Table rules and conventions

I'm sure that I've seen a thread on this before but I couldn't find it for the life of me.

Does your group have a list of table conventions and rules, either written or unwritten that you all abide by. Things such as:

- Everyone brings a snack or a drink for everyone to share (or everyone bring their own food to eat!)
- No rules-laywering (with a system in place to solve rule disputes such as, if the person can not find a relevant rule in 5 minutes or less, the DM just makes a decision and further discussion is left until after the game)
- No trying to play other people's characters (i.e. let people decide for themselves what they want their character to do)
- Unless specified otherwise, everything you say is assumed to be in character
- Everyone chips in towards the cost of pizza (except for the DM!)
- All player rolls must be made in the open
- If the die comes to rest against a book/cup/whatever so that it is not flat, roll the die again
- If a player is missing from a session his character magically disappears/is played by the DM/is played by another PC
- If a player is missing from a session he receives full/half/no experience for the session
- When a character dies/a new character is brought into the campaign s/he starts at a level below/equal to the lowest level character, etc (many different options to choose from for this one)
- If more than x people are not able to attend a session it is cancelled/another game/campaign is played instead
- If a mistake was made by the DM and more than a round passes before it is realised the mistake stands
- Core rules only/WotC products only/Anything outside of the core rules (PrC, magic items, races, etc.) must get the Dm's ok before it can be used/Free for all!
- All actions must be declared within 30 seconds of your turn coming up otherwise you do nothing this round
- Only the DM may have access to the DMG and the MM at the table

These are not necessarily the table rules and conventions that I use or have encountered, it is just what I have thought of as examples. So what sorts of table rules and conventions does your group have?

Olaf the Stout

These table rules and conventions I'm talking about are just for your normal, everyday, private gaming group, not convention rules or anything like that. I accidently gave it the GenCon category title instead of the General title. Doh!

No-one's group has any sort of formal or informal table rules or conventions? Am I just a freak? (Well I think that that's a story for another day!)

I thought of a couple more:

- All search, spot, move silently rolls are made in secret by the DM
- At the end of each session everybody secretly votes for a person to get extra xp for good roleplaying, teamwork, etc.,

So does else have anything to add?

Olaf the Stout

Olaf the Stout said:

...what sorts of table rules and conventions does your group have?

Click to expand...

Text in white are specifically stated in my group.
Text in pink are implied, unwritten, or decided on a session-by-session basis.
Text in red are not used in my group.

- Everyone brings a snack or a drink for everyone to share (or everyone bring their own food to eat!)
- No rules-laywering (with a system in place to solve rule disputes such as, if the person can not find a relevant rule in 5 minutes or less, the DM just makes a decision and further discussion is left until after the game)
- No trying to play other people's characters (i.e. let people decide for themselves what they want their character to do)
- Unless specified otherwise, everything you say is assumed to be in character
- Everyone chips in towards the cost of pizza (except for the DM!)
- All player rolls must be made in the open
- If the die comes to rest against a book/cup/whatever so that it is not flat, roll the die again
- If a player is missing from a session his character magically disappears/is played by the DM/is played by another PC
- If a player is missing from a session he receives full/half/no experience for the session
- When a character dies/a new character is brought into the campaign s/he starts at a level below/equal to the lowest level character, etc (many different options to choose from for this one)
- If more than 1 person is not able to attend a session it is cancelled/another game/campaign is played instead
- If a mistake was made by the DM and more than a round passes before it is realised the mistake stands
- Core rules only/WotC products only/Anything outside of the core rules (PrC, magic items, races, etc.) must get the Dm's ok before it can be used/Free for all!
- All actions must be declared within 30 seconds of your turn coming up otherwise you do nothing this round
- Only the DM may have access to the DMG and the MM at the table
- All search, spot, move silently rolls are made in secret by the DM
- At the end of each session everybody secretly votes for a person to get extra xp for good roleplaying, teamwork, etc.,

Most of our stated rules apply to things outside the game, like "don't bring your kids unless your spouse is coming to watch them" (which we are in the process of changing to simply "don't bring your kids")...

ironregime

Well heres a couple to help combat flow a lot better.

1: During combat, you may only offer advice to another character when it is YOUR turn, and in the form of instructions shouted from you character to the other.

It makes a world of difference to how quickly combats go, as it eliminates this:

"I cast sleep at these two guys"
"this one's lost lots of hitpoints already...fire it over here at this guy instead"
"Look, you range is what?" (counts squares) "you could do this guy"
etc etc

So instead you can have "I take a swing at the Troll, and holler to Muglug the Mage 'Hey, aim something at the leader!' " The rest is up to Muglug when its his turn.

Two caveats with this rule: A. We don't enforce it too hard if there's new players. Sometimes the rookies need a bit of hand holding. B. You may rehash the battle OOC afterwards if the players want to. There IS a metagame aspect to this game, no point denying it, and a bit of a rehash can let them learn from thir mistakes.

ANother rule that I like personally is this:

2: If you don't know how it works by the time your turn comes up, you can't do it. Or at least have your book already open to the pertinent page.

Don't tell the DM you're going to grapple and then grab your PHB to figure out how grappling works, because we're in the middle of a combat and now we're putting it on hold for you. This applies to spellcasting too. (*rant* The SRD is free, folks. A little creative cutting and pasting and you have your own spellbbok or your own spell cards...no need to flip thru the PHB anymore. *end rant*)

Only other regular house rule that hasn't been mentioned is the way our group does Hit points at level up. When you roll your hit dice and aren't happy with the result, you may roll a second time...but if you do, you have to accept the second one. Variation: Both the player and the DM roll hit die, with the DMs hidden behind his hand. Player can choose one or the other, but if he chooses the DMs roll, he has to accept it.

Thats about it.

Trev

ironregime said:

(snip)

Most of our stated rules apply to things outside the game, like "don't bring your kids unless your spouse is coming to watch them" (which we are in the process of changing to simply "don't bring your kids")...

ironregime

Click to expand...

Iron Regime, what other rules do you have in place like this. I ask because I am starting up a campaign with a group that will have new players in it and I want to state things up if possible so that everyone knows where they stand on issues like this which are often unspoken or implicit rules or conventions.

Olaf the Stout

I wrote, but never actually handed out (or even printed), a document along these lines a while back, after both my groups had managed to piss me off in the same week. Unfortunately I lost it to a hard drive crash along with a ton of other stuff, so I can't just paste it in here. Most of it is basic, don't-be-a-nickname-for-people-named-Richard stuff, but some is specific to our group. One reason I did not ever actually hand it out is that it's full of little digs at current and former players (the worst ones at a former one everyone would pretty much agree deserved them, but stilll) - I didn't feel that was appropriate conduct on my part.

Here's the short versions of as much of it as I can remember offhand.

(Incidentally, to whoever takes care of such things - the List button above DOESN'T WORK, and as far as I can tell, never has.)

GENERAL HOUSE RULES
* Smoking is strictly forbidden. Even heavy smokers who don't currently have anything lit up can be a serious problem. As far as I know that goes for more than just tobacco (I personally have no issues with pot but I think the person who owns the house does).
* Alcoholic drinks are acceptable, but anything remotely resembling drinking to excess is not. Hard drugs are right out, not that it's ever actually come up.
* We're not the best housekeepers in the world, but I for one draw a fairly sharp distinction between "cluttered" (which rarely bothers me) and "dirty" (which rarely fails to). Do not leave dirty dishes, used napkins, etc etc in the gaming area. The rule of thumb is, if you can concieve of mold growing on it under reasonably normal circumstances, get rid of it as soon as possible. If in doubt, clean it up.
* We have cats. If that bothers you, whether for medical, psychological or aesthetic reasons, this may not be the game for you.
* Non-gaming guests (surprisingly common, even though I can't fathom why anyone would want to WATCH people play D&D) are expected to be quiet and non-disruptive. It is very helpful if they bring an activity of their own to do, provided it meets the "quiet and non-disruptive" requirement. Brenna's artwork from the last time she was here is a perfect example of the sort of thing they should bring (and had the added advantage of being cool and vaguely on-theme).
* We're well insulated and in a stand-alone house. Noise is rarely an issue. Even if someone's trying to sleep upstairs, you can pretty much get away with murder on that front.

ATTENDANCE
* You're expected to be at every session if reasonably possible. Work, school and OCCASIONALLY other things such as relationship issues can take priority, but in general, we try to set the bar pretty high for what counts as sufficient reason to miss a session.
* If you can't make it, let me know at least 48 hours ahead of time if at all possible. Whenever feasible, call me AND e-mail our Yahoo group so others are aware of the situation.
* Multiple unexplained absences in a short period can get you booted, ESPECIALLY if you express surprise that there was a game and/or that I expect a good reason why you weren't there.

PUNCTUALITY
* I don't care if you're late, as long as it's by less than, say, an hour. Please stop bothering me about being ten minutes late when you know very well that we won't have started by then anyway.

QUORUM
* If anyone is missing (four-person Eberron group) / two or more people are missing (seven-person Mystara group), we don't play - assuming I find out at a reasonable time. I reserve the right to push ahead without you if I only find out we'll be shorthanded at the last minute, or even moreso, in the case of an unexplained no-show.

THE LIST
* You are expected to be as up to date as possible with what is happening on the relevant Yahoo group, especially little things like, oh, whether or not there's a game. Try to check it at least three times a week, one of which should be right before you leave for the game if at all possible. Being at the university is NOT sufficient reason to claim this wasn't possible, there are usable computers all over the place.
* When I ask who is able to make it to the game, I expect replies. From everyone. Including you. In my experience, policies like "I'll let you know if there's a problem, no news is good news" don't work, at least over the long haul - from my point of view that's indistinguishable from "who knows whether I'll show up" or even "the game isn't even on my radar this week", and the first turns into the second and that in turn becomes the third all too easily.

THE ACTUAL GAME
* Try to pay attention and, in particular, know what is going on and what you are planning to do when your turn comes up in combat. I don't expect everyone's rapt attention at all times (which would probably creep me out anyway) but I don't expect to have to recap everything that's happened since your last turn every time I call your name either.
* Reading that isn't of direct and immediate relevance to the current game session is strongly discouraged, as is doing anything non-game-related with your laptop or palmtop. Naturally, this rule is relaxed considerably during "talky" scenes that your character isn't present for. Even then, though, if you're doing something like playing a computer game, you MUST do it with the sound off or with headphones, which should be on ONE ear.
* Turn off your cell unless you're expecting an important call.
* Non-game-related conversations should be rare, quiet and NEVER be held "across" people who are doing something game-related.
* Try to keep anachronisms to a minimum. I can cut people some slack since I do it too occasionally, but a constant stream of them just wrecks SOD.
* We are definitely not one of those "if you say it, your character does" groups - I think that is completely ridiculous, and doubt very much that the groups that claim to use such a rule actually follow it consistently - but when you can reasonably be interpreted as speaking in character, try to at least give a nod in the direction of describing things in terms your CHARACTER would understand. (I.E. talk about injuries and fatigue rather than hit points and spell slots, unless it's obvious you're NOT speaking in character).
* Nature calls once in a while and that's fine, but do not leave the table right before your turn in combat if at all possible. That's inconsiderate of everyone who is left waiting for you. In this and similar situations, I reserve (but very rarely actually invoke) the right to make your decision for you, or allow a player or vote among the players to determine it.

RULE DISPUTES
* "The GM is always right" is a complete line of crap. This one goofs up all the time, even on rules he WROTE. Thus, if you think you notice something fishy, PLEASE bring it to my attention.
* When doing so, bear in mind that insulting me, or excessive beligerence of any kind, will naturally make me LESS inclined to rule in your favour and will probably upset your fellow players - possibly to the point of asking me to boot you - largely independantly of who is actually right. (This is not a rule of mine, it's simply a reminder of a basic fact about human nature.) They are also just not very effective ways of making your point. Basic internal consistency also helps - if you preferred rule X to rule Y last week, I am unlikely to look kindly on it if you now prefer rule Y (now that you've been on the recieving end of rule X).
* Try not to tie up excessive time on rules disputes. In particular, do not continue to pursue complaints after I have already overruled you, unless you have good reason to believe I misunderstood you. (The mere fact that I dared to disagree with you is NOT a good reason.)
* I will give my reasons for ruling one way rather than another if so moved; I will also usually give them if asked, but do not assume this is an absolute entitlement. (Generally, in the rare cases where I refuse the reason will be that revealing the answer would be a plot spoiler. I may or may not TELL you that it would be a plot spoiler, since that can itself be a plot spoiler.)
* I sometimes resolve such situations by making up a simple rule on the spot, often a single die roll with whatever (not necessarily equal) probabilities seem to make the most sense to me. Feel free to suggest such a rule; do not feel free to unilaterally make one up and expect me to be bound by it!
* If you must continue to hound me about a ruling, do it after the game at the soonest. Much better is to wait a couple of days, which allows tempers to cool and - among other things - forces you to do the "does it still seem worth bothering with?" test.

Interestingly, in middle and high school, we never needed table rules. When I started gaming as an adult, they were indispensible. I started my first 3E game without them and the players drove me insane. Up until this past spring, they were extremely important and we could not play without them. They were a constant topic of conversation. We updated them often and ironed out loopholes, etc. Generally, we treated them like the US Constitution. They covered every possible circumstance by the beginning of 2005.

Then, I had my player problems. Despite the table rules, the behavior of my players (who had contributed many of the rules and helped modify our codes of conduct) became increasingly bizarre. The maturity level sunk to amazing levels. People were rude and inconsiderate and most of the players thought it was funny. I stopped running the game for six weeks back in the spring. It had just become more like work... I am a teacher. My students are more well behaved on a daily basis than my players were.

A year ago this month, my group consisted of 8 players and myself. My group now consists of 7 players and myself. Only 2 of those players were in my group a year ago. We have not had a need for table rules since about May. That was when 2 of my pre-hiatus players quit. We have managed to be nice to each other, share food providing, stay on topic and get a good bit accomplished in the game without any thought to table rules.

What is the difference? Everybody is there to have a good time gaming. We are all within a fairly narrow age range (my pre-hiatus group age range was 20 years, the age range now is 10). We love gaming, but nobody is treating it as a job or being so serious about the game that it scares everybody else (we had a couple of players who were WAY too into it before). At the same time, we only have one player who is a bit too casual at sessions (out of game humor is a bit too prevalent from him), but he is only there about every other session and he settles down when he needs to. We are all friends now and enjoy each other's company (not necessarily true before).

I am not sure what conclusions can be drawn from this, but I have found that gaming with people who are on the same wavelength about gaming reduces the need for table conventions. A document to fall back on that establishes what the group normally does is helpful for new players or unforeseen circumstances though.

DM

I actually have a sheet of table rules. These includes "characters with no player present don't get XP unless they're played by other players with the accord of the usual player: 50% XP. Everything no addressed directly to the DM is assumed to be said by the character. Phone a few hours before if you're not coming to the session." Etc.

Things like that. This helps a lot, because it makes things clear for everyone.

wolf70 said:

Then, I had my player problems. Despite the table rules, the behavior of my players (who had contributed many of the rules and helped modify our codes of conduct) became increasingly bizarre. The maturity level sunk to amazing levels. People were rude and inconsiderate and most of the players thought it was funny.

Click to expand...

I'm curious, wolf70, was this because of the "Table Rules", or in spite of them?

The only time I've seen games degenerate because of table rules is when the rules are designed to facilitate a gamestyle that not everyone likes. (usually by an overzealous DM) There's a big difference between a "You must always talk in character" rule and a "no talking when its not your turn" rule. One tries to force a gamestyle, the other just makes tha game run smoother.

I'm curious of the nature of the rules you came up with and why it affected your group the way it did.

Trev

I started a thread about this a while back in an effort to develop my own set of rules. I'd like to think that implementing them in my current game has helped speed things up a bit, or at least helped us focus on the fun and not the dithering.

Buzz's Table Rules v1.0

0. Have fun. That's the whole reason we're here. If you're not having fun, speak up so we can do something about it.

1. The DM is in charge; what he says goes. Quickly pointing out a rule if you know it is fine, but if you want to argue a ruling at length, save it for email. Deal and move on.

2. Run *your* character, not everyone else's. OOC advice should be given only if asked for. "Character by committee" is simply no longer allowed. This rule can be bent somewhat for people still learning the rules.

3. When your PC's initiative comes up, either be ready to go in a reasonable amount of time or your PC will be treated as delaying. Use the time between your turns to make your plans and pay attention to what's going on. When your turn is over, we're moving on. If you forgot about a bonus or a special ability you could have used, get it ready for next round.

4. Pay attention to the game. Don't talk over other players or the DM, and don't talk about movies or TV when other people are trying to play. If you need a break, let us know and we can take a break.

5. Minimize the metagaming. Don't fiddle with the placement of your area-effect spells for twenty minutes or plan out "just the right path" of squares for your movement. Adhere to the rule of WWMCD? ("What would my character do?")