What do you as GMs prefer to eat and drink while running a session... and are your choices good ideas?
Players asked me what I snack on during session and I wondered what other GMs eat.
For me, I currently eat a large meal about an hour or two before session and just have tea/water during session. Snacks get noisy on mic. I avoid beer because I need clear thinking and methodical memory recall.
I asked my players what they think I should eat and they just agreed on 'dice.'
What about you lot? :)
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Discord: Ancient Mutt#4871 | GM: Order of the Styx: Unseen Servant | Artist: Inkarnate
I have a preference towards foods like banana bread and cookies that make almost no noise when eaten, but I can't really say anything in terms of drink preferences as I don't like the risk of spilling water on character sheets or rulebooks. I also like to have a snack break in the middle of the session as it gives me as a DM time to catch up with the player's actions while they can eat and live in real life for a few minutes before diving back into a world of fantasy.
I start with coffee. I get sleepy, so the coffee helps. Plus, I like coffee.
I have exactly one beer, either a good beer or a common American light beer depending on mood and what's available. I like beer. More than one leads to the situation you described.
Then, lots of water.
In person, we loves the snacks. M&Ms are common, though I don't eat them myself. Jalapeño Cheetos are the absolute best gaming food I know. Napkins are required, of course. My daughter, a frequent participant, likes chips/crisps, so they are present. Dips get messier than Cheetos, so we avoid that.
If it's a long weekend session, we go with pizza for lunch. It's relatively cheap and easy, and it's uncommon for somebody to hate on it. They get chicken strips in that case. If you're slow, you can eat it with one hand while we continue the game. (Sorry for describing pizza in a TTRPG forum. I'll stop.)
I usually say BYOB, as nobody agrees on what to drink. Diet/cola/lemon/water/alcohol/ice-or-not are too many factors.
Online is almost the same thing. Coffee, 1 beer, chips. It's terrible but perfect at the same time.
For in-person D&D, I serve and eat things which are relatively quiet to eat - charcuterie plates, petite fours, and other small snacks that are easy to eat without much fuss. I generally only drink water; though I serve D&D themed cocktails to my players, liquor and dungeon mastering do not get along too well.
For online DMing, I usually also stick to water and easy snacks which can be prepared in advance of the game and make little noise.
I start with coffee. I get sleepy, so the coffee helps. Plus, I like coffee.
I have exactly one beer, either a good beer or a common American light beer depending on mood and what's available. I like beer. More than one leads to the situation you described.
Then, lots of water.
In person, we loves the snacks. M&Ms are common, though I don't eat them myself. Jalapeño Cheetos are the absolute best gaming food I know. Napkins are required, of course. My daughter, a frequent participant, likes chips/crisps, so they are present. Dips get messier than Cheetos, so we avoid that.
If it's a long weekend session, we go with pizza for lunch. It's relatively cheap and easy, and it's uncommon for somebody to hate on it. They get chicken strips in that case. If you're slow, you can eat it with one hand while we continue the game. (Sorry for describing pizza in a TTRPG forum. I'll stop.)
I usually say BYOB, as nobody agrees on what to drink. Diet/cola/lemon/water/alcohol/ice-or-not are too many factors.
Online is almost the same thing. Coffee, 1 beer, chips. It's terrible but perfect at the same time.
Pizza for... lunch? How long are your weekend sessions!? Those sound amazing! Coffee, sounds good, I like my coffee too, but yeah I can see how the water prevents headaches.
For in-person D&D, I serve and eat things which are relatively quiet to eat - charcuterie plates, petite fours, and other small snacks that are easy to eat without much fuss. I generally only drink water; though I serve D&D themed cocktails to my players, liquor and dungeon mastering do not get along too well.
For online DMing, I usually also stick to water and easy snacks which can be prepared in advance of the game and make little noise.
Charcuterie? Petite-fours? That's unexpected but a cool idea. :D
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Discord: Ancient Mutt#4871 | GM: Order of the Styx: Unseen Servant | Artist: Inkarnate
If it's a long weekend session, we go with pizza for lunch. It's relatively cheap and easy, and it's uncommon for somebody to hate on it. They get chicken strips in that case. If you're slow, you can eat it with one hand while we continue the game. (Sorry for describing pizza in a TTRPG forum. I'll stop.)
Pizza for... lunch? How long are your weekend sessions!? Those sound amazing! Coffee, sounds good, I like my coffee too, but yeah I can see how the water prevents headaches.
They sometimes go 6-8 hours. Anything more than 8 is too much for me. It's OK if you plan on it... with... food.
I usually have lots of water, but I don’t tend to eat mid-game. I most often run duet games, so our session is a back-and-forth conversation a lot, and when it’s not, I’m describing something.
Alcohol. Is that a good choice? For me.. yup! I have huge issues talking to people so it helps me calm down and run a good game. Everything in moderation of course. Getting trashed is not an option.
When it came to one of my older groups most would drink beer at the table. I did as well but it was more like one per 1-2 hours. we also would play for nearly 8 hours at a time. When it came to snacks and food we would cook or order food since we were all hanging out for 8 hours. We would break for 30 min to an hour and make something easy or order take out from somewhere.
As for online its always been water for me and soft foods like quesadillas, pastries, and fried rice as well. they all tend to be fairly soft and make little to no noise. there is also just muting your mic but i understand not wanting to keep muting and unmuting.
My players and I go to the local supermarket to grab snacks before our session. We developed a bit of an inside joke in our group about me buying some sour worms and just eating them whenever I was getting stressed or just fed up with player shenanigans. We call them the dm worms.
I play mostly at my school’s tabletop games club, where the snacks provided are often just a Plethora Of Oreos. For drinks, though, my tried and true method is having a huge water bottle on the floor under/next to my chair that I can drink from when the players are talking
My players are so great. We play very infrequently, but when we do it's a big evening. At my players place we start with coffee at 4pm and catch up, dinner is early at 6pm. Maybe just pizza, but sometimes BBQ or something special. Then, it's wine, beer, and weed, with snacks such as a cheese and grapes at 10 or 11pm, and play until 4am. They made mulled wine one night!
Its a lot of work beforehand, but I for my birthday this year got a DnD themed cookbook. I love that a lot, and have made quite a bit of stuff from there.
I always have a bottle of water or squash made up but I don't eat during a session. if it is going to be a long in person session (5+ hours) I will build in a break and might have a snack then, but I am usually too busy talking, rolling, listening to think about eating during a session and have to make myself remember to drink :)
I tend to only drink, but if I were to eat something now I would focus on anything that takes minimal time chewing to eat, or which is small enough to push into a cheek to talk, like sweets, so I'm not caught out!
I'd avoid anything messy or greasy like Chips, crisps, nachos, burgers, and basically everything they serve in board game cafes (what's up wh it always being messy food?) because the books are expensive, and all books deserve respect!
I generally eat dinner before gaming. At the table I may snack on a candy bar and I generally go through one soft drink per session. Now if the game is taking place at my house, all bets are off.
While I like chips and cookies more than I should, in the interest of promoting healthier lifestyles I generally try to bring something like a veggie or sandwich tray to games.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
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No, not genetically-modified...
What do you as GMs prefer to eat and drink while running a session... and are your choices good ideas?
Players asked me what I snack on during session and I wondered what other GMs eat.
For me, I currently eat a large meal about an hour or two before session and just have tea/water during session. Snacks get noisy on mic. I avoid beer because I need clear thinking and methodical memory recall.
I asked my players what they think I should eat and they just agreed on 'dice.'
What about you lot? :)
Discord: Ancient Mutt#4871 | GM: Order of the Styx: Unseen Servant | Artist: Inkarnate
I have a preference towards foods like banana bread and cookies that make almost no noise when eaten, but I can't really say anything in terms of drink preferences as I don't like the risk of spilling water on character sheets or rulebooks. I also like to have a snack break in the middle of the session as it gives me as a DM time to catch up with the player's actions while they can eat and live in real life for a few minutes before diving back into a world of fantasy.
Orange Juice!
Ooooh... banana bread! Nice! I'll try that one. :D
Discord: Ancient Mutt#4871 | GM: Order of the Styx: Unseen Servant | Artist: Inkarnate
I start with coffee. I get sleepy, so the coffee helps. Plus, I like coffee.
I have exactly one beer, either a good beer or a common American light beer depending on mood and what's available. I like beer. More than one leads to the situation you described.
Then, lots of water.
In person, we loves the snacks. M&Ms are common, though I don't eat them myself. Jalapeño Cheetos are the absolute best gaming food I know. Napkins are required, of course. My daughter, a frequent participant, likes chips/crisps, so they are present. Dips get messier than Cheetos, so we avoid that.
If it's a long weekend session, we go with pizza for lunch. It's relatively cheap and easy, and it's uncommon for somebody to hate on it. They get chicken strips in that case. If you're slow, you can eat it with one hand while we continue the game. (Sorry for describing pizza in a TTRPG forum. I'll stop.)
I usually say BYOB, as nobody agrees on what to drink. Diet/cola/lemon/water/alcohol/ice-or-not are too many factors.
Online is almost the same thing. Coffee, 1 beer, chips. It's terrible but perfect at the same time.
For in-person D&D, I serve and eat things which are relatively quiet to eat - charcuterie plates, petite fours, and other small snacks that are easy to eat without much fuss. I generally only drink water; though I serve D&D themed cocktails to my players, liquor and dungeon mastering do not get along too well.
For online DMing, I usually also stick to water and easy snacks which can be prepared in advance of the game and make little noise.
Pizza for... lunch? How long are your weekend sessions!? Those sound amazing! Coffee, sounds good, I like my coffee too, but yeah I can see how the water prevents headaches.
Charcuterie? Petite-fours? That's unexpected but a cool idea. :D
Discord: Ancient Mutt#4871 | GM: Order of the Styx: Unseen Servant | Artist: Inkarnate
They sometimes go 6-8 hours. Anything more than 8 is too much for me. It's OK if you plan on it... with... food.
I usually have lots of water, but I don’t tend to eat mid-game. I most often run duet games, so our session is a back-and-forth conversation a lot, and when it’s not, I’m describing something.
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
Alcohol. Is that a good choice? For me.. yup! I have huge issues talking to people so it helps me calm down and run a good game. Everything in moderation of course. Getting trashed is not an option.
When it came to one of my older groups most would drink beer at the table. I did as well but it was more like one per 1-2 hours. we also would play for nearly 8 hours at a time. When it came to snacks and food we would cook or order food since we were all hanging out for 8 hours. We would break for 30 min to an hour and make something easy or order take out from somewhere.
As for online its always been water for me and soft foods like quesadillas, pastries, and fried rice as well. they all tend to be fairly soft and make little to no noise. there is also just muting your mic but i understand not wanting to keep muting and unmuting.
My players and I go to the local supermarket to grab snacks before our session. We developed a bit of an inside joke in our group about me buying some sour worms and just eating them whenever I was getting stressed or just fed up with player shenanigans. We call them the dm worms.
I play mostly at my school’s tabletop games club, where the snacks provided are often just a Plethora Of Oreos.
For drinks, though, my tried and true method is having a huge water bottle on the floor under/next to my chair that I can drink from when the players are talking
:)
My players are so great. We play very infrequently, but when we do it's a big evening. At my players place we start with coffee at 4pm and catch up, dinner is early at 6pm. Maybe just pizza, but sometimes BBQ or something special. Then, it's wine, beer, and weed, with snacks such as a cheese and grapes at 10 or 11pm, and play until 4am. They made mulled wine one night!
Its a lot of work beforehand, but I for my birthday this year got a DnD themed cookbook. I love that a lot, and have made quite a bit of stuff from there.
I always have a bottle of water or squash made up but I don't eat during a session. if it is going to be a long in person session (5+ hours) I will build in a break and might have a snack then, but I am usually too busy talking, rolling, listening to think about eating during a session and have to make myself remember to drink :)
Usually something that doesn't make a lot of noise. Small sandwiches or cakes, finger food. Water and coffee to drink.
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We always have chips and soda, especially Mountain Dew cause it has a lot of caffeine for when we play late.
I really like D&D, especially Ravenloft, Exandria and the Upside Down from Stranger Things. My pronouns are she/they (genderfae).
I tend to only drink, but if I were to eat something now I would focus on anything that takes minimal time chewing to eat, or which is small enough to push into a cheek to talk, like sweets, so I'm not caught out!
I'd avoid anything messy or greasy like Chips, crisps, nachos, burgers, and basically everything they serve in board game cafes (what's up wh it always being messy food?) because the books are expensive, and all books deserve respect!
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I generally eat dinner before gaming. At the table I may snack on a candy bar and I generally go through one soft drink per session. Now if the game is taking place at my house, all bets are off.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
While I like chips and cookies more than I should, in the interest of promoting healthier lifestyles I generally try to bring something like a veggie or sandwich tray to games.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.