Each week we answer a question from our loyal audience. Our question for this week is:

Dear Apathy,

I love the group I play in, but one of my fellow player’s can’t go five minutes without interrupting the game with irrelevant conversation. Short of duct tape and a sock, what can I do to get him to stop derailing us?

–Just a Gamer, Eugene, OR

Character voice is the most important tool in a roleplayer’s arsenal. Their speech patterns and vocabulary help create the character at the table, but what happens when you want a snack? How can you signify you are no longer talking as Grognar, mighty chief of the half-orc tribe, but as you the player?

The first challenge when a new player arrives is getting them acquainted and comfortable with this new social group. This can be intimidating by itself, and will add to the newcomer being overwhelmed by the game.

At some point nearly every role-playing session gets bogged down with out-of-character conversation, and in some cases this can bring an entire session to its knees. Although occasionally irritating, especially to a Game Master who has an important adventure planned, in most cases these diversions are tolerated and unconsciously encouraged.

This is because role-playing is social, and oftentimes it is the only opportunity we get to see our friends. Remember, one cannot role-play without other people (we call that dementia, and prescribe drugs for it). If you enjoy role-playing, it’s partially because you enjoy interacting with others.

Bringing in a new player to an established group can be a big challenge, especially if the new player has never played an RPG before, but even if not. The truth is, roleplaying is very intimidating. Even as an experienced player, joining a new group or learning a new game can be a source of fear. I recently joined a game of Legend of the Five Rings, and found myself overwhelmed by the depth of an unfamiliar setting and the nuances of a new rule system.