Food For Friends - Eating and Drinking at the Board Game Table
It's been a question that I've tried to tackle a few times before and that has been ongoing in board game circles for decades (probably): whether food and drinks should be allowed at the board game table. There are many different opinions and they range from wanting to keep everything pristine to only caring about having fun with friends. Everyone will have to decide for themselves, but in this article, I want to look at a number of possible approaches. (This article was inspired by a discussion on my Discord.)
So let's start at one end, where someone always wants their games to remain pristine. They probably sleeve all the cards, maybe have special inserts to keep everything safe and cushioned and they generally value their games a lot. It's not surprising, given the cost of some games these days, so keeping it in perfect condition means you can possibly sell it later on, maybe even at a profit.
In those situations, chances are that having drinks or any kind of food at the table is going to be limited. Sure, the cards are sleeved, but even the sleeves need to remain clean and neat, so they don't leave stains when they're put back in the box.
It might sound extreme, but I do understand the reasons. If you spend a lot of money on a game, or even if it's not a lot of money, but it's a lot for the person, then you probably want to ensure you get the most out of it. You want to extend the lifetime of the game and keeping it pristine aims to achieve that. Maybe you need to be able to sell one game to be able to afford the next.
However, not allowing any drinks or food at the board game table can be off-putting. It may seem anti-social and make others feel they're not worthy, even though that's not the intention of course.
So, as a compromise, it might be a good idea to eat and drink before or after the game - or maybe between games. That way people can talk and socialise, while they have their favourite food, that can be as sticky as they like. Having a break is also a good idea anyway, if the game you're playing requires a lot of focus and isn't conducive to conversation.
At the other end of the spectrum, you have people who don't care about their games one bit and only value the social element of playing board games. They don't mind if you have sticky finger food while you play. They don't mind if you spill your soft drink over the table. As long as nobody is intentionally trying to leave as much mess as possible, they accept that accidents happen and don't mind the odd stain on a game board or some sticky cards.
They want people to have fun and will have a selection of drinks and food at the board game table for people to help themselves to. It's about being a good host who makes everyone feel comfortable and at home. Drinks and food are just as important as a good board game, as long as everyone happily talks and has fun.
After all, most people will be careful and not intentionally wipe their dirty fingers all over their deck of cards or tip their glass of sugary soda over the fancy game board. So chances are that everything will pass without much of a problem and if there is a little spillage, than that's fine and not much of an issue. Wipe it off and carry on.
To be honest though, I think many of us are somewhere in between. We probably don't mind if people have a drink at the table - as long as they're sensible and don't hold their drink over the game board or wave their glass about to point out their strategy. We're probably happy with snacks at the table, as long as people quickly wipe their fingers on a napkin before they take their turn or pick up their hand of cards.
After all, food and drink oils the conversation and makes people feel content and comfortable. I think most of us want to have fun with friends or family when we play games together. We want everyone to enjoy themselves. The odd accident here and there isn't a major issue, but maybe let's just remove the stickiest food from the equation and just ask everyone to be sensible. That way we can have fun and enjoy the game as well.
Chances are, the people we play with regularly do know what we expect and will respect our choices - just as we will do our best to be a great host. So when it comes to regular games evenings, your group will have sorted itself out over time and everyone will behave accordingly.
So how do you deal with food and drinks at the table? Do you have rules at your house or in your group? How precious are you about your games? Are some games more valuable to you than others? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.
Even so, a friend managed to spill a large glass of water all over my Arkham boards. He kept his glass on the side table during the game, but while we were putting the game away, he inexplicably moved his big glass of water onto the table. Almost everything except the boards were already safely in boxes when he bumped the glass, and it turns out that the odd texture on the Arkham boards is water resistant. I had a roll of paper towels close at hand, so we saved Arkham again.
Aside from that, I have a total ban on Cheetos on game days. I don't need sticky orange crud coating my cards and other components. Fortunately, my girlfriend is the only person that I know who likes Cheetos, and she rarely plays board games.
When I game at open venues or other people's homes, I tend to leave the expensive games at home unless I know that the host has similar rules to mine. This was especially true with my monthly hipster board game group, where everyone had to bring food or drinks to share, and most of the players enjoyed craft beers while playing. The host paid top dollar to pick up 1st edition Heroquest at a GenCon auction in 2018, then accidentally spilled a beer on the board during our first game, so I now call that game Beerquest.
Where's the debate?
On the rare occasion I've played games with one copy in the world, generally playtest copies at mini-cons, I keep my drink on the floor next to the chair leg so it can't spill onto anything not easily replaceable. Nobody has ever asked, but I don't want them stuck without a copy for the remainder of the weekend because their computer and plotter are in Phoenix.
Greg Aleknevicus wrote: I agree that this debate has existed for decades, but it shouldn't have. The owner of the game gets to decide if food/drinks are allowed while playing. No, you're not allowed to try to convince/shame them otherwise. Yes, you are allowed to buy a copy of that game and play it instead.
Where's the debate?
It pops up on BGG fairly regularly.
We will usually eat before we play. Food during games is like trail mix, M&Ms, licorice, and the like. sometimes chips, but my group are pretty cognizant of shit being on their hands before handling the game. I would have stricter food rulings if I were playing with strangers.
Sagrilarus wrote: My attitude is always this -- if I damage your game (or your table) I'm responsible enough to make you whole. I'll buy you a new copy. The good news is that I very rarely sit down to can't-replace-it-because-it's-kickstarter-limited-edition-bullshit titles. Another reason to avoid that crap.
I think that's a great attitude and I would do the same if I was the cause.
Most of our game playing is at my house with my games though, and if a good friend ruined a game, I would have a very difficult time accepting their money to replace it (I suppose if they showed up with a copy of the game I wouldn't turn it down). I'd probably just re-buy it myself or live with the damage.
I'm a bit OCD with my stuff and condition admittedly, which makes this even more of a conundrum.
charlest wrote: I would have a very difficult time accepting their money to replace it
And the social rules would apply at that point as well. The fact that you offer is often sufficient, and I'd likely tell them to buy a case of beer for game nights as suitable penance for the sin. Honestly, the few messes I've seen were not game-ending events, just a need for a cleanup.
I appreciate that some people are sleeving their boards now (which frankly, is absurd), but I don't play with anyone like that. Best guess is I never will considering I just dumped half my game group.
charlest wrote:
Sagrilarus wrote: My attitude is always this -- if I damage your game (or your table) I'm responsible enough to make you whole. I'll buy you a new copy. The good news is that I very rarely sit down to can't-replace-it-because-it's-kickstarter-limited-edition-bullshit titles. Another reason to avoid that crap.
I think that's a great attitude and I would do the same if I was the cause.
Most of our game playing is at my house with my games though, and if a good friend ruined a game, I would have a very difficult time accepting their money to replace it (I suppose if they showed up with a copy of the game I wouldn't turn it down). I'd probably just re-buy it myself or live with the damage.
I'm a bit OCD with my stuff and condition admittedly, which makes this even more of a conundrum.
Agreed - none my games, if suffering a spill, would ruin me financially TBH, I'd just write it off as a cost of doing business so tp speak. If its at your house and you allow food/drink, I think your tacitly accepting any potential fallout. About the only time I raised a stink was at a convention once when a douche sat at my table with fucking sticky buns to play a card game ( Atlantic Storm which was OOP and going north of $100 assuming you could find one ) and the guy in question was a known douchenozzle so I took the opportunity to rip him one.
Didn't see this, but the best story I heard was about some asshole at a Type 1 tournament (don't know what they call it now) asking to randomize his opponent's deck. Perfectly legal. So he takes the $1000+ worth of cards and starts smearing them all over the table, like I've seen done in Vegas to randomize a poker deck. Asshole's opponent just about started throwing punches over that.
That's awesome. I should do something like that the next time I have the relatives over. Game early, break for burgers/dogs/taco bar, and reconvene after supper.KingPut wrote: I learned most of my social skills and hospitality from my Italian mother. If you come to my game night you better be prepared to eat and drink. Typically I start game night between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. I usually make sausages or meatballs and some kind of pasta dish. Or maybe I'll switch it up and make Beef Stew or Jambalaya. We'll play the first round of games in the afternoon and then break for dinner around 6:00 pm before starting the evening gaming. Dinner isn't eaten during gaming. It is eaten away from the games. It's a time for us to socialize and interact with out cardboard in front of us. It's a time to get to know each other outside of the games we play.
KingPut wrote: Grilling works well for spring / summer game afternoon-nights.
Wrong. There is no "season" for grilling - it is a year round activity. Hell I dug a friends grill out of 18" of snow awhile back to grill 10 steaks I brought to a gaming weekend. Beats using a fucking broiler.
Msample wrote:
KingPut wrote: Grilling works well for spring / summer game afternoon-nights.
Wrong. There is no "season" for grilling - it is a year round activity. Hell I dug a friends grill out of 18" of snow awhile back to grill 10 steaks I brought to a gaming weekend. Beats using a fucking broiler.
I once successfully grilled burgers in subzero weather. The trick is not waiting until the flames die down into coals. You need to cook over active flame to get enough heat to cook the meat.
At public venues I know a couple people who think nothing of eating a meatball sub or a fat burrito over a game board. There have been tears and recriminations. So, when they head my way I just point to a different table and tell them, "Finish your food over there."