Thread by @PhysicistLisa

Playing in a new online DnD campaign that starts today. For the first time, I was, front the very beginning, extremely explicit about my need to get up for a break every two hours.
Made me think that maybe I should share a couple gaming with ADHD tips 😄

All of these tips apply at the table and online but they might be even MORE important online.

The first one is requesting regular breaks to get up and move your focus for a few. For me it’s 2 hours. I am just a WASTE any single task for longer than 2 hours.

Honestly mostly people are thankful for these breaks, so it’s almost always ok to find a lull and request one. But if you’re in a long combat, try “I’m sorry to interrupt but I really need a quick break, can we break for 5 at the end of this initiative round?”

Ask your DM to keep a visual initiative order. @d20monkey taught me a really good one for this, where you fold index cards in half and hang them over your dm screen in order left to right. But anything will work. OR take your own notes of initiative order each combat.

Listen: if you have ADHD you’re GOING to get distracted when it’s not your turn. You just will. The list will help you remember when the person talking is the one who goes before you & you can be prepared for your next turn. This will help keep your party from getting frustrated

On that note: leverage your out of turn distraction. Focus on planning your next turn early! Yeah, the others players actions will impact your plans. So you can make a few plans! If x then , if y then... it’s a great way to use your ADHD to maximize your turn.

Speaking of keeping track of things: TAKE NOTES. Consider offering to be the official note taker for the group. Keeping notes will hold your focus, it will also help you remember events and names in the future. Write down the events of the session, your loot, NPC names as you go

Use post it flags to mark important sections in your books. If you’re all digital, look for a pdf reader that will let you digitally bookmark sections so you can hop around easily. This will make it easier to not get distracted by your book / look up small details that you forget

When the table is busy, I find it helpful to have tactile materials to help me plan my turn. I generally know the spells i can cast / the abilities i have... but sometimes i forget stuff, especially when there's a lot going on, or i forget finer details of using a spell/ability

Spell cards are cool but expensive. In lieu of spell cards I often do this by writing the things i need to know on index cards. I do this with non-casters too by writing the options i have each on a card so i can consider them all.

You can write stuff that isn’t a spell too. I also use colors to denote different things (cantrips, level 1/2/3 spells, class abilities, etc). They make like sheets designed for baseball / collectible cards that go in binders that are great for keeping this stuff organized.

You don't have to write every single thing on your notecards, you can write the most important stuff and look up the rest of the details if necessary. If it's that in the weeds, your table will understand time taken to look it up.

Here's one for online play: Consider keeping a hard copy character sheet even if you're using an online one. You CAN always tab around to open it / look at it, but starting to tab around on your computer is inherently distracting. Having a hard copy reference can help your focus.

Make a written tracker to track your limited use abilities / spells. Mark them in pencil so you can erase them at long rests. I do it on my character sheet usually but you can do it in the cover of your notebook or a notecard or whatever

Oh I forgot this before... if you use electronic references, and you have the privilege of owning a tablet, consider putting your books on that and using it for ONLY that during play. This is actually even more helpful for online play. Keeps you from tabbing out to distraction.

If you use any kind of card and you’re not keeping them in a book like shown before, GET A BINDER CLIP and clip them all together at the end of each session.
Loose cards + ADHD + time between sessions = a recipe for disaster

Have a dedicated DnD basket or bag. Keep your important stuff for current games in it all the time, don’t pick a bag you use for other purposes. That way when it’s time to play all your stuff is in one place, and you don’t show up to sessions without cards, PHB, dice, etc.

Ok that's all I can think of right now. I suspect that there is use in most of these tips for everyone, neuro-atypical or not. But for us ADHD kids and the like, these are things that can make RPGs a much better and more doable experience.

My only other piece of advice is for all of y'all neuro-typicals: if you have a player with ADHD and they are putting in effort to do their best, remember to be patient and extend a little kindness when they sometimes lose focus or forget something.

It's still on the players to all prepare themselves for success, don't let mental health stuff excuse repeated bad behavior... but also have a little empathy and recognize that something that's easy for you isn't for everyone.