The Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming: Rules Every Gamer Must Live By

There’s a modern board game, card game, and RPG renaissance afoot these days, thanks to crowdfunding, forums like Board Game Geek, and online platforms facilitating gaming with friends long-distance. But even with all these innovations, players need the occasional reminder of how to conduct themselves accordingly, be it at the friendly local game store, a convention, a game night at someone’s house, or online.

Thankfully, Teri Litorco has you covered with The Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming. This delightfully nerdy tome is loaded with thoughtful advice covering everything from choosing new games to teaching them to others, as well as building a game group for regular sessions or roleplaying games, and more. From how to deal with cranky gamers to how to host your own major gaming events, Teri has dealt with every obstacle imaginable, and she offers her hard-won first-hand knowledge in easily digestible tidbits.

Even as an experienced GM/DM and tabletopper, I found a lot of Teri’s advice worthwhile, if only to remind me that there’s always room for improvement and for empathy for fellow gamers, even on their worst nights. This is a kickass book that game-night newcomers and regular players will both find worth their time.