Sometimes, we spend hours prepping puzzles, painting minis or prepping the VTT maps, and fleshing out a story that would make a novelist weep—only to look up and see your players staring at their phones or, in one legendary case at my table, literally nodding off. (RIP Xorn, we miss you, buddy!)

It’s frustrating, but before we take it personally, we have to look at the foundation of our game to ensure we’re doing all we can to keep them in the action. Here is how we’ve learned to pull those disengaged players back into the flow at the Thirdwalling table.

1. NPCs Don’t Just Talk—They Address

If the party is in a social “shopping day” or a tense negotiation, it’s easy for the quiet players to drift. I’ve found that the best way to snap them back is to have an NPC turn directly to them.

Rather than just asking for a “Persuasion check” from the Paladin, we’ll have the Duke sneer at the rogue and say: “And what of you, ruffian? You associate with this ‘holy man,’ yet you look like you’ve never seen the inside of a chapel. Should I trust his word, or yours?” and depending on his answer, the Paladin might be rolling that persuasion with a bonus. Likewise, when a shopkeeper doesn’t like the Bard’s offer, they’ll ignore the “Face” of the party to ask the quiet Halfling “How about you, little one? Are you going to insult me, too? Or would you care to try a sane offer?” This brings that player back into focus, and helps them engage with the world.

2. The “Active” Initiative Tracker

This one is a bit of a challenge to maintain, but it’s been a game-changer for me. When I feel my player’s attention slipping, or feel one character stealing the spotlight during social encounters, I try to keep an initiative tracker running even during non-combat scenes. For speed, I usually just organize it by Dexterity scores rather than rolling. By making full rotations of the “turn order” during each scene, we can ensure that every person has a dedicated moment to contribute. It prevents the “loud” players from accidentally drowning out the quiet ones and gives everyone a fair share of the spotlight.

3. The Top of the Round Recap

I picked up a habit years ago—possibly from the old D6 Star Wars days—of doing a “Cinematic Recap” at the top of every combat round. Don’t just list damage numbers; tell the story.

“Okay, here’s what we see: Yuri’s hammer-swing went wide, leaving him flanked by the undead, but Ziva wasn’t having any of that. She swatted them aside like flies, clearing a path for Siora to cover Yuri’s six and drop two more of the disgusting things. Meanwhile, Veriden is a blur of motion, turning the zombies into pincushions with a flurry of arrows. Clarence saved the day with some clutch healing for Yuri and now a new enemy has lumbered onto the field…”

By doing a recap like this at the top of every round, it helps to remind the players what’s around them and snap them out of their phones so they can get back into the story. By making it cinematic and not clinical, they’ll be hanging on every word while they wait for their time in the spotlight, and really make their interaction with the world that much more dynamic and dramatic. This can really help pull them back in when they’re starting to slip – especially after a really long combat round, where complicated systems or a rules call slowed down the action.

4. Pre-empting the “Uh… Hold On”

We all have those players who start their turn by saying, “I attack the guy closest to me,” only to realize that guy died three turns ago. To fix this, I do a “Mini-Recap” specifically for them before they act.

Instead of letting the silence hang while they read their spells, give them a “Director’s Cut” of the scene:

“Clarence, it’s your turn. Yuri and Siora are holding the line, but that massive undead brute is pressing them hard. They’re covered in scratches and definitely going to need a long, hot shower after this. You have an opening on these two but a pile of corpses is between you and the monstrosity—what’s the move?”

Like the Top of the Round Recap, this helps to make things dramatic, and really frame the scene for them. Be careful with this, as it can make them feel a bit “called out” if you only do it for one player, but if they’re zoned out this can really help to pull them back into the action and pre-empt some of their “what’s this guy doing?” or “how does Yuri’s health look?” questions.

5. The “Check-In”

If all else fails, talk to them outside the game. My friend’s brother who slept through the “boring” parts? He actually loved the game—he just only lived for the combat. As the saying goes, we aren’t here to “yuck someone’s yum.” If they’re happy catching a nap during the lore drops and coming alive for the dice rolls, sometimes the best move is just to let them play their way.

Be good, or be good at it. You got the juice.
-Bob