{"id":6368,"date":"2004-09-14T21:02:38","date_gmt":"2004-09-15T04:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2004\/09\/14\/getting-focus.html"},"modified":"2004-09-14T21:02:38","modified_gmt":"2004-09-15T04:02:38","slug":"getting_focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2004\/09\/14\/getting_focus.html","title":{"rendered":"Getting focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Doyce writes at length on getting players (and the GM) to focus on the game<\/a>, cutting down on digressions and the like that have turned some game sessions into lengthy chatting-and-socializing get-togethers. Some thoughts:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I think for the most part, we (Margie and I at least, and I think most of the rest of our gaming circle) game to socialize, not the other way around. I enjoy gaming, but I’m not the sort that goes to cons to game, I didn’t get involved in the Living campaigns as such, I don’t (except as a last resort) look for strangers to game with, etc. The people I game with are my friends, and gaming is something fun to do together — and, within limits, if we end up getting together and not gaming, I can be happy with that, too.\n

    Thus, for me, as a player (as a GM can be something quite different, I acknowledge), the incentive to crack down and play, dammit<\/em> is less than it might be for some. (As a GM, it can be really frustrating to be ready to go, to be in game mode, and have everyone else hanging out casually and chit-chatting. Do I contradict myself? I role-play multitudes …)<\/p>\n

  2. Setting can play a role, as Doyce notes. Margie intentionally runs her game in the Living Room, to break with both the Family Room and the Basement Game Table. To some degree, sitting around and trying to play where you also sit around and jabber can lead to the two behaviors mingling. And sitting at the table can at least provide a reminder of why you’re there.<\/p>\n

    But I think that’s a minor effect, compared to how the nature of the game itself can affect (and effect) digressions. Doyce’s suggestion of moving from the Chat Area to the Game Area might have some merit. The idea of scheduling breaks runs the risk of breaking the mood — but, by the same token, any modern business-person knows that meetings of over 90 minutes or so start to lose their focus anyway. <\/p>\n

  3. A game where the characters are not acting together — in the same room, or at least to the same ends — is going to have more chit-chat. If it’s now Fred’s turn to get the GM focus, and I know Fred will have it for at least 15 minutes, and my stake in what Fred’s doing is relatively small, and I’m not keeping the campaign log, I won’t focus on what’s going on with Fred, but will instead strike up a discussion with Susan. Players will follow the goings-on of characters other than their own to the extent that they’re interesting, and the highest interest is how it will affect them.<\/p>\n

    In other words, Fred’s at the front of the line and I’m right behind him as he kicks in the door, my attention will remain wonderfully focused. If I’m on a secret mission for Count Benjamin, and Fred’s character is having a separate dinner with him, I’ll probably watch in (as a player).<\/p>\n

    That isn’t to say that the party should never be split, but when that’s all <\/em>that’s going on, and the split is not just physical but narrative, trouble is inevitable. <\/p>\n

    Maybe there are ways to handle that, but having come from a tradition of “the party on a quest,” it’s sort of how my mind works.<\/p>\n

  4. A game where the players haven’t assimilated the game mechanics — such that thoughts become player actions become game actions — will tend toward digressions, as the GM (or others) have to stop and explain, stop and look up, stop and laboriously perform a particular mechanic. That’s one of the down sides of trying new and different gaming systems (balanced against the many up sides, of course).<\/p>\n

    As well, players who don’t know their capabilities, or how they can affect the world around them (or how the world around them will react) will tend (with some exceptions) to be passive, waiting for some clues\/cues. And while they’re waiting, they’ll chit-chat.<\/p>\n

  5. In a similar vein, a game without a strong goal for the players — either for the session or group of sessions or the campaign itself — will tend to produce digressions, as folks let their attention wander. That’s not to say that the players have to be railroaded, or shouldn’t be encouraged to explore and experiment, but to some degree the GM needs to act as the director (keeping the pace up) and producer (pitching a compelling high concept).<\/p>\n

    Doyce mentions the OA game as an example of one where we stayed focused. Part of that was the very clear direction for each character, each session, and the campaign as a whole. It gave the players both something relatively clear to do with their characters and made it easier to pop back in to the game if digressions popped us out. Similar module-driven games (IDC, ViD, PoA) did\/do much the same. Less-defined games (e.g., Nobilis) are more able to drift. (Note that there are other significant compensations for not relying on modules.)<\/p>\n

  6. The GM has to set an example. I freely acknowledge that, as a GM, I am not good at keeping “on task” myself, and am almost as likely to crack wise and digress and chit-chat as the players. But if I expect people to focus, I need to be willing to do so myself. (Interestingly, Margie is much better than I am at maintaining focus as a GM. I ought not be surprised, but …)<\/ol>\n

    I think that, to reduce digressions and lack of focus, rather than looking for ways to stop it — quashing the symptoms — we should be looking more at why it happens, and the extent to which we can affect those root causes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Doyce writes at length on getting players (and the GM) to focus on the game, cutting down on digressions and the like that have turned some game sessions into lengthy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gaming"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5592,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2004\/02\/14\/inspectre_detec.html","url_meta":{"origin":6368,"position":0},"title":"InSpectre Detector","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 14-Feb-04 3:47pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Doyce ran us through an introductory session of InSpectres last night. Much, much fun. Not something to replace regular gaming or game systems, but a great system for an occasional...","rel":"","context":"In "Gaming"","block_context":{"text":"Gaming","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/gaming"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":136863,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2018\/07\/08\/ingress-the-animated-series.html","url_meta":{"origin":6368,"position":1},"title":"Ingress, the … Animated Series?","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 8-Jul-18 10:52am","format":false,"excerpt":"I was, um, very big into Ingress when it kicked off and for several months thereafter. I'm curious as to what this series will look like, and also what the revamped game will do with lessons learned both from the original and from Niantic's Pokemon GO augmented reality game (which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":133875,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/07\/17\/gaming-with-pictures.html","url_meta":{"origin":6368,"position":2},"title":"Gaming! With Pictures!","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 17-Jul-17 10:27am","format":false,"excerpt":"So I need to share (or at least generate a link for myself) some cool pictures +Michael Williams did for the Dungeon World game +Doyce Testerman is running. The first three characters, left to right, are played by our household: Eduard Zitherhands the Bard (me), Torwin the Bold Fighter \/\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":127892,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/05\/game-day-september-2015.html","url_meta":{"origin":6368,"position":3},"title":"Game Day, September 2015","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 5-Sep-15 10:15pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Great Game Day (inauguration of the new kitchen) with a passel of people, a load of good food, and some fun game play. Titles played included:Settlers of Catan (of course)Exploding Kittens (of course, multiple rounds)Betrayal at House on the HillRampageBig Bang TheoryPlus another game that Tim brought that I didn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/o-EXPLODING-KITTENS-CARD-GAME-KICKSTARTER-facebook5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/o-EXPLODING-KITTENS-CARD-GAME-KICKSTARTER-facebook5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/o-EXPLODING-KITTENS-CARD-GAME-KICKSTARTER-facebook5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10912,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2007\/05\/21\/on_the_gaming_of_games.html","url_meta":{"origin":6368,"position":4},"title":"On the Gaming of Games","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 21-May-07 10:07pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Sunday was something of a watershed moment for me.\u00a0 I GMed a game. It's been -- well, probably two, maybe three years since I did that.\u00a0 End of my lost,...","rel":"","context":"In "Gaming"","block_context":{"text":"Gaming","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/gaming"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":133790,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/07\/04\/gming-style.html","url_meta":{"origin":6368,"position":5},"title":"GMing Style","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 4-Jul-17 11:29am","format":false,"excerpt":"In line with the #DescribeYourGMingStyleWithAGif hashtag going around ....Bear in mind, it's me, not them. One reason why I write these days instead of GM.#gaming \u00a0 View on Google+","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/herding%2Bcats%2Bmythbusters.gifimgmax%3D660.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6368\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}