Roll for Attention: 5 Tips to Keep Your Players Engaged at the Table

2025-08-04

You’ve prepped your world. The dice are ready. And halfway through the session, one player zones out, another checks their phone, and someone else hasn’t spoken in 30 minutes. Sound familiar? In this episode of The Bearded Nerd Podcast, Brian shares 5 practical, battle-tested tips to keep your players engaged from start to finish. Whether you’re a new GM or a seasoned vet, these tools will help you build sessions that keep everyone involved, immersed, and eager to come back for more. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:

You’ve prepped your world. The dice are ready. And halfway through the session, one player zones out, another checks their phone, and someone else hasn’t spoken in 30 minutes.

Sound familiar?

In this episode of The Bearded Nerd Podcast, Brian shares 5 practical, battle-tested tips to keep your players engaged from start to finish. Whether you’re a new GM or a seasoned vet, these tools will help you build sessions that keep everyone involved, immersed, and eager to come back for more.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to rotate spotlight time without forcing it
How to tie backstories into session arcs
The power of immersive questions
Why layered combat is more engaging
How to end every session with momentum

👥 Perfect for: GMs who want to reduce distractions, increase player agency, and build tables where everyone feels seen and heard.

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

🎁 Get the free Engagement Checklist PDF on Patreon

If this episode helped you, please share it with your table or leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Every share helps The Bearded Nerd Podcast reach more GMs like you. Keep Gaming!

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