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Dungeons & Dragonssee a lot of different types of people trying out the hobby. Some are skilled improvisers with a knack for getting in character. Others are rules savvy and good at asserting themselves in the game.
Shy or anxious players can be a challenge to run for. If you don’t make a deliberate effort to make them heard, they might end up not able to properly take part in the game. Pushing too far can put them in an uncomfortable spot before they’re ready. When done well, there’s scientific evidence that tabletop games can help socially anxious people to form meaningful connections.
Address The Character, Not The Player
People can be shy or introverted in very different ways, and it can be a challenge to accommodate a person before you know what their needs are.
DM Approach
Quiet Brooding Characters
Some people will play a stoic silent character completely straight, which results in themnot engaging with the other players outside of the game’s mechanics. Other ways of playing this character can deconstruct the trope, asother characters (and players by proxy) get past the barriers they put up.
Which way this will go depends not just on the person playing this character but how the group responds to them, making it arisk when playing with an entire group of new players. Talk them through this choice in character creation butdon’t force them to change their mind.
Loud Boisterous Characters
Some shy people will deliberately create a character who exists outside their comfort zone. Some will flawlessly slip into character as a person who presents as much more confident. Others will struggle withcharacter interaction and prefer rolling charisma as a mechanic.
You’ll want to be flexible on your DMing approach here. If you normally ask your players to articulate their characters' persuasion attempts,be willing to give a bit of extra time or allow them to roll anyway until they get used to it.
Blank Slate Characters
Some characters aren’t designed with roleplaying depth in mind. They might have designed their character mechanics-firstwithout considering how or if they are able to roleplay as them.
How much of a problem this isdepends entirely on the game you’re runningand what other people in the group are doing at the same time.Encourage them to build on the character over timeif doing it all at once is daunting.
A useful method for both types of player is to refer to their character in the third person:“What is Berric doing while this happens?“is normally easier for a player to navigate than"Aight, Dave, are you going to cast a spell?”
A strong way to build on this is to find narrative hooks in the character that the player can use to engage with the game. If they’re the party’s spellcaster, a wizardNPC might address them before the rest of the partyand give them some spotlight time.
If the player dodges the spotlight,don’t linger on it and pivot to engaging the group as a whole.
Have Safety Tools That Can Be Used Covertly
One of the most common and least effective safety tools to appear in tabletop gaming is a rule that “if the game enters territory that someone finds harmful, they should loudly say so”.Even extroverted people will often feel compelled to go with the flow, and if a scene contains content they find unsettling they might not say so early enough.
You want to ensure that any safety tools you implement at your table areusable without the user becoming the center of attention.
It can be a challenge to normalise the use of safety tools like this: If they’re often being used, you are likely making a mistake with the tone and content of your game.
While ideally you’llwork with the players in a session zero to create a palette of genres, tropes and narratives that people are comfortablewith including, it’s easy for something to get missed out.
Make Sure They Aren’t Spoken Over
DMs will often have to navigate several players speaking over each other to try and do things with their characters. When this happens it is very easy for the least assertive player to get sidelined out of participating.
Method
Put Your Thumb On The Scale
Make a conscious effort tolisten for your more quiet players trying to speak up, or toask them directly at intervals if they want to contribute. When they propose something, slightly favour their choice to encourage their participation.
Social Initiative
Having a formal or informal initiative ladder out of combat can stop any players from feeling sidelined. In a situation where the players may all want to do different things,hear what each person wants to do before resolving any of their individual actions.
Create Scenarios That Centre Different Characters
If a scenario clearly favours the skills of a specific character, most players will allow them to try something before speaking up with their own suggestions. Don’t force big choices on an unwilling player, buthave scenes that give them first dibs on how to respond.
Get Feedback To Update Your Approach
People will give you different feedback depending on when and how you ask for it. If you ask the group all seated around the table after the game if they had fun, you’ll almost always get agreement but few points for improvement. If youspeak to each player in isolation after the sessionyou’ll often get more specific points.
This is especially true for players who have difficulty being assertive. If you think they are struggling with the game, take time away from the sessions to ask them about it. Being specific also helps: If you ask"I’ve noticed you don’t participate out of combat. Are you having fun?",this gives them something to build on when giving feedback.
Beginning your feedback process from a specific point is also a good way to get specific suggestions on improvements you can make or changes that the players can make for each other.
The question “are you having fun?” is a very important one. Some people might seem quiet or non-participatory but still be really enjoying and engaged with the game. You don’t need to force them to step out of their comfort zone.
