Drinking at the gaming table...hmmm....
[rambling] I know an awful lot of people who can not hold their liquor and while it might be amusing to watch drunk D&D once, I'd certainly not want to play in a group like that. I don't drink often, and I can't ever imagine wanting to during D&D , when I want to be in focus. I'd be concerned about someone whose dependence on drinking was such that they needed liquor at the gaming table to relax or have fun. Of course, there are those who might argue that I have a dependence on diet coke which I drink while gaming. And there are those who might have a beer during games because it tastes good. But if they drink so much and so often that they can kick back 3 or 4 beers during a gaming session and not be affected (i.e.. it's the same as soda to them) ; then I'd still be concerned as to how they'd built up such a tolerance. I know big guys can handle a lot more alcohol than me , but still. I'd be concerned. Played in a game last week where one of the guys who never drinks had a beer and I could kind of tell he was getting more "silly" as the night went on. Made it really annoying to play with him. But I guess if drinking & D&D are your groups thing, then it's your call. But if it's only one person and they are disrupting the game, it's time to intervene.
Perhaps I am biased against cell phones. I am one of those people who gets seriously aggravated at people who feel the need to chat on their cell phone everywhere they are, esp.. on public transportation or when they are with a group of people. I've ridden on trains next to people who talked the whole way and it drives me nuts. I recall once going out to dinner with a friend and having her chat on her cell phone 2/3 of the night to her boyfriend while I just sat there. MojoGM once drove 2 hours with a guy who made him turn down the radio while he talked on his cell phone so he had to just drive 2 hours listening to this guy chat. (I'd seriously have considered leaving the guy at the nearest train station). If I were gaming with someone and he or she decided that was the perfect time to chat with their significant other or conduct extensive business via phone, I'd leave the group. Maybe I'm flawed or something , but I just can't stand it. Luckily most people I know and game with agree and turn their phones off or set to vibrate mode during the game. And I don't have a problem with brief necessary conversations (i.e.. Running late and letting someone know etc.). But just chatting? It can wait. Text messages are a little better, but really, there's no need during the game (unless it's an emergency).
Likewise, I can't stand people who blow off their friends because of a new (or long term) boyfriend/girlfriend. If your significant other demands that much time from you, then perhaps you should consider not gaming for a while. I can see if occasionally things come up (i.e. emergencies or scheduled events) where you might have to skip a game, but if it's frequent, that's not fair to the other players. For instance on what would have been our next game, MojoGM and I have to go to my cousins wedding. We let everyone know in advance and rescheduled. Maybe it's different for us because our significant other is in the gaming group (2 of the gaming groups anyway). But he is involved with another group that I am not in and I can't ever imagine having a problem with him spending one day every other weekend away from me. Likewise , if I joined a group he was not involved in, he would not have a problem with it either. I personally could not be with someone who did not respect my friends or my hobbies. But that's just me.
I hope I don't sound too cantankerous...I just can't stand a lack of common courtesy and I fear that in these days of cell phones and other such technology that allows constant communication that many people tend to forget that not everyone wants to hear their personal phone calls. I also have been involved with people who have had drinking problems and I worry about folks who drink liquor like it's soda or water. And I think there should be a special ring of hell reserved for people who blow off their friends because of a new relationship. It's one thing to spend less time; or to simply grow apart, but I have had several "friends" in my life ditch me completely after finding a significant other and it's one of the very few things that will truly get me angry and that I have hard time forgiving. But that's just me.
I think having a Rules of Conduct is fine if it gets to the point where you need one. Again, luckily for me, no one in my "main" group does any of these things, and my significant other is in the groups I'm in.
[/rambling]
Ok. I'm done
