Quote from: architect.zeroI drink a bit when I play.  Beer or wine - rarely anything else.  I do it because it keeps me relaxed and focused.  If I don't, I simply can't get into the game.  My brain will wander towards work or chores or some bit of esoterica that suddenly pops up.  What I really need is Ritalin, but you try getting a diagnosis for Adult ADD without getting laughed at.  So alcohol it is.  (Also, I'm a happy and mellow drunk and can function pretty well - no driving of course, etc...)

 Dude ,
 I already said a beer or two to get mellow is perfectly understandable  - I'm kind of on your side on this.

 What I object to are those that get ridiculous or do it to exzcess. Also, as someone else pointed out - you don't want to do an illegal substance at someone else's house. Getting your host or hostess potentially  in trouble with the  law is generally a bad idea  ...its also rude.  And who really wants to game with rude people?

Now - a sip or two of wine or even a glass I don't mind. Like I said tho, my group doesn't do that when we game.  A special dinner drink we might do - like that Strongbow and mixed drinks that we shared with our deer meat stew a few momths ago . (I had a thread in Other Topics about that meal)

 If your week has been stressful - and you need a glass or two of wine while gaming. Thats cool . To me thats not "drugs". Its legal AND its a social lubricant.

 Smoking ?
 My group doesn't like it when we game.

 If I had a different group - pipe smoke would be alright with me, if the smoker chose the better brands of tobacco.
Because of a really cool bookstore/game store that was in the local area in the 1980s -  I associate the smell of pipe tobacco with intelligent discussion and debates and gaming chitchat.

- Ed C.

Quote from: koltarDude ,
I already said a beer or two to get mellow is perfectly understandable - I'm kind of on your side on this.

Sorry man, I wasn't ragging - just jumping late into a conversation and getting in up to my neck (or, foot firmly lodged in mouth as it may seem)

(I smoke a pipe too, but not when gaming.  I'd be sorely tempted to gesticulate while pontificating about this or that... which would get me beatdown by my friends. :pundit: )

Quote from: JongWK2) That being said, I want a gaming group I can count on. When someone skips a game night because he was too drunk or too stoned, it's time to make a choice. Otherwise it can quickly kill the interest in a great game. I'd go as far as to say that these kind of players are the bane of any long-term campaigns.

The thing is, Jong, my two-decade campaign was composed partly, if not mainly, of such people. Well I remember when somebody would have to go get Tristam out of bed on a Saturday morning. Not always his own. And any one of us would occasionally have to blow the game off due to party fatigue.

It's really about the sort of game and friends you have.

I've had way more dropouts/ missed sessions due to some fool chasing after sex than any sort of mind altering substance, and that's the truth.

:confused:

Quote from: Kyle AaronBeen there, done that. I just got sleepy and relaxed.

I went to uni and experimented with all sorts of stuff like everyone else, mate. I stuck with what I liked and found good, and set aside what I didn't.

Fair enough. My wife doesn't smoke pot either (she's a fiend for nicotine and she likes a drink). A bunch of my mates started doing crystal meth and I didn't. Speed's only good for staying awake in my opinion.

It's all about what gets you through.

Quote from: KoltarThe thing about drugs and gaming is  - WHY?

Its already a little ood or different just playing a typical playing game....doing drugs along with it just seems either reduundant or an exerecise in why bother?

Because everything is more fun when you're a little buzzed. Why settle for "good fun" when you can have "awesome fun"?