GM Tactics for Sidelined Players
Sometimes players end up on the sidelines. I’ve seen it happen because a player is uncomfortable speaking up about rules questions. Or he’s overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of other players (<raises hand> I am that way too enthusiastic player, like, a lot). Sometimes it’s deliberate ostracizing by the other players. Or maybe the sidelined player brought it on herself by playing the lone wolf.
Really, the reasons WHY don’t matter much. As GMs, we’ve got an obligation to try our damnedest to get players off the sidelines and into the game… but how?
You’ve got the wheel, so steer the ship towards the sidelined player’s character.
If the party is separated, find a way to physically force them back together. Act of God. Trail of breadcrumbs. Alien invasion. Whatever it takes, do it to get the characters into the same general area so the action can happen to everyone.
Brighten things up by getting the sidelined player into the spotlight.
Occasionally an adventure or scenario favors a particular character/characters. It’s the part of the dungeon with all the traps. The bank with the impossible to hack security system. The unyielding onslaught of kobolds.
It’s GREAT fun for the players who are suited for the scenario and, while it’d be nice if we could all be nice and share, we don’t. We get jealous. We get bored. We feel left out. A great way to handle it is to keep a couple of nuggets in there for each of the characters. Be mindful of their skillsets when you’re writing your scenario. Make sure there’s lots of traps for the rogue, but throw in a door that has to be busted down for the fighter.
Pique the interest of others by giving the sidelined player a secret.
I pinged the Twitter-verse about this topic and the lovely and talented @filamena had this to say:
It’s some great advice. Where you once had a player who was skirting the edge of the storyline, you now have a player with information that could (or could not) be vital to the undertaking at hand. There are few things that will direct the attention of the group to a silent player than a knowing smile from the GM.
Take a break to process and reset to include the the sidelined player.
A 10 minute bathroom break is the perfect way to take a step back, look at what’s going on in-game, and figure out how to get the sidelined player back into the game. Take a moment to ask if there’s anything he’d like to be doing. Discuss, out of character, the meta-plot to assess the direction the players will be taking and then, if you must, shoehorn everyone into it.
My favorite tactic is to restart after the break with the spotlight right on the sidelined player. “Okay, this is where we were, and now, Suzi, what are YOU doing?”
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These are, of course, only a few of the ways you can get people who aren’t all in to be a part of the action. What are your tactics?
5 Responsesto “GM Tactics for Sidelined Players”
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Good advice and taken to heart. It is a lot of work to include a shy player(I mean a really shy player), but is worth it when they open their mouths.
Often I find people not contributing because they don’t understand what needs to be done. Shyness exacerbates this, the primary cause has more to do with uncertainty than social fear. Players who have a clear sense of what needs to be accomplished and how are much more likely to step up and offer suggestions or get involved.
I often find when one or more players are sitting back that the best thing I can do is straightforwardly restate the objectives and the situation:
“Okay guys, you’re all standing on a rope bridge over a pit of lava, and this big hobgoblin over here is hacking at the last cable holding the bridge up. Between you and he there’s a few dozen kobolds on the bridge. And the dragon over here. Also pirates.”
Okay, so being straightforward isn’t exactly my strength, but I find that with a simple “reset” like that, previously disengaged players will often come forward and contribute again.
I have this happening in a game I am currently running. The girl can be very shy, but whenever we get her out of her shell she does some memorable stuff.
All the advice above is great. I think I have tried most of it, except the “secret.” What has started to work a lot with her though is simply asking her “what is (her character) doing?” If the other players are not jerks they will lower the volume and wait for her answer.
There’s some very good advice here, Liz. Thanks for sharing. As I mentioned on Twitter, I blogged a bit on a related topic (How we as players can re-engage with a character we’ve lost interest in).
I’ve seen your second point (shift the spotlight) work wonders. I sometimes think it takes some major thing to make this happen, but many times a simple question gets the player back in the game. “What is your character doing?”
I have seen this happen many times with newer players. I like the generic advice of creating Player buy-in for the game. My thought when I read up on this subject is that Players help create the world and help establish the boundaries are better informed on what they can do. The Player’s character helps create goals
Not knowing what you can do is pretty overwhelming. So is the fear of “doing it wrong”. In my games, I try to explain that even if you do it wrong it could still be a lot of fun to try. Sure, it’s not detailed in the rules but the rules are meant to be applied to the situation not situations applying to rules.
Engagement of the player is also key. Maybe the player is having an off day but if the lack of engagement becomes a trend then it should be addressed and confirmed if the player is just happy to be on the sidelines. Being gentle instead of forceful is my tao for players like this. Going slowly is key otherwise you could upset or scare the Player away. Let the Player know that they are welcome (that everyone at the table is welcome), let the over excited player know that it’s time to calm down (I’m looking at YOU Liz ;P) or get that excited player to sit beside and work WITH the shy Player. With advice and reassurance from the excited player instead of instruction and coddling you could get a great team of role-players, rather than a player who has two characters.
Good article and it’s great food for thought for many Game Masters and Players.