What are your table rules?

[Qlippoth]

I always find it rather sad that people actually need to write these things down for a group.

My experience is that most of these rules exist only in "oral tradition," until a time arises when putting them into print makes them funnier for all involved.

 

[painandgreed]

If you say it, your character says it. If you make a joke about how fat an NPC is, your character makes a joke about how fat the NPC is, even if it is the king and doing so while in front of him as the character happens to be would be considered suicide. Real world commands such as 'pass me that book' or 'get me a coke' are excluded.

 

[Oryan77]

A. Food – Please plan on eating before or after the game, and refraining during the game.

D. Drugs – Drug use is your business, as long as it doesn’t have a significant negative impact on the game. If you’ve got good stuff and are willing to share, feel free to ask around. (You did bring enough for the whole class, right?)

So far it hasn't been much of an issue; actually, without the distraction of food people are concentrating more on the game.

Players aren't allowed to eat a cheeseburger at your table because it's a distraction but they can roll up a joint or hit the bong? It's funny to see the limits drug users put on everyday customs but are open minded about their drugs. My buddy doesn't take medicine (not even asparine) cause he doesn't want to put in his system, but he'll smoke pot all day. He also stopped eating pork because the bible says it's bad for you, but he smokes cigs and weed. *shakes head*

 

[Breakdaddy]

Only good looking ninjas with strong chins are allowed in my game.

 

[nopantsyet]

Hmmm...Interesting question. We don't have any codified rules in my current group.

I suppose some groups in past lives have had a few, usually around scheduling and rule adjudication. But I've found as the average age of the group has gone up, the need for rules has gone down. We are a group of adults who choose to sit down and play a game on a regular basis, despite the thwarting influences of real life. We just want to game and have fun. It's like any other activity. Either you act like an adult and respect your peers or you don't. We're beyond having to deal with behavioral issues, and I do not see myself ever gaming with a group that did.

If anything, this thread reminds me how pleasant that is. May everyone find gaming in adulthood as gratifying and stress-free.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Only good looking ninjas with strong chins are allowed in my game.

I'm liking this rule. Thanks.

Just to clarify, does it refer to players or their characters? Either way is good, I guess.

 

[Dark Dragon]

These rules apply when I'm DMing:

1. Rule 0 is the only rule, the rest are guidelines.

2. The DM's word is law (unless a player comes up with a better interpretation of the "rules" within a few seconds).

3. Leave an actual character sheet with the DM (depends on the group). If the sheet is not up to date - bad luck, the old version is used instead (possibly with less magic items, lower saves,...).

4. A player has 27 seconds to decide what to do in his turn (we're using a sand glass), when time is out, the PC delayed until his next turn. If you have a rules question, check the books during the turns of the other players before asking.

5. Don't peek behind the DM's screen, doing so may cause trouble for your character!

6. Don't mention DSA during D&D play. Doing so is heresy!

7. Extra food is always welcome!

 

[painandgreed]

A rule we use that I haven't seen listed here is: "No player is allowed to read the Monster Manual (or similar book) at the table"

Basically, if you don't know what a creature can do, your character will find out the hard way.

I have a similar rule, but haven't really enforced it lately, which is you can't refer to the game books during play unless you have the appropriate knowledge skill. Some games I play in allow various knowledge rolls and if they make them, then the player gets to read the entry in the MM. I use this rule alot in the White Wolf games. No Vampire Lore, then you can't look things up in the rule books during game play. If you have it, then you can but which books you can look at are determined by your level. It worked better in 2nd ed. than Rev. Vampire Lore 1 and you could refer to the base rule book without asking. Two dots was the Player's Guide. Three dots was the Sabbat Player's Guide. Four and higher and you specialized and could pick which books you had for each dot afterwards. THis was mostly to speed up the game because players were always slowing it down by looking things up in the middle of combat. It also preserved some of the flavor.

 

[Breakdaddy]

I'm liking this rule. Thanks.

Just to clarify, does it refer to players or their characters? Either way is good, I guess.

The players must be good-looking and have a pronounced chin. The characters may fill the Ninja requirement if tha player is lacking in this area. You know the old saying, "Where is a ninja when you need one??!!". Right here, ma'am, right here.
It also helps if a film crew in need of 6-8 ninjas (not all of my players attend every game ) is in the area.

 

[Blue_Kryptonite]

We're pretty informal (Core group is Me, my wife, our two teenaged sons, our best friends, and one day, their son when he's old enough, usually between 8 and 10), but a lot of these serve as a framework to illustrate the way we play.

I. Attendance

Sometimes, people can't show up, stuff happens at the last minute, particularly when you game with people with small children or who work in carry-a-pager-and-cell-phone jobs. If people can't make it, we'll play a one-shot of something else.

2. Characters – Please have an updated character sheet available to the DM. If possible, your character will be removed from the current action – and removed from danger – but will receive no XP. If that’s not possible, your character will be played by the group, with the DM as final arbiter. The character will be at risk, and will earn one-half normal XP.

I usually design our sheets with campaign-specific imagery and layout, so I always have a copy on my hard drive. No biggie to print it out.

3. If two players are absent, the game will be cancelled. It’s the responsibility of the second canceling player to notify the other players by phone and email that the game is cancelled.

B. Punctuality

See above.

2. Carrot and Stick – The first player to arrive on time (other than the host) will receive a 50 XP per level bonus. The last player to arrive, if late, will receive a 50 XP per level penalty. In both cases, people who arrive together will split the award or penalty.

I don't use XP, more or less. We discuss how much progress characters have mde in the adventure, and where everyone feels comfortable, and assign a "percent of level" instead. My group is all currently at 30 percent of the next level after our last session.

II. Comestibles
A. Food

We cook dinner for the group, and everyone brings snacks to share.

B. Drinks – All drinks are fine.

No alcohol. I don't remain friends with people who use it in RL.

C. Cigarettes – Please smoke only outdoors.
D. Drugs – Drug use is your business, as long as it doesn’t have a significant negative impact on the game. If you’ve got good stuff and are willing to share, feel free to ask around. (You did bring enough for the whole class, right?)

No tobacco. I don't remain friends with people who use it in RL.

Show me drugs? I'm calling 911. You will be arrested if you don't catch me calling. I will press charges.

III. Etiquette
A. Dice – Any die rolled off the table doesn’t count and will be re-rolled. Any die that is even questionably cocked will be re-rolled.

Same here, except if I can kinda read a cocked die, close enough.

B. Laptops – Please no laptops at the table, except for the DM. PDAs or tablet PCs are fine.

No problem there, just when we're (by group consensus) gaming instead of chatting (see below), try to use some of your attention on the game.

C. Out of Character Comments – Because we’re all friends and like to socialize, it’s would be counter-productive to ban OOC chatter. But try to keep it under control.

See above for group composition. The game flows in and out of the time spent. We tend to get a 50/50 mix of gaming and other stuff.

D. Time – Players should begin definite actions for their characters within 15 seconds after the character comes up in the Initiative Order. If not, the character will be assumed to be delaying. Some allowance will be made for players with less familiarity with the rules.

We only use the rules as a suggestion... what's more cool and cionematic and dramatic counts more than the actual role. Dice rolls are usually counted High/Low as Pass/Fail, unless its a 20 or a 1.

E. Advice – Out of Character advice on tactics should only be given if solicited.

Meh. Not for us. Peanut Gallerying and Armchair Quarterbacking is frequent.

F. Metagaming – Metagaming is rude and reduces the fun for everyone. Eliminating it completely is impossible, but limit it as much as possible.

I don't think I understand the term, never have. If you're playing a game, how can you metagame? Its like people who complain about comics or movies... Its just the way it works there, rules of the world.

IV. Projects for Players
A. Background – A good character background or introduction (typically one or two pages, from an In Character perspective, or in short story form) earns the writer a one-time-per-character 200 XP bonus.

Meh. Backgrounds evolve spontaneously in story-based play. The more they give me, the more they know I can't give them later as part of a good story slot.

B. Logging – Writing a detailed log of a session (typically one to two pages, from an In Character perspective) earns the writer a 50 XP per level bonus. Only one log per session is needed; if two or more players want to log, they can rotate sessions.

Again, too much effort. We're not writiing novels. Everyone can discuss details from years ago anyway, and if we don't remember, we come up with something that plausibly could have happened and move on.

C. Creating – Designing a detailed NPC, location, magic item, spell or something similar (typically a page or so) will earn a bonus of 25 to 50 XP per level, if useable by the DM, and depending on how useful it is. This is limited to once per player per session.

Erm. Wow. No thanks. We all add to the setting and flow of the sotry as we go.

V. Disputes
A. Rules Disputes

See above. Rules are mostly window dressing, but someone can always look up how it was supposed to have been done, if anyone cares. No one usually does.

3. Sicilian Clause – If death is on the line, the DM will almost always be more lenient with both rules above.

There's thee xception. We don't have random deaths, any more than your favourite weekly TV series does. Character deaths are planned in advance, and are meaningful and dramatic.

B. In Character Disputes – Please be very clear when an argument or dispute is between characters. A dispute between characters should never be taken personally by the players, and all players involved need to take every step to be sure it is not.

Good drama, and all involved have been on one end or another of changing the other's diapers.

C. Out of Character Disputes – We have very rarely had these. If one arises, immediately put it aside until after the game. Period. Then, preferably, grab a mediator to talk things out.

Its never come up.

-Doc Anom

Edit: Forgot one so basic its not on my mind.

No one is to mark on my battlemat with anything other than a pen I have handed them.

Ours: No miniatures. EVER. No counters. Nuh-uh. If we want to play HeroClix, we'll play HeroClix.