In the last couple of Torchbearer sessions (and my first as a player) I’ve been a little frustrated with how the mechanics are interacting with the dynamics of our group. We have two players that immediately jump in with their characters’ actions the moment the GM has set the scene. They do this in more or less every game we play; they’re excited, invested and want to explore the scenarios we encounter. In Dungeon World or Labyrinth Lord this hasn’t been a big deal but in Torchbearer it feels like each problem the party encounters ends up with us hungry and thirsty before the more reticent players have even gotten a chance to speak. When I’ve been the GM I’ve tried reminding players of the grind and slowing them down but I’m feeling like a killjoy if I bring it up as a player.
Has anyone else encountered this issue? In many ways its a common RPG problem but I feel that the twists and grind of Torchbearer exacerbate it, since usually only one player gets a crack at a problem. We might need to describe our actions more mechanically-neutral, queries for information are often phrased in ways that beg for rolls (and associated turns and twists.). It !might also be growing pains for the group. The current GM and myself have had the most sessions (around six or seven) but some of the other players have only had one or two. Lastly the dilemmas our party have been facing have been outside the core TB experience, we’ve been outside and dealing with obstacles that are at least described as being time sensitive.
Obviously problems with group dynamics need to be addressed to the group but I’d like to be able to give some suggestions instead of just complaints.