RPG Etiquette: Distractions?

[GoblinGilmartin]

Say i am at a friends house with a group of people. I want to start a game of d&d. Now, some of my friends are indifferent to the game, and will play for no other reason then a couple of others want to. One time, one of the indifferent players seriously decided to start playing Final Fantasy 13 while i was running the game....

what is the proceedure for that? Should try to ignore him? Or should he be tarred and feathered and dragged through the city streets for the disrespect?

[Coidzor]

At that point, generally, probably best to either ask him to stop or call the game if people are that disinterested. If he's interested in general usually, then it'd be best to ask to have a private word with him about what's up and if he has some grievances or if the games not doing anything for him anymore or what.

And then, in the future, set aside a dedicated time for gaming so that only those who are interested will show up rather than trying to do it during general hang-out time.

[GoblinGilmartin]

i suppose so, and fyi, he had that attitude just as we started playing...

[Vitruviansquid]

Provided you're given ample warning about what a game entails (as in, don't trick me into playing Risk or League of Legends if I have to go in ten minutes), you have some measure of obligation to respect the game. If you don't like the game you're stuck playing, it's most polite to suck it up and decline to play the next time around.

But for newbies to any game, especially one that's as difficult for some to get into as DnD, the most you could expect is that they leave the game in the most unobstructive way possible, so as long as they didn't cause any problems on the way out, I don't see why you'd consider it impolite. They obviously tried it and didn't find it to their liking, what more could you ask?

[Sidmen]

Standard procedure? I'd ask if the other players wanted to continue playing this game - and assuming they say yes I'd move it to somewhere else (assuming that the one guy playing FF13 was an active distraction). But yeah, quietly ignoring him is the best course of action in-the-moment.

Afterwards, ask if he wants to remain part of the game - because he doesn't seem like he wants to. If he is there only to "hang out" then ask if he would either participate, or leave once the game begins in earnest.

[Knaight]

It would be polite for the guy playing videogames to do so at a fairly low volume. That's really the only concession the guy needs to be making. Moreover, the people playing the tabletop RPG should also try and refrain from being loud, for similar reasons.

[Oracle_Hunter]

It would be polite for the guy playing videogames to do so at a fairly low volume. That's really the only concession the guy needs to be making. Moreover, the people playing the tabletop RPG should also try and refrain from being loud, for similar reasons.

Important question: was the FF Player also in the pen & paper game?

IMHO, if you're playing a pen & paper RPG, you should be playing that game. Now, during split-party time you can engage in quiet side-conversations or some other low-key activity but the polite thing to do is keep your focus on the game. Engaging in a high-demand and visible activity like playing a digital RPG is rude no matter how you look at it. Even if you are an "indifferent" Player, you are visibly disrespecting the DM and the interested Players by claiming to be part of their shared activity and doing something else. It is much like going to dinner with friends and then spending your time texting with your S.O. back home.

Naturally, if this is a more mundane distraction (e.g. roommate wants to play some HALOZ) then you just politely ask them if they can keep it quiet. Additionally, position the gaming table such that only the DM is facing the screen -- Players are way more easy to distract than the DM

[valadil]

If he doesn't want to play, don't make him play. I take FF13 as a sign that he isn't interested in D&D. I would let him still hang out while you play, but don't pretend that he's a PC.

[horseboy]

Well, step 1: Make sure you haven't created a Decker Syndrome Situation.
Is his character needed when he's playing? D&D is bad about "My time, you guys sit back and watch me be awesome." If he's not being engaged, of course he's going to wonder off.
Step 2: If he's just not interested, he's not interested. Don't make him sit around the table as he'll be a distraction for everybody else to gravitate towards.
Step 3: Profit.

[GoblinGilmartin]

I'm sorry, i should clarify a few points:

he wanted to play in the D&D game

We were at his house

There was plenty of time

He was playing the badass ninja who liked to kill things....

[W3bDragon]

Since it seems that it has only happened once so far, I wouldn't be too worried. That of course doesn't mean you shouldn't nip it in the bud right away.

Before the next session, whenever that is, talk to the player privately, or address everyone generally, and tell him/them that you want everyone to be focused on the game. Say that it throws you off as a DM when people aren't listening or are busy doing something else. Setting up a seating method where everyone is gathered together is a close area with a battle map or something in the middle helps focus things.

Don't forget that its his house, and he honestly can do whatever he wants. You just need to have an understanding on whether he really wants to play, or just wants to have some fun hack/slashing from time to time. If its the former, then tell him to focus on the game with everyone else. If its the latter, make some kind of arrangement. Don't make him drop out of the game just because he is not fully focused.

Kicking someone out of a game while continuing to play at his house is really bad form. Just make his PC not integral to the storyline. For example, he's always in the shadows somewhere scouting, and only pops out to warn the party of an incoming battle.

[KillianHawkeye]

This is why you don't play D&D in a room with a TV in it. It's hard enough to hear 4 or 5 people talking at once without somebody starting a movie or video game in the background.

[Jayabalard]

Say i am at a friends house with a group of people. I want to start a game of d&d. Now, some of my friends are indifferent to the game, and will play for no other reason then a couple of others want to. One time, one of the indifferent players seriously decided to start playing Final Fantasy 13 while i was running the game....

what is the proceedure for that? Should try to ignore him? Or should he be tarred and feathered and dragged through the city streets for the disrespect?

I think the standard punishment for this is a d4 up the nose followed by a swift DM guide to the temple.

more seriously: He should either play or not. If he plays, he shouldn't go off and do other things during the game. If not, he still shouldn't be doing loud things to distract everyone else.

[Oracle_Hunter]

I'm sorry, i should clarify a few points:

he wanted to play in the D&D game

We were at his house

There was plenty of time

He was playing the badass ninja who liked to kill things....

Well, if it was his house then you should ask whether he was bored or what. If you want to game at someone's place, it pays to cater to them when you can -- and keeping them from being bored is probably a good place to start.

If he says something like "I was just waiting to do things" then you can ask him if he could do something less... immersive next time. A full-bore video game can be really distracting to everyone involved. It's not a good sign that his first thought was to play video games but if he's the distracted type and you don't personally mind him zoning out, do your best to minimize the distraction for the other Players.

Me, I'd carefully examine why the Player "wanted" to play D&D but then went off and did something else. If he's just there to roll dice, I'd try to ease him out of the game unless he's happy being a silent PC and I really needed his pad to game in.