've expressed to one or two of the other players that it's very distracting and that I had several problems last time because I was missing information and/or trying to do something in-game at the same time other people were talking. Two of the other players have expressed emphatically that they do not want limits on talking as that's what keeps combat from being boring. I'm already sitting next to the DM so there's nothing to do there. Our DM says he doesn't want to allow retries if I get confused because he's afraid it'll be abused.

I'm really not sure what to do here. I kind of feel like I'm pushing too much on my group to not have the kind of fun they want. I really don't think some of the other players get what I'm saying at all, that it's not something I can just learn to deal with. If anyone has any brilliant ideas I'm open to them - this is the main thing our group does together, and I don't want to be between "engaging in an activity I don't enjoy" and "missing our main times as a friend group."

Edit: I have no idea what the disorder's named, apparently I'm one of those people that has something funny going on but doesn't really meet the criterion to be diagnosed with anything.

[awesomessake]

Surprise your players with a great wyrm red dragon.

Keep punishing them until they get the picture...

[WarKitty]

Surprise your players with a great wyrm red dragon.

Keep punishing them until they get the picture...

Dude, I said I'm a player.

[Kish]

My immediate reaction is, "Lots of in-character talking is a problem?"
My second reaction is, "Wait, is it realistic that they're talking a lot while fighting shocker lizards? What is this, Marvel Comics?"

You might have some luck questioning the realism angle.

[Ormur]

I find it a bit interesting that they're having such long conversations in character in combat that it distracts you. Combat usually just takes a few seconds so there's only time for so much worth of free actions, even if they are free.

At least you could ask them to keep quiet when the DM is speaking. It's not like it takes a long time for him to tell you that the NPC just cast freezing fog. If you have a battle map I also suggest that he mark the boundary of area effect on them. You could then always ask what that circle on the grid is before you walk into it.