Triangle Geeks periodically hosts “Game Nights” for its members to get together and visit with each other while playing geeky strategy games, word games, and party games. Game Nights are a great way to catch up with old friends and make new ones in a friendly environment. If you want a more serious gaming experience, try the Triangle Strategy Games Meetup group. 

I try hard to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable at Game Night, so it pains me to report that I have been receiving reports from folks about incidents that have been getting in the way of people having a good time. So I decided to put together a list of some very basic ground rules that I expect everyone to follow.  

Please keep these rules in mind when you sign up for game night so that your actions don't cause grief and angst for others: 

-- Be a courteous player 
Keep in mind that Game Nights are primarily a social event. Game Night is not one of those serious game conventions in which everyone is expected to show up exactly on time and keep the game moving forward at all times. 

If someone takes a while to make a move because they are new to the game, please be patient with them. If you are an experienced player, you might _offer_ to give advice or help the player understand their options so he or she can learn.  This includes giving people reasonable chances to take back their moves, etc, within reason. 

When it's your turn to play, try not to take too long making your decisions. While this is not tournament play, it's rude to other players to take too long to make your move. It's also a good idea to put social talk on hold for a few minutes while you make your turn. Don't feel rushed to make your play, but do make an effort to keep the game moving along. 

-- Be a patient teacher 
I advertise Game Night as an opportunity to learn how to play new games. If you are experienced with a particular game, offer to teach it to others if they are interested. Take the time to explain it to them. Think of it as an investment in recruiting worthy adversaries in the future. 

-- Be a patient learner 
If someone is teaching you how to play. Don't interrupt the teacher unnecessarily. Give the teacher a chance to explain the rules to everyone first and then ask questions. Sometimes the teacher will get to your question without you interrupting the flow of his or her instruction. 

--  Be a courteous observer
It's fine to watch a game in progress as an Observer. It's not OK to criticize people's moves or make comments that interrupt the play. This is especially true of games where play is timed or players race against each other in some way.  If you want to offer advice to a player who's learning, ask first if the person would like some help or advice. Don't just blurt out unsolicited advice on the person's next play. 

These are all common sense rules and basically the Golden Rule applies in most of these situations. If you observe someone being rude and breaking these ground rules, feel free to tell them they are being Not Cool. Tell the person specifically what they are doing and them the person to stop. If the problem persists, let me know about it asap and I'll do something about it on the spot. 

If you can think of other rules that need to be added to this list, feel free to send them to me.

Thanks, 
Calvin 
calvin@cspowers.com