Showing them a card trick

One of the guidelines I’ve used for being a game master goes as follows:

The more players are at the table, the more you need to guide them.

I can’t count the number of times that I presented a complex situation to a group of six or more players, sat back waiting to be peppered with eager questions, skill checks, and demands for my attention, only to be faced with…

Its as though I’ve shown a dog a card trick.

I used to take this personally, like I wasn’t doing a good job presenting the material, or that my players were being purposely obtuse.   It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized it had little to do with me, and more to do with the size of a group. A small group of tight-knit players have little trouble taking the reigns and running with whatever thread you want to throw at them.  They know that they are safe to do so, as their actions will not impede their fellow players for very long.  Since there are few players, everyone will get a chance at the spotlight.

With a bigger group, it becomes more difficult to do this.  A player may be worried about being seen as grandstanding, or concerned about making mistakes in front of so many people.  The polite thing to do is to sit back and make sure that everyone gets a turn.  There is also the expectation in a larger group that there are plenty of other people to take actions, there is no need for oneself to do so.  There are lots of others around to take the risks.

So what to do?  The best solution I’ve found is less options.  Give the players a clear path they can follow to move on to the next challenge.  Don’t worry about being perceived as a railroader.  Of course, if they choose a road less traveled, encourage them and go with it, but don’t be disappointed if they take the “easy road”.  It’s not about you, or the game, even.  Like all role playing games, it’s really about being social.  The more people there are, the more the game is going to take on a classroom like dynamic, with the GM lecturing and guiding, and the players responding.  This is OK.

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One Response to Showing them a card trick

  1. fishnet says:

    Paul Kleinwald From The Hills Old Time Banjo For The New Millennium https://maxcdn.nse.org.uk/8.html Steven Curtis Chapman Worship And Believe

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