How to Set Yourself Up for Success When Playing Table Top Games with ADHD
Updated: Nov 24, 2024
Tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, and more are really fun and exciting to play but a single session can run several hours and a single campaign can run several years. As a person with ADHD playing at a table with other players who have ADHD, we have been able to come up with some coping strategies that set us up for successful sessions each time we play.
Set yourself up for success by:
Schedule Your Sessions Thoughtfully
Sometimes working around everyone's schedule can be hard, but make sure you are being honest with yourself and with your group on setting a time that works for you mentally. I know personally that I struggle to pay attention when our sessions run too late. Because of this, most of our evening games have a cut-off of 10:00 pm. There's some wiggle room if we are wrapping up a combat or scene, but groups are generally really good at sticking to this and are more than happy to accommodate this limitation. When scheduling your sessions, choose a time frame during the day when you know you are most mentally engaged.
For longer games, it is beneficial to plan some breaks in each session for everyone to stretch, get up and walk, use the bathroom, or grab snacks. If your group does not already have planned break times and you tend to have long sessions, consider having a conversation with your group about how you can incorporate breaks into your next session.
Neurotypical players and players with ADHD alike can have a hard time staying focused for long sessions. If taking breaks isn't enough and you find that your group tends to run too long or you know you have a mental limit to how long you are able to stay focused, try planning shorter sessions with your group. Ultimately, everyone benefits from having a shorter session where the players are engaged and having fun versus a game where a lot of time passes, but players are starting to grow passive and tired.
Allow Yourself to Move
A lot of people with ADHD struggle to sit still for an extended period of time, myself included. The best way to overcome this in a tabletop setting is by finding ways to fidget that don't interfere with another player's ability to focus and have fun. This can be as simple as allowing yourself to stand up at the table that you are playing at or bringing quiet fidget toys that keep your hands busy.
Stay Organized
Staying organized and taking notes doesn't always come naturally to people with ADHD but it can really help gameplay go smoother and keep your thoughts in line with the current scene. There are a lot of different stat blocks, abilities, spells, and items to keep track of in these games, and being able to reference all of these at a glance will help you react faster and stay on track each turn.
Everyone is different and there are so many tools out there to help players keep track of everything their character can do. We have had players in our group who swear by DNDBeyond and FightClub (not affiliates), and players who prefer a more traditional route with binders and spell cards. I personally lean towards the latter and before each campaign, I make myself a binder that includes my character sheet, a breakdown of all my character's abilities and the levels they earn their abilities, and spell cards (if applicable), and a section to take notes. I like having tangible things in my hand that I can put in piles and reorganize as needed. You can click here to get a link to the products I use and vouch for at my table.
Have an Accountability Partner
If you know you are distractible and you are trying to be better about staying focused, consider asking someone else at the table to be an accountability partner. Let them know what behaviors you want them to help discourage and how you prefer they notify you if you start to display these behaviors. At our table with four diagnosed ADHD players, we have developed the habit of nicely telling each other to "lock in" when a distracting side conversation develops and it has helped us keep each other on track and accountable at the table.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the goal of playing a tabletop is usually to get together with friends and have fun. If you are practicing patience, mindfulness, and clear communication while weaving in some of the above coping strategies you and the other players are sure to have a more fulfilling gaming experience each session.
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