Should the GM Have to Prompt Players?

[Ataboiiwhynot]

I've played in several games now, and I know this one individual complains about never being noticied or asked to do anything. I'm however, a firm believer that he should take initative *chuckles* and say what he wants to do whenever. I would like your opinion on this topic.

Also, I do not know what a common RPG looks like. And would be glad if anyone would input sample dialogue that happens in a game. Just to get a better feel of how the game should flow.

[Vitruviansquid]

The way you are approaching this complaint is totally wrong.

You are taking a defensive position about this complaint when you should be taking a cooperative position. The player asking for more prompting is giving you feedback that could be used to enhance the game, and it doesn't matter whether you believe you should have to or not.

You are basically in a group of friends hanging out, and one of your friends is having trouble participating and wants you to help. Why not?

[Mastikator]

Sometimes it can be very hard to get a word in edgewise because That Guy™ is hogging the spotlight.
Yes I know the answer: interrupt them. But that's not obvious for everyone so it falls to the DM to deal out a little of the spotlight to everyone.

[Frozen_Feet]

It is one of the GM's jobs to see that all players at the table remain engaged with the game. This includes prompting players when they're being passive, as well as telling overly dominant player to shut up and let others talk for a chance.

Of course, other players can give a helping hand just as well by passing the ball to or prompting a passive player. An element of competition may be introduced to encourage passive players to be more active. (See: Jungle Dash. Or Planet Mercenary.)

[Amphetryon]

Not everyone is extroverted, assertive, or otherwise naturally inclined to making their own voice heard in a group. It is part of the GM's job to make sure that everyone who is in the game and wanting to participate gets the chance to do so; simply telling the quiet Player to speak up more often is insufficient here.

[Mr Beer]

I go round the table and ask people what they are doing, so everyone gets to speak. Yeah some players are more invested or more spotlighty or whatever and say more, but everyone gets a turn most of the time.

if a players basically has to forcibly insert themselves into scenes in order to play, that's not good GMing.

[tensai_oni]

A player is asking you for something. It doesn't sound like an unreasonable demand so why not do it? Roleplaying is a cooperative experience after all, and everyone at the table deserves to have fun whether they *chuckle* take initiatve, or not.

[Quertus]

No, players should build up the skills to speak up for themselves, or to murder spotlight hogs, or should get the hint and get out of your game.

Really, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you're trying to make a game where people get a fair share of spotlight time, I think that the answer is obvious. If, otoh, you are trying to groom your players to minimize your effort as GM, the answer is different. If you are attempting to make your players as same-y as possible, a different set of responses well be optimal.

[Slipperychicken]

Also, I do not know what a common RPG looks like. And would be glad if anyone would input sample dialogue that happens in a game. Just to get a better feel of how the game should flow.

The main rulebook for your game should have some sample dialogue near the front.

Also, there are many podcasts and livestreams of roleplaying games. I can't stand them myself, but I hear good things about Critical Role.

[Ataboiiwhynot]

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased into giving away some information about the game. How should I give non biased prompts?

[Darth Ultron]

The DM should engage with each one of the players as equally as possible. There will always be 'alpha' gamers that will hog the spotlight and try to knock down other gamers.

A person should really speak up, and they would in a perfect world....but that won't all ways happen. Some people, even more so gamers, tend to be shy to say the least.

And it would be nice if all the players would be aware of this and helped the player out...but that will all most never happen.

So it falls to the DM.

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased into giving away some information about the game. How should I give non biased prompts?

What exactly are you worried about giving away?

[RazorChain]

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased into giving away some information about the game. How should I give non biased prompts?

It depends. I have one player who is the face character and he's good at it. I try to put up scenarios where the others don't have to rely on him talking or the NPC will adress the other PC's.

Otherwise my players are much better at cooperating on what to do. It's only in the talky parts where one is the spotlight hog, and that's because the others are very comfortable with him talking.

But when I read the title I immediately thought of prompting the players what to do next. Yes I very often do that but that is also to indicate I'm closing the scene unless they want to do something.

[Quertus]

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased into giving away some information about the game. How should I give non biased prompts?

"And, while he's/they're doing that, what would (the rest of) you like to do?"

The DM should engage with each one of the players as equally as possible. There will always be 'alpha' gamers that will hog the spotlight and try to knock down other gamers.

A person should really speak up, and they would in a perfect world....but that won't all ways happen. Some people, even more so gamers, tend to be shy to say the least.

And it would be nice if all the players would be aware of this and helped the player out...but that will all most never happen.

So it falls to the DM.

I wonder if we aren't some sort of strange yin and yang. See, I'd say, "And it would be nice if the GM would be aware of this and helped the player out...but that will all most never happen. So it falls to the players."

As, for some odd reason, I always game with myself, I've never been in a game that didn't have at least one player willing to stand up for other players. Not always aware or tactful, granted, but willing and far more actively a player advocate than the GMs I've seen nonetheless.

EDIT: between us, one would think that our advice would make this a non-issue...

What exactly are you worried about giving away?

Good question.

[Darth Ultron]

I wonder if we aren't some sort of strange yin and yang. See, I'd say, "And it would be nice if the GM would be aware of this and helped the player out...but that will all most never happen. So it falls to the players."

As, for some odd reason, I always game with myself, I've never been in a game that didn't have at least one player willing to stand up for other players. Not always aware or tactful, granted, but willing and far more actively a player advocate than the GMs I've seen nonetheless.

I find that people, even if friends or best friends, suddenly don't treat each other so well when in a setting where they can even vaguely ''compete''. And that assumes they are even nice people to start with.

[Aliquid]

What exactly are you worried about giving away?

Maybe the player in question wants to be prompted at appropriate times that "this is when you do your thing"... rather than noticing him/herself.

So, they are expecting prompts like:
"Don't forget to search for traps", or
"Maybe you can distract the guards by casting an illusion", or
"This would be a great time to use that intimidate skill"

And prompting someone to search for secret doors might give away that there is a secret door, or confuse them if there isn't.

[Haldir]

Unequivocal yes. Prompting players is what a good DM does to ensure everyone is engaged with the story.

I recently ran a game VOIP where one player could not get his mic working for any reason. If I did not prompt my players and take them all into account he would have easily been sidelined. My constant shifting of focus and concern for all of my friends made the game just as fun for him even though he was working through text while the others spoke.

I am a very exerienced DM (15+ years) so I would not expect others to be able to handle things like me. My advice to OP is PROMPTING YOUR PLAYERS IS THE EASIEST WAY TO ENSURE AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE IS HAD BY ALL.

Remind them of their number of actions, remind them of their abilities, listen to their ideas and clarify how those ideas will either help or hinder their goals. Suggest actions their character might take that they may not have thought of (within reason and emphasis on "suggest") and your players will thank you for it.

[Pleh]

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased into giving away some information about the game. How should I give non biased prompts?

My trick is to play as their character in my mind. If I think of something I would be doing in their position that they haven't thought of, I have them make a knowledge, intelligence, or wisdom check to see if their character happens to guess or notice that thing that the character might know/notice that the player does not.

[NichG]

As a GM I find that there's a limit to how many things I can simultaneously keep track of during game, so while I understand why prompting can be necessary, I'm always trying to use it only as a stopgap to get the player into the swing of things.

If half my players permanently needed to be prompted, I simply could not do that while simultaneously keeping track of NPCs and what each one is trying to accomplish and what each one does/doesn't know at any given time, etc.

So the primary question in my mind is, can I get things to the point where each player has something going such that they feel impelled to act and know roughly what their immediate goals are. Essentially, get the game/players to where they don't need prompting.

Another option is, ask one of the more experienced players at the table to help with prompting.

[Kardwill]

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased

Don't worry about that. An insecure player may avoid initiatives because he doesn't want to make mistakes/look stupid/walk into a trap/put the DM in difficulty by going into direction you don't want to explore, or simply not knowing what his/her character could possibly do to unlock a situation.
In this case, a biased prompt is a GOOD thing. It's you saying "Do you want to do this thing? It's OK to do this thing, we will have fun!"

Be helpful to your players, and they will learn to trust you and start to take initiative without fearing your reactions

[Slipperychicken]

Unequivocal yes. Prompting players is what a good DM does to ensure everyone is engaged with the story.

I can't agree more. The most fun games in my life have been ones where our GM does this.

He usually just asks for clarification (i.e. "Are you touching the statue or just looking at it"), or he'll remind us of key details when he thinks we've forgotten (i.e. "You know, the floor is slippery in that direction and you may fall"). That helps us better understand what's going on and what's expected of us, and more generally makes the GM-player relationship less adversarial even as he confronts us with challenges.

[Ataboiiwhynot]

Maybe the player in question wants to be prompted at appropriate times that "this is when you do your thing"... rather than noticing him/herself.

So, they are expecting prompts like:
"Don't forget to search for traps", or
"Maybe you can distract the guards by casting an illusion", or
"This would be a great time to use that intimidate skill"

And prompting someone to search for secret doors might give away that there is a secret door, or confuse them if there isn't.

This is more what I meant when I started the thread. I do ask if they want to do things, but I largely think that they don't know what to ask to do. (Is that a thing?) Is there a good way to like give them a good scope of possibilities without giving away the situation?

[Kardwill]

This is more what I meant when I started the thread. I do ask if they want to do things, but I largely think that they don't know what to ask to do. (Is that a thing?) Is there a good way to like give them a good scope of possibilities without giving away the situation?

If they're new to RPGs (or at this game), why not give them those hints at first, until they have a good grasp of their abilities and the possibilities of the game? There will be other occasions for surprises later. Right now, it sounds like they could use a supportive GM more than a neutral one.

[Airk]

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased into giving away some information about the game. How should I give non biased prompts?

"Altena, what do you do?"
"Thorg, everyone is looking at you, what do you do?"
"The idol is sitting there on the altar. Beltin, what do you do?"
"It's a huge, heavy iron door. Lira, what do you do?"

The GM's job is to provide a call to action. A situation that makes the characters want to do things. It's also the GM's job to see that all players are given opportunity to do things, and not talked over or ignored.

[Thrudd]

This is more what I meant when I started the thread. I do ask if they want to do things, but I largely think that they don't know what to ask to do. (Is that a thing?) Is there a good way to like give them a good scope of possibilities without giving away the situation?

I'd explain it like this: imagine you are seeing and hearing what I am describing to you. Whatever you imagine that you (or your character) might do, those are your options. If something you want to do requires some dice to be rolled or to expend something on your character sheet, I'll tell you. It's as simple as that. Pretend you're there, and do what you would do. Once you get the hang of that, pretend you are the character and do what you think they would do.

[Aliquid]

I'd explain it like this: imagine you are seeing and hearing what I am describing to you. Whatever you imagine that you (or your character) might do, those are your options. If something you want to do requires some dice to be rolled or to expend something on your character sheet, I'll tell you. It's as simple as that. Pretend you're there, and do what you would do. Once you get the hang of that, pretend you are the character and do what you think they would do.

And the response from a novice player that just isn't "getting it" would be:

"But my character would know what to do better than I personally do. For instance, I didn't know that 'secret doors' were a thing to look out for in the fist place. I've never encountered a trap in real life, and didn't stop to consider that the chest would be trapped (we haven't come across one while playing before)... for my rogue, all this stuff would be common knowledge if he lived in that world"

[dascarletm]

I worry about prompting them because I feel like any prompts I give may be biased into giving away some information about the game. How should I give non biased prompts?

As others have said, "So-and-so, what do you do?" is a thing I say at least a few times during a session. Usually it'll go like this:

Player A: I go and purchase some new armor and weapons.
Player B: I go and see if I can find that thieves guild we heard rumor about.
Player C: ...
Myself: Player C, you and the group have just arrived at the port city of Portington, your comrades run off in different directions looking for intrigue or shopping sprees, what do you do?


If they don't know what to do I will nudge them in a direction, maybe they mentioned they wanted to buy some new spells, or something else. In a dungeon or similar situation I could have them roll a knowledge or wisdom check, and give them hints based on how high the roll is.

[mephnick]

Although I don't like it as much as some people, I think every DM should be required to run a Dungeon World session..or at least read through the book. That entire game is about engaging every player and figuring out how to use opportunities to spread the spotlight around. The entire move system for the DM is about giving prompts and allowing players to react to them. I think it would improve virtually everyone's ability to run a game in any system.

[Darth Ultron]

This is more what I meant when I started the thread. I do ask if they want to do things, but I largely think that they don't know what to ask to do. (Is that a thing?) Is there a good way to like give them a good scope of possibilities without giving away the situation?

If they are new players, or really in general new players for your game, it is all ways a good idea to give some prompts and help. 1)Most new players don't ''get'' how to play the game...it is something you have to learn by doing. 2)A lot of players from other games might not have ''learned how to play'', depending on the style of that game.

In general, the first dozen or so times you really do just have to ''prompt/tell them what to do". That is just kinda basic learning. Just so they can grasp the basic idea of what does what.

You can present options without a prompt, per say. Like the gnome potion vendor might say ''step right up and buy a potion of healing to cure all your aches and wounds!''. Even a really cluelees player might go ''wait? I can buy a potion of healing?".

At first, it is often better to stick small. Don't have the game take place in the massive city where you'd say ''ok, there are a thousand stores, where do you go?" . Try more ''the town of Mudport only has one general store."

ultimately a lot of any RPG is just real experience and trail and error. Very often ''negative'' . Like if a character chases a thief into a dead end alley...then just gives up the chase. Later a friendly bard shows the character a secret passage in another alley.....and you will watch it click with the player..''Doh, I bet that thief from before escaped by a secret passage! I should have looked for one! I'll remember next time!"

[Anxe]

Although I don't like it as much as some people, I think every DM should be required to run a Dungeon World session..or at least read through the book. That entire game is about engaging every player and figuring out how to use opportunities to spread the spotlight around. The entire move system for the DM is about giving prompts and allowing players to react to them. I think it would improve virtually everyone's ability to run a game in any system.

This is exactly what I was thinking.

[Thrudd]

And the response from a novice player that just isn't "getting it" would be:

"But my character would know what to do better than I personally do. For instance, I didn't know that 'secret doors' were a thing to look out for in the fist place. I've never encountered a trap in real life, and didn't stop to consider that the chest would be trapped (we haven't come across one while playing before)... for my rogue, all this stuff would be common knowledge if he lived in that world"

Nope. You're discovering the world through your character, along with your character. The point of the game is for YOU to choose what to do, not the character acting like a computer AI.

As the DM, I'll let you know if there is something your character knows or sees that you don't.

For very new players that aren't familiar with their character's abilities yet - a more experienced player or the DM can remind them of things for a little while, like "remember, you can make two attacks" or some such.