Why shouldn't I play a game with you?

Partially inspired by the idiosyncrasies thread, what habit do you have around the game table that would probably irritate most gamers you know?

I mentioned in the other thread that I like to fidget with my pieces. People don't usually call me on it, but my wife will tell me to stop if I'm getting out of hand.

If I'm not careful I can be a big chit-chatter. Some groups of mine don't really mind adding an hour to a game we all know well, just so we can have conversations in the middle of the game. That really only works when everyone knows each other well, but it's almost never on-topic, so I try to keep it to a minimum at other game nights.

i like the chit-chatters!

Let's see, I have two things that annoy different groups of people

Gamers - gamers hate that I take too long to think sometimes. They lose patience with me.

Non-gamers - non-gamers hate that I'm a rules-stickler. If someone is making a move that is against the rules, I'm always the one to call them on it. They hate that. "We're just playing for fun for crissakes!"

I will ridicule your unpainted minis incessantly. Plus, like Barney I have a mild case of A.P.

I've been known to rip peoples arms off when I lose.

I explain so many games that I tend to be rules master at the table. People don't like it but what can I do?

I'm more like a role player than a board gamer (despite having very little RP experience). I show up to a game ready to play and do my part in everyone having an enjoyable time. Though I'd say my personality can be off putting to new folks sometimes. I will trash talk, I trash talked someone in Terra Mystica into not coming back to game with us (it was pretty mild too). I might not interact with you much above the game until I have a feel for you, I might seem cold or like a loner.

Edit: You should just game with me. If I think you're cool I'll soften up and I'm almost down to play anything anytime. If I don't think you're cool, I probably won't game with you, but that first game will still be fine.

I will often make the move that is the most fun as opposed to the one that is the "best". I also consider it a victory if I make someone else lose, as opposed to myself winning.

Gary Sax wrote: I explain so many games that I tend to be rules master at the table. People don't like it but what can I do?

I have the same issue but I think deep down people know that it is your role and it is a necessary role. They come to respect it even though they will challenge you non-stop over a ton of stuff.

Someone's got to do it. We're not the hero that they want, but the one that they need

I've got the jimmy legs.

Why shouldn't you game with me?

1) Because food costs money and if you came over my wife would insist on you being fed. I ain't running a charity here.

2) Because I don't take 15 minutes to make a move. I play most of my turns fairly quickly which means you'll have to do your thinking on your own time. Not mine. You'll get uptight thinking you're taking to long.

3) You will have to pet my cat, Wilhelmina Meowface. It's not optional. I don't give a fuck if you're allergic. She's the cutest damn cat on earth...just look at her...LOOK AT HER...SO DAMN CUTE. Pet the fucking cat!

4) I only play cool games. So your desire to play Steam, Age of Steam, Ubongo, Rococo and Blargen von Blugleblat will be unfulfilled. Those games suck.

PS: I'm not kidding about the cat...

repoman wrote:

4) I only play cool games. So your desire to play Steam, Age of Steam, Ubongo, Rococo and Blargen von Blugleblat will be unfulfilled. Those games suck.

Age of Steam is harsh. If it isn't like a knife fight in a phone booth, you need to play on one of the smaller maps. I'll grant you, it's ugly as sin though.

You shouldn't game with me if forgetting an upkeep phase bothers you. I'll skip one at least once in a game, if we have one and something relatively small is at stake.

hotseatgames wrote: I will often make the move that is the most fun as opposed to the one that is the "best".

I do this all the time. Especially if I'm learning a game because screw it, I'm trying to figure out how everything works and not necessarily win at winning. Hardcore eurosnoots hate this. I once got called an asshole during the initial setup phase of In the Shadow of Emperor.

I like to chit-chat, but I hate when someone has been talking through everyone else's turn and then their turn comes and they bring the entire game to complete halt because they have no idea what the state of the game is. If you say, "Oh is it my turn?" after we've already been waiting five minutes on you then you might receive a flying D20 to the head in the affirmative.

I'm always thinking about my next move during other players' turns. I'm pretty ready to roll when my turn comes around if I can be. I don't understand when other players don't play this way.

I end up teaching/explaining a lot of games. It's OK if people miss a rule or two because let's face it: being told how to play a game isn't as fun as playing a game. What I don't like is when during the game someone asks a rules question and I start to answer, only to be interrupted by someone else who thinks they know the rule and just have to talk about it. If you do that I'll call you on it. If you do it twice I'll pass you the rulebook and stop answering questions.

Sometimes I get too drunk. Depends on the crowd. I don't tend to be the only drunk, but I might be the smiliest one because under the table I'm holding the biggest die I could find and just waiting to throw it.

When listening to rules, I always interrupt and ask questions to clarify. Other than that, I've never had anyone get pissed at me.

My worst feature when gaming is that I always do stuff quickly without explaining to others at the table what I am doing. My turns are often "My guys move here, these two guys of yours are dead. Your turn", and people are very often bewildered as to what the hell just happened.

Also people always complain that when I explain the rules I leave out one or two things and then exploit other people's lack of knowledge of these rules in the first game they see. I will concede I do tend to leave out situational rules to get people to focus on the important concepts, as they are rarely understood out of the context of playing the game, but will bring them up the first time they are relevant (even if the new player can exploit me with it, its just that the new player is much less likely than an experienced player to hit the relevant situation).

1) I will refuse to shuffle your fat decks of sleeved cards, and then I will incessantly complain about them during the game.

2) I will refuse to pull the individual wrapped pieces out of your 1000 baggies during set-up, and to put them back into the baggies during tear-down.

3) You will lose.