Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 hycatra7945 May 14, 2015 15:41:02	I'm currently the DM in charge of most Tier-1 Players in adventurers league at my FLGS, and for the most part the players both brand new to D&D in general and the 5e newcomers like myself are having a ton of fun, however I have one player that I can't seem to get involved in the game at all. She looks dumb struck every time I ask for a roll, or what she wants to do.   I've tried having NPCs talking to her, and talking to her outside of the game to get her more involved. It just seems that I can't get through to her and I'm not even sure if she wants to be there.   Any ideas on breaking her out of what seems to be a +10 Adamantine shell?
#2 transcendantviewer May 14, 2015 17:18:40	Hmm... Try asking her what's on her mind. It sounds like less of an "Uninterested" problem and more of a "Distracted" problem. Like she's got something preoccupying her thoughts to the point of barely comprehending what's going on, and anyone that plays this game can say with certantly that if you're not emotionally invested in the story and/or laughing at jokes every couple of minutes, it gets hard to stay focused when it's not your turn.
#3 Qzoo May 14, 2015 19:51:01	I think organized play is a great chance to learn to deal with all types of players, including your "lump."  If this person returns to your game each week, then trust in yourself that you are providing her something that satisfies a need--even if it is only some light social engagement.   If at any point your player says that they are having fun, then accept it, and don't try to argue with it.  But do offer suggestions that might offer more fun, even if only by example.  If the others at the table are having fun, and she is seeing everyone have fun, then she will naturally begin to pick up on the example of others and slowly absorb these ideas.  At that point it is simply up to her to, "join the fun," by submitting to peer pressure and doing what everybody else is doing, and hopefully have a good time as a result.   Without more details it can be difficult to be very specific.  Is the player young?  Is everybody at the table older than her?  Does she come to the game with a friend?  Is this her first RPG?  What drew her to the game in the first place?  Is she even slightly engaged in the story when you are reading important descriptions to the players?  Did her past experience of RPGs only include computer games like World of Warcraft?  If you can pry some information from this person, I think it would help give you a wider perspective of what could get her more excited.   Ask about her favorite movies or heroes, and see if you can help her make a connection that her PC is like a hero who is still, "growing up," and still discovering what it means to be a hero.  Explain the unique talents and abilities of the PC, and explain that an ordinary life just isn't possible for a person of impressive stature such as her PC.   If you can find out what pulls her emotional strings, I think that is a good way to go.  For younger players, I don't try to involve anything romantic or involving torture, but rescuing a wounded animal might be something they can relate to if they have pets in real life.  What would they do if their family home were burned down by orcs?  Would they get mad?  If not, why not?  Try to help them think in character and help them build a bit of story for things like that.  Poke and prod and ask a few, "what if?," questions to help figure out what kind of things can press her emotional buttons.   Try to set aside some time with this player and build a character backstory together.  Be sure to put some emotional stakes into the backstory.   At a certain point, if the player does not show some emotional attachment to their character, it is very possible this just isn't the game for them.  There are a lot of different kinds of RPGs, and I know that it can be an aquired taste for many.
#4 iserith May 14, 2015 20:44:13	Here, read this and share if you think it's appropriate: Players 101.   Some other links in my signature may also be of help. Good luck!
#5 Rya.Reisender May 14, 2015 22:58:18	I have a rather similar issue with a player too. It always feels like he isn't really interested in playing and 80% of the actions he wants to do are impossible (by the rules) or just don't make much sense (like when he is at 1 HP left and then says he runs away with dash, rather than using disengage and when we tell him he could use Second Wind he says he wants to save it up for later, which doesn't really make sense if you're at 1 HP), but whenever I tell him that if he doesn't want to play anymore he could just say it and I'll look for a replacement, he suddenly becomes very talkative and is like "Nooo, I'll play properly now, I promise!". So yeah, I don't think it's an issue with being uninterested and more of an issue with not being concentrated. But I also find it really hard to figure out how to deal with such a player. I'm too nice to just kick him out, but I also notice that secretly the other players get tired of him too (without saying it out loud directly).
#6 Coredump00 May 15, 2015 8:19:46	To me this depends...   If their actions/choices/etc are negatively impacting the other players, or their ability to achieve their goals.... then something needs to be done.   But otherwise.... different people enjoy different things from the game.  Maybe just sitting there is what they are after....  Maybe they like one part of the game, but are uninterested in any other part. Maybe they like playing, but are completely uninvested in being 'successful' in the game.   Talk to them, ask them what parts they liked, or what they would like to see more of.  But realize you may not get a useful answer, and thats okay.  They are allowed to enjoy the game their way, even if that doesn't seem very enjoyable to you.
#7 Kayal May 15, 2015 10:38:58	iserith wrote:
#8 Bloodscythe May 15, 2015 10:58:13	Seems she wants to play but she doesn't want to be noticed or perhaps she's deeply introverted.  It can be hard to play a game like this with strangers if you're an introvert.  What you view as "dumb struck" potentially could be that she's distracted by her own imagination as she envisions what is happening within the game.  If that's the case, you're pulling her out of the world she's created when you ask her to roll or to find out what her character wants to do.   Or she could be struggling to imagine what's happening within the game, which is taxing her resources.  Some people are just naturally better than others at some tasks.  Maybe she struggles to play the game, but she still wants to play.  Just work with her.   Or it could be simply that she's new and uncomfortable not knowing what she can and can't do within the game and her lack of knowledge makes her extremely hesitant.  Once she realizes that there are no wrong answers, hopefully she warms up to the experience.  There's really no way to "lose" at D&D.  Playing it is succeeding.   How is she at interacting with the other players?  Does she know anyone at the table?  Does she avoid eye contact and conversation, both in-game and out-of-game?
#9 Kayal May 15, 2015 11:19:17	Is she there because someone else dragged her to the game? If so, maybe she really doesn't want to be there.   Otherwise, she might just be shy or indecisive. Or she might just be there to "hang out" (Robin Law calls this type of player "the Casual gamer.")
#10 Krusk May 15, 2015 17:34:17	Kayal wrote:
#11 99typhoons May 15, 2015 19:14:53	This girl joined the game that I am currently running with my brother and his friends and she is normally into fantasy and such but hardly participated during the session and really contributed nothing to the party. It was a different type of game but she said she had fun, the others just didnt invite her to play again after that. Simple.    This might be the best way. no need to force anything if the person just doesnt seemed thrilled.