Gamer Ettiquete

[NerdyOgre254]

Alright ladies and gentlemen, I need help.
I have a group that I try and roleplay with. the most recent session was an unabashed disaster. There were more problems with their attitudes and gaming styles than i have ever seen before (and trust me i have seen a lot of newbies go through in my time). SO what i need is i need people to just post some of those unwritten rules of roleplaying, so i can write them down and show them to the players. this is so i can be able to run a game and not have my head explode from their intense newbieness. I need them to learn gamer ettiquette basically because they do stuff that drives me insane.

 

[ktooloo]

Be self-reliant (sp?).

Bring your own core-/base rule- books, dice, drinks, snacks... cigarettes if your so inclined.

I understand some new players may have to borrow books and/or dice, but it is expected, just plan ahead and get the OK from the folks who own the gear. Also if your trying a new characters type/army you may be borrowing books/minis. Again, expected, get arrange it ahead of time. I have issues with players that are too lazy to bring the books they own, or feel entitled to other peoples gear.

If you are borrowing stuff, treat it better than you would your own. The owner spent good $$$ they worked hard for (or borrowed, withdrew from a trustfund, or sold a kidney for :drunk and if it\'s going to get fragged up, I\'m going to do it damn it!!!!!
:cussing:

Rant over.... I\'ve had some bad exprinces at cons (P.S. If your hosting/running and event, have at one copy of the basic rules, don\'t rely on your players)(ok NOW the ranting is over lol)

 

[Gilvan Blight]

The most important rule:

Everyone that sits down at the gaming table is doing it to have some fun.

It is a shared group event. One player having fun at the expense of the other players, is not an enjoyable experience for all.

Realize that everyone is at the table for the same reason and work together to make that reason, to have fun, come true.

Other things.

Figure out the following BEFORE you start playing:

Round up or round down?
Dice falls off the table, re-roll or read it and weep?
Dice hits object on table...
Dice hits other Dice...
Any other stupid thing about dice, like use only your own...
Do you bring food, will it be provided, if ordering how are you paying?
Any special seating rules?
Bring your own minis, or are they provided, do they have to be WYSIWYG
What rule knowledge is needed before play?
Any house rules?
If there are any write them down!
Props allowed or not?
Bonus xp for things like stories, art, showing up in character?
What version of the rules if there are multiple out there
What is the rule for when a player can\'t make it/has to leave early?
What if someone new wants to join part way through?
What are the table talk rules
What about in character and out of character talking
What about out of character knowledge?

That was a quick list, I\'m sure there are tons more.

This is all stuff that needs to be worked out before the game so that the players know what to expect.

If you set a firm set of expectations up front then ever player will know what is expected of them. Let them decide before starting playing if this is the game/setting for them. If not have them leave. It\'s better to have a player not play, then have a player play and have a bad time, or ruin things for others.

Sure I missed a ton of things, but that\'s the basics.

 

[lizcam]

1) The GM\'s word is law because for the durration of that game he/she is \"god\". If you have an argument about a roll or action taken be polite about it when pointing things out to \"god\" as he can wipe you off the map.

2) In our games it\'s the 30 second rule. Everyone roll thier dice in front of everyone (except the DM who roles behind a screen), moves thier hands out of the way and leave them out of the way for 30 seconds.

3) Don\'t talk for someone else unless it\'s an agreed upon part of the charecter.

4) (we play with 13 year olds right now) If you get really mad, you must walk away from the table for at least 5 mins before you can come back and address the issue (this allows us to argue with cool heads). The game will stop for that period and NO ONE will talk about the issue that has everyone upset untill the 5 mins have elapsed. Then the DM will allow each person to have thier say 1 at a time without interuption from anyone else. If needed the DM makes the finale ruling on the issue.

5) (this is the most important) Every new member is on probation for 3 months. Durring that time behavior is monitored and at the end of the 3 months the group gets together and discusses if the new member can continue. If the answer is no, that\'s the way it is. Period. And it\'s desided by blind vote, no one\'s vote out-weighing anyone elses. If another member of the group does not like the outcome of the vote they still have to live with the results if they want to keep playing with the group. (we\'ve really only dropped a person a couple of times but this gave us the ability to say, \"sorry, the group feels your gaming style doesn\'t fit with ours\").

Like I said, we play with very young kids right now (bringing up the next generation) but these rules have always stood and we\'ve been gaming since \'77. They have always kept the fights to a mininimum.



5)

 

[Sand Rat]

Heres a couple we always used -

Be Early - gamer time is a no go cause you are making everyone wait -

If you are going to be late, call the GM/Host and let them know - if you\'re not critical to the action at the start you may be religated to the back of the party.

If you are a rules lawyer, remember there is always someone playing who has been playing longer than you and will hoist you on your own anal retentiveness at some point.

 

[Eryops]

Originally posted by NerdyOgre254I need them to learn gamer ettiquette basically because they do stuff that drives me insane.

Give examples. I\'m sure there\'s just as many bad/newbie gaming habits as there are gamers.

 

[Naukhel]

Got to say, I really like lizcam\'s 5 minute rule for anger rising. I\'m going to implement it in my own sessions.

 

[airhead]

I\'ve run LOTS of newbs through my table.

Here is what I give each one on their first night there:

What’s Expected:

1. Show up. If you cannot make it, let someone know.

2. If you are stupid, incompetent or \"slow\", you may not join my game. Sorry, that\'s just the way it is.

3. Bring your character sheets & dice. Bonus points for pencil, eraser and Player’s Handbook (as 3.5 is due this summer, I am not pushing for you to buy one, YET.) Extra bonus points for bringing chips & cokes.

4. Have fun. If you are not having fun, let the DM know. Disrespecting the DM or any of the players can and will get you removed from the game. You may not like or agree with another person, but you will not make things personal. I expect you to have fun. If you are not having fun, I want to know about it so that I can improve the quality of your gaming experience. If something isn\'t clicking, let me know.

5. You must read the Player\'s Handbook through Combat (though I don\'t expect you to read the descriptions of the spells) before you can begin playing. You do not have to memorize it, but you do have to have at least read it. Owning (and bringing to game) your own copy is appreciated. If you are a spell-caster, know the basics for your spells. Also know where to look them up quickly. The same applies to feats.

6. A back-story is worth 100 XP’s. (That’s 10% to 2nd level). Write a 2 paragraph minimum history regarding any character you play. This history must fit the character and the campaign (so no noble elf orphans, people).

7. Role-play. While killing and collecting \"phat lewt\" is fun every once in a great while, you must be ready and willing to role-play (not roll-play) your character. This means that as soon as the game begins, you become your character. In combat, if the AC is known, roll “to hit” d20 and damage dice at same time. Proper comments should be on the order of:
a. “I slash with my rapier for 10 points.”
b. “I swung my longsword and missed.”
c. “I pegged it with an arrow for 7.”
Not:
d. “Did a 17 hit?”

8. Understand that the best character is not always the character with the highest stats. Sometimes it\'s fun to play a clumsy monk or an articulate barbarian. On the same note, it\'s sometimes fun to play class/race combinations that differ from the norm. A half-orc bard is an acceptable and probably very fun choice.

9. Keep your grades up. This is a game - school is real life. If your grades suffer, I don’t want to be your scapegoat to your parents. If you need help, see me. I expect a 3.0 modified average.

House Rules:

1. Evil characters are not allowed. You are heroes trying to defeat evil.

2. You are unconscious at -1. You are dead at -10 - level - CON bonus. (example: 5th level with 16 CON = -10-5-3 = -18 for death

3. Leveling requires training.
a. 100 gp / class level
b. 1 day / class level
c. You continue receiving XP’s at your current level, up to one shy of a second level-up. You cannot gain two levels without training.
Prior to your character leveling up, you will be required to generate a new character sheet. This is to keep you from erasing a hole in your sheet as well as for you to keep as a reference in case your character is subject to level drains.

4. Red chips will be awarded for outstanding role-play. Theses are worth +1 to any die roll. Upon “cashing in” a chip, give it to another player you feel is worthy. No more than 5 chips can be cashed for a die roll.

5. HP’s for new level will be rolled at the table – I do not accept the computer’s number. One of the following methods may be used:
a. Roll a new appropriate die, add Con bonus, and add to HP’s. I will match die with you – you get the best.
b. Roll all appropriate dice over. You will always go up by 1+Con bonus.

6. Critical Death – A roll threatens a crit (does not have to be a natural 20 if the crit range is larger than 20). If the following roll is a natural 20 (confirming crit), a 3rd roll is made. If it is also a natural 20, instant death occurs. (beheaded, etc.) This does not apply to things that cannot be critted (undead, constructs, etc.)