Play kindly and keep it comfortable
A short set of manners for the club room and the chat server, written so that the least experienced player in the room feels as welcome as the most.
Treat the room as you would a friend's lounge room
The manners of the club fit on a single sheet pinned beside the tea corner, and most people never need to read it twice. They exist for one reason: so that a person who has not played for years can walk in, feel safe and be a beginner in front of strangers without a single awkward moment.
What follows is the longer version. It covers the room, the chat server and the way disagreements are settled. Cassandra and Deborah apply it with a light touch, and they would rather have a quiet word than a formal warning. Ask either of them if something in it is unclear.
Kindness first
Everything else on this page follows from it.
Quiet words
Problems are settled privately and early.
Everyone helps
Putting a box away is everybody's job.
At the tables and on the couches
Welcome new faces by name when you can, and offer them a seat before offering them advice or a turn.
Pass controllers and board game turns freely; a game is better when everyone has had a proper go.
Keep comments about another person's skill to yourself, and keep encouragement for when it is wanted.
Check every box for missing pieces before you put it back, and mention any damage to a mentor.
Leave food and drinks away from boards, cards and consoles, and clear your cups back to the tea corner.
If a game is running long, tell the mentor; nobody is obliged to stay until it ends.
Online, the same manners apply
Use your real first name or a friendly nickname, and keep your nickname free of insults or jokes at anyone's expense.
Stay on topic in each channel, and use the quiet channel for anything that needs more than a line or two.
Never share another member's photo, address or phone number, and ask before you post a picture from a club night.
Report unkind behaviour to a moderator rather than answering it yourself; the moderators will take it from there.
Spoilers go behind a warning, so that someone who has not finished a story can stay surprised.
Moderators may remove a message or pause an account while a problem is looked at, and they will always explain why.
Questions about the rules
- What happens if someone breaks the house manners?
- Usually nothing more than a quiet word from a mentor or moderator. Repeated or serious problems are discussed privately with the person concerned, and a member who cannot keep to the manners may be asked to step away for a time.
- Who decides when a disagreement over a game rule arises?
- Deborah, or the mentor at the table, reads the rule aloud and the group follows it. If the book is unclear, the table agrees on a ruling for the evening and Deborah records it for the league.
- May I record or photograph a club night?
- Please ask first. Photographs are only taken with the agreement of everybody in them, and the club asks that nobody posts a picture of another member without their permission.
- Can I report a problem without speaking to anyone in person?
- Yes. Write to the club's email address or message a moderator on the chat server. Cassandra reads every report personally, replies promptly and keeps the details private unless you agree otherwise.