Give unto me your table rules

[Stormborn]

Roll it on the table, where we can see it (or at least the people around you). Should a die roll off the table or even just hit a book or glass or mini or whatever, roll it again. Good or bad or indifferent.

I don't want any questions about the legitamacy of a roll.

 

[GlassJaw]

The PDF of game rules I use are attached below.

That list made my head hurt!

I guess it depends on who you play with. I've been lucky in the groups I've joined and started - I've never really felt the need to draw up any rules of etiquette.

My big table rules are:

All players must roll when I ask. If you roll and I didn't see it, I don't care. Roll again.
After you roll, do NOT pick up the die. Otherwise you will be asked to roll again.

Stat out things like animal companions, creatures you plan to summon, buff spells that cause complicated stat changes, etc beforehand. That's what the SRD is for. If you don't have it worked out in advance, you can't use it.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

After you roll, do NOT pick up the die. Otherwise you will be asked to roll again.

Heh. Speed-readers never roll a 1!

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Here's a thread with quite a bit of discussion of table rules:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=115318

 

[pogre]

The key rules in my game are tell me what you are doing when you are up in initiative or I am skipping you. If you give another PC advice on tactics - good job, you just used your action for this round (I make exceptions for newer players of course).

 

[jmucchiello]

I'm looking for some suggestions for rules of conduct at the game table. Mainly, I've been seeing sessions devolve into rules arguments and single combats eat up a whole session. Ergo, I want to put together some table rules that will make gameplay smoother and more enjoyable for me and my players.

Are you sure the rules you've chosen will make things more enjoyable for you and your players? I wouldn't play in a game where the DM dropped your 4 rules on the table at the start.

1) Kibitzing is how I have fun. Giving other players suggestions doesn't mean I make their choice for them. If they don't want advice, they can say so. (I also give the DM advice sometimes.)
2) 22 Int Wizards should have protractors for brains, so I (whose Int isn't quite 22) should use one when placing my spells.
3) 6 seconds is a bit draconian. A simple "don't waste time" rule without a specific time limit is friendlier.
4) One should be allowed to voice the existence of difference of opinion when it happens. The argument is the part that should be against the rules. Not the source of the eventual discussion.

YMMV, but remember if the goal is for everyone to have fun, your table rules might need to be less specific.

 

[buzz]

Are you sure the rules you've chosen will make things more enjoyable for you and your players? I wouldn't play in a game where the DM dropped your 4 rules on the table at the start.

The rules are intentionally harsh. I, like any judge, am there to apply them as necessary.

Honestly, though, after going through a number of 3-4 hour sessions playing out only 10-12 rounds of combat, I feel being a stickler is necessary. Mark was a total hard-ass when he was using these rules at the Gameday event I played in, and it made for one of the fastest-moving, most enjoyable high-level games I've played.

As for the 22 Int wizard... maybe. If you can't Take 10 in the heat of combat, I don't see why you should be able to whip your protractor, as it were.

 

[The_Universe]

The rules are intentionally harsh. I, like any judge, am there to apply them as necessary.

Honestly, though, after going through a number of 3-4 hour sessions playing out only 10-12 rounds of combat, I feel being a stickler is necessary. Mark was a total hard-ass when he was using these rules at the Gameday event I played in, and it made for one of the fastest-moving, most enjoyable high-level games I've played.

As for the 22 Int wizard... maybe. If you can't Take 10 in the heat of combat, I don't see why you should be able to whip your protractor, as it were.

Sometimes it just has to be like that. Most table rules (mine included) are developed to counteract specific poor behaviors and/or pet peeves on the parts of the participating players and Game Master/Referee/DM/whatever.

There are great games out there that emphasize almost everything my rules would counteract - but they're not games I want to play. It's sad when expectations need to be codified in order to secure everyone's enjoyment of a game, but it's better than just being grumpy about it and not getting that enjoyment in the first place. I'm with Buzz -he's putting in the effort to solidify expectations. If you can't/won't comply, you're probably not in the right gaming group.

 

[Talic]

I don't have a written set of rules, mostly cause our group doesnt have many issues. But I do have some things I definately encourage. Pretty standard stuff it looks like.

1) Keep OOC game chatter to a minimum durring combat. Some quick suggestions are fine, but I hate it when there's a 5 minute debate over what move a character should make or what spell he should cast on his turn. As a player, I try to refrain from offering much advice to others.
2) Similar to the first, be as quick as possible about decisions. Have your action ready when it's your turn. I don't have a set time limit or anything, and I understand that situations can change quickly in combat, but I will do my best to keep things moving. I give more leeway to caster characters, so long as they use their time between turns wisely. Sometimes you had a spell all picked out and ready to go, but the situation changes completely and a little more time is needed to determine what you can do. Again, as a player, I try to make my decisions as promptly as possible
3) Pay attention. We often play later at nite, and one of our players has a tendency to fall asleep or get distracted when its not his turn, or if there's no combat(he's really not all that interrested in the game, but likes hanging out with the rest of us). His punishment is to be squirted repeatedly with a water bottle. The rule applies to others too, but rarely needs to be enforced.
4) In a weird rules situation, if we can't quickly sort it out by looking it up, I'll make a quick judgement ruling and we can sort it out later. No squabbling over it at the table.

 

[buzz]

It's sad when expectations need to be codified in order to secure everyone's enjoyment of a game, but it's better than just being grumpy about it and not getting that enjoyment in the first place.

Thank you. This is exactly what I'm getting at.

I've played sessions where I go home elated, and I've played (too many) sessions where I go home anywhere from mildly annoyed to incredibly pissed off. I'm really just trying to suss out the behaviors that make a session go one way or the other, and then emphasize the positive.

One option is to simply codify and enforce a set of table rules, but never formally present them to the group. That way I'm not overtly raining on anyone's parade ("Here's everything I think you guys are doing wrong"), but instead covertly guiding people towards what I consider to be a more enjoyable game.

I'll need to mull that over.