Which table concerns do you consider the most significant?

[John Dallman]

Surprised this one "Outside/real world/personal issues/conflicts carried into the game" is so high, don't you folks play with friends?

I ticked that one because of a player who can't stop talking about his employee benefits, although they are of no interest to anyone else.

 

[Autumnal]

I’ve seen almost all of these break groups apart, temporarily and also for good. But I’ve seen groups survive almost all of these, too. It’s not about the topic of the problem, it’s about how the people involved solve problems, or don’t.

 

[TiQuinn]

Surprised this one "Outside/real world/personal issues/conflicts carried into the game" is so high, don't you folks play with friends?

No? Not people who were initially friends at least.

 

[TiQuinn]

So I went with conflict over behavior, medical issues (!!!), playstyles, GM rulings/player agency, and then distractions at the table like phones and real life drama. Those are the things that I could see making me call a game quits.

 

[Umbran]

I find "conflict over medial issues" to be really strange.

I can understand medical issues causing an issue for scheduling. But "conflict"? Like, we get into arguments over your migraines? Really? Who does that?

 

[Wolfpack48]

I find "conflict over medial issues" to be really strange.

I can understand medical issues causing an issue for scheduling. But "conflict"? Like, we get into arguments over your migraines? Really? Who does that?

It's really there to cover a whole gamut of things that could come up in game without going into gory detail. Note the other half of the "/". But if it's not an issue, it's not an issue.

 

[Autumnal]

I find "conflict over medial issues" to be really strange.

I can understand medical issues causing an issue for scheduling. But "conflict"? Like, we get into arguments over your migraines? Really? Who does that?

People who are convinced they’re too savvy to let their table mates be gullibly exploited with obviously fake diseases. I have personally encountered dismissals of the following:

Chronic fatigue syndrome, and now long COVID
Mental illness of various sorts
A wide variety of disabilities that are not immediately obvious
Needing a mobility aid of any kind if you can stand and take any steps ever

 

[Umbran]

People who are convinced they’re too savvy to let their table mates be gullibly exploited with obviously fake diseases. I have personally encountered dismissals of the following:

Chronic fatigue syndrome, and now long COVID
Mental illness of various sorts
A wide variety of disabilities that are not immediately obvious
Needing a mobility aid of any kind if you can stand and take any steps ever

Ah, that kind of goon. Fair enough - that can be a concern for folks who play in public spaces.

 

[Autumnal]

Ah, that kind of goon. Fair enough - that can be a concern for folks who play in public spaces.

Not just there. I’ve run into it with a friend of the GM or another player and with a casual acquaintance as we got to know each better, and with a long-time acquaintance responding to a new diagnosis or someone getting sick after the group’s been going a while.

 

[Asimovian]

My main concern is scheduling - or rather, players' lack of commitment to attending regularly. We have one or two players who appear to ditch, often the day of or before our bi-weekly scheduled session. I think they're often either tired from lack of sleep discipline or they want to stay home and play videogames.

I can't really say much. Our group consists of me, my son and daughter, and my son's two friends. The attendance issue is with the two friends. Despite my frustrations with their lack of commitment, our game is very important to me because it helps me to stay connected with my son, with whom that can be a challenge.

They're all in their late 20s and I'm the old guy in my 50s. I sometimes feel like their generation has grown up with a diminished sense of commitment in general. (I know I sound old when I say this!)

When one of the friends can't make a session, we either play without him or, if we're expecting a particularly important or climactic session, we reschedule.

As I said to my daughter a while back when I was feiping about it, it's frustrating to know that people have significantly lower levels of commitment to an activity you share with them.

BTW I'm eager for any solutions here.