Drinking and RPGs - do they mix?

[The Gnome King]

So I came across an interesting blog the other day regarding playing (tabletop) RPGs and drinking alcohol.

http://d20darkages.blogspot.com/2013/06/vpa-7-gaming-alcohol-and-why-they-dont.html

The author's opinion is that gaming and alcohol don't mix. My own opinion? It depends on the gaming group, but if you take your Dungeons & Dragons seriously having more than a few beers is going to make it hard for everyone to stay on track.

On the other hand, a beer or two can be a great social lubricant - especially when first meeting people. On the other, other hand we've had more than one game of, say, FATE ruined when the referee/gamemaster had one too many vodka tonics and started slurring the NPCs dialog.

So my question is - for those who tabletop game - is drinking allowed at your table? Have you ever had a game ruined by somebody who came to get drunk and play games instead of coming to play games and have a few drinks?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[omegaweopon]

Back in my super popular, 12 person campaign... (I couldn't very well say NO to people when they asked, could I?) It was required that I have a beer or two when playing. I have focus issues due to mania, and alcohol helps calm me down, and enables me to focus. Eventually that got a bit messed up when during one game session, it happened to be one of the player's 21st birthdays. His mother bought him tiny bottles of 21 different liquors, and the night sort of devolved into everyone trying drinks out. Some of my players weren't too happy about that, and drink at game stopped for a good two years or so.

Lately though, in the games I play/run now, occasionally someone will have a beer or two, and it doesn't cause an issue.

But woe betide.. If I play a dwarf, I'm gonna be drinking some heavy rum when I play.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

People take D&D seriously? But it's more fun to roll the dice, see what balls the walls crazy thing happens, and go with it. Alcohol would definitely make that better.

Never actually mixed tabletop gaming and alcohol, though, because my last steady gaming group was from before I turned 21.

 

[ClockworkPenguin]

I've never played a game where drinking was banned, but we mostly drank sensibly anyway. 2 beers in 6 hours isn't going to do anything, and as you say it can be helpful to get people to relax. We're all still fairly new to tabletop RPG's in my group so it does kind of help overcome the embarrassment factor so that people feel comfortable enough to actually roleplay rather than just direct their characters movements.

 

[fadingdragon]

Pfft, drinking and RPGs go together hands down. When I was at uni if we were not playing beer pong we were playing D&D with quite a few beers under our belts always made for an entertaining time.

 

[Angie7F]

Video games are at its best when you are drunk or high.
It is just the best way to waste time while you are a student and I highly recommend it. lol

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I love being able to eat, drink and, get drunk in RPGs! I think it vastly opens up the world and makes the whole thing seem more like a living, breathing place, ya know? It's part of...*reads the rest of the OP*

...

oh...Anyway, I haven't had a game of...anything since roughly 2006 but when I did play it seemed really casual; beer was fine but nothing excessive. Personally, I wouldn't game with a group if there was anything more powerful than that being drunk down during game time unless it was just a "Hey guys, I don't have a plot this week so let's just spend this session in a pub" kind of situation.

As for video games, I wouldn't know. I don't drink or anything so I don't have a point of reference. The one time I was drunk, I didn't want to do anything but stop the room spinning and laying down did not help.

 

[KR4U55]

I'd say beer is kind of great at creating a friendly environment. Of course, with moderation. Nobody wants to watch you scream "20 b*tches!", so any strong liquor might reduce coherence and increase awkwardness.

 

[s0p0g]

People take D&D seriously? But it's more fun to roll the dice, see what balls the walls crazy thing happens, and go with it. Alcohol would definitely make that better.

my thoughts exactly - as long as you're not "playing" a game professionally = pay your bills with, it's for fun exclusively (although... when you look at the MOBA and LoL communities in particular, one might get quite the opposite idea. + the other black sheep, whining/griefing/basically-fucking-your-game 12yo retard n00bz in BF who call you a 12yo retarded n00b, and the like) - if not, i'd say you're doing something wrong.
even in old 3rd person lightsabre-swinging games you can have tons od fun while being a bit tipsy (being completely wasted of course not so much ^^ )

so yeah, games + booze work together, but as always: game responsibly (lol, as if ^^ )

 

[the December King]

I don't mix alcohol (or intoxication/drugs) and roleplaying at all. Some of the players in my group might, but not me. When we do all feel like drinking instead of playing a game, we often talk about our games and the stories, but we don't play.

 

[Mordekaien]

We get each a beer while we play- afterwards we shift to non alcoholic beverages and do the actual drinking after the play session has ended.
I mean, it's all good in moderation, if you don't go over your limit it can help you relax and remove some of your shyness (if you're shy in those situations).

 

[kamay]

I wouldn't raid in WoW unless I had a beer in my hand
which would really piss off my party when I was tanking.

 

[frans909]

It's better not to have any alcohol present at D&D sessions, IMO. I've been in several groups and the groups that drank always had the most arguments and drama. There would be several bottles of wine available and after a few hours people are starting to get tipsy, suddenly everyone is a comedian, talks start about stuff that has nothing to do with the game, and basically the whole session is ruined. You need a clear head for D&D games, period.

 

[Max Pritchard]

I think that the RPG is irrelevant to the question. The issue is how alcohol mixes with a social gathering with your friends (or people you know). For most, I expect, drinking is just fine - but drunkenness less so, depending on how bad the drunken behaviour is.

The three reasons the blog writer mentions are worth looking at. I paraphrase:
1. I don't want seem depressed and talk about depressing reality, because I feel stereotyped
2. I don't want to contribute to the gamer stereotype, which is already bad enough
3. The drinking always became more important than the gaming

That seems to say more about the author and the author's experience than any kind of general observation about gaming under the influence of drugs. The anecdotes about friends turning up drunk and then vomiting are not really gaming anecdotes. The one where his GM became forgetful after a few drinks might just as easily apply to any other social get-together.

I love having a drink with friends and gaming (board games, role-playing or computer games). I have been very drunk playing online games - but that harms no-one but me. I don't get drunk when I meet with friends and I don't find drunkenness particularly amusing in others. That's just me. Some groups mutually consent to getting drunk together and playing that way. You've just got to watch for the person not having as much fun as everyone else in that scenario, though. Drunk people can't always do that.

 

[Brotha Desmond]

Drinking and "Role Playing Games" I'm not sure.
However, drinking and "Rocket Propelled Grenades" sounds like fun.

 

[Basement Cat]

I never table top RP'd while drinking. But I do remember playing KOTOR one night (one of my 50 or so play throughs) when I got stinking drunk.

Somehow I ended up like 1/4 through the game from where I started--and to this day I don't remember how. More ironic was that I'd played a very good game and hadn't screwed up the character development. Maybe it was experience resulting in me playing on automatic.

I still suspect that I was hit by a Jedi mind trick, though. <.<

 

[SckizoBoy]

Drinking and "Role Playing Games" I'm not sure.
However, drinking and "Rocket Propelled Grenades" sounds like fun.

See, that was the first thing that came to mind... then both acronyms simultaneously. Drunk playing RPG's with RPG's...

That would be an interesting experience...

 

[Diddy_Mao]

I wouldn't raid in WoW unless I had a beer in my hand
which would really piss off my party when I was tanking.

I had a group of 3 friends with whom I would get together on weekends and do "Drunken LFG." Everyone had a beer to drink at their leasure and the general rule was to take a shot of their liquor of choice after each boss.

I always felt kinda sorry for the poor souls who we got dumped on toward the end of the night.


As for table top. There's too many factors to give a binary yes/no answer to.

When I'd play Werewolf: The Apocalypse or Shadowrun the mood was a little too serious to enjoy a drink.
On the other hand games like Exalted, Legend of the 5 Rings and 7th Sea were always way more fun with a few drinks under our belts.

 

[Aedwynn]

One of my players likes a couple of ales whilst playing. I don't think I could stop her even if I wanted to.

It honestly all depends on how the individual handles their alcohol, but in general, one or two beers don't hurt. When I'm GMing I don't drink though - even if I have beers in the fridge - I need to keep my head clear.

I've played in a few games where more players were drinking greater amounts - but no-one had a problem with anyone's 'tipsy' personality and no-one got actually 'drunk' so it was no big deal. If anything, it made everyone more sociable and comfortable.

To answer the question, sure you can drink at my table - just bring your own tipple. And no, I've not had a game ruined by excess drinking. Not that I recall, anyway... I've had problem players who may, or may not have been drunk but I don't think alcohol was the main problem in those cases even if it was a factor.