I am a bit thick and slow. I just realised that Paul's OP was also asking about "inspirational, time saving and clever ideas that some of you must have assembled over the years of gaming." Not just the game table stuff. Ronin brought in the Geek $ Jar thing, what else...?

Apart from lame-arsed stuff like doing horror games by candlelight (set my character sheet on fire once!) the only thing coming to mind for me is seating arrangements. I find the quiet players tend to sit right next to the GM, and the noisy players opposite. Actually if you want everyone to participate as much as they're comfortable with, it should be the other way around - as the GM speaks, they naturally look forwards rather than to one side, and by looking at someone you encourage their participation. Put the quiet players opposite the GM, and they speak up more often. That's what I've found.

I dunno, maybe that's obvious to others, but it's soemthing that's made a difference to my game sessions.

That's how we do it actually Kyle, and I like the "Geek Jar" idea. We may use a spin off/off shoot of this.

Quote from: Kyle AaronMcMurray, that's an excellent idea to build up the funds for a gaming room. I can't do that myself, as I've not the space for a dedicated gaming room. And also it would commit me to playing with the same guys for years on end, I like to circulate gamers around a bit

We've been gaming as a group for a loooong time. Me and a couple of the guys go back ten years, and would go back farther but that's when we met. Houses have changed, and we've gotten new people added, but the group itself remains.

I'm really lucky to haev a long term group like that, and it's one of the big factors that make me shy away from moving every time my wife and I talk about running away to Colorado.

Quote from: Kyle AaronI take it that you made it all explicit? Not just a hint or suggestion, but, "guys, from now on rather than arranging our own munchies, I think it'd be good for us to have a Geek Money Jar, put in five bucks each, and I'll organise all the food and drink from that." And then get their agreement?

If you just mumble something vague about everyone contributing, then it's all luck - you might get some guy who chucks twenty in every time, and then some other guy who always has a pre-game piss just at that time, or who mumbles something about being broke because he bought the entire set of Super Duper Dude comics today. You have to be specific, "we will pay X dollars each, and get Y for it" and get their agreement.

Of course it's uncomfortable to be openly asking your mates for money. What I do is to feed them dinner first, and then put the jar in the middle of the table as I get the game books out and pass out the character sheets, and tell someone to bring the snacks over from the kitchen bench. They usually get the hint. Then I note down each player's contribution, so that if Jim puts in $5, he's paid for the munchies for this session, but if Bob puts in $20, he's paid for this and is three sessions ahead. I say who's got how much credit, and who's behind (normally no-one).

Otherwise, if it's not working, just stop it. Let them fend for themselves, as you said. The Geek $ Jar has three purposes: to give a sense of investment to players so they'll show up to sessions (it's silly but it works), to save players a few bucks as things bought for the group in bulk will be cheaper, and to save players the trouble of getting stuff (so they can come straight from work with no detours to stores).

The other way a group could arrange it is that the resonsibility for paying for and buying the stuff circulates around each week. I'd get everyone agreement on how much that should be (I assume, $5 x number of players), otherwise some well-off guy will spend oodles while some genuinely poor guy will spend little. You'd also need reliable players for that, it'd be annoying to have the guy whose turn it is not show, or forget.

McMurray, that's an excellent idea to build up the funds for a gaming room. I can't do that myself, as I've not the space for a dedicated gaming room. And also it would commit me to playing with the same guys for years on end, I like to circulate gamers around a bit

Yeah its hard for me to ask for money from the group. Some of the people I know can afford it. But are being cheap skates. Some of the others I know have a tight budget. So I feel bad about pressing them. I think this sunday we will talk about the food situation. I think we will also order pizza. So if you dont chip in you dont get. So it could end up just me and my roomate ordering food for us.

Quote from: Kyle AaronI am a bit thick and slow. I just realised that Paul's OP was also asking about "inspirational, time saving and clever ideas that some of you must have assembled over the years of gaming." Not just the game table stuff. Ronin brought in the Geek $ Jar thing, what else...?

Apart from lame-arsed stuff like doing horror games by candlelight (set my character sheet on fire once!) the only thing coming to mind for me is seating arrangements. I find the quiet players tend to sit right next to the GM, and the noisy players opposite. Actually if you want everyone to participate as much as they're comfortable with, it should be the other way around - as the GM speaks, they naturally look forwards rather than to one side, and by looking at someone you encourage their participation. Put the quiet players opposite the GM, and they speak up more often. That's what I've found.

I dunno, maybe that's obvious to others, but it's soemthing that's made a difference to my game sessions.

Wow that akeen observation. Now that I think about it my group always sitd in the same order. And it just like you said the quiet ones close. With the loud folks at the far end. I would fear though that if you switched it. The quiet folks would be drowned out by the rowdier fellas.

Quote from: James J SkachI am about to finish my basement.  I would like to hire your friend to come down and build mine.  Then invite everyone on TheRPGSite for a weekend of gaming including D&D 3.5 Living Grewhawk, Burning Empires, and FtA! you can all sleep on the beds and floors of my extra rooms - but y'all are springing for the food and drinks....

TheRPGsite's own version of Camp Nerdly...?

Quote from: RoninYeah its hard for me to ask for money from the group. [...] I feel bad about pressing them. I think this sunday we will talk about the food situation.

It's always best to talk. As with anything else, it works best when you do "multiple choice" rather than "open answer". If you ask, "what do you guys want to do about food?" you'll get vague noncomittal answers and general confusion. So you need to just lay out the options,

   "Okay fellahs, some of us are sending a heap on food, and others none. And sometimes we have a lot of food, and sometimes not much. So I think there are three ways we can do this,

• Everyone just brings what they want to eat, nobody shares. Bring nothing, get nothing.
• Everyone is responsible for one thing, like Jim always brings the Coke, and Bob always brings the chips, and Charlene always gets the pizza. That means everyone has to show up regularly!
• Everyone puts in $5 each session, and the game host goes and gets munchies and dinner with that money. It's a bit cheaper than the first option because we buy big packets of stuff, and no-one has to stop off at the store.
• Or something else? Some combination? Maybe one of these for munchies, another for dinner?"

[/COLOR]
If they argue about all this (as the cheapskates probably will), then,
   "If nobody can agree, that's okay, we'll just go with the first one."
If you're really keen on one particular option (remember I just listed the obvious ones, you can think of others) what you might want to do is think about if there's another in the group with a particularly strong personality, maybe a player who when the party's deciding what to do, that one usually gets their way. Discuss the food stuff with that player before this bigger discussion, get that one on side. Then you'll be coming into the negotiation with someone already prepared. And that's the secret of succeeding in negotiations - have a clear idea of what you want, ready to present to people, and someone in the group who'll speak loudly for you.

It sounds a bit manipulative, but ultimately it's for the good of the group, to agree on how to do things. And it's easiest to agree when you come in with clear options and someone on side.

The other thing is to be very non-judgmental and non-specific about it. Don't say, "since some of you are cheapskates", just put it as a totally non-accusing thing. "It just seems easier and cheaper and more convenient to do it this way with a money jar, unless someone else has another idea?" If you go in asking open questions, some of the cheapskates will get defensive and aggressive, and thigns will turn messy. Just go in all open and non-accusing of those lazy, useless, fat-arsed, greedy, stingy, disorganised, cheap motherfuckers

Quote from: Kyle AaronIt's always best to talk. As with anything else, it works best when you do "multiple choice" rather than "open answer". If you ask, "what do you guys want to do about food?" you'll get vague noncomittal answers and general confusion. So you need to just lay out the options,

   "Okay fellahs, some of us are sending a heap on food, and others none. And sometimes we have a lot of food, and sometimes not much. So I think there are three ways we can do this,

• Everyone just brings what they want to eat, nobody shares. Bring nothing, get nothing.
• Everyone is responsible for one thing, like Jim always brings the Coke, and Bob always brings the chips, and Charlene always gets the pizza. That means everyone has to show up regularly!
• Everyone puts in $5 each session, and the game host goes and gets munchies and dinner with that money. It's a bit cheaper than the first option because we buy big packets of stuff, and no-one has to stop off at the store.
• Or something else? Some combination? Maybe one of these for munchies, another for dinner?"

[/COLOR]
If they argue about all this (as the cheapskates probably will), then,
   "If nobody can agree, that's okay, we'll just go with the first one."
If you're really keen on one particular option (remember I just listed the obvious ones, you can think of others) what you might want to do is think about if there's another in the group with a particularly strong personality, maybe a player who when the party's deciding what to do, that one usually gets their way. Discuss the food stuff with that player before this bigger discussion, get that one on side. Then you'll be coming into the negotiation with someone already prepared. And that's the secret of succeeding in negotiations - have a clear idea of what you want, ready to present to people, and someone in the group who'll speak loudly for you.

It sounds a bit manipulative, but ultimately it's for the good of the group, to agree on how to do things. And it's easiest to agree when you come in with clear options and someone on side.

The other thing is to be very non-judgmental and non-specific about it. Don't say, "since some of you are cheapskates", just put it as a totally non-accusing thing. "It just seems easier and cheaper and more convenient to do it this way with a money jar, unless someone else has another idea?" If you go in asking open questions, some of the cheapskates will get defensive and aggressive, and thigns will turn messy. Just go in all open and non-accusing of those lazy, useless, fat-arsed, greedy, stingy, disorganised, cheap motherfuckers

Thanks. I definitly need a plan an you've brought up some good ideas. This sunday will be a good session for it. As we will be leveling up characters at the start. So there will be that open time at the beginning. Before we get down to the adventure. So to speak.

Quote from: Tyberious FunkI like to homebrew. A bit like roleplaying, there are casual homebrewers that make the occasional batch. And then there are the serious, obsessive brewers that build their own gear, such as mashing tuns, custom burners, counterflow chillers and full kegging set ups. Strangely enough, converting an old fridge into your own draught beer setup is considered pretty damn cool.

Another homebrewer! Do you have the same thing I do: when reading gamer message board threads with "homebrew" in the title, you immediately think of beer instead of gaming?

Mmmmm... Beer... Wait, where was I?

Anyway one of the things that's made our gaming easier is going to Goodwill and picking up small shelving units for us to put books and drinks on. I got this idea after seeing the small tables they use in poker rooms for drinks. You can usually get something like a printer stand or bedside table for ten bucks or even less. I have one of these for each player. It gets a lot of stuff off the table leaving more room for battle mats and such.

Oh, and I do have a small Sanyo fridge with a five gallon keg of homebrew in the gaming area as well. My game group got together and bought the kegging system for me for Christmas one year.

He's only a homebrewer in principle, old Tyberious Funk. I haven't seen any of his stuff at my table for a year now.

I mean, I gave him extra xp for it and everything. What more can I do?

There's another tip for good gaming: give extra xp for homebrewed booze! Or really, for anything homemade players bring - cakes, pastas, rpgs, whatever... Encourage people to make stuff for the group and bring it!

Especially beer. The Funk got lazy. I think I might refuse to GM him for another campaign unless he brings his homebrews. That way, either he makes beer, or he makes a campaign for us. Either way, it's good.

We give bonus xp for food and have never gone hungry. Most of the time it's the same guy that brings the grub, but he doesn't complain because it's his choice and he's getting something out of it. If he's running late or can't bring it for some reason, people usually pitch in for pizza or chinese to be delivered.

Quote from: chaldfontOh, and I do have a small Sanyo fridge with a five gallon keg of homebrew in the gaming area as well. My game group got together and bought the kegging system for me for Christmas one year.

You have the best game group.  Ever.

I wish I had a gaming table.