I was wondering what kinds of things you and your groups do before you sit down to play.
My group usually gets some fast food or chinese food and a bottle or two of soda. Except for one guy, he likes to roll the dice against his face. We don't know what to think of that really.
Maker's Mark is an expensive booze to buy for gaming. I like it, but I don't think I'd choose that particular bourbon for game night. Maker's Mark should be savored.
Our current pregame ritual involves making up reasons the "late guy" is late this time.
Don't know if this is the kind of thing you're talking about, but for each campaign/AP/set of new characters, I pick a piece of theme music, usually about a minute or two long... we play it right before we actually begin play, after all the BS has finished, while players are updating their character sheets or reading notes from the session before. It really helps people get into the mood, like an intro to a show like Firefly.
Right now we're using the opening theme from Robin Hood: Prince of Theives.
I take a shower as my pregame ritual. Cant be smelly while at the gaming table. :D Also, when GMing it helps clear my head right before a game.
- Gauss
Everyone shows up with lunch and we eat while BS for a half hour or so about work, movies, tv, video games, mutual friends, things we did during the week, etc. After that the log from the previous session is read and we begin. There used to be a pause in there while a couple of members left and came back with red eyes, but that hasn't happened in a while. :)
On rare occasions there is an alcoholic drink or two (not an understatement). One time I made gin bloody mary's.
I never thought about showering before DMing. I think I'll try that next session.
Crack open a soda, sit back, and wait for everyone else to show up (usually the first one there besides the GM).
As is traditional for RPGs, there is a period of cat herding. Then the bard plays some songs on his keyboard, we all ooh and aah at his perfect pitch, then I look angry and sternly command the players to begin. This last step is repeated several times, with an increasingly deflated ego each attempt. Finally, they all shut up, we quote some spongebob, lose some dice under the table, and I give a brief summary of what happened last session. The last thing I say is always, "So, that's where you are now... What do you do?"
Thanks Aaron, I have to use that. :D
- Gauss
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I roll all my candidate dices for all the dices I will need and select those who make the highest scores.
For example, if I need 3 d20s to play (like having 3 attacks for example), I roll all of my d20s and keep the 3 with the significantly highest scores. I roll again in case of a tie.
When we are ready to start, the GM asks us to summarize what happened in the previous session.
Years ago with one consistent group I was in one guy would be designated the serving wench and would end up getting drinks for everyone most of the time.
Also, a during game tradition we had during summer. When the door was open due to the heat whenever a moth flew in and burnt up when he heard the his and smelt the burning aroma we would all chime in "Sacrifice!"
I usually host, so first there's cleaning the house. If I have time, I do it the same day, so that I can have the couch and carpet freshly vacuumed before the guy who's allergic to cats shows up. Then there's locking the cat up in the bedroom.
If I can think of rules clarifications/ coordinating feats and tactics with other players, I try and do that beforehand (email is even better, but this is rarely the case), because the end of the game is usually cutting into sleep time for more than one of us.
Then there's the three or four false starts, when people are still getting derailed, or food shows up in the middle of "previously on Pathfinder".
Then I'm usually the one to drag the players kicking and screaming into starting the game and shutting up for the DM.
We usually grab Subway (or other food) and spend the first 30 mins or so eating and BSing (our game "starts" at noon). We're not very hardcore about start/end times, but I usually like to start at 12:30 when I'm running the game. Then we do a recap and start playing. I brew my own beer so often bring a couple for each player, if they want it...though these are usually consumed over time during the game, not before.
M
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Speaking of herding cats, my group has a traditional hazard. Without fail and at least one to two times a game one of my cats will jump up onto the table and immediately plop down on somebody's character sheet.
We have dubbed it the Kitty Butt Hazard.
Hits from the Bong:)
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Speaking of herding cats, my group has a traditional hazard. Without fail and at least one to two times a game one of my cats will jump up onto the table and immediately plop down on somebody's character sheet.
We have dubbed it the Kitty Butt Hazard.
Character sheets are like catnip to....well, er....cats!
Sounds like you need a moggy wrangler.
BS and food, followed by me (GM) sitting quietly, waiting for an awkward slilence which I then fill up with anything I feel like shouting at that moment. Some previous or recurring phrases have been:
Want some Excitement? SNAP INTO IT!
Roll initiative!
You've taken 29 HP...
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls: dyin time's here...
These and other phrases are inevitably met with groans or hrumphs but they serve better than just telling the group that I want the game to start.
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Maker's Mark is an expensive booze to buy for gaming. I like it, but I don't think I'd choose that particular bourbon for game night. Maker's Mark should be savored.
Our current pregame ritual involves making up reasons the "late guy" is late this time.
it's my buddies preferred and it last's him through the week. As for late guy we have that too, he was a late add in to shore the party back up to 4 players who then missed about a month of games. He has now earned the names Grand master flake and... well and unsavory act one could do to a pig.
We roll our dice to make sure they're rolling high...if not, we trade them in and get replacements.
We eat pastry and talk about last session, who ever gets the best idea in the session gets the last piece. (Usualy mostly the stupid things they did). Then I (the GM) stare at them until they say what they are going to do, or i roll a dice and smile at them.
AS DM: I usually start by telling my players that they're all going to die "horribly horribly".
AS Player: I find a space on the top of my character sheet to record how many time one of the other guys is going to say "it's like" during the session - sometimes it's multiple times in one sentence!
As host I put on some stupidly strong coffee too!
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Usually we start by chit-chatting upstairs in our host's living room, often accompanied by the sounds of his two year old daughter. Sometimes we open a bottle of wine if we're all feeling stressed. Once we're ready for game, we move downstairs to his gaming cave as he calls it. Since I'm usually running the game, I set everything out, and we review the last session. Then, off we go!
When do you folks pour some out for all the fallen: characters, designers, and editions that have gone before us? I put one of my copies of the Deities and Demigods down, crack a bottle, and spill some on the cover, kissing 2 fingers up to the Kingdom as I do so...
Drew Brees-style huddle war chant with the other players, followed by a lot of group-screaming at the GM, telling him how it won't happen "in our house" and that the "pain train" is coming for him. We then do a lot of "wooo" yelling and high-fiving.
Or just some house-cleaning and laying out the snacks, since my wife and I usually host for our group.
The night before I refresh my mind as to what the players are doing, reread the section we are going through and look through some books. The day of someone brings in the snacks and/or pizza, another brings some pop and beer (lately Newcastle Werewolf). Several glasses of Basil Haden, Bullet, or what ever are poured, and chat about recent events. We have a recap of last game, I then ask the players what they do next.
Three-dragon Ante with the player's risking their character's money. It gives them an incentive to play (especially if they lose most the money)
Mostly it involves those of us who have leveled/prepared our characters throwing stuff at those of us who haven't.
I also usually bake something. During the summer there is always watermelon.
Our group is similar to a lot of yours. We usually pick up some Carl's Jr. or some carne asada burritos, sit around, eat and talk life/games/sports/politics for awhile until everyone's arrived and eaten.
Eventually, someone will say: "I heard there's a D&D game going on somewhere?" "Yeah I think I heard that too..." then we begin.
We generally BS for about 20-30 minutes prior to starting the game. We know it's time to shut up and play when the GM looks like he's about "this close" to snapping with frustration. ;-)
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Once, for no particular reason, one of my players drew an eye on a post it note and stuck it to my wall. Now, every session, I draw another post it note eye and stick it up on the wall with all the other post it note eyes.
My groups normally do a nerdy war dance to get pumped for the game...
I personally set up everything and get into my "Mastermind Villain Pose" for when the players come in to play.
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For almost 4 years now me and my gaming group have followed pretty much the same ritual!
We play once a month on a saturday from 1P.M. up to wayyyy late!
#1 At 12:00 we all gather at the nearby Mc donalds for some unhealthy junk food while chatting about the latest thing we crafted/looted at DDO (dungeons & dragon online), the new model we just finished at warhammer 40K and we eventually start talking about the last month game and how we intend to proceed for the upcoming one.
#2 We finally made it home (me being the DM) around 1 P.M.
People are reveiwing their notes, i give them a couple minutes to review the "not so foten used rule" and hop we go!
#3 Around 5-5:30 P.M. we put the game to a pause and hit the local St-Hubert B.B.Q. (THE house of chicken roasting for those not living in Québec province).
Now we are spending super talking about what happend, whats coming and if need be discussing rules interpretation (but after 4 years that does not come out anymore but very rarely).
#4 We get back home about an hour later and keep on playing until we can't keep our eyes open anymore!
One month later rinse and repeat!