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I generally game at home so no problem if I want a beer while playing. The term beer and pretzel game comes from a game being easy to play. I don't consider 40k easy to play. Too many rules.

I drink regularly while playing, mainly with friends.
I've drank a few times at tourneys (usually if the first game or two go south ) but no way you play as well despite some people saying you're more relaxed etc etc.

2-2.5 hours in a tight, tough game with so many rules to remember dosent synergise with a bottle of wine at all.....

Pointer5 wrote:
I generally game at home so no problem if I want a beer while playing. The term beer and pretzel game comes from a game being easy to play. I don't consider 40k easy to play. Too many rules.

I think that is a common theme in most miniature games now there seems to be a growing trend of adding geographical layers of rules and importance on grammar and semantics. Having debates about the implications of 'may', and 'within' are two that seem to crop up a lot.

I've always approached gaming in a very casual, and loose mindset... this doesn't seem to be how modern games are designed. As for rules, I like to view them like salt. They add to the flavour, but add too much and the taste is lost and all that is left is salt.

 jeff white wrote:

The only drug that I know of that DIRECTLY kills brain cells, well, all cells really...

Hasn't that been scientifically disproven, like repeatedly?

At least in my opinion, 40k and Age of Sigmar are really about 5x the complexity of other games that are considered "beer and pretzels" games.

Mechanically, the core of the game is absolutely beer and pretzels (in fact even moreso with the rise of 8th edition). The "complexity" you speak of which keeps it out of beer and pretzels territory, at least IMO, comes from all the strategems, warlord traits, chapter tactics/doctrines, and other special snowflake stuff found in the codexes and various other supplements that have been released (and continue to be released) - its not because they add mechanical complexity, but because there is so much of it to keep track of, and a lot of it can be layered on top of eachother, there is a degree of cognitive complexity involved in figuring it all out.

I think that is a common theme in most miniature games now there seems to be a growing trend of adding geographical layers of rules and importance on grammar and semantics. Having debates about the implications of 'may', and 'within' are two that seem to crop up a lot.

I've always approached gaming in a very casual, and loose mindset... this doesn't seem to be how modern games are designed. As for rules, I like to view them like salt. They add to the flavour, but add too much and the taste is lost and all that is left is salt.

Thats not a trend in game design, thats a trend in the community/people playing the games. Rules have *always* been written that way, its only relatively recently, with the rise of competitive gaming/tabletop gaming and the increasing perception of its legitimacy as a hobby/form of entertainment for adults, etc. by the mainstream that this mindset has creeped in.

That being said, I generally eat/drink before or after and I expect my opponent do the same if I'm at the shop. Nothing ruins my mood like my opponent delaying the game to run next door for a slice of pizza, or for that matter spilling food/drink on my terrain or getting their greaseprints on minis/dice/etc. To all that I say no thank you. I'm okay with bottled liquids (anything thats resealable, don't need an open bottle of soda getting knocked over), and small non-messy snacks like candy bars that are eaten from the rapper or just anything that isn't greasy or melty that can transfer to minis/table, etc. I know, it seems neat-freakish and peculiar, but you could say I learned this lesson the hard way. If I'm playing at home or at a friends, its a different story (mainly in the sense that if I'm in someone elses home its their rules that I have to live by, and I wouldn't invite anyone over to my place for a game of anything if I didn't implicitly trust them not to ruin my stuff).

chaos0xomega wrote:

 jeff white wrote:

The only drug that I know of that DIRECTLY kills brain cells, well, all cells really...

Hasn't that been scientifically disproven, like repeatedly?

If you have the disproof then share it.
I am always open to controversial information...
Until then i will rely on 30 years study in and around neurodevelopment and cognition...

So we know now that Jeff White likes to stay sober while gaming

For me personally - beer and drinking is better suited for RPGs. Wargaming is better with the aid of coffee or nicotine

 Stevefamine wrote:
So we know now that Jeff White likes to stay sober while gaming

For me personally - beer and drinking is better suited for RPGs. Wargaming is better with the aid of coffee or nicotine

Ummm... nope. What we know is that Jeff has killed a few brain cells ... if the local GW store let me put brandy in my coffee, then i might.

Going by the poll results it seems the majority of folk booze it up big when playing.

I enjoy drinking - nay, enjoy getting drunk - but at 42 years of age it takes too much of a toll on my body so I only do it every 2-3 months or so.

I find it difficult to drink and game, even with actual "beer and pretzels" games (I think that term is overused and applied far too often to games that are actually bad). The trick I guess is to start drinking when you start gaming, and to take it slow, otherwise who the hell knows what is going on. I think it works best for games like Frostgrave, Beastgrave, and any other game ending in -grave I imagine.

Most (75%) of my minis gaming is at the local shop & you can't drink alcohol there, so....

I've got Crohn's disease so no drinking for me. If I do consume alcohol, I end up going septic and spend a week or two in the hospital as my colon erupts with ulcers. Nurgle's blessings? I started a Death Guard army just because of my diagnosis (so I could name my units after the crazy symptoms, names, etc.) and a Custodes Army to game with at the shop so it was low model count and I could quickly move and take my turn in case I got sick).

If possible I always endeavour to take a long draw of Pipe-Weed before a particularly important warp/magic phase to make sure I am fully in touch with the metaphysical entities I am at the mercy of.