Every DM knows the sickening feeling of dwindling momentum and enthusiasm when a session stalls. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
It is a fact of D&D life that at some point your session might start to stall. Maybe you’ve lost the plot of the overall adventure. Maybe the players are losing interest in whatever is happening in the moment. Whatever the reason, it’s something every DM has to deal with at some point.
But don’t worry. It’s not all bad. There are plenty of ways to handle a session on the verge of stalling out. Here are some things to try the next time you see everyone reaching for their phones.
Shopping Trip
Shopping episodes are an important part of D&D. They give players an oft-needed break from the typical forumla of kill, loot, level. And they give DMs a chance to play as charming NPCs. But also, if you’re feeling your session start to stall out, sending the players shopping can be a life saver.
Simply tell the players that they encounter a wandering merchant with a store of strange goods. You can then basically point them at the PHB Equipment list, or, for more advanced delaying techniques, allow them to buy “the good stuff” aka magic items – just be mindful of what your players purchase.
Still, a little shopping goes a long way towards filling out the session. Or at least giving you time to figure out what comes next.
Perception Checks
Speaking of what comes next… One of the best tricks in any DM’s arsenal is the ability to call for a roll or saving throw with very little prompting beforehand. Especially for something like a Perception check, which could be in response to someone trying to move stealthily.
If you feel that nothing’s been happening for a while, asking for a Perception check (or another skill check) can help create the sense that action is about to unfold. It immediately injects an air of “something is about to happen”. Just make sure you have something to follow it up with. Eventually.
Consult the Oracle
Sometimes you just have to trust the dice to fall where they may. Rolling on an Oracle Table is a great way to do that. Let the dice take the wheel.
Oracle tables are charts of random setups and descriptions. These can range from locations, like cities or temples, to things going on in the world, like fire festivals or feast days. These are often great vehicles to get that spark of inspiration. Roll up a new location, or a new happening in that location and you can get a sense of what is “in the room” so to speak.
Random Encounter
One of the best cures for a stuck session is to get everyone to roll for initiative. It pulls focus from wherever it is to the tabletop. And even if the momentum has been sputtering, it’s a good way to get things back on track.
But here’s the thing, you have to be ready for the fight to be over. And for the fight to maybe lead somewhere. Random encounters can be a great way to add a little spice. But while the party is mopping up, you might want to start looking to see if you can find a nugget of story to give your players.
Table Talk
Finally, sometimes the best thing to do when you’re stuck is to just take a little break. Distraction happens. Humans have limited attention spans to begin with, and society is only making it worse with each passing day.
We carry around distraction engines in our pockets, you know? Sometimes you just have to be distracted. Let the tension out, so to speak, by just goofing with each other. After all, you’re there for the socialization aspects of the game as much as anything, presumably, and if a session is stalling, sometimes all you need is to spend a little time talking about other things or making weird references at each other to get it going again.
What do you do when your sessions start to get stuck?
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