No.421865 [Last50 Posts]
I swear to god, my players are on their phones all the time. One of them has literally pulled out a laptop and started playing a video game at the table. While waiting for his turn. Last session one of the players said "I realize I'm the only one who's not on some kind of device right now." One was playing a game on a handheld, one was on his laptop, and 2 were on their phones. I don't even remember what was happening. We have a pretty big table and sometimes I can't even draw out the grid for a fight because there are 2 laptops in the way.
WTF is this? Am I that shitty of a DM? I try to keep rules look-up and downtime to a minimum. Hell most of what I do is pretty fast, if it's in combat. The problem is when other players are taking their turns and spending several minutes doing basic math.
I try not to have too much combat but I have to have some. My group seems barely interested in the game though they did enjoy RP with some orcs last session. The adventure seems engaging to me and they do get somewhere in it but I swear to god I will describe a room and they will not even respond. I've had dead silence while they were on devices. Or sometimes they'll just bring up some meme or something and then OMG WE HAVE TO WATCH THAT VIDEO NOW so one of them brings it up on the smartphones. Like what the fuck? To be fair, it was almost this bad before the smartphones. I know that this is part of why the last DM quit.
What the fuck do I do? I've run games for 10 years, I am a natural at it. That doesn't mean I am good necessarily but I naturally have this GM / storytelling mindset. I don't railroad. I've never had this issue with older players. Yet early 20s millennial players seem to be unable to get off their fucking phones!!!
____________________________
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No.421869
stop being a cuck and take control of your party. here's how I would do it;
>playing game
>someone starts looking bored
>stare dead at him
>he doesn't notice
>everyone is looking at me
>I'm an alpha chad so I don't care
>he's still on his phone
>*eeh-HEM*
>he's still on his phone
>start spilling spagetti everywhere
>throw chair
>his face, illuminated by blue light, doesn't flinch
>begin physical assault
>other players join in
>everyone is punching and kicking the party member who is on his phone
>he eventually becomes unconscious
>player, riled by the the assault, are now interested and engaged in the game again
>no other players get on their phone.
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No.421870
>>421869
Solid, but that doesn't work when others are doing it to so you should just snatch the device of whoever pulls it out and put it up on craigslist as a punishment
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No.421874
>>421869
Yeah I'm not sure I'd win against them as one is pretty fat also I'm not an ape so I don't punch people. I figure you're joking but if not you're retarded.
I have tried being quiet and waiting but it ltierally doesn't matter because I missed my chance to set the social expectations years ago.
Also they are my friends so I'll look like I have a stick up my ass as opposed to a more formal game.
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No.421875
>>421865
Have you talked to them and told them not to do this shit?
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No.421878
>be playing pathfinder
>someone has their laptop at the table
>clicking nonstop
>not loud so not irritating
>but
>but
>hour of solid clicking
>get up to get some pizza and look at what he's doing
>Cookie Clicker
>had never seen this before
>wtf at him
>"so you just increase the number of cookies you get?"
>"yea"
>"You've been clicking that for an hour"
>"but look at how many cookies I have"
It broke my ability to enjoy video games
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No.421881
I don't know what to tell you. Hopefully you'll be lucky like I was and they'll just stop showing up on their own.
I was less offended once he just whipped out his laptop and started playing video games while we were chilling and having a conversation, because at that point I figured out that he's probably just ADD as fuck and needs to dump his shitty girlfriend so he's not stressed out all the time.
Are they new players? Maybe they're just there for social engagement rather than the game itself.
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No.421894
In the very first session I told my players, a group of early twenties millennials, outright: "No phones at the table. I will ignore you if you are on your phone unless you ask me specifically to look something up that pertains to the next or previous 5 minutes of the game." Do not put up with that shit. It will make you look like a hardass for exactly half of a session, and then when they put the things away and start engaging they will thank you, or at least they will more actively enjoy the experience. I really struggle to understand why this is so common a complaint when a simple "do not do that, please" will suffice for any reasonable person.
If for some reason this is not an option, say that players have 5 seconds at the start of their turn to decide what to do, and if they don't decide by then they skip their turn. It is up to you how harsh you want this to be, but ultimately this forces them to think during other players' turns, which minimizes wait time since your players sound like low attention span faggots.
I mainly kept the advice combat related since you implied that was when it kept happening. For outside combat, my advice is to just tell them "put your phone away" as soon as they pull it out. Again, do not put up with it. I don't care if they are your best friends, it is worth putting them off a little at first to improve the experience so greatly.
If they don't listen, tell them to find another dm, or thing to do. If you are too beta to tell a group of tabletop rpg players "no," I nor anyone else can help you here. Good luck, anon.
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No.421895
>>421878
In this case they are playing Warframe. With sound on, I might add. Like they don't even care enough to mute the fucking sound. Worst part is that the guy ran a short campaign once and it was great but he decided he hated GMing after 2 sessions so never did it again.
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No.421896
>>421881
They've been playing RPGs for years. I think some of them have ADHD yeah but nearly everyone does these days. Hell I probably have it but I fight it hard, force myself to read and not be on a computer constantly.
>stop showing up on their own
Not gonna happen it's a pretty consistent group. Like I said, I missed my chance to put a stop to this years ago.
>>421875
No. I'm worried they'll lash out and call me a shit GM.... or, more likely, get passive-aggressive and snippy and resentful and it will just drag things down even more. Or "what else am I supposed to do while waiting for my turn?" and that sort of thing.
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No.421897
>>421896
>No. I'm worried they'll lash out and call me a shit GM.
If they are going to be a bunch of cunts anyways, better to just end shit and find a different group. If you're going to go through the trouble of wrangling these tards to play game, then they should be expected to play. If you can't even talk to them or voice a legitimate complaint, then there's no way you're fixing this issue, especially since the majority of all tabletop drama can be resolved with "have you tried talking to them?"
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No.421901
Create different types of action. The characters are swinging on ropes below a tall ceiling while fighting swinging goblins, spiders, and giant wasps. As combat begins, an NPC the party is escorting starts trying to parley with the goblins with one of the party’s magic items he just pickpocketed. Give your players a situation.
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No.421902
>>421896
It sounds like your final option is to kill them to preserve your honor as a DM.
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No.421906
>>421901
>swinging on ropes
Half of them can fly at will. And they're far too high level for any of those to be a challenge, except maybe goblins with exceptional numbers of class levels.
>pickpocketed a magic item
Except they have such high spot/perception bonuses that it would require an NPC of near-epic level who wouldn't need an escort in the first place. Also they'd just teleport him there.
I honestly wonder if 3.5 is part of the issue. They are bored because nothing is challenging and they just want to "throw damage" at monsters so their "builds" can work. I dunno anymore.
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No.421922
>>421896
You being passive and not bringing this up WITH YOUR GROUP is just as much of a problem, if not more so than them. A distracted player can be easily taken care of, a passive GM is like suffering from cancer.
Do whatever you can to get that information to them even if you gotta chant that shit in front of a mirror for hours so it becomes second nature to you.
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No.421927
>>421878
Ok now this I can understand. That's less them playing a game and more just trying to busy their hands, like if it were a digital stress ball or one of those cubes with the gizmos on it to keep your hands moving.
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No.421932
>>421874
>I figure you're joking but if not you're retarded.
You're a cuck. Someone is disrespecting you, indirectly spitting you in the face, and you find excuses and whine on an image board. I think reddit would be a more suitable place for you.
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No.421935
I don't understand why would you sit in front of your phone during any social gathering you declared yourself to be an active participant of.
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No.421936
Instead of punishing players for not paying attention/being shit in general, reward players who do pay attention/play in character/etc. Also design your encounters to be just barely too hard without any of these rewards factored in.
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No.421937
>>421935
That's what almost everyone does now, especially people 35 and younger.
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No.421939
>>421896
Are they your friends? Are you able to relax with them post-game?
You should be able to straight up say that the devices impact your ability to GM.
If they call you a shit GM, you should be able to have an adult conversation about how to improve the game. If they complain about waiting for their turn, you can figure out ways to speed things up as a group.
>We have a pretty big table and sometimes I can't even draw out the grid for a fight because there are 2 laptops in the way.
Literally a talking point.
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No.421943
>>421865
Honestly you gotta put your foot down, and say no more electronics unless they need them for character stuff and what-not. Also what works for me personally as far as combat goes, make it harder and physically act it out so they have that sense of danger to them. If they continue being on their devices just ask them to leave for this session, they came there to play a table-top game and they should have the courtesy to actually fucking do that.
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No.421945
Tell them to cut this shit out. If they don't, find another party.
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No.421946
Toss in important tidbits of info that can be deadly if not paid attention to.
After a few character deaths, they'll pay more attention.
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No.421947
They have no interest in playing the game, they're just turning up to get out of the house. Do yourself a favour and cancel the entire thing. Tell them if they're so addicted to their devices you're not wasting your time. See how many crawl back to you and how many walk away. If they crawl back you can enforce a no electronics rule on the reformation.
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No.421958
Just fucking take their phones from them.
If they need to make a call at a certain hour or they are waiting for a call there is no problem: you keep the cellphone on and hand it to them when they need to do it.
Otherwise, without further notice, you don't keep your phone nor answer it during session.
"But what if someone needs me for [X]"
As far as I am concerned the entire world can burn in nuclear fire and we die because we missed the alarm: no phones until session is over.
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No.421960
>>421958
No need to go full retard. Just say put phones on the table in the corner away from us. Answer calls and say you're busy if they ring or deal with it if it's an emergency.
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No.421965
>>421865
I doubt they only do it while playing. They probably can't watch a movie or even have a conversation without scrolling through facebook or sending messages, right? For most people, especially normalfaggots, it's a literal addiction at this point.
There's people like that in both groups I play at. They really don't even seem to comprehend their own actions, even if they are confronted with it.
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No.421966
>>421922
I'll look like I have a stick up my ass. And the entire group is distracted. If I say "please get off your phone" then they'll say "well, I'm waiting for my turn, run combat faster" or I'll look like a huge fag, again, because I'm acting like a grade school teacher. "Please pay attention class it's rude to not be listening while I explain math to retarded little Jimmy even though you already get it" is basically what I am saying.
>>421932
>Someone is disrespecting you, indirectly spitting you in the face
You look massively insecure if you do that especially in today's social climate where being on the phone is socially acceptable.
I don't know if you appreciate what a huge sperg I would look like if I did that.
>>421939
>You should be able to straight up say that the devices impact your ability to GM.
They don't really, they just make me wonder if the game is boring as fuck and I also find it annoying. But I also find gays annoying, however if I whine about the presence of gays, I get declared a homophobe due to social norms, regardless. See my point? It is the social norm to go on your phone.
>We have a pretty big table and sometimes I can't even draw out the grid for a fight because there are 2 laptops in the way.
I will be saying this, though. They'll just be like 'oh sorry' then do it again the next time.
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No.421968
>>421943
>anon why are you trying to kill us
>do you wnat us to die?
>wow you overcompensated with this fight, one of us went to half hp this is clearly way too hard
It doesn't help that modern D&D's CR system is weighted so that fights aren't challenging and if they are it's the DM's fault for not spoonfeeding weak-ass monsters to them one by one, four times a day.
I seriously cannot fathom running four D&D fights one after the other, especially in high level.
I am aware of and involved in OSR but they won't switch because "it's boring"
>If they continue being on their devices just ask them to leave for this session, they came there to play a table-top game and they should have the courtesy to actually fucking do that.
One time one of them went downstairs to play vidya during a mystery adventure that only existed because he asked for it. And this is part of the problem: sometimes the characters do do individual stuff that doesn't require the whole party. Which makes me wonder if I should do solely dungeon crawling that they are all together for and can be involved in.
>>421946
>Toss in important tidbits of info that can be deadly if not paid attention to.
>After a few character deaths, they'll pay more attention.
Already have, and I doubt they remember them. That's okay though because if they get killed because of that they'll just send me the Alexandrian Three Clue Rule article and say I have to put tons of clues in or else it's unfair.
>>421965
They don't watch movies.
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No.421969
>>421869
>things that never happened.jpg
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No.421976
>>421968
>They don't watch movies.
The way you described them I highly doubt they don't atleast "watch" netflix.
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No.421977
>they'll just send me the Alexandrian Three Clue Rule article and say I have to put tons of clues in or else it's unfair
Tell them tough luck. Alternatively, print out the article and eat it in front of them.
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No.421978
>>421968
>Alexandrian Three Clue Rule
The article for mystery games. Not dungeon delving. You get one clue in the dungeon, if you're lucky. Don't be a faggot, don't let yoru players be faggot.
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No.421981
>>421968
It's posts like these that make me glad that my players aren't a bunch of whiny pissants. Fair fights are fucking boring, for both sides. I'd rather kick you in the dick for dropping a torch into a funny-smelling hole and causing an explosion instead of adhering to "experience guidelines" or "wealth by level" or some other garbage designed to homogenize the game.
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No.421988
>>421976
No. Well a couple of them will but two will not. I wouldn't consider them "normies."
>>421977
Well that's what it's been. Partly because I *did* put multiple clues in front of them that could lead to different things and they ignored all of them. Or the worst part, one player said out loud "ohh I see so it's like they can use these pictures as focuses to teleport." Then they did nothing with that information. They didn't ask around saying "hey is there a mountain nearby that looks like this" or anything. They didn't even ask me. They just said "hmm wouldn't it be funny if that were true."
If they weren't overpowered in combat and able to defeat even the apocalyptic "bad ending" that happened if they didn't solve things in time, they'd be dead forever ago.
>>421978
Well, it was a mystery game, and I sort of consider the two interchangeable when you consider the "string of dungeons that contain clues" campaign set-up which a lot of modules follow. But yeah I have mostly ignored them on that.
>>421981
Yeah I hate WBL and I hate challenge rating, it's just an excuse to whine when you lose. It's such a bad system and one of the reasons I am desperate to switch to OSR. I am definitely not running another nu D&D campaign.
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No.421990
>>421966
>I'll look
>social norms
Don't be such a beta, fag. What you'll look like is a decent DM. Social norms do not belong at the table.
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No.421999
>>421990
>Social norms do not belong at the table.
That's the second gayest thing I've read ITT.
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No.422002
>>421968
421943 here,
It sounds like they just suck at playing the game lol, id just be straight with them, if theyre being shit-heads they can leave to do this shit to another dm
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No.422005
>>421990
Whining because you're too shit of a GM for the players to pay attention to you, is just as beta.
>>422002
Well they are good at character building, to a degree. They are pretty good with the rules and are somewhat decent strategists. One almost got killed recently cause he won initiative and charged into melee with an over-tuned melee NPC and got BTFO by a critical hit. He didn't die but he easily could have.
Once I finish my current campaign I am definitely done DMing for a while since I am running 3 different campaigns for them right now and one I can definitely see concluding soon. The other is non-D&D and they almost seem more engaged in that one sometimes. I mean they are engaged in all three, but only if shit is happening directly to them. And again, I am better at DMing than anyone else in the group. There is one other player who made a really neat setting and while parts of it weren't my cup of tea it was good despite those. But he doesn't want to DM.
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No.422015
>>422005
>whining
It isn't whining to make a reasonable request.
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No.422017
>>421988
>No. Well a couple of them will but two will not. I wouldn't consider them "normies."
Alright then, good(?) for you. Seems like your problems are completely different from mine after all.
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No.422019
>>421990
>Social norms do not belong at the table.
I guess I'll harass my quasi-normal girlfriend who always shows up with him by playing only wearing my boxers, that way she can admire my fat sweaty hairy body.
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No.422030
>>422019
>>421999 (checked)
Yeah, alright, I exaggerated. I should have said "sometimes it is appropriate to violate a social norm if the game experience improves," or somethint to that effect.
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No.422042
>>422019
If you give so many shits about social norms stop being fat and sweaty you pig.
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No.422047
It's because they're bored and want something to do. Idle hands, etc. Here's what I did. For my tabletop game I use papercraft to make scale furniture (stuff for dungeons, modern cars and set pieces). I was going crazy making it myself until I realized I can make the players do it! Offering them an in-game bounty of gold (and not even a good sum, something like 300-500 gold in D&D per made set piece when everyone is extremely high level), gave them glue sticks and scissors and let them have fun while waiting for their turn in combat. It was a resounding success!
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No.422075
>>422047
That sounds cool honestly. I don't know if it would work for me. But I know before they had phones they used to fidget a bit. They still made off-topic comments.
>>422017
I mean, they've been playing since before the whole nat20 critical role business. They watch a lot of those "epic D&D youtubers" that I tend to stay away from cause they're not my thing, but other than that they are mostly fine. The phone thing is mostly separate from them.
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No.422076
>>421865
just shoot them in the head
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No.422099
>>421865
Have you considered building a Faraday cage into your game room?
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No.422100
>>421968
>anon why are you trying to kill us
It's my job to make it challenging.
>do you wnat us to die?
Do you want to live? If yes, then fight for your lives. Inb4 "But we are!". Clearly not if you're wasting time acting like screeching harpies instead.
>wow you overcompensated with this fight, one of us went to half hp this is clearly way too hard
Then retreat, it's only a fight to your deaths if you make it be like that.
>they'll just send me the Alexandrian Three Clue Rule article and say I have to put tons of clues in or else it's unfair.
No amount of clues will help a player if they aren't paying attention or being retarded.
It's really not that hard.
>>422047
Now that's a interesting idea Anon, I like it.
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No.422102
>>422075
> they've been playing since before the whole nat20 critical role business
Yeah that's not really what I meant. Most people I play with have been doing so longer than me. But it seems like they've lost their attention span thanks to smartphones, somme even seem to have become dumber. It's sad.
Talking to them about it doesn't help either. If I talk to them about it outside of the game then they might even agree that it is a problem. But if I remind them while playing then they just get pissy. Literal addicts.
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No.422202
>>421960
>full retard
If people aren't capable of following a simple request of "No phones at the table" while I am providing a game then it would be retarded not to treat them like the children they are.
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No.423123
>>421865
Your players sound retarded. Why are they roleplaying in the first place?
>>421906
Sounds like a boring game. Give them a challenge like make them fight a terrasque, or something more inventive. Or start a new campaign with low-level characters.
Seems like you're just giving them easy cannon fodder to get through. Doesn't sound like they don't have much challenge roleplaying-wise, intelligence-wise, or stat-wise. Use your imagination.
And tell them to stop using their phones all the time.
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No.423132
Set up a turn timer. if the issue is waiting for their turn. 10 seconds, no more no less. If you can't say "I hit the monster" or "I hit the monster but with magic" in 10 seconds (the epitome of player choice in D&D 5E) your character just stands there doing nothing.
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No.423138
>>421968
>>422100
>doing combat
i haven't done a real combat scenario in years, it often boils up to whoever gets the first initiative attacks and kills everything in the map in one hit
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No.423139
>>423138
i should mention that at this point in the campaign, the same is true for most big bads
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No.423171
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No.423372
>>423138
>>423123
>Doesn't sound like they don't have much challenge roleplaying-wise, intelligence-wise, or stat-wise. Use your imagination.
Well, stat-wise there is now. Because I finally found some monsters that are immune to their super strong attacks, and resistant to the rest, and also output a ton of ranged weapon damage. So even groups of 1-2 of them can deal a lot of damage to them before (still) getting nuked after 2 rounds (instead of 1).
>tarrasque
They would just fly, invisible, 300 feet above its head, and hit it with the same attack over and over for 100 damage per hit, and it doesn't even get blocked by its carapace because it doesn't count as a "ray."
>>423139
>>423138
Is this in 3.5?
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No.423373
>>423171
If additional force is needed, just tell them that you're not running the game until all the phones are away and stay away. It's hard enough getting people together for a game in the first place. If they wanted to play on their phones, they could have just stayed home instead of wasting everyone's time with this ADD bullshit.
If you're GMing, then you're already putting in more work than the rest of the table combined. Leverage that against them. You're not their slave and you don't owe them shit.
<but I'd rather play any game than no game!
Doesn't fucking sound like you're playing at all if all your players are fucking around on their phones
<but I don't want to lose my friends!
If they would rather have you stop showing up entirely just because you don't want them doing other shit while you're trying to play, then they are shitty friends. Sucks ass to realize that, but it's better in the long run
<but it's not really that bad...
Then it shouldn't be that hard to solve the problem and get back to enjoying your game of make believe.
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No.423374
>>423372
>Is this in 3.5?
yes
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No.423380
Change your players to someone who's not a retarded zoomer who cannot last an hour without looking at the phone. Also, grow a spine.
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No.423987
YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.
>>421966
Are you such a faggot that you can't even talk to your friends when you have a problem? They hardly sound like friends at all.
Here's my advice. Man up, talk to your friends, tell them you have a problem. You, the GM, take time out of your life to make an interesting story that caters to their fantasies as much as yours, and is designed to be fun for them. Even if they were complete strangers, you have a right to tell them when you have a legitimate problem with something they're doing. Since they're your friends, apparently, you are obligated to do so.
>I'll look like I have a stick up my ass.
Did you come here for a solution or just to bitch about your players? Quit acting like a fucking woman.
>You look massively insecure if you do that especially in today's social climate where being on the phone is socially acceptable.
You look massively insecure right now.
>>You should be able to straight up say that the devices impact your ability to GM.
>They don't really, they just make me wonder if the game is boring as fuck and I also find it annoying
<they don't impact my ability to GM, they just impact my ability to GM
>>421968
>modern D&D's CR system
>they won't switch because "it's boring"
Alright so it's starting to sound like you're actually a shit GM after all. I think I can tell you why your players aren't paying attention, and it's pretty simple. They don't need to pay attention. You have made your game so easy, that the players don't need to think, or put any effort in, and can afford to be distracted half the time and still get what they want. You need to change this.
Firstly, make situations complex and dangerous, so your players have to sit down and think about what they're going to do.
Secondly, make your players think that it's their fault, or the fault of a character in your game when bad things happen. Since your players already blame you for everything, it'll take some handiwork on your part. For example, rolling dice out in the open, so they can see you're not fudging anything.
Thirdly, stop being afraid of your players. Fucking man up.
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No.425842
I could do so many many terrible things to a part or players who weren't listening.
Press gangs, fool's gold, tourist prices, mickey finns, vampires, skinwalkers, talking crocottas, scams, thuggee, cutpurses and pickpockets, getting lost, getting sold the wrong spell components, bad food, leeches, ticks, the campfire burning equipment, animals getting into supplies, getting caught in bad weather, getting blown into reefs and rocks, getting caught in a flooding cave, getting caught in a flooding dry river bed, getting caught in a flooding flood plain, wandering over the wrong border, food poisoning, pregnancy, venereal disease, runaway steeds, and waking up with something from the Drunken Hookup Table.
Seriously, this is a wonderful opportunity to really fuck with them and make them do a Humiliation Conga made all the worse for it being so easily avoidable.
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No.425864
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No.425865
>plays d&d5 with creativity less soy semi-normalfags
>is even more of a soy and can't even ask them to stop playing professional MLG call of duty when it's not their turn to metagame as a lvl 50 self insert
>wants advice
What you want isn't advice on dealing with people. It's some nifty clever in-house rule about collective basket-weaving origami contests that will suddenly make them jump off their phone and get them 100% invested in their 300th session.
This isn't a group of friends getting together on friday nights for a fun session. Joe doesn't care that Dan's warlock wolf furry (original race) has just slain his 50th crystal golem. There's no threat, or bonding. They'll get passive agressive if their character gets a scratch and you can't handle pressure heavier than a feather.
All they come for is for the pathetic ego trip of playing as an overpowered wuxia flying elf paladin with infinite high level gear. You're a prostitute for their ego trips. What do you do when your buddy is done with the group whore? Stare at his dick as he's railing her 10 ways to sunday? That shit's gay. Of course they sit on their phones.
The best advice in this thread has been given: Change players, change system, stop being a bitch and confront them about the issue or flat out quit if it rubs you the wrong way.
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No.426251
>>421896
If it's only quick bits on the phone, fine, but laptops? Put that shit away nigger this isn't a college class.
If the time between rounds is taking too long, discuss it with them. Figure out where the time sinks are and help the players make it more efficient. If after that time trimming they're still playing side games, tell them if they're bored they're welcome to go elsewhere.
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