First, I’d like to wish all readers of this blog a belated Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. If you celebrate something else, then I hope you had a great time doing it as well. This time of year is always special no matter what you celebrate. It’s time for friends, family and fun, so I hope it’s been a good one for all of you!
It’s also a time to eat like a fat spoiled pig and gain some weight, only to try and lose it as a new year’s resolution. So here’s a silly post to close out the year… what foods and food rules are employed at your gaming table? Food and gaming go hand in hand. I have a few extra pounds around my waist line myself, and judging by what I saw at Gencon, so do other gamers…
In my house, we play in my dining room, and my wife has rules about the dining room… no cups on the Indian Buffett I gave her one year for her birthday, and we have to have layers of tablecloths on the actual table. She is still a bit upset about the Temple of Elemental Evil etchings on her table from some years ago… Any similar rules at your house?
What foods do you guys find more convenient for gaming? For example, my wife likes to make chili, and every now and then she’ll ask if I want her to make chili for the game, and I always tell her that chili’s just not convenient D&D table food. I have too many things going on at the table, maps, minis, screen, sheets to deal with 8 bowls of chili. Sorry. Chips, 1 bowl of dip, a bag of M&M’s is always there (edible minions), and my must-have diet orange soda are the usual nutrients at NewbieDM’s game. Maybe a box of pizza on the floor. We don’t take a break to eat, because play time is limited.
So, what goes on and your table as far as food & drinks are concerned?
www. Newbie DM .com 
by_the_sword
December 29, 2009
I just ran my first 4th edition game last Sunday. I have had the three core books since they were released and have a few others too but I have only now been able to convince my grognard players to try 4th edition. So I guess you can say I have been blooded.
As far as food goes, my group likes Cheetos (the puffy kind) and Mountain Dew. There was also a liberal amount of pizza, for which I failed my Will save miserably and I gorged myself silly. In earlier games, pizza and ‘Dew were always staples though I myself usually drink water.
There are no hard and fast rules concerning food if anyone else wnats to bring stuff. My figures and battlemat are plastic and I’ll keep my books out of reach if there’s messy food being slung around. In fact I would rather take a break and let folks eat. We can always do non-combat stuff while we are chowing down on grub.
Happy New year by the way.
Illusive Dreams
December 29, 2009
In before the lock…..wait, thats something else entirely. Anyways. When I DM, we play in my lower level rec room. I have some folding tables setup with some folding chairs as well. That setup will probably change with the new year and the addition to a digital table we are making with a projector.
Anything goes for food really. One guy usually brings Bambino’s from Good Times, while everyone has chips or cookies. Sometimes Tera cooks dinner and I eat that. but I always have something to drink, either soda or a beer or two. Beer appears more often than not though as well.
Charmth
December 29, 2009
My group meets at a game store where outside food isn’t allowed. We sometimes meet up before the game and go to the corner pub for lunch and a drink. The game store sells sodas and chips, and one time we bribed the employees with a pizza to bring in our own pizza to the game.
The other game I play in meets in the host’s basement. Someone usually brings a bag of candy and the host likes to make giant bowls of stove-popped popcorn for us. Everyone brings their own drinks, usually soda or energy drinks, and one player always brings his own thermos full of hot coffee.
Charmth
December 29, 2009
In 3.5 we had drinking contest rules. Alcoholic drinks had various DCs. Every time you consumed a drink, you had to roll a fort save versus the DC. Regardless of save or fail, each drink was a cumulative -1 penalty to the next save. If you failed your save, then you became progressively drunk but could keep drinking. If you failed your save by more than 5 then someone else in the group was allowed to describe something ridiculous your character did while drunk. If you failed three saves then your character passed out and the DM would allow the group to decide where you woke up the next morning, while describing the hangover you were most likely suffering. Since it was all intended in good fun, truly harmful or potentially lethal outcomes were not allowed.
ScottM
December 29, 2009
We usually do pizza and soda, though when we burn out on pizza everyone will hit fast food places on their way over. A couple of times a year we’ll have a BBQ– we provide the fire and core food, and everyone else brings over meats, chips, etc. At the BBQ, we eat and snack before the session, while normally the pizza arrives an hour or two into the session.
geek ken
December 29, 2009
I like to keep stuff simple with chips and sodas. The heavy food bit (pizza, chicken, or burgers) is saved for a break. I’ve also liked having people come earlier and get the heavy food out of the way. People can eat and chat, getting all the initial socializing done so we can jump into the game later.
shyDM
December 29, 2009
We often have snacks like chips or candy, but no meals at the gaming table. It’s too messy, and it sort of breaks the mood for me, to give a “Pah! Your threats are meaningless, foul creature!” speech to a lich encountered in a hidden laboratory–and then start slurping some pasta.
silentseas
January 7, 2010
We often order food and all eat ahead of time (1pm food on the table, 2-6pm is game). We catch up with each other, have random chat, eat foods that can be more complicated than pizza because we don’t have an active game going while we eat, and then be fed and energized to start the game on time.
JadeOceans
January 13, 2010
My group meets every Wednesday at my brother’s house since he has the most space. Usually everyone eats dinner before heading over but sometimes he and his wife are just making their dinner when the rest of us show up and they share. There are no special rules, other than a request to use a clipboard and a coaster for your drink. We usually alternate between pretzels and popcorn with all of us taking turns to buy the snacks. I love baking so I’m constantly whipping up bite-size treats to bring along. Everyone’s favorites are the cake balls (chocolate dipped balls of cake, flavored with coffee creamer) but I bring those in sparingly to save our waistlines. Another big hit were the “ghosts” I brought for our Halloween session.:) Beer is also a staple for D&D and we rotate each week who has “beer duty”; as the DM (but mostly because I’m not a big fan of beer), I just drink soda.