Doing Things Better #1: Entertaining your fellow-players

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

Except that everything I described ultimately matters. You need to carefully choose who you play with. For example, if I picked a group of people who are going to get distracted and make constant pop-culture references and largely just hang out and teamed them up with you, you would have a bad experience. I've already made a mistake, even before I've tried to run the game. If I fail to choose a proper time, if everything fails to get scheduled, you won't have your gaming experience at all. If everyone gets cranky because they're hungry, or distracted because of loud, inappropriate music, then your game doesn't happen either.

That's along the lines of how I rewrote your five rules. Your actual rules won't result in any gaming except by accident.

You say that I'm drawing this from my larger experience, but I'd say the opposite is true. You argue that my approach wouldn't serve you. I disagree! It would serve you excellently, because it would involve tailoring the social event to your particular needs.

My needs include that gaming had better actually happen, and it really ought to be the main activity.

This:

Even if people just shoot the breeze and drink your beer and eat your pizza and make jokes and completely fail to connect with the game

is a problem, because if that happens I won't find this to be adequate substitute for gaming, even if I try to make the most of it and have fun, and especially even if you have decided against my wishes that I'd rather do this instead of gaming.