 |
| Con-Etiquette |
The setting: A snack bar in the heat of the summer at the Indiana Convention Center where Gen Con Indy 2010 is underway. Several subdued gamers file quietly in, grab a beverage, and cluster around a corner table. After a few seconds of intermingled silence and sighs, one ventures:
"Well, that was a bit of a disaster."
"It sure wasn't what I expected. Jeez, succubi? I expected monsters..."
"Yeah, we go in like commandos and get charmed immediately. Nice plan!"
"Nice plan, huh? What kinda planning were you doing? You guys just sat there arguing about party order."
"Well, we had just about given up trying to make suggestions, because all you did was argue, and then go ahead and do what you wanted anyway-"
"C'mon, guys, knock it off!"
Uneasy silence
"It didn't help that those two fighters got killed off in the first hour."
"Well, they just kept getting out in front in every melee; then they hit that trap..."
"Look, they had no business out in front - rogues are supposed to check for traps like that."
"Sure. We were really that organized. You jerks never even figured out that we were supposed to go around the ambushes, not through them."
"I must point out that you wasted quite a few opportunity's yourself. If you'd used a few heal spells instead off being a warrior-priest, we might not have lost four characters."
"And I hate to mention it, but we did take forever to get started."
"Right. I hear the winning team finished in only two hours, and they all survived."
"Oh, our DM was such a jerk. He didn't know what he was doing."
"Yeah, you sure helped us by arguing with him over that surprise attack. I don't blame him. We were terrible. We were disorganized and careless, we wasted time, we fought when we shouldn't have, and we never really figured out what we were suppose to be doing. We didn't check for traps, we left the same guys out in front of the party until they got croaked, we used dumb spells, we had no plans - I'm surprised any of us survived."
Studied silence
"I tell you one thing. No way I'm
gonna screw up next year. Aside from feeling like a jerk, I didn't have much fun. All that arguing about plans, and that guy who just wouldn't cooperate..."
"Yeah, I learned something. You don't have to win to have fun, but you sure have to be at least decent."
Slurping sounds as straws scour bottoms of cups.
"I never heard of a succubi..."
"A succubus, stupid."
"If your so smart, how come you're dead?"
