Allow me to set the scene.

Your opponent is contemplating his next move deep in turn 4 of your Warmachine game.  There are heavy casualties on both sides of an evenly fought battle.  A pitiful smattering of infantry fight one another here and there, minimal remnants of their original 10 man units.  Warjack wrecks scatter the battlefield.  Your opponent charges Goreshade the Cursed into your Warcaster, Captain Allister Caine, whom you’ve cleverly parked behind a wall for some cover.  This combat will decide the game.  Assassinate Caine and the game’s over.  Fail, and Caine’s got Goreshade’s number on your turn.  Goreshade needs a 12 to hit Caine behind the wall, no easy task.  His first boosted attack comes up short as does his second.  His third hits the mark and leaves Caine at 3 health boxes remaining.  Your opponent uses his last 2 Focus to buy a boosted attack but misses.  Failed assassination.  This game is yours.  And then you hear a voice from behind you.  “Epic Goreshade’s sword causes Stationary on a hit so the last attack automatically kills you”.  Your opponent says, “Oh yeah.  Sorry.  You lose”.

The above scenario is one played out in gaming stores far and wide.  It’s a phenomenon known as “Table Talk”.  Table Talk is when random passers-by and observers comment on the state of the game or offer suggestions or unneeded rules clarifications to the participants in the game.  Table Talk has become a matter of some discussion at my local gaming store recently so I thought I’d offer my opinion on the matter.

First off, I’ll start by saying that almost all of us are guilty of participating in Table Talk (myself included).  I’m not sure why we do it.  Maybe it’s because we want to show our peers how sharp our strategic acumen is or how well we know the rules.  Maybe it’s the “right thing to do” because one player is going to pull off an assassination by doing something that’s illegal (ie. teleporting Megalith with Shifting Stones then having Megalith trample into the enemy Warcaster?).  Whatever the reason, it can be incredibly frustrating for the actual participants in the game as it can make one player feel as though he’s “playing against a committee” (thanks to Steady for that gem!).  Some people take table talk differently.  I for one typically don’t care if others do it to a certain extent during my games but there’s others that absolutely despise any degree of it.

And that needs to be respected.  If a player requests that you not comment during their game then take a walk or keep your comments to yourself.  If they’re receptive to it, you can let them know what was going through your head after the game.

Table Talk not only encompasses full sentences about the game but should also include any non-verbal queues from the peanut gallery.  Gasps, shrieks, sighs, fake clearing of throats etc. cause players to second guess the action they were about to take and take extra time to consider something they may have missed.  This is as bad as just walking up to the table, slapping the active player and shouting, “That Bronzeback has Counter Charge!”.  So non-verbal queues, don’t do them either.

There’s gray areas around Table Talk as well, some of which I don’t know how to handle.  Let’s say a player is going to pull off an assassination by blatantly breaking the rules in a casual Thursday night game.  You’re an observer and notice this.  Should you chime in and say what the player is doing is not allowed by the rules?  I’m inclined to say no.  Let the game play out and after the game let the player know what he did was wrong.  This of course depends on who’s playing.  Knowing the players is paramount in knowing what they’d want you to do.  If it’s local boys Kit and young Samaroo playing, I’ll chime in because I know neither of them would really mind and would likely prefer to be corrected.  If it’s Northblade and Ragnarok, well, I’ll just keep my mouth shut unless I want to lose some teeth.  The latter also applies if I don’t know the players in question.  It’s best to err on the side of caution.

The flip side of this is the players getting overly emotional and lashing out at the Table Talkers.  I know it can be extremely frustrating to have outside interference during your game but shouting at the top of your lungs at a Table Talker is not acceptable behaviour, particularly in a store environment.

One should endeavour to speak firmly but not rudely to a Table Talker.  Before it escalates out of control if you get the impression that someone’s going to be Table Talking during your game, just calmly say to that person, “Hey would you mind keeping any comments about the game to yourself for now?  If you have any advice for us, you can offer it after the game.  Cool?”.  All but the most daft will receive a clear message that you’re not willing to tolerate Table Talk during the game but you’ve come off as a good guy by being receptive to their comments after the game (even if you’re really not).

All of the above applies to casual games only.  In a tournament setting, players may have invested hours practising for the event and tweaking their army lists.  Some of these players take the standings VERY seriously and interfering in their game can quickly earn you some enemies, immediate derision and possibly a disqualification and banning from the event.  During a tournament, Table Talk should absolutely not take place!  In these environments, players are expected to know the rules and should they have any doubt as to what an opponent’s models’ rules are, they should ask to see the respective cards.  It’s not up to a third party to regulate play unless an official judge/tournament organizer is called for by the players.

Bottom line is this: Think before you speak.  If in doubt about commenting on play during a game, offering unsolicited advice or squealing/sighing/gasping etc, just press your own mute button and let them play on.