Etiquette at the Table - What's OK?

Groups can be very different in how they approach table etiquette during the game, and many factors can affect it. Some groups say no food at the table, some people have pizzas as centerpieces. A DM might say absolutely no phones where another couldn't care less.

How does one establish table etiquette? Well, that's usually something to be talked about during Session Zero. For those unfamiliar, Session Zero is the term used for the meeting between DM and players before a campaign starts, where everyone can lay down expectations, house rules, preferences, and the like for the campaign. Other common topics during a Session Zero include character creation and backstory development, topics players might want to avoid in the game, and any other things that will make a player more comfortable. I'll get more into Session Zeros in a later post.

Typically, the DM has final say on table etiquette, though it is good to have a democratic process with your players in determining what is acceptable. Do you want food and drink at the table? Is alcohol allowed during play? Are players allowed to stand and leave the table mid-game, or will the DM have intermission or break periods at specific moments of the night?

Establishing what you expect from your players from the get-go is a very important piece of preparing for a campaign. Mutually agreed upon rules will help prevent conflict and confusion when you're actually playing, making your life as a DM a whole lot smoother.