Bottle of wine and im schtill sober *hic*

[Ringlerun]

I think a little bit of back story is needed for this post.

I started playing with a new group 6 weeks ago. So to the group i am the outsider. Now all members of the group like to have a few drinks during play. This i have no issue with.

As a note i have to drive 40min to get to the GM's house so no drinking for me. I think everyone else lives within walking distance.

The gaming venue is the GM's house. Everyone gets a nice comfy chair or a place on the couch and the GM sits behind the Bar. Yes they have a fully stocked bar in the lounge. "I am kind of jealous of that".

The GM's duties not only include running the game but pouring beer and cocktail making. "I am really jealous of the bar its got beer on tap".

Now here comes my conundrum the GM likes a drink too and goes through a bottle of wine or 2 by the end of the session and gets completely hammered. I seriously don't think he can see the dice number by the end of the night.

So far the game itself has been great. Its a homebrewed pun not intended 2nd edition Ad&d. At the beginning the GM was getting tipsy by the end of the game session and all was well. Now he is nearly blind drunk.

At the moment the game is not suffering and no one else at the table seems to mind as they are all good friends. Also i need to stress thats its a good group, really friendly great atmosphere and they have welcomed me into the group without any qualms.

Because of this i dont know what to do. I dont want to bail on the game and the group. Being the outsider im not sure i have any right to bring up the use / misuse of alcohol on the GM's part. And i cant help thinking im just being a baby and i should suck it up and shut my mouth. But i have got a gut feeling that its going to become an issue later on so im looking for any advice about what i should do.

 

[amethal]

It doesn't seem to be affecting the game (at least not yet) so I'm not sure what the problem is.

If you are concerned about the DMs health / lifestyle choices, then since you don't know the group that well, and are a guest in the DMs house, I would suggest you keep it to yourself - at least until you have known everbody for a longer period of time.

However, how much is he drinking? A bottle of wine over the course of the evening doesn't have any significant impact on my DMing ability, but two bottles certainly would (although not to the extent that I couldn't read the dice).

Maybe you could leave before the end of each session (citing the drive home as the reason) thereby avoiding the time when the DM is too drunk?

Or if the game starts to suffer, point out to the DM that the second bottle seems to be impairing his DMing skills (assuming it does).

 

[Dioltach]

As long as things are going fine, and as long as you're enjoying yourself, I'd let it go. People play D&D to have fun, to socialise and to unwind. If you start telling people how to have fun, they might resent that.

I've been on the other side a few times: DMing while having a few (ahum) drinks. I found that things got very messy. Luckily I don't think the game suffered too much.

Around the same time we started gaming at other people's homes, which mostly meant driving at least half an hour. So I generally volunteer to drive whoever lives nearby, which guarantees that I stay sober during the game. If I'm not driving, I make sure that I'm drinking something like red wine that I don't chug back like I do rose or white wine.

So like I said, let it go for now. If it becomes a problem in the future, address it then. You might find the rest of the group more willing to support you if the DM's drinking has actually interfered with their fun.

 

[Pbartender]

Allow me to distill (HAH!) your post down to two salient points...

Now all members of the group like to have a few drinks during play. This i have no issue with....

...As a note i have to drive 40min to get to the GM's house so no drinking for me.

So far the game itself has been great...

...At the moment the game is not suffering and no one else at the table seems to mind as they are all good friends. Also i need to stress thats its a good group, really friendly great atmosphere and they have welcomed me into the group without any qualms.

To which I answer... Lucky you. You found a great game, with great people. They you, you like them, and you like the game. Run with it.

And if you are so inclined, just ask the DM if he'd mind you crashing on his couch overnight so you can join in with the quaffing now and again, or indulge only moderately and stop drinking with enough lead time to let you drive home safely.**

If the game does start to suffer or if they get pushy about you not drinking for safety's sake (or any other reason, for that matter), come back and talk to us then.




**My wife and I host a game at my house, we often drink, and most of my players have a 20-40 minute drive to get here. They all make certain they are sober by the end of the night, and we've made it clear none of them are to drive if they aren't.

 

[Spatula]

If the game didn't suffer... what's the issue? How is it going to be an issue later on? I feel like I am missing something.

 

[Oryan77]

Keep in mind, when you are not drinking, the people around you who are drinking become annoying to be around. If you are drinking, the people around you who are drinking become a lot more fun to be around.

You sound like a guy that enjoys a drink. I understand drinking & driving is bad, but is your game so short that you can't at least have a beer early on and then give yourself time to sober up before you leave?

I drive an hour to get to my game and I'll have 2 or 3 beers while I'm there. Just be responsible about it and know when to stop. Do you not even drink a beer when you go to a ballgame or some similar event?

It's the guys that drink a 6 pack right before it is time to leave that you need to worry about on the roads.

BTW, I'm not trying to encourage you to drink. But you're complaining about a good group for a pretty minor thing (if I understand, the game is not affected). It sounds like you are feeling left out and you may just need to relax/unwind with the rest of the guys.

 

[the Jester]

If it's not affecting the game, it's not a problem.

You say you fear that it will become an issue later- how long has this guy been dming this group successfully? If the answer is "a long time," I'd say you have nothing to worry about.

Speaking as the dm of a group that indulges in drink & smoke prolifically while we're gaming.

 

[saskganesh]

As others have said, it's only a problem if it affects the game.

My group drinks. The biggest problem is frequency of pee and smoke breaks.

 

[kitsune9]

I don't drink and I'm really aversive to alcohol. But I don't have problems with people who do. However, it's just one of those pet peeves of mine that drinking and gaming doesn't mix. I usually quit a game if I see people get snookered. Every game I've played where people got drunk has ended with a game being a major suckfest. But that's just me, I know that other gamers don't have a problem with it, or it helps their gaming, or they need to drink just to endure the DM's crappy job p)etc. To each their own.

 

[S'mon]

Because of this i dont know what to do.

Maybe have a half pint or a lager shandy at the start of the session? Have it with a sandwich and it surely couldn't hurt.

I have to really watch my beer intake when GMing. We always play in pubs and I've occasionally had a player poke fun at me when I get a little the worse for wear. And 4e D&D is not easy to GM after the third pint!