I’m a firm believer in that where you play, is as important as what you play, when you are looking to have a good time. I’ll be the first to admit that in the case of our gaming group, we have probably the worst playing environment ever.
No. I will not play the latest Mary Worth RPG at NewbieDM's house. I'd rather try my luck at the monkey cage in the zoo, than play in the worst gaming house, ever.
We play in my dining room, and off the top,the lighting is really bad. Really, really bad. Also, people usually start trickling in around 7:30-ish, which is fairly close to the time I get home from work. In it of itself, that’s not a bad thing, but I have two little ones (5, and 2) and they get pretty hyperactive when daddy gets home. This, combined with the arrival of “the nerds” as my kid calls my friends, along with my kids’ fascination with dice and minis make for a rowdy start to the session.
My wife, bless he heart, tries her hardest to give me my space, but I know it isn’t easy. So sometimes in the middle of a narration or a PC’s turn at combat, I get called to help with something usually dealing with the kids. That’s fine, I get it, parenting doesn’t stop for D&D, nor does it happen in a vacuum, so I have little choice but to stop the game for a bit and go help.
Are you asking yourself why we only play here? Well, most of the group is probably in the same spot as I am in life, while the other few that aren’t don’t really have the space to accommodate our larger group. Plus, for me it’s easier to be home than to travel with the maps, minis, and tiles that I use.
Is there a solution? Not likely. I’m in a situation that involves a hectic work schedule, a busy family life, and gaming somewhere in between. At this point, I take what I can get when it comes to D&D. If it involves playing in a less than ideal environment, so be it. I can only imagine that as my kids get older, my schedule will free up a bit, and perhaps alternatives will open up.
So what do you say? How’s your gaming environment? Are you like me, or have you found gaming nirvana?
www. Newbie DM .com 
carolinacharlie
May 10, 2010
We are EXTREMELY lucky. Our Carrboro-based meetup.com group meets at the offices of Carrboro Coworking Cooperative (CCC), an OUTSTANDING venue. The owner wants CCC to be a sort of community meeting place after-hours, and it’s worth the trip from Durham to have a clean, well-lit, spacious, wi-fi friendly spot to play D&D.
dreadgazebo
May 10, 2010
You’re D&D game sounds identical to mine, honestly. Same time, same setup, 2 kids – everything. My only difference is my wife is playing too and usually holding our 1 year old daughter and attempting to enjoy herself simultaneously which usually just results in a stress headache, we play pass the baby now and then but DM’ing with a netbook and a grabby toddler doesn’t work either.
gamefiend
May 10, 2010
Playing in non-ideal gaming conditions is, believe it or not, the hallmark of a real hardcore gamer. Some people have incredible environments to play in, but when you lack that environment and you still go forward and play, that’s when you confirm that gaming is in the blood.
People who get into RPGs will generally play anywhere. It’s not that people who don’t aren’t real gamers; it’s just that playing under wierd or inconvenient circumstances shows that taking gaming off the table isn’t an option for you.
My play area is OK; I give it 6 out of 10. I’m hoping to build an RPG cave in my garage that will approach 10, but that’s a long term project.
Stuart_Hobbs
May 10, 2010
We have managed to find Gaming heaven, mostly there are still a few needless distractions. Single friends large bachelor flat, massive table, plenty of chair and air con which is a must in Durban; South Africa during the summer months. We still struggle with our host getting distracted by his consoles when gaming hits a lull but that’s something we can live with.
Maggie
May 10, 2010
Our living room, replete with substandard lighting, kids toys everywhere, and a two-month-old baby in a carrier. I made my minotaur shaman last night with one hand on a bottle of formula while the other rolled up my stat block.
Rev. Lazaro
May 10, 2010
I would say the biggest opponent for my gaming groups is always figuring out where to play. Recently I bought a nice coffee table that actually fits pleasingly in my living room. It was so refreshing to actually run a game this past weekend on a tabletop big enough to pull out the minis and grid boards. Unfortunately, I’d say it only worked because of the small group (Me + 2 others) and I wouldn’t go past adding one more person in my house.
Our normal gaming area is at another friend’s house. Normally we game in his study, which was always awesome for World of Darkness since he kept it in rather gothicy/dark fantasy decor. When we started playing D&D 4E, we gamed at his dinner table. That table was kinda smallish, and their wooden chairs were kinda rickety and old. Hate to say it, another large fellow and myself have broken a few chairs during game nights. As for the table itself….by the time all of the books, dice, character sheets and sometimes laptop were thrown in the equation….we had very little room for minis. Throw in snacks, and that room was gone. Even when we did fit the minis out…reaching over the DM screen or other peeps stuff just wasn’t happening.
In the end, we went with using a virtual tabletop on the big screen TV in the study. It works really well but at the same time…..I miss the feel of miniature play. Plus, having to pre-draw maps and gather icons ahead of time, while an easy process, is still time consuming.
So yeah, I feel your pain on this. Don’t even get me started about the game table at my tiny shop….card games, awesome. Board games, never fails to attract a crowd that’s a bit too big.
GMRaphi
May 10, 2010
I live in an appartement in the same house as my mother (cliché? perhaps!) and not only I don’t have kids, but everything in my apartment is well-suited for gaming – sofas, tables, good lighting, lots of dice, computers, music, Wii console for breaks, heating (including a small electrical backup heating if the main one should be out). If I have a large session, 5+ players and 1 GM I can with decent forewarning use my mothers huge living room which features multiple tables, good, dimmable lighting, swords and torchlike lamps on the walls, an ancient library wall with books as old as 300 years besides role playing literature, in short, instant athmosphere. If I ask nicely (and I always do), my mother usually cooks for my friends and myself if we’re downstairs, if we play in my apartment, we eat the typical gaming food.
Oh, and I have some mean coffee brewing skills with my french press pot.
I hope this doesn’t depress you too much, but if yes, it might be a consolation that your post made me realize again how good my life is. Thanks.
Rev. Lazaro
May 10, 2010
Not meaning to post again, but since this IS a “War Stories” post, I do want to share my WORST gaming environment tale:
Playing D&D at a friend’s house, the DM and her boyfriend HAD to smoke during games. No questions ask, she couldn’t function without it. My friend who was hosting the place for us had a smoke outside policy. What ends up happening is we occupied his carport and playing on his large pool table he had set up out there. We’ve done this before and it was awesome….but I should mention this was late at night during a rather rough cold front that blew through.
We ended up bundling up, setting up a giant wall around the carport with some tarps he had, and then bringing some heaters outside in hopes that we made a decent tent out of his port.
It gets better….the DM ends up taking her boyfriend inside for some important “solo” role playing tailored to his character, and us non smokers were left outside to role play in the cold for an hour or two. We ended up doing a lot of in-character dialogue, so when they came back we had a whole slew of agenda already planned out that didn’t seem to mesh well with their plans. Oh well.
Jerry Holmes
May 10, 2010
Heh… I remember a few years ago in college when we played at the commons. There’s nothing quite like an endless stream of random strangers poking their heads in… “Whutcha doing? Is that D&D? Can I watch?”
Us married DM’s, though, have a thin line to walk. Keeping the wife “on board,” even given the interruptions, is a far better alternative than alienating her or making her feel shut out. It sucks when your significant other starts believing she’s in competition with “gaming” for your time. DM’s get a double whammy on this, because they actually have to put in time above and beyond the game itself. (Players who have never DM’ed will just never know.)
So, having your game in your home, in and amongst your family, is not really a bad thing, as long as at some point you can settle into the game. We have a separate office building next to our house, which is where I run my games, but even then I find myself running in to check on my family. Given the fact that you have a family, too, you might actually have the “best” possible gaming environment…
… fridge nearby, accepting wife, happy kids, a quasi-balance between gaming and family… what’s not to love? 😉
deadorcs
May 10, 2010
This is going to sound horribly cliche, but our group plays in my basement. Fortunately, it’s not my Mom’s basement. However, it’s unfinished, the game tables share space with a washer/dryer, and my son’s messy room is on the other side of the area. Still, we have some great shelf space, and two large “church tables” (heavy-duty folding tables you might find at a church or community center) and seating for 7 including the DM.
If I ever make it rich, and I can build my dream house, the game room will be a primary consideration when designing it.
Great post!
Christian K. Martinez
May 10, 2010
I have an ideal gaming area, always have thankfully. I started gaming with family (parents loved D&D) when I was real young, so when the whole family is playing together…including your six year old little sister the environment is great.
It also bound the family together in a remarkable way, which was nice. Anyways, even now have the brightly lit kitchen table and an environment with little to no interruptions.
The worst place I’ve ever had to play was on a friend in high-school’s bed. At the time his family wouldn’t allow the use of the kitchen table, and so we created a semi stable platform of boxes on which to place battle maps, perched books for dice to be rolled on on our knees and crammed all five of us into a room that was crowded with two.
mjbrenner
May 10, 2010
Our gaming setup isn’t bad, but we still strive for better. We play on my dining room table, which is great except for when it becomes dinner time, and we need to clear everything off the table for dinner. It also means that we absolutely cannot, “just leave the game setup until next time.”
I have the space in my basement family room for a devoed game table. It’s time we made the switch.
newbiedm
May 10, 2010
Wow. I guess a lot of people have something to say about locale… 🙂
I wish I had a dedicated gaming room, I really do.
One day, when I own “the” house, I’ll make sure that my gaming/nerd space is accounted for.
Until then, my badly lit dining room will do.
Thanks for all the great responses.
Swordgleam
May 10, 2010
My current gaming environment is fine, but last year I’d go over to game at the house where most of my players lived. Everyone in that house was in my game, except one guy. That housemate liked to make himself dinner – usually some kind of messy pasta – and then sit down at the gaming table to eat while pointedly ignoring us. It was very irritating.
Thadeous
May 10, 2010
Yeah I run my game in a one bedroom apartment. For most of the night my girlfriend is out at meetings, but when she gets home and has no where else to go but sit in the living room and wait for us to finish I start to feel rushed. I couldn’t imagine adding children to that mix. Some times we just don’t get to full break away, but I’m thankful for even the little bit I get.
Totte Alm
May 10, 2010
I play or DM/GM in a few different constellations, although not as often as anyone would like. We try to play where we cause the least stress on someones relationship, as 5-6 die rolling, monster cursing and junk food eating middle aged men in the living room is usually enough to drive any spouse crazy.
My neighbor has a large basement room, perfect for gaming, and one guy lives alone, but his apartment usually needs a few hours before the would-be game table becomes even visible. We also sometimes use the conference room at the office where one of they guys is CEO. But it is better for maybe James Bond or Call of Cthulhu Modern, not really for fantasy.
As there are kids in all ages in the group, from 1 month to 18 years, we have all had our share of “can you please… ” over the years. But, we all understand, and we all help out. If DMs wife needs help with something, its better that the unconscious paladin does it than the DM, if you know what I mean.
Elderac
May 10, 2010
Probably the worse place I’ve had to run an RPG is onboard the USS George Washington Carver. I had only a couple of players and when our watch rotation would allow, we would meet in the ship’s library. Now the library on board the submarine was a room maybe 5 feet wide by 10 feet long with a table along the one side. We had plenty of light, but sometimes it got noisy with the fans for the Fire Control Center at one end and the crew’s lounge just outside, where there was almost always a noisy card game going.
Elderac
The Lord of Excess
May 10, 2010
I have always had a decent setup in the house but I relate to your parental interuptions. I have four kids under age 6 … 2 girls 2 boys … youngest is 2. My wife is patient with my gaming as well … but around what we call the “witching hour” … about 6 to 7 each day the kids are getting dinner and ready for sleep … she needs the help. I’ll get pulled away from gaming for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Parenting comes first … gaming second … as it should be. But that can be disruptive. For me if I can’t game at my house … I can’t game … due to the kids. My wife is really permissive about gaming but she likes me around home … so travel to someone’s house or store gaming, etc. is a pretty rare thing.
newbiedm
May 10, 2010
@Lord – Sounds like we have the same situation. The Witching Hour… I like that. But in my house, it’s more like The Bitching Hour.
Behemoth0089
May 10, 2010
We play in the house of one of my players because its a central point between all of us, and they have a really big table, so its ok. Light is not exactly the best of all, but it works well after all. The only trouble I have its carrying all the material to there (books, minis, maps, dices, tokens…) that’s a pain in the ass, cause my backpack becomes really heavy. Well, at least, he has no kids (yet) because he is only 17 years old xD but lets wait.
the other trouble its that I run public events as well, and that’s harder because I haven’t found a public place to run them and the house only works for privates.
Thunderforge
May 10, 2010
We play in an empty classroom at my university. It’s nice, very spacious, well lit, has a projector, and has whiteboards. I guess we’re lucky in that respect and I doubt I’ll ever play in such a nice area again.
Colmarr
May 10, 2010
Newbie,
Assuming you own a house, why not play in the garage? Buy one or more of those long fold up tables, move the cars out for a few hours and ta-da; instant game space!
It’s much more convenient than playing in the living room, and is much less likely to impact on the rest of the family.
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve EVER had a satisfactory game at a dining table.
Colmarr
May 10, 2010
As for the b/witching hour, your wife’s a saint if she lets you play while the kids are going through their most tempestuous part of the day. I have two kids under 4, so I know what goes on. A friggin saint, man.
Make sure you thank her when you get home tonight.
Sean Brady
May 11, 2010
This is pretty much how it goes for me as well. I work from home on game days, which allows me time to setup without having to worry about the commute. I make sure dinner is ready for when my wife gets home with the boys. In addition to my 4 and 1 year old we usually have at least 2 three year olds and a 9 year old over. My oldest wants to start playing immediately so I need to fight him to sit down and eat. My wife brings the little one up to sit with me while she eats (and he LOVES grabbing everything) and then she takes him down to eat. She typically works then, and leaves both boys up with us. Some nights are better than others, but I will say that in general it works out OK. Still it is not the perfect environment. I am fortunate enough to have a separate room for the kids to run around and play in (if they would only stay in there).
dreadgazebo
May 11, 2010
@Sean
Hah, rooms! Why the hell even bother it’s not like they ever hang out in them. I feel your pain on that one.
Juan Baez
May 11, 2010
I have 3 main gaming locations (all for different campaigns). 1 is at the DM’s house which is cool, but sort of cramped, no distractions though other than a dog that has to go out like every hour. The second place is an apartment, no distractions other than upstairs neighbors wandering around loudly, very cramped though. And the third, my favorite place, Charlie Mopps pub.
We used to play at a gaming cafe and then they tried to charge us. With no other convenient place to go, I pitched the idea of us playing at Mopps to the owner and he was very welcoming, since we play at a time that business is fairly slow for them. I love going there, and good food and beer is a big plus. It’s a little dark, but we have plenty of room and it’s kind of awesome to say “you start in a tavern,” while in a tavern.
With the other places being quieter with far less distractions, I think we have the most fun at Mopps. Good atmosphere goes a long way.
Duerma
May 12, 2010
I think I can one up you with my setup from last year. We have 3 kids, aged 4, 4, and 1. Another couple brought their kids – severely autistic 6, 3, and 1. (They had a sitter when we started but she was in the hospital for an extended stay at this point) Another guy had to bring his baby girl (6ish months). Husband arrived home about the same time everyone else did. I was DM, so I was busy setting up the play area instead of cleaning or cooking dinner. And we have an open floor plan, so all the screeching children were effectively in the same room as us. However, since I was DMing and husband was attempting to play, we couldn’t relocate to another room – we HAD to be amidst the chaos out of necessity.
AND THEN we had a displaced family move in with us, children aged 4 and 2, bringing the total to 9 kids, 6 and under. I think we had maybe one or two sessions like this before we just gave up.
We’ve since reformed at Guy with Baby’s house, and the only children present are the baby and my clingy 1 year old. It’s kind of amazing to get through more than one encounter in a session. :p
newbiedm
May 12, 2010
Duerma. You may be better off waiting for the kids to get a little older before even attempting to play anything. :p
fighting-man
May 12, 2010
Based on reading all the comments, I consider myself very fortunate to have an understanding wife that lets me go to a friend’s house that has no kids. I play with 5 other people including the DM and only me and one other person has a child and we have wives that are willing to watch them once every 2 weeks or so. I can’t imagine ever playing at a house with lots of kids running around. I do know that one day, when my kids are grown up, and I am retired, I will have all the time in the world to play D&D and do other geek activities!
CJPost
May 13, 2010
The space sounds very similar to ours. We are fortunate to have a table that expands since our game can range from four to seven people. Gaming group is every other Saturday afternoon/evening so we don’t have to deal with people’s work schedule as much. However, there are KIDS! We (the DM and I) have a four-year-old daughter and a six-month-old son. Another of the players has a one-year-old who sometimes comes, and the other couple in the group is expecting their first child in late September. Needless to say, I’m wondering how this is all going to play out with all of the little familiars in the house during D & D time. At least we have toys and space for napping babies.
erebus
May 13, 2010
My group actually took over the exec conference room at my school, and we go there every tuesday. No distractions, we even have access to a projector screen that displays monster art and battle maps. Quite handy. When I played a few years ago, it was in a run down dorm with no chairs, so i can sympathize with bad gaming eviroments.
Chris
May 26, 2010
We were a bunch of university kids living in residence, so we just used the common room most of the time. However, near the end of the year the common room started to get used by other groups(watching TV, playing video games, etc.). We started using a townhouse one of the players lived in. Her housemates were all fine with it, and we had enough room.
We’ll probably end up using a townhouse for our sessions next year, unless we have a lot of interest in D&D from incoming freshmen. If that happens, our DM might try and make an official D&D club at our school, and we’ll be able to use one of the rooms in there.