So, I've a bizarre connundrum, as you might have been able to guess. Recently I have taken to running Planescape full time. In the past I'd only run the occasional foray into sigil and the planes, as my players weren't really prepared for the experience. This time around, however, they are enjoying the experience emensely (they have been steadily maturing as gamers over the last 13 years) however, I've run into a bit of a snag.
You see, do to the nature of everyones schedule, we only get four-five hours to game each week. Not so bad as it could be, but certainly not optimal. Since session three of the current campaign a trend has arisen in which the players spend the first hour of each session getting into philosophical dialogues or arguments with npcs. To my mind this is fantastic ... if not for the issue of our limited timeframe. I don't want to discourage people from thinking this way when engaged with the setting, but I fear we are making no progress in the story itself.
So, the question is, what to do? Should I find a way to sidestep or tremendously shorten these dialogues? As it sits I have to cut them short after the (approximately) one hour mark - wrapping up the debate with a generalized description of how their characters continue to discuss for another few hours before situations drag them or the npc away.
Has anyone else run into a similar obsticle? Advice and anecdotes would be welcome.
If you have one or two players who debate often and *are* reliable online, then you can save time by handling them between that way.
Good point, I guess I should get a concensus before assuming the hour of debate is a problem. Me, I would run entire sessions of nothing else if I had the opportunity, but I do like telling a story as well.
I must say, though, it is nice to see them getting into the setting. The high point of last session (for me) occured when one of the players - engaged in a battle on the Astral plane - smacked his head and said "I'm thinking too literally!"
As for gaming through an internet medium ... the problem there arises in that most of the players don't care for such - one of them rarely has access and another is too lazy to ever post. Thus, despite possible best intentions, we never get anything done until game night even when trying to use said methods.
Thanks for the advice, though.