Alcohol at the Gaming Table
John Candy's Ghost
Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
> My questions are simply these:
>
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
In the time I've played, I've had about a 10/90 split. Most of the
groups I've played with did not either allow or tolerate booze. This is
a pisser for me because frankly a tug or two (aaaaah, Sam Adams!) helps
loosen up the gears a bit and gets the machinery moving. Most of this
was due to the fact that the majority of the crowd was under-age (in US,
mind you) and 14 year old D&D nerds tend not to get toasted.
In the groups where I/we did drink (2) there was a tendency for people
to get tired quick, but other than that, there's never been a
rip-roaring drunk in the crowd. I'm currently in a group where one
member is a tee-totaler and gets a hissy if I drink at the table. Then
again, since he takes up my Saturday nights a good deal of the time, I
just poo-poo him.
Generally speaking, beer and wine are your best bets for the job if you
do drink. Bring a bottle of Absolut to the table is a guaranteed way to
get your character killed. "Mile high cliff? I jump! tee hee hee"
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
Only the fact that the current tee-totaler is a persistant whiner. And
I mean persistant. However, of the other four in the group, two are
bartenders, one's a "lush" like me (one of the bartenders), and the last
doesn't drink for spiritual reasons. But she doesn't WHINE constantly.
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
Um, yup. It's my free time too, and as long as I'm a moderate, why not
raise a glass? Then again if the main WHINER's typical anti-drink line
wasn't "It's just so stupid!" and instead something more philosophical,
I'd bargain that I wouldn't be so peeved. Then again, I think he's
jealous.
Excellent question, sirrah. Now if only I knew how to make hard mead...
--
"You think that's big, you should see the toast. I couldn't fit
it through the door!" John Candy as Uncle Buck
John Candy's Ghost (gra...@frontiernet.net)
.sig
Todd Jensen
In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>, timc...@ici.net (Timothy P.
Coyle) wrote:
> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
> do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
> popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
> to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
> curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence....
>
> TPC
I personaly have only played in one group that played "under the
influence". That group happened to be a one-time affair. It was less
than... shall we say, coherent. We were playing Vampire. Generally,
Mountain Dew is the beverage of choice. Until, of course, you get that
Mt. Dew headache at about 4 o'clock in the morning. That kind of sucks
but it sure beats having someone throwing up all over your Players
Handbook.
Todd
Bill Garrett
timc...@ici.net (Timothy P. Coyle) basically wanted to know, what
do folks think about allowing/prohibiting booze at gaming sessions?
I think everyone's viewpoints on this will be colored by their
good/bad experiences with alcohol at gaming sessions. I suppose
that if you've played with people who've gotten drunk and disrupted
the game, you might prefer to prohibit alcohol in the future. If
you've only been among groups where alcohol has cheered people up
a bit (and I don't mean that as a euphemism for drunkeness) then
you probably see nothing wrong with it.
I am in the second category; in 14 years of playing, I have never
seen alcohol consumption become a destructive aspect of a gaming
session. Usually, the drinking has been limited to something like
a 12-pack shared between several players. I've never been in a
situation where people are sucking the stuff down and then throwing
up or passing out. That's not to say the drinking has no noticeable
effect, though; I know that I've felt my mind slowed down a few
times after having a few beers.
I should also point out that, in many cases, alcohol is prohibited
by an authority higher than group consensus. For example, you might
play with friends at college or with coworkers after-hours....
Many companies ban alcohol, and most universities ban alcohol on at
least some parts of campus (more frequently in academic buildings
than in residence halls).
Unless it's banned by higher authority, I think the only reason
a gaming group should prohibit or discourage alcohol is if it has
proven to be disruptive _in_ _that_ _group_. Some people really
like to knock down a few beers while they're with friends, and
it makes little sense to deny them their enjoyment if it's not
hurting anybody else. Heck, I've seen far more disruptive things
than alcohol.... I wish I could ban players from bringing comics,
books, headsets, video games, homework, drawing, knitting, sewing,
and any number of other small "busywork" things I've seen people
get so wrapped up in that they ignore the group entirely.
--
Bill Garrett We have enough youth.
gar...@apple.com How about a fountain of SMART?
Opinions mine, not Apple's.
To send me email, remove "NO-JUNK-MAIL" from my address.
J. McGuire
I generally don't allow alcohol during a game.
It's not because of the fact that I'm a tee-totaler (though I am) but
due to a few too many unpleasant incidents over the years.
I've found several basic problems:
First, there are people who just can't handle it. While most people are
going to just want a beer or two, it seems I _always_ got one schmuck
who overdid it. Not necessarily enough to get really wasted, but enough
to get obnoxious. I found it was easier to get people to accept "Sorry,
there's no alcohol allowed in this house" than "Fred, you can only have
TWO beers, because when you drink more, you turn into a real jerk."
Second, in other people's games, it seemed that the alcohol too easily
became the center of attention, rather than the game. Maybe it was just
the people I tended to play with, but they seemed to start focussing on
the beer (it seems it was always beer...guess I don't hang out with wine
drinkers much) and ignoring the game. Drinking a beer, getting another
beer, jokes about beer, paying the rent on the beer...hey, guys, can we
get some _gaming_ done here?
It's a bit different if the drinking is done separately from the game --
i.e., a can of beer during a pizza break, or in the big bull session
after the game. It's both more restricted, and less distracting.
I prefer to be the only mind-altering substance at my games. 8-)
The situation hasn't come up lately, since I'm not playing with anyone
who wants alcohol with their game.
-- Jean
Wintertree Software | Remember to remove the spambot-blocker
http://www.io.com/~wtsoft | from my address before replying via email
"If not me, then who? If not now, then when?"
Dean
Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
> My questions are simply these:
>
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
The groups I have played with over the years have ranged from underage to
severe booze hounds to the group I play with now where most don't drink at
all but there is the occasional wine cooler.
None of these ever had a problem.
Dean
J. McGuire
Bill Garrett wrote:
> I wish I could ban players from bringing comics,
> books, headsets, video games, homework, drawing, knitting, sewing,
> and any number of other small "busywork" things I've seen people
> get so wrapped up in that they ignore the group entirely.
You mean you DON'T?
Atalanta
In my campaigns, the characters tend to drink alcohol more often than
the players....
None of the campaigns I'm currently playing in, and certainly not the
one I run, have an official ban on booze, and a bottle of *good* beer is
a standard GM bribe. I'll occasionally have a beer instead of a soda, or
add "a little something" to my coffee, while playing or GMing, but
neither I nor my players ever do any hard-core drinking during a game.
I did have one former player who, among his other failings, was a
problem drinker, and that got a little disruptive, but that was because
of *him*, not alcohol in general.
A couple of drinks (beer, wine, weak cocktail, etc.) spaced out over an
evening of gaming isn't necessarily disruptive, sometimes it is easier
to get into the right mood with the relaxing effect a mild buzz
produces.
Of course, it's been months since I've had anything besides soda while
gaming... I don't usually keep beer in the house & I've been too into
the game to do any mixing!
Atalanta Pendragonne
atal...@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2273/
Timothy P. Coyle
Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence.
How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
(essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
situations?
Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
But before I receive the sometimes indignant replies I suspect are
coming, allow me to tip my own hand. In the three major groups I've been
in over the years, two have had an unwritten rule of no spirits whatsoever
at the table. This rule was the unanimous consensus of these groups, and
was never challanged by any newcomers which joined us later.
My present group has a couple of players who bring an occasional
wine bottle or six-pack to the table. In the past two years, no unseemly
behavior has ever been offered.
I await your replies with somewhat bated breath. I can only hope
that the flames will be kept to a minimum.
TPC
Alan Kohler
In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>, timc...@ici.net says...
Instead of addressing any of those questions directly, let me respond in the
"con" position, citing 2 specific incidents:
First, I was running a game, and almost everyone was imbibing. Attention
spans lapse quickly in such cases, which frustrated me, the DM, to no end
(Yes, I should have known better...). Finally, in trying to get steve's
attention,I tossed a d20 at him and pegged hi right between the eyes! In
short, brilliant shot, poor game.
Having learned my lesson about that, I started to not imbibe anymore before
gaming. However, one or to players brought a few coolers and beers over.
Those who imbibed became increasingly disruptive as the night wore on. Fed up
with this, I dissalowed drinks at games at my house from then on.
In short, there are many beer and pretzels games that don't require much
attention or concetration, but AD&D is not one of them, IMHO.
The only bad feelings - other than the initial frustration - is of the
imbibers, who the next day realized what assholes they were being and
understood why I put my foot down.
--
Alan D Kohler
hwk...@poky.srv.net
"Villains, I say to you now, knock off all that evil!" - the Tick
Christopher John Blohm
I like this subject, and wish it would of been addressed early. First off I
like to say Im all for tipping back more than a few....so put your bias
filters on.
The most memorable event was not AD&D but a shadowrun game. A great deal of
time we play with a huge group, so I limit the number of pcs and make the
others play npc. Well we also play a great deal of roleplaying and very
little action. We learned this occasionally fun way of playing at GenCon
where in 3 gaming session i didnt throw a damn die.....Well anyway, it was a
huge massive roleplaying fest, with 12-15 players all interacting with me as
the GM only butting in to set the scene or to tell the group of something
happening. It was set in a bar, and the basement we were playing suited it
nicely. Well Im rambling but we were all freaking knackered by the end. It
was the most fun I as a GM or a few of my players ever had.
I guess my point is, if the group can handle it go for it. We had no
problem losing concentration because so much was going on. A great deal of
intrigue and plotting. In fact the drunken state some of the players were
in, let them sink deeper into their roles then I have ever seen. I think it
has to be a case by case decsion.
I tell you what, I knew we were in for a wild one when the brought in 2
cases of cheap beer and a bottle of quervo gold when they were supposed to
go get pizza.
Christopher Blohm....lost in a weird weird world
***************************************************************************
In a dung heap, even a glass bead can gleam like a sapphire--S. Fry
***************************************************************************
cbl...@csd.uwm.edu.....http://www.uwm.edu/~cblohm
The Bars of Milwaukee Page (Unofficial) http://www.uwm.edu/~brooklyn/bar.html
Stefan Alexei Lasiewski
In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>,
Timothy P. Coyle <timc...@ici.net> wrote:
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
Probably 30% of my games tollerated alcohol, 20 % _encouraged_ light
drinking, 40% prefered not to involve alcohol due to one anon /
non-drinker in the group (We all consensed to this, no prohibition here),
and 10% of the games ended earlier because everyone fell asleep due to
drinking (These were the all-nighters)
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
We once had a small tiff between characters, one of 'em was killed,
luckily all the violence remained in the fantasy realm. :)
The worst think about drinking and gaming is that it's difficult to
complete those all-nighters. It's hard enough to stay awake with that
Caffine IV in you arm...
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
Being the intelligent Nerds we are, we always agree on the alcohol rules
before hand, or were able to consense during the game. No problems with
prohibition, we're not Frat boys here :)
Boy, does alcohol does make the role-playing more fun, it really lowers
the inhibition and lets the imagination flow. A bit like dating...
We would have whole roleplaying sessions where we basically wandered
around the town, blitzed on whatever spirits in the fantasy world, and
drunk on beer/wine in the real world; gathering information about
castle A here, the thieves guild at bar B, etc.
It's appropriate during those inevitable bar scenes.
However, I think it's important to stay with Light alcohol (Beer, wine,
Wine coolers). It's much easier to regulate how much everyone gets,
especially the lightweights or the borderline-alcoholics.
> I await your replies with somewhat bated breath. I can only hope
>that the flames will be kept to a minimum.
Only from the Dwarf Spirits (Cough...cough...)
--
/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
| Stefan Lasiewski 'Chew, if only you could see |
| gan...@rahul.net what I've seen with your eyes!' |
| http://www.rahul.net/gangrel -Roy Batty, Replicant, 'Bladerunner' |
Sea Wasp
John Candy's Ghost wrote:
>
> Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
>
> >
> > (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
I don't permit it, nor will I ever. In all the apartments I've rented,
I have maintained them essentially booze and other intoxicating
substance-free. (Total of four cans/bottles of beer, no drugs of any
nonprescription kind aside from aspirin, and the only arguable "vice"
drug being caffeine.)
> > For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> > situations?
I've been in some that did. Either the drinkers started getting sillier
and sillier, annoying the hell out of those of us who wanted to play our
characters seriously, or I'd just get sick from the smell. FAUGH! This
in addition to whatever stupidities their characters might "seriously"
commit to whilst their "guardian angels" were getting blasted. (if one
drink can have an effect on your driving skills [and every study I have
ever seen shows that it does] then it's certainly already having subtle
effects on your cogitation as well.
> Um, yup. It's my free time too, and as long as I'm a moderate, why not
> raise a glass? Then again if the main WHINER's typical anti-drink line
> wasn't "It's just so stupid!" and instead something more philosophical,
> I'd bargain that I wouldn't be so peeved. Then again, I think he's
> jealous.
Jealous? That you enjoy killing off your brain and liver cells by
drinking some foul-smelling beverage derived from rotted grains?
My objections would be not really that it's stupid (it is, but
stupidity is your own choice; you have the right to be as stupid as you
want to be) but that the smell makes me ill. Tastewise, I cannot tell
the difference between beer, wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, or anything else
with an alcohol content over about 1%; they all taste like something
crawled in the bottle and died there (roughly accurate, of course, since
fermentation is nothing but a rotting process done under controlled
conditions). They also smell that way. (it's a pain to visit my in-laws
since my father-in-law is (justifiably, so I'm told) proud of his pina
coladas and wants everyone to have one, but he won't make nonalcoholic
ones and I then end up having to keep three feet or more away from my
own wife until the odor dissipates.)
If I noticed that your behavior changed while drinking (for the worse),
I'd raise THAT as an objection too. My experiences with drinking and
drinkers have been almost universally negative. I have a number of
friends who drink on occasion (including my wife) and each and every one
of them becomes either silly or a complete jerk while under the
influence.
>
> Excellent question, sirrah. Now if only I knew how to make hard mead...
Bake it in an oven at 375 degrees for 14 hours. That hardens just about
anything. ;)
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
William Scott Peddle
Well in our games any alcholic beverages are not allowed in the games.
There are reasons for this, one such reason is that in my experiences pc's
who are drinnking have a lower attention span and their gaming is the
shits. Also I find that they are too concerned with getting sloshed than
playing.
On the other hand if it only a sociable drink well then go ahead, along
as it does not get out of control.
Also while under the influence bad feeling do arise because of the
alcohol. Sometimes it did get out of hand, and the whole game went down
the tubes.
If there is any drinking to be done let the characters do it.
I hope that I was of some assistance.
William Peddle
<d66...@morgan.ucs.mun.ca>
On Fri, 6 Dec 1996, Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
> do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
> popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
> to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
> curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence.
> My questions are simply these:
>
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
>
> But before I receive the sometimes indignant replies I suspect are
> coming, allow me to tip my own hand. In the three major groups I've been
> in over the years, two have had an unwritten rule of no spirits whatsoever
> at the table. This rule was the unanimous consensus of these groups, and
> was never challanged by any newcomers which joined us later.
> My present group has a couple of players who bring an occasional
> wine bottle or six-pack to the table. In the past two years, no unseemly
> behavior has ever been offered.
> I await your replies with somewhat bated breath.. I can only hope
> that the flames will be kept to a minimum.
>
>
> TPC
>
>
Terry Austin
timc...@ici.net (Timothy P. Coyle) wrote:
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
We normally do dinner before the game (the only home-cooked meal some
of us get on an average week), and being mostly in the 30+ range, and
moving up in live, some of us (not me, but that's another story) like
the "finer things", like a good wine with dinner. And a shot of
scotch later isn't unheard of.
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
Used to be a guy who'd down most a fifth of scotch during the first
half of the game. Then sleep during the second half. But he was a
silly, sleepy drunk. Most unpleasant thing was when we had to roll
him into the back yard to throw up one night. He didn't get that
drunk again.
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
Can't say I've ever experienced it. We're all adult enough, and
responsible enough, that there's no reason for a prohibition. (There
are a couple of us that are complete non-drinkers, but it's due to a
dislike of that taste of alcohol, rather than any philosophical
beliefs. Might as well be moose pee, as far as I'm concerned.)
---------------------------------
Terry Austin, Companion of Loyal Order of Chivalry & Sorcery
Hyperbooks Online Bookstore
Garden of the Plantmaster, by Robert J. Kuntz,
one of the founders of TSR
AVAILABLE NOW
http://www.hyperbooks.com/
---------------------------------
Terry Austin
gar...@NO-JUNK-MAIL.apple.com (Bill Garrett) wrote:
>Heck, I've seen far more disruptive things
>than alcohol.... I wish I could ban players from bringing comics,
>books, headsets, video games, homework, drawing, knitting, sewing,
>and any number of other small "busywork" things I've seen people
>get so wrapped up in that they ignore the group entirely.
And Magic cards. And old war stories.
Mark Kinney
Todd Jensen (tod...@genevaonline.com) wrote:
: I personaly have only played in one group that played "under the
: influence". That group happened to be a one-time affair. It was less
: than... shall we say, coherent. We were playing Vampire. Generally,
: Mountain Dew is the beverage of choice. Until, of course, you get that
: Mt. Dew headache at about 4 o'clock in the morning. That kind of sucks
: but it sure beats having someone throwing up all over your Players
: Handbook.
I've got three experiences, only two of which were during play.
Last new years, I ran a Vampire game, where several people had beers --
provided by yours truly, as it happens. No incident.
Back at school: Once I tried running Call of Cthulhu for some people who
were imbibing. Never again.
And the last thing reminds me of something that happened when the same
group was working on Marvel Superheroes characters. One guy had an entire
fifth of whiskey. The guy (and I'm not kidding here) started asking how
much karma it would take to finish a half-gallon of orange juice, and
asking people to hand him dice, even though he didn't need them. The
session broke up when, as he was leaning against the wall napping, he
projectile vomited all over my Marvel set.
The only other notable thing about that night was that five people rolling
percentile dice one after the other got double-oughts. That was an odd
night.
As for drinks, though, if it's "social" I can deal with it; drunkeness,
however, is right out.
--
Mark Kinney | albe...@iglou.com | http://www.iglou.com/nations/
"Logic, my dear Zoe, merely enables one to be wrong with authority."
-- The Doctor, "Doctor Who: The Wheel In Space"
Terry Austin
Sea Wasp <sea...@wizvax.net> wrote:
> My objections would be not really that it's stupid (it is, but
>stupidity is your own choice; you have the right to be as stupid as you
>want to be) but that the smell makes me ill.
Yah!!!!! I'm not alone. (Knew that anyway. There's another guy in
our group that doesn't drink for the same reason.)
>Tastewise, I cannot tell
>the difference between beer, wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, or anything else
>with an alcohol content over about 1%; they all taste like something
>crawled in the bottle and died there
Moose pee. Some is better, some is worse, but gourmet moose pee still
comes from the same part of the moose.
Tim Breen
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
Our group has no prohibition against alcohol, but I'd hardly call its
use "regular." Occasional, at most.
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
Nope. (At least, not in my opinion--I haven't surveyed the rest of the
group.)
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
Not applicable; we've never had a prohibition, enforced or otherwise. My
current group has pretty much always consisted of adults of college age
or older, so there's never been a need. I personally enjoy a glass of
wine once in a while, whether we're playing or not.
-- Tim
http://personalweb.lightside.com/Pfiles/breen1.html
" The Red Queen shook her head. "You may call it 'nonsense'
if you like," she said, "but _I've_ heard nonsense, compared
with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!" "
- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
Nez Master
tod...@genevaonline.com (Todd Jensen) wrote:
>In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>, timc...@ici.net (Timothy P.
>Coyle) wrote:
>> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
>> do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
>> popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
>> to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
>> curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence....
>>
>> TPC
I had quite a few games where we casually drank while we played. They
went fine. I usually don't drink during games, but that's because I
game 2 or 3 times a week, and i don't want to drink that often. Also
many of my players do not drink at all. However, once in awhile, i'll
have a beer or two..no different than having a coke or two really.
In my younger years, it was extremely common to be drunk and stoned
while playing, and I can only think of one occurence where it really
interfered with the game...(for that occurence, I started
hallucinating, and one of the players turned into an orc. the only
real game intereference this caused was to keep me very distracted,
while i tried to shake off the hallucination. It was actually a very
interesting experience)
i don't smoke anymore, but i've never seen it as important really what
i ws drinking, as long as i don't drink enough to get sloshed...
>I personaly have only played in one group that played "under the
>influence". That group happened to be a one-time affair. It was less
>than... shall we say, coherent. We were playing Vampire. Generally,
>Mountain Dew is the beverage of choice. Until, of course, you get that
>Mt. Dew headache at about 4 o'clock in the morning. That kind of sucks
>but it sure beats having someone throwing up all over your Players
>Handbook.
> Todd
Nez Master
tau...@hyperbooks.com (Terry Austin) wrote:
>gar...@NO-JUNK-MAIL.apple.com (Bill Garrett) wrote:
>>Heck, I've seen far more disruptive things
>>than alcohol.... I wish I could ban players from bringing comics,
>>books, headsets, video games, homework, drawing, knitting, sewing,
>>and any number of other small "busywork" things I've seen people
>>get so wrapped up in that they ignore the group entirely.
I;ve never seen anyone bring headsets of video games, but the others,
have never caused a problem with my players.
>And Magic cards.
we actually did ban these in several of the campaigns. Actually, no
one really complained, and our games picked up lots of momentum that
they had lost. We had started to bring them to play "before the game"
but because of it, the games were starting like an hour or two late.
(" Just let us finish this game")
When one 5 hour game started 3 hours late, all the variuos gms
agreed....magic cards don't belong here.
And old war stories
Rob Hobbs
Once upon a time, Timothy P. Coyle said...
>
> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
>do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
>popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
>to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
> My questions are simply these:
>
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
We have no rules against it. Our group is split about 50/50 drinkers to
non-drinkers. Depending on who shows up for a session (and what day of the
week it is) some of us will drink, sometimes to excess.
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
Yes, but on the other hand it has also made for some fun situations too. We
have a term to describe when the DM is becoming intoxicated...
"Bite Sized Dungeon Huts"
Coined after one particularly silly evening in which the DM <blush> got drunk
and the players found a village where each hut had its own monster complete
with treasure. (this was roughtly 8 years ago, its never happened since)
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
Every once and a while we dis-allow drinking for particularly important
adventures. But as far as I know it doesn't bother anyone. At least it
doesn't bother me and I'm one of the bigger drinkers.
Have good one...
Rob
Neil Barnes
Alan Kohler (hwk...@poky.srv.net) wrote:
: In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>, timc...@ici.net says...
: >
: > How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
: > (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
The groups I play in don't have a policy on the matter. At home, half the
players are teetotal, which kinda kills the mood. At Uni, I've been known
to have a drink or two while gaming, but I find that getting 'merry' just
impaires my roleplaying (and in a small room full of roleplayers tends to
put me to sleep). It's not a common thing here either, since a lot of
people in the university Gamesoc are teetotal too.
(Plug: *Free beer for all members of the Bristol Uni Gamesoc on Sunday* :)
ObGamers: Are gamers more likely to be teetotal than the rest of the
population? I think so, from what I've seen, but I wonder what other
people think.)
: > For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
: > situations?
Not really. Most people here do their drinking outside of the gamesoc. One
player got sick when challenged to a competition at necking stale pints of
lager after the game and that was pretty unpleasant. :)
: > But before I receive the sometimes indignant replies I suspect are
: >coming, allow me to tip my own hand. In the three major groups I've been
: >in over the years, two have had an unwritten rule of no spirits whatsoever
: >at the table. This rule was the unanimous consensus of these groups, and
: >was never challanged by any newcomers which joined us later.
Do you mean spirits or all forms of alcohol? I'd be pretty leery of anyone
drinking vodka or whickey during a game (unless that was the point - kill
and orc and down a shot type thing :)
neil
:
]dne Brunborg
Generally, I don't mind people drinking during my gaming sessions, as long
as people never get drunk. It's never been a problem, as we usually play
sundays and the players have generally saturated their alcoholic needs
earlier in the weekend.
But gaming with a drunk group is fun, if everybody is in on it and the
gaming is done just to do some crazy things - and some systems are made for
this kind of gaming (anyone who know Macho Women With Guns know what I'm
talking about :) while others are not.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ o + +
+ Adne Skarphedin Brunborg + No matter how subtle the wizard, a +
+ brun...@stud.ntnu.no + knife in the shoulder blades will +
+ NTNU, Trondheim, Norway + seriously cramp his style +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~brunborg/
The Swordhawk Rules
Nick Meredith
timc...@ici.net (Timothy P. Coyle) wrote:
> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
>do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
>popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
>to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
>curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence.
> My questions are simply these:
>
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
Virtually every game I play in, we drink at - in moderation. Most of
our group drive to and from the game so this limits consumption to a
great extent. Usually it is beer/wine/cider served when we eat, and
carried on with afterwards.
When playing at British conventions it is considered quite normal to
drink at the table. Often this is one of the few times when players
can meet up and _not_ have to drive afterwards so more can be
consumed.
When I was a student it was normal to drink if we were playing into
the evenings. Mind you it was also far more acceptable to smoke as
well.
I can't think of a time when anyone has chosen to drink spirits with a
game. Perhaps there may have been occasions when one glass of a spirit
may have been consumed.
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
No
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
No - we are adult players so the only prohibition is self-enforced by
he individual players self-discipline.
--
Cheers
Nick Meredith - ni...@discover.co.uk - Coventry
Jamie Nossal
Sea Wasp wrote:
>
> John Candy's Ghost wrote:
> >
> > Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> > > (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
>
> I have maintained them essentially booze and other intoxicating
> substance-free. (Total of four cans/bottles of beer, no drugs of any
> nonprescription kind aside from aspirin, and the only arguable "vice"
> drug being caffeine.)
Just curious, but does that include things like ibuprofen or acetominophen and
if so, why?
>
> I've been in some that did. Either the drinkers started getting sillier
> and sillier, annoying the hell out of those of us who wanted to play our
> characters seriously, or I'd just get sick from the smell. FAUGH! This
> in addition to whatever stupidities their characters might "seriously"
> commit to whilst their "guardian angels" were getting blasted. (if one
> drink can have an effect on your driving skills [and every study I have
> ever seen shows that it does] then it's certainly already having subtle
> effects on your cogitation as well.
Let's hope so or we'd all be wasting our time.
>
> > Um, yup. It's my free time too, and as long as I'm a moderate, why not
> > raise a glass? Then again if the main WHINER's typical anti-drink line
> > wasn't "It's just so stupid!" and instead something more philosophical,
> > I'd bargain that I wouldn't be so peeved. Then again, I think he's
> > jealous.
>
> Jealous? That you enjoy killing off your brain and liver cells by
> drinking some foul-smelling beverage derived from rotted grains?
Foul to you maybe, some people like it. I personally can't stand the smell
of tequila, but I rather like the aroma of rum and certain "skunky" beers (whatever
the Bud geek might have to say about that). By the way, I rarely if
ever drink.
The liver is relatively unharmed by moderate alcohol consumption, it's excessive
drinking that does the damage. Consumption of red wine has been shown to reduce
the risk of heart disease, other studies (and there have been several) show that
a 1 drink per day routine does the same.
>
> My objections would be not really that it's stupid (it is, but
> stupidity is your own choice; you have the right to be as stupid as you
> want to be) but that the smell makes me ill. Tastewise, I cannot tell
> the difference between beer, wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, or anything else
> with an alcohol content over about 1%; they all taste like something
> crawled in the bottle and died there (roughly accurate, of course, since
> fermentation is nothing but a rotting process done under controlled
> conditions).
I hope you like bread. It's made by basically the same process, the difference
being that the ethanol is removed in the baking process. Fresh, rising
dough has an odor that is indistinguishable from beer.
I wouldn't categorically call alcohol consumption stupid, but I would agree that
it (along with about any other intoxicating substance) makes you stupid, which
is why I avoid them myself. I don't need any help on that account. I'd throw
caffeine and nicotine in that same category, too, the only thing more pathetic
than a drunk arguing he's OK to drive is a smoker denying that he's
killing himself one cigarette at a time or a caffeine addict incapable of rational
thought or productive action without their heavy morning jolt.
> If I noticed that your behavior changed while drinking (for the worse),
> I'd raise THAT as an objection too. My experiences with drinking and
> drinkers have been almost universally negative. I have a number of
> friends who drink on occasion (including my wife) and each and every one
> of them becomes either silly or a complete jerk while under the
> influence.
Sometimes, it usually takes at least a couple of drinks though, even for the worst
cases.
I've found that excessive alcohol consumption causes player attention to wane. This
is a social gathering and as long as you are happy with that, that's OK, but you
have a problem if not everyone feels that way. Players who show up to play AD&D
are going to be upset if the other half of the party eventually shows more interest
in mixing drinks than playing.
As a DM, I find it impossible to run a game effectively if I've had more than about
two beers. Maybe some people can, there are guys I know who can knock back a six-pack
and still play decent golf, one beer is enough to totally throw me off (or it was, I don't
really golf or drink any longer).
The most disruptive drug is that old demon nicotine. Smokers are the worst and that's no
contest. Alcohol odor doesn't come close to clearing a room like cigarette smoke will, most
smokers nowadays go outside to indulge, but that causes problems like "somebody go ask
the mage which spell he's casting" because the player(s) is having a smoke just as the rest
of the party finally corners the evil Sir Lunk and his lackeys. Then they leave butts
all over the porch.
DMADRP - DMs Against Drunk Role-Playing
The Shee
In article: <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net> timc...@ici.net (Timothy P.
>
> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
> do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
> popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
> to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
> curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence.
>
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
> situations?
>
[Snipped some bits here]
Over here in Sunny Britain it used to be commonplace for groups to meet in
local pubs. I cannot recall alcohol having any detremental effects on the
game.
Although, saying that, on a personal note I wouldn't be able to play (not
seriously, anyway) after a little tipple - one pint and I'm anybodies.
I suppose it depends on the individual. Some people can drink say six
pints and be as rational as before they started - or at least appear so.
regards
The Shee
p.s. Please forgive the headers, hopefully its sorted.
I'm just fed up with all the junk.
Anyone, is my address clear enough?
--
Email ric...@mielikki.demon.co.uk
Rob Hobbs
Once upon a time, Neil Barnes said...
>
>Do you mean spirits or all forms of alcohol? I'd be pretty leery of anyone
>drinking vodka or whickey during a game (unless that was the point - kill
>and orc and down a shot type thing :)
>
I've played Slam Risk and Slam Trival Pursuit but never thought about Slam
AD&D. Hmmm... the holy rollers would then have a legitimate claim that spirits
possess the game. Yea, Thats the Ticket!
(In case there are some out there not familiar with the "Slam" terminology it
is used to denote a variation of the game that includes and/or induces
consumption of alcohol. For example Slam Risk would have a rule added that for
each province you loose you must chug a beer.)
Have a good one...
Rob
Bill Garrett
"J. McGuire" <wtsoft.REMOVE...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
} Bill Garrett wrote:
}
} > I wish I could ban players from bringing comics,
} > books, headsets, video games, homework, drawing, knitting, sewing,
} > and any number of other small "busywork" things I've seen people
} > get so wrapped up in that they ignore the group entirely.
}
I try, but I don't succeed. When I ask players to leave those
distractions at home, they either take offense or look at me like
I've just said something completely nonsensible.
I can't argue with them. I can't reason with them. Now I simply try
to avoid playing with that sort.
Joe Feyas
Nez Master wrote:
>
> tod...@genevaonline.com (Todd Jensen) wrote:
>
> >In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>, timc...@ici.net (Timothy P.
> >Coyle) wrote:
>
> >> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
> >> do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
> >> popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
> >> to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
> >>
> >> TPC
>
> I had quite a few games where we casually drank while we played. They
> went fine. I usually don't drink during games, but that's because I
> game 2 or 3 times a week, and i don't want to drink that often. Also
> many of my players do not drink at all. However, once in awhile, i'll
> have a beer or two..no different than having a coke or two really.
> In my younger years, it was extremely common to be drunk and stoned
> while playing, and I can only think of one occurence where it really
> interfered with the game...(for that occurence, I started
> hallucinating, and one of the players turned into an orc. the only
> real game intereference this caused was to keep me very distracted,
> while i tried to shake off the hallucination. It was actually a very
> interesting experience)
> i don't smoke anymore, but i've never seen it as important really what
> i ws drinking, as long as i don't drink enough to get sloshed...
>
Thats the funniest post I've read in a long time. For some reason I
just couldn't even reply to about 2.5 minutes cause the tears were
blinding me.
I only had someone come to a session HIGH once. He acted so silly and
out of character that I got bugged and told him never to do it again or
I would kill his character.
Joe
--
Supreme executive power derives by a mandate from the masses, not
from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
Joe Feyas
Ah Slam-Risk an old favorite. In our version it was a beer for every
UNIT you lost!
Carrie Ballard
Well in my group there is no specific rule but there is rarely any
drinking. This is mostly because I live at home and all of my friends
and I are underage so it rarely happens. Those times that it happened it
was not a great interference but I did find myself losing my interest and
I play with my girlfriend in the group and after a few drinks neither of
us really want to hang out and role play any more :) BTW That evening we
played til 5:00 am then I went to my girlfriends house for a few hours
and stubled home at like 9 just in time to be late for school.
Steven Taylor
John Candy's Ghost wrote:
> > My questions are simply these:
> > How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> > (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
I've only played in one group where anyone drank alchohol. One guy
would nurse one or two beers all evening long. We never had a problem.
In my current group, the owner of the house we play at simply doesn't
allow it, but that's OK, since none of us are heavy drinkers.
On the other hand, I did play a session or two with some heavy
drinkers. They played great for an hour or so, then downed something
foul-smelling (I don't know much about different alchoholic beverages,
since I'm a tea-totaler), and the game would go to
hell-in-a-handbasket. Two were silly drunks, the other was a mean
drunk. They all made fun of me for not participating, and I soon left
the group.
In my experience (limited, granted) it boils down to this: If the
player in question just likes to have a casual drink or two, it won't
bother me. If, however, the drinking is part of, and not coincidental
to, the evenings entertainment, count me out.
Steven Taylor
MULLIGAN J
Terry Austin (tau...@hyperbooks.com) wrote:
: gar...@NO-JUNK-MAIL.apple.com (Bill Garrett) wrote:
:
: >Heck, I've seen far more disruptive things
: >books, headsets, video games, homework, drawing, knitting, sewing,
: >and any number of other small "busywork" things I've seen people
: >get so wrapped up in that they ignore the group entirely.
: And Magic cards. And old war stories.
Now that was something I was quick to ban. Those CCG's were the most
disruptive thing I've come across.
One thing I am curious about is how long after everyone arrives do your
sessions generally start. Maybe it's just my group, but we seem to have a
1/2 hour or so discussion about anything and everything that happened
during the preceeding week. What happened in last night's episode of
Hercules and so on. And barely a session goes by without 1 Monty Pythin
reference :)
--
--
Jason Mulligan
Email to: ou...@net-unix.newcastle.edu.au
ma...@valinor.hna.com.au
"This is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all. This is the One
Ring that he lost many ages ago, to the great weakening of his power. He
greatly desires it - but he must not get it."
-- Gandalf, "The Shadow of the Past"
John Aegard
It's really funny that this thread should come up now .. I had a
half-case (Rickard's Red, yum) left in my fridge before gaming the
other night. I offered, and our merry band was happy to help me kill
it.
Our gang was mature enough to handle it, so it was no big deal.
(although Alain did get a *little* silly...;)
Johnzo.
Atalanta
Jamie Nossal wrote:
> The most disruptive drug is that old demon nicotine. Smokers are the worst and that's no
> contest. Alcohol odor doesn't come close to clearing a room like cigarette smoke will, most
> smokers nowadays go outside to indulge, but that causes problems like "somebody go ask
> the mage which spell he's casting" because the player(s) is having a smoke just as the rest
> of the party finally corners the evil Sir Lunk and his lackeys. Then they leave butts
> all over the porch.
>
> DMADRP - DMs Against Drunk Role-Playing
No kidding! I used to allow smoking when GMing at my place, but when one
of my players started bringing her baby daughter along (she's very well
behaved & not a disruption), smoking was sent *right* out the door (only
one of my current players smokes). Our other games are at the respective
GM's homes, and smoking is a "go outside to do that" thing there, too.
It's really annoying to have to either sit around for a few minutes so
he can have his "smoke break" and not much better to "play around him".
Oh well, when it isn't so cold out (which is most of the year here in
Texas) we just leave the door open and play on through the smoke breaks!
Atalanta Pendragonne
atal...@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2273/
John Candy's Ghost
Sea Wasp wrote:
>
> John Candy's Ghost wrote:
> >
> > raise a glass? Then again if the main WHINER's typical anti-drink line
> > wasn't "It's just so stupid!" and instead something more philosophical,
> > I'd bargain that I wouldn't be so peeved. Then again, I think he's
> > jealous.
>
> Jealous? That you enjoy killing off your brain and liver cells by
> drinking some foul-smelling beverage derived from rotted grains?
Mmm, mmm. There's a difference between rotting and fermenting, and that
definitely comes across in the ales I drink. Note, also, I said ales.
Budweiser, Pabst and all that American crap aside, there's something to
be said for the fine bouquet of a good, hearty Guinness. Ales are
better than beer, but if you're not a drinker anyways, you'd never
really know.
>
> My objections would be not really that it's stupid (it is, but
> stupidity is your own choice; you have the right to be as stupid as you
> want to be) but that the smell makes me ill. Tastewise, I cannot tell
> the difference between beer, wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, or anything else
> with an alcohol content over about 1%; they all taste like something
> crawled in the bottle and died there (roughly accurate, of course, since
> fermentation is nothing but a rotting process done under controlled
> conditions).
beer: thinner, bready sort of taste.
wine: depends on the wine. A good white or chablis is grapey, but it
carries with it a woody sort of note. A red is something truly
extraordinary.
whiskey: whiskey just hurts. Kinda smokey.
rum: ahh, rum. Derived from sugar, it has a caramel flavor to it that
only gets better on canoli. Mmm, mmm.
vodka: potato, if any. Blech.
And as I've always said, "It doesn't kill all the brain cells, just the
weak ones!" I'm nota regular drinker, I'm a social drinker. I'm asked
to be social around a gaming table, on my own free time. I run the game
that everyone finds entertaining and enjoyable, which I spend hours
during the week preparing. If I want to down a bottle or two at the
table, I have the feeling it's my right. I don't advocate getting
hammered, because there's a thin line between "properly lubed" and
"sloshing around".
And jealous in the sense that it's his woman that drinks with me, and
it's one of those "he's stepping on my turf" testosterone things.
> They also smell that way. (it's a pain to visit my in-laws
> since my father-in-law is (justifiably, so I'm told) proud of his pina
> coladas and wants everyone to have one, but he won't make nonalcoholic
> ones and I then end up having to keep three feet or more away from my
> own wife until the odor dissipates.)
Wow. Maybe you've got some sort of weird psycho-allergic reaction to
alcohol. Did you ever have any BAD, I mean BAAAAD alcohol-related
incidents in your past? Maybe it's a phobic response. Pina coladas
aren't all that bead, smell-wise. Pineapple and coconut, if you do them
right.
> If I noticed that your behavior changed while drinking (for the worse),
> I'd raise THAT as an objection too. My experiences with drinking and
> drinkers have been almost universally negative.
Mine are almost universally positive. I've had the other gamers at the
sessions rave about my performance under the influence. I slide into
characters easier, my judgement makes intuitive leaps faster, and I'm a
better storyteller. A little nip just makes the world a little fuzzier,
and when you're trying to conjure a world out of thin air, that ain't a
half-bad way to start. :^)
Bringing fantasy in-character drinking into this, half of the characters
I know would be alcoholics. Most of the taverns on my worlds have a
generous non-alkie selection, with a few brews on the side. Brewery was
an expensive deal back then. Easier jsut to squeeze some shriekers.
When the time does come for alcoholic drinks in-game, I usually can come
up with a better name than Dragon Ale. Horven Honey-Stout (made from
wheat and giant bee honey) is highly popular.
--
"You think that's big, you should see the toast. I couldn't fit
it through the door!" John Candy as Uncle Buck
John Candy's Ghost (gra...@frontiernet.net)
.sig
Jessica Hillman
>One thing I am curious about is how long after everyone arrives do
your
>sessions generally start. Maybe it's just my group, but we seem to
have a
>1/2 hour or so discussion about anything and everything that happened
>during the preceeding week. What happened in last night's episode of
>Hercules and so on. And barely a session goes by without 1 Monty
Pythin
>reference :)
>
>
What drives me CRAZY!!!! is players watching TV! ARRGH :) They sit
there and stare at it slack jawed and brain dead while their characters
are battling death knights or whatever. I cant turn it off because
others are watching it, and the only room in the house with a decent
sized table is also the main tv room.
Its enough to make a DM pull her hair out. I've done it several times
on occasion :) As well as throw books against the walls, dice at
players, change hitpoints, dock experience, and basically kill off
characters if they arent paying attention.
DM: "Ok...Sir Bryan....three ogres are approaching your party. One
menacingly taps a huge club in his palm, and the other two are grinning
evilly in your direction. They are within 50 feet....what do you do?"
Bryan *stares at Tv screen, oblivious to the dm, jaw hanging slack at
the mighty adventures of Hercules*
DM: "Sir Bryan tumbles to the ground as the Leader of the Ogres smashes
his skull in one cruel blow...Gray matter splatters all over the rest
of the party...and you realize these are Sir Bryan's brains. You also
now realize that Sir Bryan's magical armor and weapons are up for
grabs."
Evil, i know :) But it gets the point across :) And the other players
dont complain ;)
Syriana
Tom Kerstan
Sea Wasp wrote:
>
> I don't permit it, nor will I ever. In all the apartments I've rented,
> I have maintained them essentially booze and other intoxicating
> substance-free. (Total of four cans/bottles of beer, no drugs of any
> nonprescription kind aside from aspirin, and the only arguable "vice"
> drug being caffeine.)
Not really "arguable". The negative effects of caffeine on the body
have been documented, but thats off topic.
> {snip}
(if one
> drink can have an effect on your driving skills [and every study I have
> ever seen shows that it does] then it's certainly already having subtle
> effects on your cogitation as well.
I've like to see these studies on the effect of a SINGLE drink, could
you post (or email) them.
> {snip}
> My objections would be not really that it's stupid (it is, but
> stupidity is your own choice; you have the right to be as stupid as you
> want to be) but that the smell makes me ill. Tastewise, I cannot tell
> the difference between beer, wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, or anything > else
> with an alcohol content over about 1%; they all taste like something
> crawled in the bottle and died there.
The chicken I had for dinner also died. I would rather comsume things
after they've died than while they are still alive.
> They also smell that way. (it's a pain to visit my in-laws
> since my father-in-law is (justifiably, so I'm told) proud of his pina
> coladas and wants everyone to have one, but he won't make nonalcoholic
> ones and I then end up having to keep three feet or more away from my
> own wife until the odor dissipates.)
Three feet ? really ? from a person who had consumed alcohol, not from
an open drink. I'm not calling you a liar or anything, I've never heard
of that. All though my girlfriend can tell when I've been around someone
else who was smoking hours before and from three feet away.
> If I noticed that your behavior changed while drinking (for the worse),
> I'd raise THAT as an objection too.
That would indeed be a valid objection.
> My experiences with drinking and
> drinkers have been almost universally negative. I have a number of
> friends who drink on occasion (including my wife) and each and every one
> of them becomes either silly or a complete jerk while under the
> influence.
>
Sorry to here that. Some of us don't get violent or silly even after
a six pack.
> >
> > Excellent question, sirrah. Now if only I knew how to make hard mead...
>
> Bake it in an oven at 375 degrees for 14 hours. That hardens just about
> anything. ;)
>
> --
> Sea Wasp
> /^\
> ;;;
Tom Kerstan
Nez Master wrote:
>
> I had quite a few games where we casually drank while we played. They
> went fine. I usually don't drink during games, but that's because I
> game 2 or 3 times a week, and i don't want to drink that often. Also
gaming 3 times a week ! luck dog !
> many of my players do not drink at all. However, once in awhile, i'll
> have a beer or two..no different than having a coke or two really.
> In my younger years, it was extremely common to be drunk and stoned
> while playing, and I can only think of one occurence where it really
> interfered with the game...(for that occurence, I started
> hallucinating, and one of the players turned into an orc. the only
> real game intereference this caused was to keep me very distracted,
> while i tried to shake off the hallucination. It was actually a very
> interesting experience)
> i don't smoke anymore, but i've never seen it as important really what
> i ws drinking, as long as i don't drink enough to get sloshed...
>
True, but some people find it easier to not "get sloshed" when drinking
beer and wine. (could have something to do with the lower alcohol
content).
Also, As the DM I feel more responsible for staying sober enough to
play.
If one of the players gets too drunk to play, It's possible to continue
without them, but you can't play without a DM.
Tom
Noah Dowd
Rob Hobbs wrote:
>
> Once upon a time, Neil Barnes said...
> >
> >Do you mean spirits or all forms of alcohol? I'd be pretty leery of anyone
> >drinking vodka or whickey during a game (unless that was the point - kill
> >and orc and down a shot type thing :)
> >
>
> I've played Slam Risk and Slam Trival Pursuit but never thought about Slam
> AD&D. Hmmm... the holy rollers would then have a legitimate claim that spirits
> possess the game. Yea, Thats the Ticket!
We did something similar, but after several "unfortunate" personality
clashes arose from intoxication, we put a ban on DD&D (Drunken...).
Still drink, just not so heavily.
-Noah
--
E-mail: no...@anet-dfw.com
If ever I find a soulless rind,
I'll pluck its weave and make it breathe. -Jaron the Spinster
Peter Heyck
Tim Breen (bre...@lightside.com) wrote:
> > How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> > (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
> Our group has no prohibition against alcohol, but I'd hardly call its
> use "regular." Occasional, at most.
> > For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> > situations?
My problem is with players who smoke too much pot before, during,
and after a gaming session. As the DM, I hate it. It's too destracting
for them and for me because it makes their attention span shorter and
therefore harder on me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Heyck
History/Political Science
Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Email address: phe...@chat.carleton.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------------
David Caudill
Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
<SNIP>
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
In my games I make it clear before anyone joins our group that
alcohol is prohibited. I don't mind if you have a drink or two before
the game, but if you arrive at my games and are obviously inhebriated, I
will send you home (preferably via taxi).
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
No. This is because I make it very clear well ahead of time what my
gaming rules are and the penalties of violating those rules. I even give
the players a copy of the rules and ask if there are any questions
before we even get together to create characters.
My House Rules are as follows:
Advice to Players:
1. Listen to the GM. If he describes a situation and you are too busy
to listen, he may be too busy to explain it again.
2. If you are inclined to dominate a group, or to fade into the
background, try to limit your inclination. Roleplaying works best if all
the players have a say. Other players goals may not coincide with yours,
but if the group is to function well, everyone must be accommodated.
3. Be organized. Roleplaying generates paperwork.
4. Work things out ahead of time. If a party with no marching order is
ambushed, the GM will have to arbitrarily determine where everyone is.
Any plan is usually better than no plan at all.
5. Try not to divide the group. Apart from the fact that smaller groups
are easier targets than larger ones, dividing the party means the GM
must send one group out of earshot while he deals with the other. Also,
the group without the GM may become bored if the GM is busy too long
with the other group. NOTE: Groups that are divided tend to attract big,
powerful, nasty, hungry creatures with really sharp teeth!
6. Keep your competitive instinct in its place. There is no bonus in
trying to compete with the other members of your group, and it is
pointless to try to compete with an omnipotent GM.
7. Never forget human nature, sensibilities, and feelings. Your real
life friends are more important than any game.
House Rules
1. No alcoholic beverages - before or during. Anyone who comes to my
game under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be asked to leave
immediately!
2. Minimal swearing. My games are generally rated PG-13 with some rare
occurrences that would rate an R. Please try to keep it under control.
On the other hand, if you are offended by something I or some other
player says or does, please let me know.
3. All games start at 7:00 PM. Be on time or call me in advance. On
time is defined as 15 minutes early or 15 minutes late. NOTE: I tend to
be a paranoid GM, if people don’t start showing up either early or on
time, I start to worry, so please do me a favor and call if you are
going to be late!
4. If you are absent and have called ahead, your character will be
“sea-sick” and unable to participate, but will adventure with the rest
of the group. If you are absent and haven’t called ahead, your character
will wander off to be captured by gypsies, orcs, tax collectors, or some
other vile creatures. This may cause your character to develop new
disadvantages and/or lose various items of equipment and/or money.
5. The GM’s (me) decisions are final (unless I change my mind). I am
willing to discuss rulings that you find unfair, but the final decision
is mine.
6. All players are responsible for their own refreshments. You may
share if you wish, but no one is required to do so.
7. Before leaving, all players must clean up their play area & put
their character away. Any money pouches left out will be subject to NPC
thieves. Failure to clean up your messes will result in your character
being altered in some non-beneficial way. (Plus, it can make the GM
upset when he has to clean up after you. It is not good to upset your
GM.)
Failure to follow these rules may result in expulsion from the game!
******************
NOTE: As I said, I don't care if a player has a drink or two before the
game, as long as they are not obviously impared when they arrive.
*****************************************************************
* David Caudill ---- Pan...@primenet.com *
*F.A.N.G. - Ferret Association of Neverending Glee Shelter/Club *
* Ste 778 3929 Overland *
* Boise, Idaho 83705 *
*****************************************************************
Famous Last Words in Role Playing Games's: #131
"Yeah, I know it's dangerous, but think of the experience points."
Leif Magnar Kj|nn|y
In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>,
Timothy P. Coyle <timc...@ici.net> wrote:
> Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
>do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
>popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
>to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
>curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence.
>
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
> situations?
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
Well, first of all let me remark that IMHO there is a *huge* difference
between "having a beer" and "drinking"; this is an opinion I hold
probably because it seems to be the standard opinion in the society where
I grew up. Up here in the frozen North, most folks do drink from time
to time, and the normal drinking pattern is perhaps somewhat peculiar
compared to what's common in other lands. I have been told that I have the
most stereotypically Norwegian drinking habits imaginable, so let me use
my own habit as an example: From time to time, I'll have a glass or two
of beer with my dinner or snacks or just because I'm thirsty and for once
happen to fancy beer over the alternatives (not enough to produce any visible
effect, but enough to ensure that I will not be driving myself anywhere
for the rest of that day). About once or twice a year I'll get properly
drunk (although never to the point where I puke and pass out and cannot
remember what's been going on; that just wouldn't be any fun). I
practically never go "half way" to drunkenness.
Usually, drinking and gaming do not mix very well. Having a beer does
not constitute drinking; from time to time, one or more of the people in
the all-adult group I game with these days will crack a bottle of beer,
but it's not that common. Personally, I usually down rather huge quantities
of coffee and tea while gaming, since I need caffeine to stay conscious
at any time of the day or night, and I'm usually the GM (requiring me to
stay more conscious than the rest put together).
Once, however, I have tried gaming while drunk. This was a very deliberate,
one-shot thing, planned as a bit of warming-up for my birthday "party";
using Macho Women With Guns, half a bottle of vodka, and a 'who gives a smurf'
attitude to rules and consistency and plausibility and such. It was quite a
departure from my usual GMing style, but a good time was had by all.
My advice? Draw a clear line between inebriated gaming and sober gaming.
Allowing some players to get semi-drunk in an otherwise sober group is not
a good idea, but drunk gaming can be a lot of fun if it's done properly.
Drink responsibly or not at all (or do whatever the smurf you feel like,
anyway, but don't say you weren't warned).
--
Leif Kj{\o}nn{\o}y: Math geek, bibliophile, BAAWA/secular humanist, gamer.
"Make yourself all honey, and the flies will devour you" (My Dying Bride)
Sea Wasp
J. McGuire wrote:
>
> Bill Garrett wrote:
>
> > I wish I could ban players from bringing comics,
> > books, headsets, video games, homework, drawing, knitting, sewing,
> > and any number of other small "busywork" things I've seen people
> > get so wrapped up in that they ignore the group entirely.
>
>
Second that. Or rather, I don't forbid them to BRING them, but I *DO*
forbid them from USING them. "You wanna read comics? Go in the other
room. If you want me to take all the time to set up an adventure, pay
attention."
Once the game starts (which is when all the required bodies are there),
all video games shut off, comics go into the backpack, drawing gets put
away, and so on. My rule is "if you can do this without either my
noticing or distracting any of the players, fine... but if I or another
player says something to you that's game-related and you go "huh? I
wasn't paying attention", at that point whatever you're doing has to
stop."
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Sir Thorn of Kilkenny
Timothy P. Coyle <timc...@ici.net> wrote:
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
I've never disallowed drinking at the games I've run, but most have been
dry by choice of the individual players. However, in the last group I
played with (F2F anyway), a few of us did occassionally imbibe a
libation or two -- mostly pre- and post-game, but sometimes in-game as
well.
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
Unpleasant? No, not really. Occassionally it got a little on the silly
side, but never worse than that.
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
It's never been enforced in any game I've been in, but I think that if
the group has decided this policy as a group, or the GM announced that
rule to the players before the game, then there should never be a
problem. House rules are house rules, and if you don't like them, you
should find another game.
> My present group has a couple of players who bring an occasional
> wine bottle or six-pack to the table. In the past two years, no unseemly
> behavior has ever been offered.
Like I said, the group that did have some drinking at the table had no
problems with it. Which actually is surprising, considering that 3
players were alcoholics IMO. (I wasn't one of them.) But they restricted
themselves from letting it get out of hand during the games. And I must
say, they were 3 of the best players I've ever gamed with.
It may also be due to the fact that most of the players were part of the
local "Rocky Horror" cast (myself included), and had to go immediately
after the game to do our weekly performance. (And they knew that I, as
the cast's director, didn't tolerate drunken performers.)
--
Until we meet again....
Sir Thorn of Kilkenny <sirt...@whoever.com>
Sea Wasp
Jamie Nossal wrote:
>
> Sea Wasp wrote:
> > I don't permit it, nor will I ever. In all the apartments I've rented,
> > I have maintained them essentially booze and other intoxicating
> > substance-free. (Total of four cans/bottles of beer, no drugs of any
> > nonprescription kind aside from aspirin, and the only arguable "vice"
> > drug being caffeine.)
>
> Just curious, but does that include things like ibuprofen or acetominophen and
> if so, why?
I should have said "Aside from cold remedies and similar OTC
materials"; I was writing too fast (trying to get to bed, I think) and
cut too many corners. What I meant to say was that I never had any drugs
of a controlled sort in the house that hadn't been prescribed for some
condition (i.e., codeine after an operation). Actually, aspirin doesn't
work for me at all and I have to use Ibuprofen exclusively.
>
> The liver is relatively unharmed by moderate alcohol consumption,
Actually, the liver is able to bounce BACK reliably from moderate
consumption -- you don't do enough damage to impede it. Heavy drinking
kills the cells faster than the liver can cope with. But you're
definitely damaging it.
it's excessive
> drinking that does the damage. Consumption of red wine has been shown to reduce
> the risk of heart disease, other studies (and there have been several) show that
> a 1 drink per day routine does the same.
Nope. They've shown nothing of the kind. They have shown a correlation
between drinking and reduced heart disease, yes, but correlation isn't
causation. Moreover, the studied groups could have so many OTHER
differences that there's no telling precisely what caused the difference
in heart failure rates unless you manage to measure EVERY difference
between the different groups, control for all of them, and do separate
double-blind experiments on each one.
>
> >
> > My objections would be not really that it's stupid (it is, but
> > stupidity is your own choice; you have the right to be as stupid as you
> > want to be) but that the smell makes me ill. Tastewise, I cannot tell
> > the difference between beer, wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, or anything else
> > with an alcohol content over about 1%; they all taste like something
> > crawled in the bottle and died there (roughly accurate, of course, since
> > fermentation is nothing but a rotting process done under controlled
> > conditions).
>
> I hope you like bread. It's made by basically the same process, the difference
> being that the ethanol is removed in the baking process. Fresh, rising
> dough has an odor that is indistinguishable from beer.
Twaddle, sir. If you can't tell the difference, you need a new nose.
There are similarities in the scent, but they're different. And the
baking IS all the difference. It removes the alcohol, kills everything
living, and probably shifts the chemistry some by heat transformations
as well.
>
> I wouldn't categorically call alcohol consumption stupid, but I would agree that
> it (along with about any other intoxicating substance) makes you stupid, which
> is why I avoid them myself. I don't need any help on that account. I'd throw
> caffeine and nicotine in that same category, too, the only thing more pathetic
> than a drunk arguing he's OK to drive is a smoker denying that he's
> killing himself one cigarette at a time or a caffeine addict incapable of rational
> thought or productive action without their heavy morning jolt.
Nicotine, yes. Caffeine, however, by your own standards, is the only
known drug that makes you smarter; it's been shown to be effective in
increasing short-to-moderate term memory in moderate doses (drink a
pepsi or so before that test). Nicotine kills in small doses, alcohol in
somewhat larger doses, caffeine also in somewhat larger doses (when
compared to the standard ingested dose). But anything that has a notable
effect on your body chemistry will eventually kill you if you take
enough of it...
> The most disruptive drug is that old demon nicotine. Smokers are the worst and that's no
> contest.
It's no problem for me. Smoking is completely and categorically
forbidden in any gathering I'm a part of... because I'm violently
allergic to the stuff. If you're a smoker, load up on the smoke
beforehand, because you won't have a single butt from the time you enter
my house to the time you leave it.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Marc Quattromani
In article <588efi$j...@news1.ni.net>,
Terry Austin <tau...@hyperbooks.com> wrote:
>timc...@ici.net (Timothy P. Coyle) wrote:
>
>> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
>> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
>
My group does. Usually people bring beer, wine, soda and munchies.
Players get from minor buzzes to modest buzzes with the occasional
somewhat sloshed player.
>> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
>> situations?
It has never really been a problem. We're adults.
I do remember one time when a friend named Ned came over after literally
working two one hundred hour weeks. He and his wife were dieting, so
he brought over a 12 pack of beer and a diet frozen dinner. He ate the
dinner, drink the entire 12 pack, and passed out on the couch. Not
much of a diet dinner.
Fortunately his character Max got zombie'd somehow, just like Spock did
in the episode where he misplaced his brain. So, it worked out pretty
well. Max didn't have a brain and neither did Ned.
That's the only time anyone has passed out and given his work schedule
of the previous two weeks, we didn't hold it against him although we
still rib him about it.
>> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
>
Never enforced such a ban.
Marc
Cymbelline
Over the last 3 years, one of the players has bought a beer to the table once
or twice, but overall we do not drink whilst gaming. We game for close to
10 hours at a stretch and like to stay awake, if possible. ;) No, our group
(which ranges from ages 20 - 29) sticks to Coke and coffee.
Regards,
Cymbelline.
Mark Delsing
I was GM'ing a game many years ago. My two players were couriers
making their way across a forested countryside (aren't players always
doing that) to an enemy camp. "We're hungry," they said.
"You'll be able to stop once you reach [area on my map]," I said.
"We make some hot dogs."
"C'mon, get with the game!" I was getting annoyed.
"We're going to look for food."
"You can't do that, until you make it to [area on my map]."
"No," one of them said. "WE'RE HUNGRY!"
"No, Mark," the other said, knocking his knucles on my forehead," WE
ARE HUNGRY."
The whole time, they were talking about getting a bite to eat, IN THE
REAL WORLD.
Always keep your players fed and know when to break for pizza. I don't
think I've ever lived that one down. I don't have problems being
distracted, I have problems focusing on reality.
Mark Delsing
mdel...@enteract.com
EnterAct, L.L.C.
Night Owl
Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
> My present group has a couple of players who bring an occasional
> wine bottle or six-pack to the table. In the past two years, no unseemly
> behavior has ever been offered.
> that the flames will be kept to a minimum.
>
> TPC
--
Tim,
I don't think you'll have to worry about any flames. IMHO, alcohol is ok
at the table, provided no problems arise. If the purpose of bringing the
beers is to get drunk, the guilty party belongs in a bar, not at the
table. Speaking for myself (and several members of my group), we enjoy a
few beers every now and then when we play. We don't drink at every
session, and when we do, it's rarely more than two each. We have yet to
have a problem.
Hope this helps.
Dan Furman (The Night Owl)
"Who will NEVER again try to game while stoned, though!!"
Night Owl
Sea Wasp wrote:
*snipped a whole bunch of intense anti-alcohol ramblings*
>
> I don't permit it, nor will I ever. In all the apartments I've rented,
> I have maintained them essentially booze and other intoxicating
> substance-free. (Total of four cans/bottles of beer, no drugs of any
> nonprescription kind aside from aspirin, and the only arguable "vice"
> drug being caffeine.)
*now I snipped some stuff about John Candy's Ghost, who doesn't mind a
pint or two (Drinkin a Sammie for ya JCG!!!!)*
>That you enjoy killing off your brain and liver cells by
> drinking some foul-smelling beverage derived from rotted grains?
>
> My objections would be not really that it's stupid (it is, but
> stupidity is your own choice; you have the right to be as stupid as you
> want to be) but that the smell makes me ill. Tastewise, I cannot tell
> the difference between beer, wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, or anything else
> with an alcohol content over about 1%; they all taste like something
> crawled in the bottle and died there (roughly accurate, of course, since
> fermentation is nothing but a rotting process done under controlled
> conditions). They also smell that way. (it's a pain to visit my in-laws
> since my father-in-law is (justifiably, so I'm told) proud of his pina
> coladas and wants everyone to have one, but he won't make nonalcoholic
> ones and I then end up having to keep three feet or more away from my
> own wife until the odor dissipates.)
>
> If I noticed that your behavior changed while drinking (for the worse),
> I'd raise THAT as an objection too. My experiences with drinking and
> drinkers have been almost universally negative. I have a number of
> friends who drink on occasion (including my wife) and each and every one
> of them becomes either silly or a complete jerk while under the
> influence.
--
Dude,
It's my feeling that you've got to be really messed up to keep an EXACT
record of how many cans of beer made it into your apartments over the
years. Hope you don't get offended by this, but if ANYONE needs a drink,
it's you. Lighten up a bit, will ya.
Cheers!!
Dan Furman (The Night Owl)
....And St. Attila raised the hand grenade up on high saying
"Oh Lord, bless this thy hand grenade that with it thou
mayest blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy"
Monte Python and the Holy Grail.........
Harrigan
Poor Mark Kinney wrote:
>The
>session broke up when, as he was leaning against the wall napping, he
>projectile vomited all over my Marvel set.
No loss.
Whoop!
Harrigan
Terry Austin
ou...@alinga.newcastle.edu.au (MULLIGAN J) wrote:
>Now that was something I was quick to ban. Those CCG's were the most
>disruptive thing I've come across.
We started making jokes about lighting the fireplace with Magic cards.
Well, mostly jokes. Stopped being a problem.
>One thing I am curious about is how long after everyone arrives do your
>sessions generally start.
Several hours, usually. But then, we get together for dinner and to
socialize as much as game.
---------------------------------
Terry Austin, Companion of Loyal Order of Chivalry & Sorcery
Hyperbooks Online Bookstore
Garden of the Plantmaster, by Robert J. Kuntz,
one of the founders of TSR
AVAILABLE NOW
http://www.hyperbooks.com/
---------------------------------
Keith Davies
On Fri, 06 Dec 1996 11:17:05 -0600, Atalanta <Atal...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> Jamie Nossal wrote:
>
> > The most disruptive drug is that old demon nicotine. Smokers are the worst and that's no
> > contest. Alcohol odor doesn't come close to clearing a room like cigarette smoke will, most
> > smokers nowadays go outside to indulge, but that causes problems like "somebody go ask
> > the mage which spell he's casting" because the player(s) is having a smoke just as the rest
> > of the party finally corners the evil Sir Lunk and his lackeys. Then they leave butts
> > all over the porch.
>
> No kidding! I used to allow smoking when GMing at my place, but when one
> of my players started bringing her baby daughter along (she's very well
> behaved & not a disruption), smoking was sent *right* out the door (only
> one of my current players smokes). Our other games are at the respective
> GM's homes, and smoking is a "go outside to do that" thing there, too.
> It's really annoying to have to either sit around for a few minutes so
> he can have his "smoke break" and not much better to "play around him".
We generally have breaks at about twitch time anyway (every hour or
two); it isn't such a hardship if someone decides to step out for a
butt. One of our GM's smokes; it's handy for him because an EVENT can
occur that needs explaining, so he just takes the relevant person on
the balcony with him.
Remember, though - always leave that damn sliding door open about half
an inch - otherwise the bastard locks....
Keith
--
Keith Davies - DarkBlade Software | GCS3.0 d-(+) s+:+ a22 C++ UL++(++++) P+
kda...@pinc.com | L+ E W+(+++) N++ K w++@ !O M-- V-(--)
voice: (604) 385-8536 | PS+++ PE+(-) Y PGP-(--) t 5 X R+ tv---
modem: (604) 386-8536 | b+++ DI++ D+ G e+ h--- r+++ y++++
"Memory is like an orgasm. It's a lot better if you don't have to fake it."
-Seymore Cray, on virtual memory
Terry Austin
Night Owl <u100...@warwick.net> wrote:
>Hope you don't get offended by this, but if ANYONE needs a drink,
>it's you. Lighten up a bit, will ya.
Just what we need. Another proseltyzing wino who doesn't want to
drink alone.
lurz...@ms7.hinet.net
You might call me an oldtimer when it comes to DnD. We play
religiously every Thursday night from 10 pm until 2 or 3 am.
We have several rules. 1.) 10 is the starting time. Characters
are out and ready, questions about the previous session
answered, etc... If a player is late, we start without him and
are not responsible for any mishaps that might occur while we
are using the absent player's characters. 2.) Booze is
permitted, but I think we moderate it pretty well (Rum and
coke being norm for drinks). I think the best way to solve any
type of problems is to have a group of players that take
gaming seriously and partying, watching TV, messing around, as
activities best done at another time. If players insist on
disrupting play by barfing on the monsters, etc..., then just
don't invite them back. Only ask players who are going to take
the game seriously to play.
I have played the game for around 20 years and I still enjoy
it as much as I did when I first opened the PH book. By having
a good gaming environment, DnD can be a lifetime of fun.
Will Grzanich
Terry Austin wrote:
>
> Night Owl <u100...@warwick.net> wrote:
>
> >Hope you don't get offended by this, but if ANYONE needs a drink,
> >it's you. Lighten up a bit, will ya.
>
> Just what we need. Another proseltyzing wino who doesn't want to
> drink alone.
>
Um...guys, I think we've gotten a bit off track here. This isn't the
place for alcohol-related debates. The original topic was the allowance
of alcohol and similar products at the gaming table.
IMHO, this is an individual thing. In an ideal group, I think that, if
any one player (including the DM) had a problem with another player
drinking/smoking/whatever, that player would stop and that would be the
end of it. This is not, however, an ideal world. I, personally, have
no real problem with players smoking/drinking at the gaming table, as
long as it isn't disruptive to the game. If people are getting
piss-drunk at the table, outlaw the booze. If half the players at the
table are coughing their skulls up from the cigarette smoke--indeed, if
only one player is doing so--ban the butts.
I'll give you an example of smoking and the like being disruptive. A
few years back, I was gaming in a classmate's basement; it was the only
place large enough with a big enough table to support our group. 2 or 3
of the players--one of whom lived in the house--lit up. The really
gross thing I seem to remember is one of the players opening up a
2-liter bottle of Pepsi and blowing smoke into it. He then chugged a
bit of it, remarking that it tasted like tar, and proceeding to drink
even more of it. By the end of the session, the half-empty bottle had
countless butts floating around in it. Really disgusting...and many of
us had a hard time gaming with all this going on. Still, I suppose it
wasn't as bad as the time those same players passed a paper plate around
the table and began hocking up smoke-and soda-enhanced loogies onto
it...
By the way...the rest of us stopped gaming with those players a short
while afterward.
-Will
russell wallace
>What drives me CRAZY!!!! is players watching TV! ARRGH :) They sit
>there and stare at it slack jawed and brain dead while their characters
>are battling death knights or whatever. I cant turn it off because
>others are watching it, and the only room in the house with a decent
>sized table is also the main tv room.
(Jaw drops, gaping at the screen in astonishment :) )
You mean you actually run successful RPGs in the same room with a
television turned on?
*Wow*
This is something I would never even consider attempting. If locations
were sufficiently scarce I could run a game in the bathroom or the coal
shed if need be. But the idea that anyone could even seriously try to
run one in the same room that people were watching television in is
something that had simply never occurred to me.
--
"To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem"
Russell Wallace, Trinity College, Dublin
rwal...@tcd.ie
Keith Kornelsen
timc...@ici.net (Timothy P. Coyle) wrote:
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
Ours, for one. Mr.Jack Daniels frequents our Deadlands/Falkenstein/
Cthulhu game.
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
Nope.
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
It wouldn't, if I did, but I won't anyway.
--The Intrepid Kornelsen
Keith Kornelsen
ou...@alinga.newcastle.edu.au (MULLIGAN J) wrote:
>And barely a session goes by without 1 Monty Python
>reference :)
You lose stuff in our games for doing that.
--Intrepid
Sea Wasp
Night Owl wrote:
> Dude,
> It's my feeling that you've got to be really messed up to keep an EXACT
> record of how many cans of beer made it into your apartments over the
> years.
That's silly. Are you saying that you couldn't remember the number of
auto accidents you've had, number of major awards you've won, etc.? In
short, that you wouldn't remember rare, noteworthy events?
To me, a beer entering my home is roughly akin to, say, a black man
walking into a Ku Klux Klan meeting -- something that basically never
happens, and, if it does, you'd damn well remember it. I don't have to
work to keep track of it -- I remember it the same way I remember the
two auto accidents I've been in.
Hope you don't get offended by this, but if ANYONE needs a drink,
> it's you.
Fortunately, no one EVER needs a drink. And since any alcoholic
beverage makes me want to wash out my mouth (at many friends' and
aquaintances' insistence, I have tried just about every alcoholic
beverage from beer to white lightning and mixed drinks of every
description, so I can say "any" with great confidence) taking a drink
would just put me in a very bad mood.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Sea Wasp
russell wallace wrote:
>
> In <58a4lv$b...@sjx-ixn10.ix.netcom.com> syri...@ix.netcom.com(Jessica Hillman) writes:
>
> >What drives me CRAZY!!!! is players watching TV! ARRGH :) They sit
> >there and stare at it slack jawed and brain dead while their characters
> >are battling death knights or whatever. I cant turn it off because
> >others are watching it, and the only room in the house with a decent
> >sized table is also the main tv room.
>
> (Jaw drops, gaping at the screen in astonishment :) )
>
> You mean you actually run successful RPGs in the same room with a
> television turned on?
Ditto here. I'm in the same situation. But when I start running, it
doesn't matter if there are other people present. They know that
something that gets together once every two or three weeks takes
precedence.. and they also know that if THEY don't turn the damned thing
off, *I* will... and I'll take the remote, too. This is purely
self-defense in my case: I CANNOT be in the same room with a TV and
ignore it. In some houses, apparently, a television was used as
background and "white noise", so people from such households can have
perfectly sensible conversations with it on. In my parents's house, the
TV *only* went on infrequently, and when it *did* go on, it was because
you were going to watch it, and watch you did (no VCR, so you couldn't
"watch it later on", for quite a number of years). So I have a
long-standing conditioned reflex that prevents me from ignoring a
flickering TV screen.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Jaana Heino
In rec.games.frp.advocacy Timothy P. Coyle <timc...@ici.net> wrote:
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
Not regularly, but sometimes. Lately, we have developed a tendency to
start playing some character interaction situations in parties, and most
of those have been just perfect. Sometimes we have some wine when
playing, if some one has some extra...:)
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
Earlier, at school (aged 17-19), I used to swear that I will *never*
again game with people who have been drinking, at least not any serious
game. I don't actually remember what it was that made me to do this
decision, but it must have been pretty bad... I think *excessive* *bad*
roleplaying caused some unwanted character deaths, or something. Partly
my fault as the GM too, of course, but nevertheless...
Nowadays, though, I must say that no, consumption has not had bad
effects... not that we would have been badly drunk anyway.
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
No. At school we decided that we have serious games and in them no one
drinks more than one beer or so. Then we decided a new crazy campaign to
be played while drunk...:)
--
Jaana Heino-----------------email: jant...@cc.helsinki.fi----
Iivisniemenkuja 4 F 70----------------------------------------
02260 Espoo-------------------"Hoida haava, paranna tauti,----
FINLAND---------------------------anna kuolevan kuolla."------
Geoffrey C. Grabowski
In article <32a75f2c...@news.ici.net>,
Timothy P. Coyle <timc...@ici.net> wrote:
> How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
This is one of those every six-month topics. I personally like for
my players to be coherent. However, I (as the GM) also have problems
talking for four hours straight, and find having some bourbon around for
me to sip helps this as well as making me slightly more outgoing. I don't
really care what players do, so long as they stay coherent enough to RP.
We generally reserve the drinking bouts for the movie(s) after the game.
> For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> situations?
I got a little unhappy when one of my new players got pissed
previous to a session, as I spend 6 or so hours a week working on my
campaign, and I rather like it when players are coherent enough to
participate.
> Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
I don't know. If all my players want to drink, that's fine. If all
my players want to have Party Time for a week instead of gaming, that's
fine too. If one of the players decides its Party Time all the time, then
I'd have problems,a nd if all the players decided that it was Party Time
all the time, then I'd find a new group.
> TPC
G.
--
---Geoffrey C. Grabowski|rai...@io.com|Freelance JOAT-A|Swing Heil!---
[O]
[O] "Rosabelle. . . Believe"
[O]
Geoffrey C. Grabowski
In article <32A84B...@ruf.rice.edu>,
Jamie Nossal <jno...@ruf.rice.edu> wrote:
>is why I avoid them myself. I don't need any help on that account. I'd throw
>caffeine and nicotine in that same category, too, the only thing more pathetic
>than a drunk arguing he's OK to drive is a smoker denying that he's
>killing himself one cigarette at a time or a caffeine addict incapable of rational
>thought or productive action without their heavy morning jolt.
No denial here. And when you're all choosing the colostomy bag
that matches today's outfit, forgetting the names of your children and
loved ones, and levering yourself around the hose with a walker, you can
think of me and what an idiot I was for dying young. Trust me, sir, I know
a large number of people who work in nursing homes, and have watched
people die a little every day before my eyes. You are more than welcome to
your longevity, and mine too.
>The most disruptive drug is that old demon nicotine. Smokers are the
worst and that's no >contest. Alcohol odor doesn't come close to clearing
a room like cigarette smoke will, most >smokers nowadays go outside to
indulge, but that causes problems like "somebody go ask >the mage which
spell he's casting" because the player(s) is having a smoke just as the
rest >of the party finally corners the evil Sir Lunk and his lackeys. Then
they leave butts >all over the porch.
<rant>
I generally find the worst people to game with are the ones who
use all sorts of logical and rational arguments to justify what is
essentially no more than a rationalization of the body's inbuilt desire
to survive to produce more copies of its genetic material, and the ego's
selfish desire for the perpetuation of the Self. Not only are they
constantly producing reasons why I should modify my behavior to suit their
desires (both to reassure themselves that their stance is correct and
because of the minute corollary impact that six hours of exposure a week
has on them) and explanations of why their behavior is exemplary (mostly
because it is in tune with the current Self-focused tone of our culture)
they're also usually lousy players, unwilling to take risks even with
their characters.
People with severe athsma, actual serious allergies and who have
gone on the various wagons and don't want to be exposed to something
they've broken an addiction to I make leeway for. In the first two cases,
because they're in a position where they have a real chance of dying or
having an _extremely_ uncomfortable time right on the spot, rather than
(possibly) losing 1.47 minutes of their life, in the last case because I
admire the willpower they've exhibited and the reasoning behind their
quitting. Prigs can simply be content with the fact that they bug me as
much as I bug them, possibly moreso.
Oh the other hand, people who impair themselves at something they
purport to do bug me, and I can't stand players who come to a session
racked up in some way. I tend to drink during games becasue I tend to lose
my voice around three or four hours straight of talking, and because the
slightly lowered inhibitions brought about by an amount of bourbon equal
to a shot to a half-shot make me more at ease with the prospect of having
between six and nine people hanging on my every word for that amount of
time. But if you've taken the obligation to show up for a social event,
you're just that, _obligated_, to not ruin it. Serious (3-6 drinks)
drinking can and does ruin your ability to RP unless you have a tolerance
like an ox. I wouldn't ask them to modify their behavior, but I wouldn't
invite them back for my next game.
</rant>
This is one of those group contract issues that is often
overlooked. I perosnally _know_ I don't get along well with people whose
desire to perpetuate themselves and the species outweighs their desire to
lead what I consider to be a good and enjoyable life. On the other hand, I
also know I don't get along with people whose idea of a good and enjoyable
life is to be shitfaced every waking moment, and who attempt (usually
unsuccessfully) to combine all daily activities with their shitfaced
state. As a result, I tend to steer clear of groups that consist primarily
of one or the other type, and _always_ steer clear of groups that consist
of a mixture, as the social tensions usually ruin the RP.
Player philosophy of life often dictates the style and feel of a
person's RP, I've noticed after some experience running games for a
diverse crowd of folks, and people's characters are often very much like
themselves at the most basic level, because basic social feelings and
imprinting are _extremely_ difficult to shake, and even Deep IC play can
sometimes be colored by social outlook indirectly, as the character that
develops is still based around their social outlook, either as a
reflection or a polar opposite. This isn't a rule, but it does seem to be
generally true.
I think this whole thread brings up some interesting metagame
contractual issues, as well as, quite possibly, some interesting issues in
the attainment of Deep IC stance. The metagame contract side of things is
obvious - this is yet another of the things that can make a group
dysfunctional, and on which there must be agreement and (hopefully)
negotiation prior to group formation.
however, I think the idea that this may have an impact on the
attainment of the Deep IC stance is interesting. Most of the thought on
Deep IC is on the difficulties of achieving the internal poise necessary.
While some attention has been paid to the extenalitiesin their fross
manifestation (as indeed it should be, since we know that msot other
doffing-of-the-personalities occur in supportive, ritualized situations
like acting and religious ceremonies). However, this, I think, idicates
just how important overall group cohesion is. Even people dedicated to IC
play may have difficulty achieving IC state because their basic social
outlooks prevent the 'waking and continuous dream' from becoming a shared
context among the players.
To explain further - Player A and Player B are the only players in
the game. Both players are interested in achieving Deep IC stance. player
A is male, moderately devoutly Christian, politically moderate leaning
towards conservative, and grew up in a cosmopolitan, urban environment
with a realtively accepting family. Player B is female, more than
moderately feminist, pagan in reaction toa distaste for Christianity,
politically liberal, and a product of an upper-class suburban background
who didn't get along with her family. Obviously, this is a recipe for
problems, because its an example chosen for extremity. what interests me
is the mechanical process involved.
Assuming that both players are able to begin entering the mask
state, what I think is that difficulties will result from the IC stance,
_not_ neccesarily due to interplayer social tension, but due to the fact
that the players will have difficulty in adopting the _same_ dream as the
basis for the mask state. The mechanism of failure is that, while both
players have begun to enter the IC stance, when Player A does something,
Player B's reaction is not congruent with the range of possible acceptable
IC outcomes that A can accept, even though for B, it is an IC response.
The converse, of course, is likewise true. So each time one or both of
them begins to enter the IC stance, subtle difficulties in contextual
sharing caused by the metagame issue of player basic personality makeup
interrupt the process of acceptance of the new persona.
Obviously, this is a an extreme example. I belive the same
mechanism of failure can result with even much lower degrees of
difference. I will hypothesize that most Deep IC experiences result either
in groups where the players are long-term acquaintances who have to some
degree mixed their personalities and begun to share worldviews through
admixture via persistent congress, or who are strangers united by a good
GM and placed in a social context where the only shared object of
relevance is interest in gaming (i.e., a Con game, though I could as
easily have described an ecstatic church service by latering a few of the
words).
I wonder if I'm getting at something here, or simply stating the
obvious. Opinions, anywone?
Geoffrey C. Grabowski
In article <58bkq2$n...@news1.ni.net>,
Terry Austin <tau...@hyperbooks.com> wrote:
>Just what we need. Another proseltyzing wino who doesn't want to
>drink alone.
Well, Terry, I see we've gotten up on the wrong side of the iron
maiden this morning. Is there something particular bothering you, or is
this just another manifestation of that playful, feisty Terry Austin humor
and the joyous, accepting outlook on life we've all come to know and love?
>Terry Austin, Companion of Loyal Order of Chivalry & Sorcery
G.
Jordan Hart
i think you beat this thread like a dead horse.
Jordan Hart
--
"REHAB is for quitters"
Patrick Higgins
In a previous article, rwal...@tcd.ie (russell wallace) says:
>In <58a4lv$b...@sjx-ixn10.ix.netcom.com> syri...@ix.netcom.com(Jessica Hillman) writes:
>
>>What drives me CRAZY!!!! is players watching TV! ARRGH :) They sit
>>there and stare at it slack jawed and brain dead while their characters
>>are battling death knights or whatever. I cant turn it off because
>>others are watching it, and the only room in the house with a decent
>>sized table is also the main tv room.
>
>(Jaw drops, gaping at the screen in astonishment :) )
>
>You mean you actually run successful RPGs in the same room with a
>television turned on?
>
>*Wow*
>
>This is something I would never even consider attempting. If locations
>were sufficiently scarce I could run a game in the bathroom or the coal
>shed if need be. But the idea that anyone could even seriously try to
>run one in the same room that people were watching television in is
>something that had simply never occurred to me.
>
>--
One of the biggest pain in the asses for me personally, is that we have a
Gaming Night at a store in town, and this gaming night has all kind of games
going on, you show up for what you want........
And certain players attempt to start playing Magic: the Gathering, or even
one guy even goes back and starts using the computer that is there in the
back room.
Luckily, I have pretty much put my foot down, and said one or the other,
and other serious gamers have stood up and been counted....
pmh
--
Patrick M. Higgins )
<====================================*====(O
aa5...@lcfn.org )
Terry Austin
rai...@io.com (Geoffrey C. Grabowski) wrote:
> Well, Terry, I see we've gotten up on the wrong side of the iron
>maiden this morning. Is there something particular bothering you, or is
>this just another manifestation of that playful, feisty Terry Austin humor
>and the joyous, accepting outlook on life we've all come to know and love?
I forgot the smiley again, didn't ? You should know better than to
take me seriously anyway. If *I* don't why should you?
---------------------------------
Terry Austin, Companion of Loyal Order of Chivalry & Sorcery
Terry Austin
Sea Wasp <sea...@wizvax.net> wrote:
> Fortunately, no one EVER needs a drink. And since any alcoholic
>beverage makes me want to wash out my mouth (at many friends' and
>aquaintances' insistence, I have tried just about every alcoholic
>beverage from beer to white lightning and mixed drinks of every
>description, so I can say "any" with great confidence) taking a drink
>would just put me in a very bad mood.
Me, too. I've tried every variety of epxensive gourmet moose pee my
friends have come up with. I can stand mixed drinks, if what it's
mixed with is strong enough to mask the taste. Beer might as well be
Draino, with the taste of alcohol mixed with the taste of beer. I'm
not overly fond of the effects, either, but it's mostly the taste.
Neil Barnes
Rob Hobbs (roh...@lexmark.com) wrote:
:
: I've played Slam Risk and Slam Trival Pursuit but never thought about Slam
: AD&D. Hmmm... the holy rollers would then have a legitimate claim that spirits
: possess the game. Yea, Thats the Ticket!
Well, I wasn't thinking of things like Bar Twister at the time.
neil
Neil Barnes
Peter Heyck (phe...@chat.carleton.ca) wrote:
: My problem is with players who smoke too much pot before, during,
: and after a gaming session. As the DM, I hate it. It's too destracting
: for them and for me because it makes their attention span shorter and
: therefore harder on me.
Grass is a much worse influence on games than drink, IMHO, since people
have a habit of handing the joint round the table, which means that
everyone ends up a bit out of it, and the quieter/ less involved people
become much less so when they get monged out off their skulls. But one or
two spliffs round a table of eight or so is fine - we can hold off the
serious smoking 'til after the game.
neil
Jamie Nossal
Geoffrey C. Grabowski wrote:
>
> No denial here. And when you're all choosing the colostomy bag
> that matches today's outfit, forgetting the names of your children and
> loved ones, and levering yourself around the hose with a walker, you can
> think of me and what an idiot I was for dying young. Trust me, sir, I know
> a large number of people who work in nursing homes, and have watched
> people die a little every day before my eyes. You are more than welcome to
> your longevity, and mine too.
Great. If you want to put a gun to your head and pull the trigger right now,
I'll mail you the bullets. That will spare you the anguish of your tortured
existence, or at least the prospect of one.
The primary message is not who gets to the live the longest, it's how some
smokers/drinkers can't comprehend the idea that non-indulgers would dislike
having to breathe second-hand smoke or endure vomiting, belligerent,
motor-skilled impaired drunks.
Of course, if anybody is a great candidate for cancer, and at an early age,
smoke and drink heavily while indulging in a high-fat diet. I suppose you
think dying young will be easier on you than dying old. You are EXACTLY
the type of person I am talking about: "oh, well, everybody has to die
from something I guess". Not only are you a self-proclaimed idiot, I'll
bet you can't hit an ashtray either. Most smokers can't and that's my biggest
problem with them, the world is their ashtray.
>
> <rant>
> I generally find the worst people to game with are the ones who
> use all sorts of logical and rational arguments to justify what is
> essentially no more than a rationalization of the body's inbuilt desire
> to survive to produce more copies of its genetic material, and the ego's
> selfish desire for the perpetuation of the Self.
Let's cut out the rest of the overly pedantic and self-important bullshit, shall
we? An attempt to adopt an intellectual tone does nothing to convince me that
you are nothing more than a selfish and deluded nicotine addict or, worse, an
apologist for one. I don't smoke because it is a disgusting habit and I have
no desire to build my life around the almighty cigarette. Become a smoker, your
life will quickly devolve into the pursuit-consumption-pursuit cycle of the addicted.
Doubt it? Watch any smoker for a couple of days. Can't leave the house without
my cigarettes, where's my lighter, gotta stop at the store to buy a pack, gotta
run next door and borrow a butt, etc., etc., etc. Every event in their life
revolves around getting a cigarette, having a cigarette, finding another
cigarette. Have a meal, have a smoke. Have sex, have a smoke. Have a drink,
have a smoke. Wake up, have a smoke. Going to sleep, have a smoke first. It's
remarkably similar to a crack routine, I've seen both.
Not only are they
> constantly producing reasons why I should modify my behavior to suit their
> desires (both to reassure themselves that their stance is correct and
> because of the minute corollary impact that six hours of exposure a week
> has on them) and explanations of why their behavior is exemplary (mostly
> because it is in tune with the current Self-focused tone of our culture)
> they're also usually lousy players, unwilling to take risks even with
> their characters.
You are sick. Basically you are now trying to tell us that smokers/drinkers/drug
addicts make superior gamers since they are risk-takers. That is so preposterous,
it doesn't even deserve a response other than to say that any benefit gained by
the willingness to take a chance is more than offset by an obvious lack of personal
intelligence and self-disclipline. There is word for the kind of person who
is willing to risk something for nothing: sucker.
The smokers/heavy drinkers I've met tended to be poor players, mostly for reasons
already stated, namely they are absorbed in their habit, not the game.
If this culture is indeed self-focused, we need only look your way for proof.
Minute corollary impact? What you are trying to say in your obtuse way, is that
your smoke doesn't bother me, or shouldn't? Great, mind if practice my drumming
while you sleep? How about if I engage in a little rifle practice in your backyard?
I assure you the corollary impact of ricochets and errant shots will be minute. It's
pretty arrogant to assume that I have no right to dislike second-hand smoke for
whatever reason.
Let's make a broad assumption. We'll ignore the numerous studies that show second-hand
smoke does indeed cause respiratory disease in non-smokers, particularly children. I
know, to you, my health is a "minute" issue. But I still don't want people coming to my
house and stinking up the place with their "behavior". How about if I bring my dog over
to your house so he can shit and shed all over the carpet? Surely you won't mind if my kid
casually burns holes in your furniture. Nor should it bother you when I pick my nose and
flick boogers on the dinner table while you try to eat.
I don't care if you want to engage in whatever behavior you like, as long as I am not being
forced to engage in it as well. But that's exactly what is being talked about in this
thread, inconsiderate jerks who feel that they have the right to have everybody smoke
along with them or have everyone put up with their drunken antics regardless of whether
their fellow players have any desire to smoke or drink themselves. Get that through
your stubborn head.
Jamie Nossal
russell wallace wrote:
> But the idea that anyone could even seriously try to
> run one in the same room that people were watching television in is
> something that had simply never occurred to me.
Also: never, EVER, try to run a game while a porno is playing. You will
even catch yourself in slack-jaw mode.
Anne B. Nonie Rider
Wal, I been gaming 'longside of twenty years now, and
I'm trying to remember anyone drinking at a game.
Must have happened sometime.
The groups I've been in for more than one run are all
serious roleplayers and problem-solvers, and tend to
feel like alcohol would just blur the game for them.
Most of us aren't drink/drug types anyway, figuring
that we get our relaxation kicks from gaming, but we
have had folks who drink or even brew their own, out of
game time. Likewise, no addicts but several people who
did recreationals in their spare time.
We did have one fairly juvenile (in other ways too) player
who turned up stoned for a couple of games; he played
very badly, and we made it clear that if we weren't enough
fun to game with sober, he didn't have to put up with us.
He straightened up and did a lot better.
Our characters certainly drink, smoke, or whatever, in
ways that seem appropriate to them.
The least fun I've ever had gaming involved a group of
mid-teen boys badly hung over from the night before (game
interrupted occasionally for rapid bathroom puking runs),
and still playing as if they couldn't keep one thought in
their heads for ten minutes. There was no strategy, there
was no "in character", and they tended to pick fights and
suicide when bored. This would have been bad enough as a
spontaneous product, but the drunken state was clearly being
encouraged by the GM, a 30ish retired military scruff who
did things like joking about their friend not being able
to hold his liquor, and other forms of (?) peer pressure.
I did not go back...
--Nonie
Noah Dowd
Why would you want to play while a porno is running? Either watch
the damn thing or turn it off and save it till after the game. Sheesh,
talk about information overload!
-Noah
--
E-mail: no...@anet-dfw.com
If ever I find a soulless rind,
I'll pluck its weave and make it breathe. -Jaron the Spinster
Scott A. H. Ruggels@3do.com
Damn Jamie, You a puritan or something?
Scott
Scott A. H. Ruggels@3do.com
No CCG's at the table. and I play some motion picture soundtrackks to
stifle side conversations, because to talk over the music they will
attract my notice, and i tell them to stop if it's an OOC conversation.
Tricky but it works and the music helps my mood.
Scott
Robotech_Master
Hmm. In all the games I've ever been in, it's simply never come up.
Most of my gaming experiences have been limited to the gaming club on
campus down in Springfield, MO, and it was a dry campus so you weren't
going to be drinking anything alcoholic on it anyway.
I'm rather partial to a good ale or a good Scotch, and fond of trying
new and different alcoholic beverages from time to time. I don't like
drinking to excess, though; just one or two a day for me, if that.
Remember the Apollonian creed..."Everything in moderation, including
moderation."
As to would I allow drinking at the table? Hmm...unless someone had
physiological objections to it, like "The smell of alcohol nauseates
me," I see nothing wrong with allowing a drink or two--as long as it
didn't get out of hand (and also as long as they brought _me_ one :).
Anyone who abused the privilege would, of course, likely not be
invited back.
--
Chris Meadows aka | Author, Team M.E.C.H.A., Crapshoot & Co.
Robotech_Master | on the Superguy Listserv (bit.listserv.superguy)
robo...@jurai.net | With a World Wide Web homepage located at
robo...@eyrie.org | http://www.jurai.net/~robotech/index.html
Robotech_Master
Aha, the "Classical Theory" school of gamemastering.
John Candy's Ghost
> Geoffrey C. Grabowski wrote:
> >
> > No denial here. And when you're all choosing the colostomy bag
> > that matches today's outfit, forgetting the names of your children and
> > loved ones, and levering yourself around the hose with a walker, you can
> > think of me and what an idiot I was for dying young. Trust me, sir, I know
> > a large number of people who work in nursing homes, and have watched
> > people die a little every day before my eyes. You are more than welcome to
> > your longevity, and mine too.
Here here, brother. If it comes down to "Do we put grandpa (me) in the
home, or do we send him to Indonesia for one last go with the girls on
Bali?" Then I'm on that friggin plane in a heartbeat. I have no
intention of living out the last of my days playing checkers. If the
drink gets me, oh well. If the gaming gets me, even better. :^)
Jamie Nossal then responded:
> The primary message is not who gets to the live the longest, it's how some
> smokers/drinkers can't comprehend the idea that non-indulgers would dislike
> having to breathe second-hand smoke or endure vomiting, belligerent,
> motor-skilled impaired drunks.
And you're assuming that every drinker/smoker is. I NEVER EVER smoke
around children. I never drink around folks going to AA. I don't drink
to excess, and have never passed out (ok, once, it was a bottle of Skyy
and it was my first over 21 binge...sue me) and I happen to be a funny
drunk.
Around the gaming table, a few shots goes a long way for myself (and the
other player who drinks) to relax and unwind. We don't vomit, we argue
more when we're sober, and rolling dice isn't all that hard, even if
you're tipsy. The point is THIS IS MY FREE TIME TOO. If I told you
that you could go on vacation, but you had to wear a gas mask the whole
time, you'd probably not have a good time. I work my butt of for 60
hours a week. When the weekend comes, the last thing I want to hear
around the table is "don't have a beer, I don't want you too".
Besides, I never would have come up with Sirmamsirmam the jeweler if I
hadn't been just _that_ far away from stone-cold sobriety. He's my best
NPC yet.
> Of course, if anybody is a great candidate for cancer, and at an early age,
> smoke and drink heavily while indulging in a high-fat diet. I suppose you
> think dying young will be easier on you than dying old. You are EXACTLY
> the type of person I am talking about: "oh, well, everybody has to die
> from something I guess". Not only are you a self-proclaimed idiot,
I doubt anyone is a self-proclaimed idiot. Unless you have a real low
self-esteem. I see his point: if I go early, I go early. If I die
tomorrow getting hit by a truck, at least I can say I haven't been a
stuck-up prick who placed blanket statements over everyone just because
they said they were smokers/drinkers. Life's too short to go around
stumping against personal habits. I pick my belly-button, too, but as
long as I don't do it in front of everyone, I'm allowed.
> I'll
> bet you can't hit an ashtray either. Most smokers can't and that's my biggest
> problem with them, the world is their ashtray.
Ah, yet another blanket statement. I don't butt on the ground, out car
windows, or on bar room floors. Gee, what does that make me?
[rant snipped for brevity]
> Let's cut out the rest of the overly pedantic and self-important bullshit, shall
> we? An attempt to adopt an intellectual tone does nothing to convince me that
> you are nothing more than a selfish and deluded nicotine addict or, worse, an
> apologist for one.
I happen to be a nicotine intellectual as well. The capacity for
rational thought has little to do with your smoking habits. Warnings on
the label non-withstanding, I think it's my choice, nes pas? I'd rather
err a hundred time on the side of too much freedom than once on the side
of restricting those freedoms. Again, too much to do, not enough life.
If you'd like to get on my case as just not giving a crap about other
people, I'd like to show you my collection of cards: Amnesty
International Letter Writer, National Wildlife Fund, Zero Population
Growth, Organ Donor and Red Cross 10 Gallon card.
> I don't smoke because it is a disgusting habit and I have
> no desire to build my life around the almighty cigarette. Become a smoker, your
> life will quickly devolve into the pursuit-consumption-pursuit cycle of the addicted.
Yeah, ok. You got us. All those people you see out on the street
jonesing for another butt. I've gone weeks without a smoke, and I've
stopped (not quit) for 3 months at a time, because money was tight. Am
I an addict? I'd give you the bit about walking in other people's
shoes, but showing you the intricate delicacy of an after-feast smoke
(especially in a bracing outdoor scene) just won't carry.
> Doubt it? Watch any smoker for a couple of days. Can't leave the house without
> my cigarettes, where's my lighter, gotta stop at the store to buy a pack, gotta
> run next door and borrow a butt, etc., etc., etc. Every event in their life
> revolves around getting a cigarette, having a cigarette, finding another
> cigarette.
I'm one of your "any smokers". Forgot my pack today at home, and I
haven't wanted a cigarette yet. Well, not until you mentioned it.
Willpower, son, willpower. If I don't have my smokes, I don't bum.
Another one of my rules. I guess some smokers are just too complex for
your puritanical model, huh?
> Have a meal, have a smoke.
Yeah! Mmm mmm.
> Have sex, have a smoke.
Not if the girl doesn't. That's just rude.
[large amounts of diatribe on both sides snipped]
> Let's make a broad assumption.
I think you've already made a bunch, thanks.
[even more diatribe, including the word "booger" snipped]
> I don't care if you want to engage in whatever behavior you like, as long as I am not being
> forced to engage in it as well. But that's exactly what is being talked about in this
> thread, inconsiderate jerks who feel that they have the right to have everybody smoke
> along with them or have everyone put up with their drunken antics regardless of whether
> their fellow players have any desire to smoke or drink themselves. Get that through
> your stubborn head.
I agree here, actually. That's why I smoke outside at the gaming house
(not mine) and don't smoke in my own house when the playing is there.
It's the knee-jerk reaction of the smokers and drinkers to say "lay off"
when we're attacked so self-righteously. One could even say that by
bitching constantly, you're more likely to make the person edgy,
requiring the application of nicotine.
Smoker does not equal asshole. Drinker does not mean lush.
Get THAT through your thick skull.
--
"You think that's big, you should see the toast. I couldn't fit
it through the door!" John Candy as Uncle Buck
John Candy's Ghost (gra...@frontiernet.net)
.sig
MH-AB
In article <32A898...@ccc.isd.csc.com>,
--------
>Tom Kerstan <tker...@ccc.isd.csc.com>
>>Nez Master
--------
>>I game 2 or 3 times a week, and i don't want to drink that often.
>
>gaming 3 times a week ! luck dog !
Yeah, got a bloomin' four leaf clover, I'll bet 'e does! Ah, those were
the days - gaming 2-3 times/week. Sigh... well, hope springs eternal.
[SNIPPED stuff about incendiary-intake non-specific alternative-ingestion
items employed during gaming]
>>but i've never seen it as important really what i ws drinking, as long
>>as i don't drink enough to get sloshed...
>
>True, but some people find it easier to not "get sloshed" when drinking
>beer and wine. (could have something to do with the lower alcohol
>content).
er, sorry old chap. 1 standard drink of whatever libation contains the
same amount of alcohol. That is, 1 standard rye&whiskey = 1 standard beer
= 1 standard glass of wine, in terms of a person's Blood Alcohol Content.
Sure, the percentage/volume is different, but the volume of the portion
ingested is also different and ~inversely proportional. 3 shots o' JD
will get "Jo Average", in one hour, just drunk as 3 bottles o' brew.
There are infinate variables, but using standards and averages, the above
is always true.
Sorry, obscure knowledge tends to seep out like that, from time to time.
>Also, As the DM I feel more responsible for staying sober enough to
>play.
>If one of the players gets too drunk to play, It's possible to continue
>without them, but you can't play without a DM.
Ain't that the truth. Actually, I remember, way back when, a certain
fellow of refereeing skill was remarkably, er, well, how can I say this
gently? - stoned to high heaven! Well, though I, too, was a DM, I was
all DM'ed out at the time, and everyone REALLY wanted to play, so...
It was an - interesting - experience. Unforgettable, really. I suppose
you've gotta try somethings once. Personally, I don't envision myself in
that position again, either as the stoned DM or his unsuspecting victi- er,
players.
Mithmore Thornshrike.
-------------
"Been there. Done that. Bought the T-shirt." -- Various.
Atalanta
MH-AB wrote:
> Ain't that the truth. Actually, I remember, way back when, a certain
> fellow of refereeing skill was remarkably, er, well, how can I say this
> gently? - stoned to high heaven! Well, though I, too, was a DM, I was
> all DM'ed out at the time, and everyone REALLY wanted to play, so...
>
> It was an - interesting - experience. Unforgettable, really. I suppose
> you've gotta try somethings once. Personally, I don't envision myself in
> that position again, either as the stoned DM or his unsuspecting victi- er,
> players.
>
> Mithmore Thornshrike.
> -------------
> "Been there. Done that. Bought the T-shirt." -- Various.
I wouldn't GM in that condition... I ran a Vampire session once when I
was wigged out on tincture of ephedra, and I had the poor fools making
skill checks to find their way around a mall!
I used to play in a GURPS campaign with a couple who seemed to be
incapable of social interaction without passing a few joints around.
Very little got accomplished. OTOH, I played a couple of sessions with a
long-standing AD&D campaign that had been running for about a DECADE,
and almost everyone was drinking beer (predominantly obscure imports or
homebrew. I had my first lambic at that guy's house, and my first mead)
, a joint got passed `round, and everyone was totally focused on the
game & didn't get silly at all (the only impaired judgement was the DM
using a Thoth deck as a prop for a Deck of Many Things, but I think that
was all he used it for anyhow).
It really does depend on the group. And of course, there is a difference
between someone who's had a beer or a toke and someone who is full-out
TRASHED.
Atalanta Pendragonne
atal...@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2273/
Neil Barnes
MH-AB (tan...@netcom.ca) wrote:
: Ain't that the truth. Actually, I remember, way back when, a certain
: fellow of refereeing skill was remarkably, er, well, how can I say this
: gently? - stoned to high heaven! Well, though I, too, was a DM, I was
: all DM'ed out at the time, and everyone REALLY wanted to play, so...
:
: It was an - interesting - experience. Unforgettable, really. I suppose
: you've gotta try somethings once. Personally, I don't envision myself in
: that position again, either as the stoned DM or his unsuspecting victi- er,
: players.
I've always been curious as to how a game would go if everyone involved
were tripping at the time. <insert comments about only playing with people
you trust implicitly, yadda yadda yadda> Could be ... interesting.
neil
Alain Lapalme
joh...@bnr.ca (John Aegard) wrote:
>
>It's really funny that this thread should come up now .. I had a
>half-case (Rickard's Red, yum) left in my fridge before gaming the
>other night. I offered, and our merry band was happy to help me kill
>it.
>
>Our gang was mature enough to handle it, so it was no big deal.
>
>(although Alain did get a *little* silly...;)
>
A little? I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard.
--
Alain
Alexander Bernert
Timothy P. Coyle (timc...@ici.net) wrote:
: Allow me to begin this post with a word of explanation. Though I
: do not imbibe myself, I am _not_ in the habit of dissuading others from
: popping a cork or pulling a tab whenever they please. My purpose is _not_
: to create a Prohibitionist ruckus, but merely to satisfy an intellectual
: curiosity, and as such I beg your indulgence.
: My questions are simply these:
: How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
: (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
Well, it is only rarely beer, sometimes a wine which we would like to test,
more often some whiskey or cocktails/longdrinks.
: For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
: situations?
No.
: Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
No, there was never ever a prohibition over here. (ridiculous idea, kind of,
I mean, the players are not going to drink themselves into oblivion)
Prohibition of smoking is common and well accepted, though.
: My present group has a couple of players who bring an occasional
: wine bottle or six-pack to the table. In the past two years, no unseemly
: behavior has ever been offered.
Err, what does constitute unseemly behaviour, actually ? (Reminds me of
indecent postings and the like)
Alexander
--
This message was created by certain chaotic forces, generating bits and bytes,
and only seems to contain some meaning.
John Aegard
I don't really have anything to add to this thread, but I do
want to congratulate Geoffrey on a spectacularly obtuse
subject line!
*clap*clap*clap*
Johnzo.
Noah Dowd
Me and my college suite-mates were going to do that, but when the time
came around to get out the books and play there were too many other things
to do :)
John Aegard
John Candy's Ghost posted
> Smoker does not equal asshole. Drinker does not mean lush.
> Get THAT through your thick skull.
On second thought, I do have something to add:
In all my gaming experience, the smokers among us have always
been extremely polite about their habits, and have taken
pains to ensure that everyone is comfortable. If someone
objects/is alergic/is asthmatic/etc, then we halt the game
for a quarter-hour smoke break at an agreed-upon time.
I've never encountered a smoker who insisted that s/he be
allowed to light up anywhere, without permission. So
I guess I echo what JCG says: smoker does not equal asshole.
Johnzo.
Anne B. Nonie Rider
Folks, let's take the f/l/a/m/e/s/ discussion about
smoker's rights and the effects of second-hand smoke
to an appropriate forum. It does not belong in a
gaming discussion.
--Nonie
Chris Martin Wegehaupt
Neil Barnes (nb4...@ncs.bris.ac.uk) wrote:
: I've always been curious as to how a game would go if everyone involved
: were tripping at the time. <insert comments about only playing with people
: you trust implicitly, yadda yadda yadda> Could be ... interesting.
: neil
It was interesting, of course, but as for the train of thought...well,
the pc's really had a night of developing their characters, that's for
sure...whenever anyone playing in my friends and my campaigns, if you are
under the influence of something, your character is also, although for
tripping, well, you happened across some nifty singing little mushrooms
along the road that spoke in smurf voices going "Eat me! I'm tasty!
Yes, tasty!" Everything went along quite fine until people wanted to run
around outside looking at trees or staring at the sky and other assorted
things dealing with pretty lights and this and that...usually we frown
upon tripping if we can't get to play that often, because it does tend to
slow things down a bit, not to mention give the DM a hell of a time
fitting the story together.
DM: Ok, you are finally to the evil wizards castle. Three mean looking
guards with huge fangs are covering the main gate.
Dosing PC: <dances around a bit and gives the guards hi-fives telling
them what a wonderful job their doing>
DM: They give you three seconds to leave or die.
Dosing PC: I'm Batman. Can't you see I'm Batman!? <pulls out his
grappling hook and tries to hook onto a tower window>
Meanwhile, the other adventurers are charging the guards, trying to save
their legally insane buddy, who is now halfway up the tower swinging
happily from his rope and throwing all of his possesions down upon the
guards, thanking them for their help...
It definately can lead to interesting circumstances, that is for sure.
Chris
Jamie Nossal
You obviously have me confused with somebody else. The only real
predjudice I'll admit to having is against the kind of stupidity and
hypocrisy that Mr. Grabowski tried to dump in front of my door.
I'll readily agree that I have no right to tell someone else
what kind of substances they can put into their body, I only ask
that I be given the right NOT to engage in such behavior. If somebody
wants to mainline heroin, that is up to them, just don't
leave the used syringes in my yard, OK?
do.
Dan Eveland
You win the award man. The triple-G award.
Goofiest gaming goober award.
Get out once in a while. You don't have to drink, but try and have a good
time. You sound like a very bitter and angry pathetic little person. Try a
values re-adjustment man. "A black man walking into a Ku Klux Klan meeting"
is a little heavy handed, no? Do you vent like this off of the Internet, or
just on the keyboard.
--
Dan Eveland
deve...@bellsouth.net
Sea Wasp <sea...@wizvax.net> wrote in article
<32AA5E...@wizvax.net>...
> Night Owl wrote:
snip
> To me, a beer entering my home is roughly akin to, say, a black man
> walking into a Ku Klux Klan meeting -- something that basically never
> happens, and, if it does, you'd damn well remember it. I don't have to
> work to keep track of it -- I remember it the same way I remember the
> two auto accidents I've been in.
>
>
> Hope you don't get offended by this, but if ANYONE needs a drink,
> > it's you.
funny
snip
>
> --
> Sea Wasp
> /^\
> ;;;
>
Kevin R. Hardwick
Nah. He's just an academic :)
On Mon, 9 Dec 1996, Scott A. H. Rug...@3do.com wrote:
> Damn Jamie, You a puritan or something?
>
> Scott
>
>
Karen J. Cravens
In article <58kc73$i...@inet-nntp-gw-1.us.oracle.com>,
Or at least quit changing the subject so it falls out of my
killfile, or I'm going to have to start killfiling *people*.
--..............Karen Cravens .. pho...@southwind.net ...............
Phoenyx Roleplaying Listserver - majo...@phoenyx.net
Home of roleplaying-L, the Online (PBeM) Roleplaying list
http://www2.southwind.net/~phoenyx/rolelist.html#roleplaying
Bill McKinley
> Timothy P. Coyle wrote:
> <SNIP>
> > How many gaming groups out there regularly permit alcohol
> > (essentially beer and/or wine) at the table?
Absolutely. We tend to game on weeknights after work, and most of us
have a beer or two as we sit around, debate the events of the week,
and argue about which pizzas we'll order in. Scotch and bourbon have
also been known to be consumed.
>
> > For those that do, has consumption ever caused unpleasant
> > situations?
> > Has enforced prohibition ever caused bad feelings among players?
No. Perhaps it's because we are all in our 20s or 30s, but we know
when to stop. The members of our group tend to switch to softdrinks
fairly early on (and then to coffee as the night wears on).
It all depends on the group. If the gaming group is responsible, then
there is no need to proscribe alcohol.
Bill
--
The views expressed here are mine, and are not those of the
Australian Government.
Sea Wasp
Dan Eveland wrote:
>
> Get out once in a while. You don't have to drink, but try and have a good
> time.
I do. I write, read, game, watch movies, and so on. "Getting out" isn't
a requisite for "having a good time".
> You sound like a very bitter and angry pathetic little person.
Shows how little one can get out of sound ("sound"?). Happily married,
one cute little baby, lots of friends.
Try a
> values re-adjustment man. "A black man walking into a Ku Klux Klan meeting"
> is a little heavy handed, no?
No. It perfectly represents, to me, the uniqueness of an alcoholic
beverage entering my home. It's nearly as unwelcome and certainly
as unusual.
Do you vent like this off of the Internet, or
> just on the keyboard.
I generally talk precisely the same way on or off the Net. You could
verify that, if you wished, by contacting those who know me through
both media.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Peter Heyck
Noah Dowd (no...@bnr.ca) wrote:
> Neil Barnes wrote:
> >
> > MH-AB (tan...@netcom.ca) wrote:
> > : Ain't that the truth. Actually, I remember, way back when, a certain
> > : fellow of refereeing skill was remarkably, er, well, how can I say this
> > : gently? - stoned to high heaven! Well, though I, too, was a DM, I was
> > : all DM'ed out at the time, and everyone REALLY wanted to play, so...
> > :
> > : It was an - interesting - experience. Unforgettable, really. I suppose
> > : you've gotta try somethings once. Personally, I don't envision myself in
> > : that position again, either as the stoned DM or his unsuspecting victi- er,
> > : players.
> >
> > were tripping at the time. <insert comments about only playing with people
> > you trust implicitly, yadda yadda yadda> Could be ... interesting.
> >
> Me and my college suite-mates were going to do that, but when the time
> came around to get out the books and play there were too many other things
> to do :)
> -Noah
> --
> E-mail: no...@anet-dfw.com
> If ever I find a soulless rind,
> I'll pluck its weave and make it breathe. -Jaron the Spinster
Ya, like freaking out and peaking to the point that DMing was made
quite impossible!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Heyck
History/Political Science
Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Email address: phe...@chat.carleton.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Breen
David Caudill wrote:
> I don't mind if you have a drink or two before
> the game...
This would appear to conflict with:
> House Rules
> 1. No alcoholic beverages - before or during. Anyone who comes to my
> game under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be asked to leave
> immediately!
> NOTE: As I said, I don't care if a player has a drink or two before the
> game, as long as they are not obviously impared when they arrive.
Just thought I'd point this out. Your stated tolerance appears to
conflict with your own house rules. You may wish (or may not to <shrug>)
make this clear to your players.
-- Tim
Too many rules spoil the soup.
The Amorphous Mass
Jamie Nossal (jno...@ruf.rice.edu) wrote:
>Scott A. H. Rug...@3do.com wrote:
>>
>> Damn Jamie, You a puritan or something?
>
Obviously. The Puritans had nothing against a good pint of ale. :-)
--
The Amorphous Mass If I knew what I was doing,
amo...@avalon.net it wouldn't be research.