There's a few gaming events in my area that I was hoping to go to today, but the kids aren't quite old enough to bring along yet. However, my daughter has spent the day insisting that we play game after game, which is exactly what the day is about. So, after addressing a few issues with manners and responsibility in various games, I turned it into an opportunity to discuss these situations in a more general way. She's taken it pretty well so far, seemingly as enthusiastic to better understand social tabletop gaming overall as she is to play the games.
I found it interesting how easily she understood and accepted these concepts. I explained each once, and that was it; the issues never came up again. The only battle has been keeping her attention when going over rules, which is expected. As to that, I figure I'm learning too: if I can teach a game to a 5 year old, I can probably teach it to anyone.
Here's a few of the points of etiquette we've covered:
Sportsmanship: Being a disrespectful winner is as bad as being a sore loser. "Nah nah na-nah naaah!"
Paying attention: When it's your turn, focus on taking your turn. When it's not your turn, make sure you're paying attention to things you need to know for your next turn, out-of-turn actions, etc. Fiddling with the game components, like making shapes with tokens, is ok if the above doesn't currently apply.
Handling with care: If you don't own the game, it's components should be returned to the box in the same condition you received them. Don't assume it's ok to curve the cards or slam the dice, even if the owner is doing those things.
Cleanup: When the game ends, you'll probably have a collection of game pieces in front of you that may or may not be organized or easy to reach from across the table. Take the few seconds to at least separate and make accessible the components you were controlling to help get them back in the box.
What simple points would you add?
