June 12, 2025: What To Do When You're Not Doing Anything

When it's not your turn in a game, do you have an etiquette for what is and isn't allowed at the gaming table? It's the sort of thing that doesn't tend to cause problems until it is a problem – at which point it's often too late to easily soothe the ruffled feathers.

If you think having cell phones or other devices is distracting, or getting up to wander around should be kept to a minimum, it can be useful to make that known ahead of time: "Hey, we have a hard time with distracted players slowing down the games, so it works out great if we can all turn off the phones ahead of time." It's even better if there are actual repercussions known before the session: "If you're not here for the 'going once, going twice . . .' part of the rules, then you just won't participate in that even if you could've done something cool in response to a player's game-winning move!"

Of course, not all games need to have hard-and-fast social guidelines for the "downtime" when the other players are doing their thing. But sometimes even being reminded that it's an option to discuss can create a useful tool to deal with troubles. Games are all about having fun, and that includes doing your part to help everyone else have fun – even if it's not your turn.

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!