Alchohol During A D&D Game?

[MaxKaladin]

I do not allow alcohol in my games. I've never had a good experience with alcohol at a game. I had people who drank in my group in college and it invariably turned into something other than a gaming session as people got more and more drunk. The last time I let people drink at a game, someone ended up getting his sword out (he was going to go to the renaissance faire the following morning) and began swinging it around the room describing how he was going to fight the monsters.

Since then I've been in a couple of games where someone brought a single can of beer for themselves. That wasn't too bad except for the horrible smell. Beer smells rather rancid to me and I could smell it clear across the room from him. It's only been twice over the course of a few years so I have not said anything but if it starts to become a regular thing I will and if it keeps happening I'll quit.

 

[Darmanicus]

I buy the beer every session; the DM'll usually grab one, (sometimes two), as will another player, leaving the rest for me and another friend. So far nobody's complained as it's never interupted the game IIRC.

 

[clark411]

I see at least some of the people I game with a second time a week for drinking, so I prefer to keep the two things separate. We've rarely had issues with drinking, as the "gaming = no alcohol" rule was enforced through our college days and into the present.

I'm in the "one or two drinks are fine" category myself, but I've seen how awry a game can go when one of the members walks in tipsy and proceeds towards smashed as the next two hours progressed. Needless to say, it's detrimental when you start doing things for S+G's rather than because they fit the goals/personality of your character. Campaign can go down in flames if a DM lets it.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

This was never really an issue for me as I, nor almost any of my friends, are really drinkers. I don't drink at all, and most of them do very rarely. It never came up as no one has ever really tried to drink during a game.

However, when I lived in Australia for a while, one of our regular gaming groups had a couple of people who'd drink while playing. The longer the game went on, the more I dreaded being there.

One of the players would get more and more out of character the more he drank. We once played a L5R game (D20), where we were investigating a crime. In this world, you need the word of someone honourable to verify an accusation. Physical evidence means nothing. So, we found a bunch of physical evidence pointing towards one person. Some honourable people said that the person was elsewhere at the time. Their word was law. So, some of us were getting a little frustrated about the situation. That player decided to singlehandedly storm his household, killing all the guards in the way if need be to talk to him directly (his family had denied us an interview). The DM informed him that it was not the way people acted in this world. He said he didn't care, he was doing it anyways. The DM told him he'd die as he couldn't fight that many people singlehandedly. He said he didn't care and would be coming back as the exact same character after he died and trying to attack them again.

This player wouldn't have done any of these things if he hadn't been drinking. It wasn't the first time something like this happened in the later half of the night. It's convinced me that I shouldn't allow drinking at my table, though.

 

[Teflon Billy]

I drink (and allow drinking) at my table without reservation.

I usually stick to Highballs, but often have a box of wine in the fridge for anyone who'd care to partake.

I find it loosens everyone up, allows them (and me) to get more into character than they would otherwise and generally just promotes a more "festive" atmosphere.

Like Akrasia back on page 1, I'd be quite put off by someone "forbidding" me to do much of anything at a gaing table. I'm an adult, and while that comes with many responsibilities, the good side is that it comes with certain priveleges as well

 

[Teflon Billy]

There's a significant difference between these two activities. My drinking doesn't clog up your lungs, stink up your clothes, or irritate your mucous membranes. If someone told me they're markedly uncomfortable with all alcohol use, I'd politely (probably) observe that it's lucky they don't use alcohol, then.

LOL

Nice

 

[Arnwyn]

Like Akrasia back on page 1, I'd be quite put off by someone "forbidding" me to do much of anything at a gaing table.

If/when you're at someone else's home, you can be "quite put off" until you're blue in the face.

 

[Teflon Billy]

If/when you're at someone else's home, you can be "quite put off" until you're blue in the face.

..or, rather than going all blue-faced, I could leave (which is what I was driving at).

And I've seen on myriad occasions throughout the years that without me (the DM) the game doesn't happen.

 

[Akrasia]

I buy the beer every session ....

You wouldn't happen to live in Dublin and be looking for a new player, by any chance?

 

[kenobi65]

Some of the players I've played with over the years have had a beer or two (or a glass or two of wine) during the course of a game session. In those situtations, it never seems to be a problem.

That said, there's one guy whom I've gamed with for 20+ years. He's a *serious* beer drinker -- can easily drink a six-pack in a long session. He used to be our group's primary DM...and was moderately infamous for impared decision-making after a few too many beers (it should be noted that he probably drank even more heavily in those days, too.) Never mean, never violent, rarely rude...just impossible to reason with, sometimes.

While I'll occasionally have a beer while playing, I almost never do while DMing. It's very different for me to be a DM as opposed to a player in a game, and I just don't want to be even a little impaired.