Dungeons and Dragons – Etiquette at the Gaming Table
Ted from Nerdarchy here and today I am going to ask you a hard question. Are you a good player at your gaming table? Now I am not asking are you a skilled role player or even a valued member of your party. I want to know how you treat the fellow people you game with.
Every gaming table is different. So when the group gets together you need to either find out or figure out what each player at the table is there for. Are you playing a beer and pretzels game where silliness and distractions are not only commonplace but sought after?
Do You have a Problem Player at Your Gaming Table
How Gaming (and Nerdarchy) Helped Save Me
2014 is a year I will never forget.
In May of that year I lost my wife of 12 years to breast cancer. Then in June my father passed away from stomach cancer. In July an uncle died from a heart attack. Even a beloved family pet passed on soon after.
As you can expect, it was quite the tumultuous and emotional year. Everyone experiences grief in their own way, so I won’t compare my own to anyone else, but it did seem for a long while I was falling deeper and deeper into a well of numbness. Also, it seemed there was no way out, that I would never be able to pull myself back up to find breathing space, let alone any peace of mind.
Dungeons and Dragons and Nerdarchy
Willing Suspension of Disbelief Creates an Immersive RPG Experience
Even with the light from your torch the stairwell’s end cannot be seen. As you cautiously make your way down each step, the cracks and crevices on the sides of the wall quiver and writhe in time to the torch’s flickering flame.
Unseen cobwebs flutter against your eyes and face. There is a rushing sound like one unending breath that you hear too close to your ear. You see something move in the shadows just outside the torch’s glow. You hear a scratching, chattering cacopho-
*crackle, crackle*
*crackle, crackle*
” Hey pass over those Cheese Puffs”
Sigh… The dreaded words that quell the willing suspension of disbelief in an immersive RPG.
“Pass me the ______” ( food or beverage )
As a DM, if that blank is not filled by the words “Holy Avenger” or some other fantasy item, it really deconstructs the built up tension.
Thus undermining the work that we, as DMs, put into setting the mood of encounters.
While experienced players can still hack it when it comes to mood disruptions they still lessen the overall experience for everyone.
Why is that the case?
