I found long ago that separating the Game from Hanging out Socially was a great idea.
For a lot of people, even more so adults, they don't have much "free time". Too often they only allow themselves a single time a week of free time. And if that single time is the RPG session, then that is their only time all week to hang out, socialize, relax and such.
So as DM...and now Social Event Planner and Controller...I stepped up to change this. An easy one is to simply plan at least one dinner out a week. Get the whole group together, plus spouses and others and go somewhere for dinner. This can nicely drain all the social energy from players, so when they show up...they show up to play the game.
My best plans...are the all weekend ones. Have as many people come over that want to on Friday night for the 'adult bonfire'. Most just sleep over the night. Saturday starts off with some dawn gaming, while the non-gamers sleep. Breakfast, hang out and Then have a plan to keep all the non gamers busy.....and game all afternoon. Break for dinner, have a plan for the night for the non gamers, and game all night. By Sunday...most people are both gamed and socialed out.
Even just the simple "game starts at 6pm, but the weekend social starts at noon". Let everyone come over. Sit around. Talk. Hang out. All afternoon. Then play the game.
For a lot of people, even more so adults, they don't have much "free time". Too often they only allow themselves a single time a week of free time. And if that single time is the RPG session, then that is their only time all week to hang out, socialize, relax and such.
So as DM...and now Social Event Planner and Controller...I stepped up to change this. An easy one is to simply plan at least one dinner out a week. Get the whole group together, plus spouses and others and go somewhere for dinner. This can nicely drain all the social energy from players, so when they show up...they show up to play the game.
My best plans...are the all weekend ones. Have as many people come over that want to on Friday night for the 'adult bonfire'. Most just sleep over the night. Saturday starts off with some dawn gaming, while the non-gamers sleep. Breakfast, hang out and Then have a plan to keep all the non gamers busy.....and game all afternoon. Break for dinner, have a plan for the night for the non gamers, and game all night. By Sunday...most people are both gamed and socialed out.
Even just the simple "game starts at 6pm, but the weekend social starts at noon". Let everyone come over. Sit around. Talk. Hang out. All afternoon. Then play the game.