Table Rules at FLGS

[Diamond Cross]

Keeping things numbed down is not for the kids. That's just a smokescreen.

I wish I was a kid these days because I never had these kinds of stupid attitudes and special coddling protections when I was a kid and nobody ever treated me in such a fashion. Ever.

 

[wingsandsword]

Keeping things numbed down is not for the kids. That's just a smokescreen.

I wish I was a kid these days because I never had these kinds of stupid attitudes and special coddling protections when I was a kid and nobody ever treated me in such a fashion. Ever.

So, when you were a kid your parents were comfortable with you walking around in stores where the patrons were using racist, sexist and anti-semitic language? When I was 12 or 13 and wanting to try out D&D, if the hobby shop I bought my first gaming books at had a table in the back with people playing a game and the example my parents saw had language like an Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor or George Carlin routine, I would have probably been banned from gaming.

Honestly, sitting around in a FLGS playing a game with the players throwing lots of "R" rated language around would be one very quick way to scare possible newbies away from gaming (including those adults that have higher standards of public behavior and decency that they find gratuitous public cursing offensive) and reflects poorly on the gaming community as a whole.

Would you be comfortable with people standing around in the grocery store, or at a fast food restaurant, or any other public venue talking like that? Many people wouldn't, and a FLGS is a public place. It may feel like your private hangout, but it's still a place of business, and standards of decency should be adhered to.

What people do in private is their own business, but there is a standard of decorum that is perfectly reasonable to expect in public. The OP is being considerate, and the FLGS would be very wise to take up his advice and set it as a future standard for all games in their shop. If the FLGS doesn't want to back him up and allow that language and behavior at their shop, yes it's their choice, but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Diamond Cross]

Never mind

 

[kitsune9]

Long story short: I've been invited to guest DM next week's session of D&D Encounters even though I'm relatively new to the group.

I find some players' table talk distracting from the game and inappropriate (including frequent profanity, as well as sexist, racist, and anti-Semitic slurs, etc.) [Some of this is friendly ribbing between female, African American, and Jewish gamers at the table - but it's still distracting and looks bad to onlookers.)

I'm not a prude at all. However, I think that this reflects poorly on the newly established FLGS, which is trying to court new customers, as well as on the RPG community as a whole. I am not a prude, but I think that when there are families with 8 to 10 year old kids dropping by to look at comic books, toys, etc., that gamers should behave a little better.

Or if nothing else, we should focus on the game so we don't spend 2 hours for a session of encounters.

Show of hands: Would I be within my right as guest DM to ask players to stay focused and to not engage in perpetual bad language? I know that several players at least have complained that the regular DM doesn't put his foot down hard enough.

Retreater

I would agree that there should be a terms of use when using gaming tables. I cannot tell you how much of a turn off it is to go into a FLGS and hear this. I cannot help but think that parents looking for games for their kids and if they go into the store listening to this, well, they go look elsewhere.

Sometimes, it's even kind of embarrassing just listening to some of the "dork" talk (i.e. I mean, really, do we need to get into a heated debate of what Batman's alignment is?)