So I host and at varying times I GM or my co-GM runs the table and I play.

I also cook dinner and we make an event of the feast. We have RP awards and one regular used to make a point during 5E to show up in character, wigs, weapons, etc. He really liked the bonus RP xp.

Curious what everyone else does. We've argued enough lately over rules.

PS

Menu this evening is my mac n cheese and grilled beer brawts....

Yum!

Drinks and snacks, then cross fingers my kids are asleep or at least not interrupting. I would love to do more of a dinner, its on my list of improvements to make.

typically Chinese food or pizza, but there is/was a greek restaurant nearby the FLGS... we game in my apartment now that my sexy Peruvian wife who is supportive of my gaming hobby let me get a coffee table large enough that one of my players accurately commented "that's not a coffee table, it's a dinner table for hobbits" there's a Popeyes and a Jimmy Johns not far from our apartment so one of them may be on the menu next time.

By the way I go multi media for my games... I have the 20th century fox fanfare video on my laptop, use "star wars main theme arrival at naboo" as the opening music... I've found that it's a better general purpose opening theme than those from episodes 2 through 6. And now that we've started gaming in my apartment, where I have access to wifi, I can use the star wars sound boards for blaster fire sound effects, and I can plug into the speakers in my apartment rather than relying on the "puny" BeatsAudio speakers in my hp pavillion x360 two in one laptop/tablet plus I have my printer her so updating character sheet got easier. And FFG Star Wars I love you, so please keep publishing because I still want to buy every book in all 3 lines, but my game bag was getting too heavy to carry the complete set of books plus my miniatures and maps and drinks and snacks to the FLGS (plus drinks stay cold in the refrigerator in my apartment)

Oh Oh Oh.... for Christmas my niece and nephew in law (my wife's older sister's oldest daughter and her husband) gave me star wars ice cube molds for Christmas... so last time we gamed I got food coloring and dyed the water in the star wars ice cube molds because darth vader helmet and han solo frozen in carbonite ice cubes have to be black, the x-wing ice cubes got dyed red, r2-d2 ice cubes got dyed blue, and the storm trooper helmet ice cubes got dyed yellow (I couldn't find white food coloring)

Well my tradition.

I host at my house. Most of you my have seen some of the pictures I have posted in various threads, the latest being here: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/205388-you-know-when-you-have-a-star-wars-obsession-when/page-2

We typically start around noon, and I provide some snacks and soft drinks. Some of the guys bring over a few snacks and maybe some beer. I typically have beer as well. My wife will make us diner or I order us pizza. Today though, I will be doing a cookout.

Since it is an I person game, we try to keep personal electronics to a minimum. I do have my iPad set to control my the iTunes playlist on my PC. For the music, I use the SW movie soundtracks, Clone Wars, Rebels, and a ton of SW techno, and SW dubstep.

We usually go until around 2100/2200.

I always cook a good lunch and we all tend to consume (un)healthy amounts of adult beverages.

typically Chinese food or pizza, but there is/was a greek restaurant nearby the FLGS... we game in my apartment now that my sexy Peruvian wife who is supportive of my gaming hobby let me get a coffee table large enough that one of my players accurately commented "that's not a coffee table, it's a dinner table for hobbits" there's a Popeyes and a Jimmy Johns not far from our apartment so one of them may be on the menu next time.

By the way I go multi media for my games... I have the 20th century fox fanfare video on my laptop, use "star wars main theme arrival at naboo" as the opening music... I've found that it's a better general purpose opening theme than those from episodes 2 through 6. And now that we've started gaming in my apartment, where I have access to wifi, I can use the star wars sound boards for blaster fire sound effects, and I can plug into the speakers in my apartment rather than relying on the "puny" BeatsAudio speakers in my hp pavillion x360 two in one laptop/tablet plus I have my printer her so updating character sheet got easier. And FFG Star Wars I love you, so please keep publishing because I still want to buy every book in all 3 lines, but my game bag was getting too heavy to carry the complete set of books plus my miniatures and maps and drinks and snacks to the FLGS (plus drinks stay cold in the refrigerator in my apartment)

Oh Oh Oh.... for Christmas my niece and nephew in law (my wife's older sister's oldest daughter and her husband) gave me star wars ice cube molds for Christmas... so last time we gamed I got food coloring and dyed the water in the star wars ice cube molds because darth vader helmet and han solo frozen in carbonite ice cubes have to be black, the x-wing ice cubes got dyed red, r2-d2 ice cubes got dyed blue, and the storm trooper helmet ice cubes got dyed yellow (I couldn't find white food coloring)

Those molds are great, you can make chocolates in them too I melt a couple of blocks of good chocolate, stir some raisins as well as crushed almonds and walnuts through, then pour into the molds... Big hit at games nights!

There is a 2 piece Death Star mold you can get as well, I used that to decorate my sons 7th birthday cake. Chocolate icing on the cake, then I smashed up the DS and popped it in the middle, spread raspberries through it, then had a couple of white chocolate X-wings and a millennium falcon flying away from it... He was so excited!

Hadn't really thought along these lines til this thread, but I may borrow a page from our now-defunct monthly poker game, and do food/snacks potluck style. Seems more communal than the old standby of ordering pizza, and doesn't call for any one person to be responsible for feeding a small army.

I've just recently moved away from my long-time group, but I dial in over Hangouts and play. Our tradition: drink some beer!

I realize Im probably a minority in this regard but Ive always taken a more serious, dramatic and somewhat reserved approach to my GMing and it translates to our gaming environment.

We eat before or after we come, never during, not even snacks. I have drinks available (no alcohol) but served in the other room, not at the gaming table. (The likelihood of a spill on costly books, charts, maps and furnishings prohibit this admittedly popular practice.) We game in my den, (Ive moved quite a bit over the years but my den, wherever it is, is the only location Ive ever GMd in) which is kept dark save for strategically placed lamps to allow references and dice to be read but otherwise the room is in shadows. The typical light-hearted, party atmosphere Ive seen at conventions and heard about is just not our preference at all. Our conversation is kept on a low key unless something exciting spurs an outburst and we maintain a pretty strict rule about side-bar, non-game related topics. We take breaks of course, and all of this vanishes in a flash while taking one but when the game is run its kind of back to business.

I know this wouldn't appeal to some or maybe even most gamers but my players through the years have had nothing but compliments where its concerned. ( I did have one complaint but he excused himself after a couple sessions with no feelings hurt) Its a bit theatrical but I believe helps in the suspension of belief where the story goes and keeps everyone more or less "in character" or at least immersed in the game. It is the game we focus on and is the priority of the meeting, socializing and the like is reserved for other venues. (Boardgames, cards, sports events etc.)

Sorry if that's not quite a gaming ritual but it is a tradition. I cant imagine gaming any other way.

That sounds fun actually. I haven't had the space to do that ourselves, but I think our group would enjoy it. We mostly game in the store room of our at home business!

Gaming is a social event for me. We joke, laugh, get side-tracked, and just generally enjoy each others' company. We drink alcohol at the game night I host at my place, but my game night at my FLGS does not allow for that. Understandable as we generally have minors there. The one at my place is all adults. We eat snacks. I have plenty of light as i am getting too old to play in shadows with my presbyopic eyes. Right now I am running Rappan Athuk adapted for 5E for my group but I am prepping a Dawn of Defiance adaption for afterward.

I always wear my Death Star t-shirt, and we always have chips

Wow, I couldn't imagine not having a beverage with me. Even water. I have to have something to drink when I'm

gaming, be it water, a pop, or my favorite, beer. I don't mind people eating while we game. And we always have drinks on the table. We use coasters though!!! I don't keep many books on the table usually, just my white board and dice. I have a card table next to me where I can keep my laptop, iPad, and books. I am not the kind of GM to have the GM screen in front of me. I hate having anything between me and the group. I don't roll the dice very often, and I always open roll when I do, so I don't need to hide anything. About the only thing I use the GM screen for is the crit table.

Our group makes it a whole day event to game, and we take a break to eat diner, and I provide snacks for the group to munch on throughout the day. We also make it a social event where we talk, laugh, joke, even watch a YouTube video or two. We try to stay pretty much on track for the game and take breaks, but sometimes we just need to hangout too. I know we get together to game, but we don't take our gaming that serious where it ruins the social interaction of our group.

I would be interested in be in Rgrove0172's group, but I don't know if if I could be a regular there. I love gaming, and I love the group I have, but I love the fact that we can also hangout, laugh, and enjoy ourselves. I guess for us, it is a social event first, gaming second. I'm not saying we don't game, but none of us are draconian about it, so if we get off topic, we just go with with for a few, then get ourselves back on track.

I realize Im probably a minority in this regard but Ive always taken a more serious, dramatic and somewhat reserved approach to my GMing and it translates to our gaming environment.

We eat before or after we come, never during, not even snacks. I have drinks available (no alcohol) but served in the other room, not at the gaming table. (The likelihood of a spill on costly books, charts, maps and furnishings prohibit this admittedly popular practice.) We game in my den, (Ive moved quite a bit over the years but my den, wherever it is, is the only location Ive ever GMd in) which is kept dark save for strategically placed lamps to allow references and dice to be read but otherwise the room is in shadows. The typical light-hearted, party atmosphere Ive seen at conventions and heard about is just not our preference at all. Our conversation is kept on a low key unless something exciting spurs an outburst and we maintain a pretty strict rule about side-bar, non-game related topics. We take breaks of course, and all of this vanishes in a flash while taking one but when the game is run its kind of back to business.

I know this wouldn't appeal to some or maybe even most gamers but my players through the years have had nothing but compliments where its concerned. ( I did have one complaint but he excused himself after a couple sessions with no feelings hurt) Its a bit theatrical but I believe helps in the suspension of belief where the story goes and keeps everyone more or less "in character" or at least immersed in the game. It is the game we focus on and is the priority of the meeting, socializing and the like is reserved for other venues. (Boardgames, cards, sports events etc.)

Sorry if that's not quite a gaming ritual but it is a tradition. I cant imagine gaming any other way.

This may come across as a slam, but it's certainly not meant that way. I think we may have just stumbled across the source and nature of the issue you and your group have with the range bands vs. specific distances: you're used to a very regimented and regulated gaming experience. The vague, fluid nature of the range band system is essentially designed to be, if not the polar opposite of that, certainly a departure from that. But, you guys have found what works for you, and you enjoy it. More power to you! /thumbsup

Your probably right. There is a connection there. This gaming environment was developed though, not designed. It evolved more than over 30 years of gaming with probably a dozen groups.

This thread reminds me how much I miss having regular RPG sessions!

Instead of stressing it to make a gamesession every week, i much rather make it once a month and make it a "thing".

Good friends, good food and a drink or two if so be!

This thread reminds me how much I miss having regular RPG sessions!

Instead of stressing it to make a gamesession every week, i much rather make it once a month and make it a "thing".

Good friends, good food and a drink or two if so be!

Indeed. My old group was bi-weekly. And when we started, we were overly ambitious: a morning session and an afternoon session, and a large crop of games that we rotated through: a Battletech/MechWarrior mashup, a full World of Darkness spread (with me being the only Wraith, forcing the GM to have to learn the specifics of that sub-system), Shadowrun, Star Wars (WEG), and, as an occasional palate cleanser, Paranoia. But, we were younger, and had fewer responsibilities then. (I was the "old man" of the group at about 26...the others were late teens to early 20's.) After a few months, we realized we were having the most fun with Star Wars, and the others fell by the wayside (with the occasional Paranoia game thrown in for fun...I miss that game, but you need the right GM for it, and I not it), and the two sessions became one long one, but we kept up the bi-weekly pace.

Now, the campaign I'm a player in meets, on average, once a month. (First session was early January, and we've played 4 times so far.) I'll be shooting for monthly for the campaign that I'm currently planning to run.

I have it at my home, and I like to cook.

We start at 2pm on a saturday, and i usually have snacks out: some Artisian cheese, Crackers, Veggies, salty snacks. One player usually brings some craft beer, another chips. At around 5 or so the meal I cook is becoming a distraction (often use the slow cooker) and we take a break and eat supper. Gumbo, Chicken curry, Chile, Gourmet burgers on the grill are some of the bests. By 8 or 9pm we call it, and after everyone else leaves I discuss the game with my wife and give her points on being a good player.

During the game, I have my laptop with some speakers funneling some Syrinscape sound as appropriate to the scene.

One tradition we have(in addition to breaking the surly bonds of Real Life with beer) is humor. We can set a serious scene, but OOC we laugh until we nearly wet ourselves. We tend to meta fluidly and keep it causal. We have great stories and great fun, some of the best gaming times I've ever had to be honest. Juxtaposing the character's emotions in this setting is pretty fun and it keeps us from feeling like we've lost our agency when dice outcomes dictate we should be acting a certain way ("Oh, right, I've been charmed!")

I have it at my home, and I like to cook.

We start at 2pm on a saturday, and i usually have snacks out: some Artisian cheese, Crackers, Veggies, salty snacks. One player usually brings some craft beer, another chips. At around 5 or so the meal I cook is becoming a distraction (often use the slow cooker) and we take a break and eat supper. Gumbo, Chicken curry, Chile, Gourmet burgers on the grill are some of the bests. By 8 or 9pm we call it, and after everyone else leaves I discuss the game with my wife and give her points on being a good player.

During the game, I have my laptop with some speakers funneling some Syrinscape sound as appropriate to the scene.

This pretty much sounds like the perfect saturday in my book. I hope that my group finds a routine like this sooner or later!

I discuss the game with my wife and give her points on being a good player.

how well does THAT go over?

Man I wish I could get my wife interested in roleplaying.

I discuss the game with my wife and give her points on being a good player.

how well does THAT go over?

Man I wish I could get my wife interested in roleplaying.

Im with you there, i suspect when my kids are a little older it wont be a problem, but for now she is just not that interested.

We meet at 1pm, planning to start around 2pm (although this doesn't always work out). In that hour we'll try and play some sort of card game. I like it because it gets people socialising, relaxed and having fun before the session actually starts. Usual favourites include Fluxx, Edition Wars and the DC Comics Deck-Building Game.

Unfortunately we've been a little lax of late. I'll have to remember to bring it up this week.

Having gamed together regularly for quite a few years at this point, we've built up quite a few in-jokes, most of which probably aren't repeatable and they wouldn't make any sense to anyone outside of our group either.