[Old Pro Tricks] 5 ways to keeping players engaged

Someone in the Moonlite Comic RPG group on Facebook asked the seemingly simple question "How do you keep your players on-track".

First let's get our topic defined. I mean keeping the players involved and interested in their game.

1- Vary the pace: Not everything can be a nail-biting encounter. There are some parts that should develop slowly: the PCs travel cross-country. The mix of slow and fast encounters allows some players to disengage for a short period and be less engaged

2- Focus on the important: Not every NPC requires a long, extended conversation. Make what is important, important. Make what is not, not. Yes, throwing a curveball once in a while keeps them guessing.

3- Make sure your style of game is what your players like: running political adventures for those who want hack-n-slash, and vice-versa.

4- Make it personal: Not necessarily possible in organized play, but give the characters an impetuous for adventuring. Instead of a nameless princess being captured, have it be a PC's sister or their mother. Adventuring just for loot is fun for a while, but quickly gets old.

5- Some players will never get it: Some players never get into it as much as you want. Make sure they have the opportunity to become engage, but don't force it upon them.

Those would be the five point list!

JP