Table Chatter: The GM Nightmare

We have all been there before. Pure tension fills the room as the group moves forward. Thomas searches diligently for traps around the base of the statue. Seeing nothing he tells the Barbarian to carefully remove the heavy idol from it’s base. As the barbarian pulls it away, suddenly the door starts to close behind them. With very little time to react to the trap Furnok point’s toward the entrance and exclaims “Dude, you have to check out this video on my phone. This guy hurls all over the place.” Suddenly conversation breaks out that has nothing to do with anything in game. You the GM are lost in your own universe wondering if you should spoil the fun that your players are having (out of game) or be the jerk that brings everybody back together to the problem at hand.

You have become the victim of table chatter. It takes many several forms; from in jokes to misplaced questions about toppings on the pizza being ordered. It can strike at any time and even disguise itself as relevant conversation at times. But, whatever form that it takes, it is the enemy of any role-playing game and sure to frustrate any GM that set time out of their schedule to run a game. But what are the causes of needless table chatter, how can it be avoided, and when should it be allowed?

The root cause of most table chatter may not be what you think. Most GM’s (at least myself) place much of the blame on boring games and themselves. Now, while this may be partly to blame for some incidences of chatter, it is more often caused by the excitement of your group playing. Which is great. Your group should be excited about playing. It’s a great sign that you are doing your job right. But no matter what the cause, in-jokes, table chatter, and disconnected (out-of-character) conversations during the game can really ruin a serious game. So what can you and your players do to keep the chatter to a minimum and the experience of good roll playing to a maximum?

First off, a little disclaimer. This article is for people who WANT to reduce the amount of chatter at the table. This is not a guide to how all games are supposed to be played. Different groups like different levels of seriousness and immersion with their games. If your group enjoys a good hack n’ slash with beer, pretzels, and Monty Python jokes flying around, by all means run your game that way. There is no wrong in playing your games that way. In fact when I play straight war gaming, that is the only way I will have it. However if you are like me, your role playing sessions are (excuse the pun) an entirely different world all together.

One thing I like to do before a game is a recap of the last game. This is for several reasons,a few known a few secret. For one I make my players do it. Each one will take part in telling me the events in as good of detail as they can remember. This is done casual and out of character. For one it gives them a period of time to begin the process of “getting into character.” It also gives each of them a chance to talk to each other about the events of the game and how they perceived what was happening. It can give me an opportunity to jump in and clarify something that was misunderstood or do some minor GM fixes on something I might have screwed up in the heat of the moment. It helps me as the GM to get even more fresh on current events (hey even we forget things from game to game.) And, above all, it gives the players a chance to get all of their in-joking out of their system. While the recap is limited on time, it is relaxed. There is no pressure to be in character so the players have a chance to tell game related jokes, make fun of each other and get their laughs out of the way. Out of all the chatter problems I ever have “in-jokes” are the least because of this step. Since the players know that they will have a chance to joke about the situations later, nobody feels like they have to break up the game so their one-liners can be heard.

Another trick I employ into my “serious gaming mood” arsenal are game-breaks. This is something everyone talks about but rarely follow through with. I too am guilty of pushing past a break time because the story was intense, but I pay for it in the end every time. By taking a break once an hour to an hour and a half, you give your players a chance to relax. The reason distracting chatter can break out is tension. If your players are really into your game, they are tense. Remember, these are untrained people trying to act out an improvised scene. There are people who get paid for that, they are called actors. It’s a hard job an you’re trying to do it for fun. Give them a little break once in a while to keep the energy up. I promise that with a little practice, a good GM will be able to thrust his players back in exactly where they were. And, with the new energy the group has gained from their break. It will be like nothing ever happened. Aside from that, breaks give players an opportunity to ask questions that they might have on their mind, smoke, go to the bathroom, eat something, and tell a joke or two. It also gives the GM an opportunity to snoop a little and find out what the players think of the game so far. With that kind of input, you should be able to make adjustments according to what the players want to do and keep the energy of the game high.

Finally, if possible, try and keep everyone involved in the scene. When you let your groups characters split up too much you tend to end up with allot of side conversations as you try to deal with one “mini-group” at a time. With everyone involved from scene to scene you will have more of the player’s attention. Since they will be focused on you and what your telling them, there will be less motive to start chatter. If you do have to split your group up (say for shopping excursions) try to keep your splits in groups of at least 2. That way you can send the players (not in the current scene) out of the room together. They won’t get bored because they will be able to go chit chat somewhere else while you deal with the others which will keep them from feeling excluded. Which is a cause for arguments later (especially if your wife plays in your gaming group.)
Basically the moral here is “Idle Hands.”

Well I hope this helps. I know many of you out there have had problems keeping your games from going off the rails, I know I do. But, a cool head and some good GM practices should keep you on the right track to a serious, but still fun game. And also remember, have a good time with your players. The idea behind gaming is to have fun, it’s what you want and it’s what your players want. Sometimes it’s okay to put the game away for the night and cut loose. It isn’t what your doing with your friends, it how you do it.