We've swapped DM's recently and I've had issues with my players pre-rolling and fudging their rolls to get better numbers, using reddit to reference things from multiple years ago that aren't part of 5.5e anymore, take 5+ minutes on turns, sit on their phones when it's not their turn, show up 15 minutes late to the sesh, and wrestle/leave to hang out on the outdoor gym just outside the shed we play in. Me (the DM), the host (the previous DM) and his wife want to rein them in and keep the session focused, so we want to make some new ground rules. Do you guys think these rules are too strict, or do you think they're not strict enough? (Side note: we have 8 players.)

\- Ready to play by session start (12pm). We will start even if not everyone is there.

\- 5.5e Player's Handbook References only. Any other handbooks that were used to create characters (such as Book of Extinction) are fine, but when referencing, only use the Player's Handbook. No online references will be used.

\- No phones. If your character sheet is on your phone that's fine, but please make a physical copy whenever possible, and do not get on TikTok during the session.

\- Turns are now 2 minutes long. Turns are now 2 minutes long. If you don't do anything by the end, your turn is over. This helps the session flow better.

\- Butts in seats. If you need to leave to use the bathroom or take a smoke, that's fine. But during the session, we're here to play D&D, not wrestle or work out. Let's play D&D and work out later.

\- Rolls must be made live. I know that pre-rolling saves time and this can take up valuable time especially since we're now limiting time to 2 minutes, but now, all of our rolls must be made live and in front of the DM and party.

What's prerolling? Like coming to the session with a list of numbers and working through it? Or just like prerolling character stats for session 1? Either way I think saying rolls should be done at the time is perfectly valid

I wouldn’t play with them let alone have to create rules but again communication is key 8 players is a lot. Especially with combat. I won’t dm for more than 6 players max

Sounds pretty good, I thought pre rolling was always a big no tbh.

The only rule I'd say is debatable is 2 minutes per turn. Completely understand the principle but if you have one player who has difficulties/challenges that the rest of the table don't then it might be worth cutting them some extra slack.

Also for rulings I'd say the DMG is probably a reputable source alongside the PHB.

The fact your players wrestle mid game is mind blowing to me

Are you playing with children? The 'leaving to wrestle/play on the outdoor gym' indicates this, and will significantly change the advice given. But then you say some of them go off to smoke, so I don't know either way.

If these are adults, you've got serious issues beyond getting them to play DnD. There's a significant lack of respect for your time being shown.

If they're children, then... yeah. This is what children will be like.

* Start at session time: Sounds reasonable
* 5.5e only: I'm not sure what the goal here is? Like sometimes rulings are not clear and are supplemented elsewhere (e.g. Sage Advice Compendium). What is it that you're trying to avoid?
* No Phones: I mean sure, if you feel like phones are too distracting. Reasonable to say they shouldn't go on tiktok
* 2min turns: I hate this. If I have a clarification question for how a ruling works, why am I getting punished for making sure I understand something right before deciding on my course of action first?
* Butts in seats: not really sure what kinda group you have that'd necessitate this being a rule
* Live rolling: Sure, that makes sense

I'm for everything besides the 2 minute turn rule. You can encourage a person to have a loose plan for their turn, but setting a time limit is cruel imo. Especially with a game where plans change, it's improv and you have to go with the flow. I've watched DMs and players alike try to stick to the timer and it just ruins the organic energy a table has. As a DM, it's one of your tasks to keep pace. Just guide lightly with ques like "you still have a bonus action, do you want to use it?" or "okay player, last shot got any other actions before we go to next initiative".

>\- No phones. If your character sheet is on your phone that's fine, but please make a physical copy whenever possible, and do not get on TikTok during the session.

As a digital user, I would prefer only the second part. Which fuses with the fifth rule into "DON'T BE DISTRACTED" as a more general statement. Because honestly, i can do a lot of nonsense sitting around without my phone as well.

>\- Turns are now 2 minutes long. Turns are now 2 minutes long. If you don't do anything by the end, your turn is over. This helps the session flow better.

Most people only take 1 minute for their turns anyway. Having newbies around taking longer is okay, but this also reigns in the ... overly creative descriptors. Prerolling damage also works wonders (at the same time as your attacks, you simply say "15 hitting for 10" and the other side can instantly check AC + mark down instead of waiting for a second round of rolling).

Very true. Sometimes calculating things takes longer than 2 minutes. Maybe we can keep a rough 2 minute timer and at that time, I can start to see if we can wrap it up rather than just flatly ending the turn.

I'm assuming it's more like "I'm gonna attack on my turn so I'll roll my attack roll and damage now, hey look a nat20 and nearly max damage" or "i already rolled and got a 23"

i think they roll their stuff before their turn; often when nobody is looking

The only one that I can see that can cause friction is the turns being two minutes. Everything else is very fair and reasonable. For the two minutes rule, you could add that if a player doesn't know what they'd like to do (and therefore would take longer than two minutes), they can hold their turn and go to the next person to give that player a chance. I usually have this rule for newer players, but can still be helpful for experienced players with this new ruling to help them get used to the new flow.

The rules are reasonable. I would advise planning breaks for snacks/restroom/stretching.

However, I'm just gonna be the first one to say it... if I was at a table with 8 players I would probably also zone out. It might be 45 minutes or more before you get to interact with the game. There may even be sessions in a group this big where the only thing you get to do is roll one attack roll that misses. I would really consider splitting up into two groups.