Hazmat gear in your local FLGS.

[Kataklysm]

So just another gripe about my last visit to my favorite FLGS. Arriving about noon, I talked to the usual goons and sat in the usual place, drank my usual drink and set myself up for a pick up game. All normal and happy and fine. I find myself sitting down at my table waiting for my opponent to finish rounding up the list that he wants to field when... Here comes the twist in the story (dun dun dun). I catch a sniff of something most foul. Rotten eggs? Old sneakers? Tofu?! no. To my surprise it was my opponent. Only 2 minutes after the guy arrived at my table I find myself trying not to gag at his odor. Trying to no be rude or hurt the guys feelings I went outside for a cigarette while he finished. Long story short I suffered through the game, gave the usual pleasantries and got the F*** out of dodge.

My question is: "Is it socially acceptable to don your gas mask during a pick up game?"

-Kataklysm

[DarkLink]

It's probably slightly more subtle to sneak a stick of deodorant into their gaming case.

[Houghten]

Am I the only one finding it hilarious that a smoker is complaining about how somebody else smells?

[eldargal]

I've never encountered smokers as stinky as some of the people (males*) I've encountered in games stores and other geek heavy activities.


*Boys really are stinky.:p

[TSINI]

We need to come up with a diplomatic way to decline a game that is pretty universal and can be used in the following circumstances:


your opponent is actually billowing a cloud of rancid spores across the table
your opponent is convinced that his IG army can split into 3 man squads with the stealth and nightfight rules, and are packing 24" assault 2 lascannons because "thats the fluff of his army"


We need a get out of jail free card for these desperately avoidable games

Something like

"I'm sorry, but my army would have no intention of invading this planet"

Or

"I'm sorry, my force has withdrawn to a safe distance, choosing not to engage you in combat"

[Kataklysm]

Am I the only one finding it hilarious that a smoker is complaining about how somebody else smells?

That should be a testament to how bad this guy reeked. I, a smoker, could barely stand the nurgles rot hovering around this guy. Also I have been told by non smokers that they were surprised that i did actually smoke, never having smelled it on me before.

so there. :p

[Wolfshade]

At my local GW, they have started to rather unsubtly spray air freshner near people while coughing. They pull it off in quite a humourous manner.

[alshrive]

having worked in a gw i am familiar with this problem . i actually took the bull by the horns (my then manager forced me to take the bull by horns- he had no intention of going any closer than necessary!) and had a chat with the guy (albeit a brief chat so i could escape to a safe distance). if it is a problem in a store- my recommendation is to tell the staff. they are responsible for safe-guarding patrons and if a vile odour is assailing your nostrils and may well cause you to choke to death on your own vomit- well let's just say they need to safe-guard better! Plus actually mentioning it to them isn't necessarily a bad thing- a lot of them don't actually realise because they don't have people telling them that they are exuding a noxious odour!

ALShrive

[pauljc]

Hehe, yeah I guess we're all familiar with this problem. Admittedly, I have a spacious enough store with good airflow and don't suffer so much from it. The worst I have to deal with is people smelling of alcohol (I'm in Finland). Some people can't go a single round of Magic without the need to pop outside for a beer.
Usually, I just flat out tell them, that if they cannot sit down for a few hours without alcohol, they don't need to turn up next time. I get kids in the store, and having half-baked tubby tweens just isn't cool..

[Emerald Rose Widow]

I am very sensitive to aromas, and have been for a few years now, and OMG does it get bad sometimes. I have someone in my dnd group that smells when he gets here, and finally the group got sick of it and threw a towel and some soap at him and asked him to use my shower. we were getting really sick of this.

If it weren't in a tournament, I would just decline the game, as I can only stand fowl aromas for so long before my delicate nasal palate will have me gagging. If it is tournament, I will just give the person that dirty look we girls are good at giving until the game is over, hehe.

[lobster-overlord]

If your typical game night at a store is the same day every week, ask the staff to post a sign saying "Remember, <insert day before> is bath day"

I've heard it works well

[Levitas]

There is always someone that smells like teen spirit in every store. Just ask them if they want to be like the old spice man...

[inquisitorsog]

Vick's vaporub. It's amazing how much a little dab on the end of your nose will block in terms of offensive odors. I learned that in my ambulance service days.

Really though, if someone's persistently offensive in odor (one time may be something simple like their A/C broke down or a bad food combination.), the staff/regulars/organizers at the venue should feel free to set a rule "Thou shalt be clean".

However, sometimes the problem is the complainer: some people take nearly any odor as offensive. If that's you, learn to love vicks or another technique for blocking odors.

[Kaiserdean]

There's a lot of guys who could use a shower in my LGS but a WHFB player really stinks up the joint. Our game room is closed off from the rest of the store but his funk manages to waft out and stink up the entire building.

I have no idea how to confront him on this. I'm thinking of posting a general notice about hygiene on our Facebook page and hope that he gets the hint.

[Cpt Codpiece]

My Mrs is pregnant, and as some of you will know pregnancy can cause increased sensititivity to smells.

well she cant go near any of our local GW's when its a weekend or school holidays LOL. she is not a shy woman and has openly threatened to go in armed with a few cans of LYNX (AXE to continental types) just so its slightly more tolerable LOL.

usually its ok in my locals as the staff are on the ball with the deoderant/air freshner near the nurglings, though the occasional one slips through when staff are busy.

but as much as teen boy BO is rank, teen girl BO is even worse :eek: i once shared a practice space with a 'girl band' 5 teenage girls fresh from school that actually were not smelly in person but the combined funk of them after a few hours in the room was quite rancid.

[gwensdad]

Maybe they're getting in character by Nurgle cosplaying. (or Jurgen)

But yeah, we once had a D&D group in our FLGS that NO ONE at the table understood what bathing was. The store owner placed several air fresheners under the table they used and one of the idiots brought one up to her and said "someone left this under our table." I believe they were eventually told to GTFO.

[Sure]

That's why I always smoke a cigar before going into the FLGS...all i smell is the stogie i just enjoyed. If you think that's offensive, then t least credit me for putting some effort into it. the unwashed get there by being lazy.

[Cherub]

they get kicked out here. After a couple of times they started showing up for game nights freshly showered. You only have to do it at a tournament in front of everyone then people get the hint to shower and wear clean clothes if they want to show up.

[Uncle Nutsy]

diplomacy in this instance doesn't work. most people just don't get the message.

so do what I do. be direct and blunt. Just up and tell him 'hey, you need to take a shower. you reek.'

[scadugenga]

I like the Vick's idea, personally. A little rub under the nose will do the trick.

And if you get a question, you can always say a crime scene tech gave you the idea when dealing with decomposing dead bodies...

If they don't get the hint after that...well, it's time to take off the kid gloves.

[Kataklysm]

diplomacy in this instance doesn't work. most people just don't get the message.

so do what I do. be direct and blunt. Just up and tell him 'hey, you need to take a shower. you reek.'

Have tried this method before back when i was in New York. My problem is that it is hard for me to even get a pick up game because I am a 6'8 tall soldier. Alot of people just don't even make eye contact with me when I walk into some stores. So when I find someone new at a FLGS that doesnt care, I try to make friends to show people that im not some A-hole army dou*he bag.

Also LOL at the vicks thing, they used that in silence of the lambs right?

[Denzark]

Question - WHY is this such a prevalent problem amongst gamers? What character attribute makes them seemingly unaware of poor hygiene?

Its not some socio-economic poverty crap - with the price of GW, if you can afford it you are middle class.

Its not just a table of teen boys either - it is sometimes older gamers.

Any clue?

[eldargal]

Geeks are afraid of girls, not needing to impress girls means no need for deoderant, no deoderant leads to stinkiness?:rolleyes:

[Houghten]

Girls don't even have to be involved in the nonequation.

Geeks, nerds, dweebs or whatever other names were pelted at them through school - I was "boffin," then later on I was "hey, can you help me with Maths?"* - are indoctrinated by the "in" kids to believe that they are socially hopeless and shouldn't even try to fit in, make friends or be a part of society. On some of us it sticks, and on some of us it slides off.** And the ones it sticks on? They don't even try. So they smell.

It doesn't help that nobody can smell their own smell either. After a while your nose stops noticing the same smell, whether it's delicious frying bacon or an open sewer.


*No.
**Me, I'm an edge case. I wash, and I shave, and I take care of my hair, but I do it all for me, for my perception of what looks good, and work and my local GW are the only places where I interact with people on any regular basis and even then I don't try to pretend that I'd shed any tears at their funerals. It's like I only half broke - cracked, if you will, but not shattered - and am basically a mess of silly contradictions.

[Corvus-Master-of-The-4th]

The way people smell is a big pet hate of mine, but it seems the only people at my gaming clun, who suffer from bad body oder is the more reclusive members of the club...

Yet where I play it is a open shopping centre, so maybe it would be a worse state of affairs in a more closed enviroment :S

[Defenestratus]

My old LGS owner had a solution. It was a can of aerosol lysol sitting on the desk. If you walked up and he could smell you, you got the lysol shower.

It usually only took one humiliation before the offender got the message.

[ElectricPaladin]

I think a lot of the time it's because we're talking about kids. Our bodies change in certain ways :D when we become adults - men and women - that make us stinkier. If a kid is socially inept, or has family issues that are preventing them from getting the mentoring they need from their parents, they might, simply, not adjust the way they should. It might be that no one close to them (parent, older sibling) has told them that they're an adult now, and therefore stinky.

Alternately, if a kid is suffering from an extreme lack of social skills (usually caused by some kind of trauma or bad example, but I digress...) s/he might have been told "look, son, you've got to shower every day now" and it just didn't stick.

The fact that most people with terrible social skills and the accompanying terrible stink have some kind of trauma in their past doesn't make it any easier, does it?

I wouldn't go the "humiliating mockery treatment" route. I think that would just make it worse. After all, a person who stinks that much probably already suffers from feelings of isolation and self-loathing. I'd just suck it up and lay it out for the guy. Something like:

"Look, bro, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but whenever I see you here, you seem to have a bad case of the gamer funk. I don't know what's going on in the rest of your life - maybe for some reason you smell great the rest of the time but something makes you all sweaty before you come here, I dunno - but it's becoming a problem. Personally, I'd appreciate it if you took a shower before heading down to the FLGS. There are other people who feel the same way I do, but I'm sure that if you take care of the problem they will all quietly forget that it ever happened. Thanks."

[Uncle Nutsy]

Have tried this method before back when i was in New York. My problem is that it is hard for me to even get a pick up game because I am a 6'8 tall soldier. Alot of people just don't even make eye contact with me when I walk into some stores. So when I find someone new at a FLGS that doesnt care, I try to make friends to show people that im not some A-hole army dou*he bag.

Also LOL at the vicks thing, they used that in silence of the lambs right?

well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's really not completely your fault that they're easily intimidated. And i'm almost willing to bet you're a great guy to play too.


My old LGS owner had a solution. It was a can of aerosol lysol sitting on the desk. If you walked up and he could smell you, you got the lysol shower.

bahahaha! awesome!

[scadugenga]

Have tried this method before back when i was in New York. My problem is that it is hard for me to even get a pick up game because I am a 6'8 tall soldier

It's good to be 6'8" in many ways, though. :)

I love having a clear line of vision, for example, and all the pint sized guys with Nebraska-sized chips on their shoulder are just plain amusing. :)

Clothes shopping can be a royal pain though.

Honestly--if someone's going to be intimidated by your height--probably not worth playing anyway. They have issues.

Personally, pick up games are overrated. I'll take my group of friends over pick up games every day of the week.


Question - WHY is this such a prevalent problem amongst gamers? What character attribute makes them seemingly unaware of poor hygiene?

Its not some socio-economic poverty crap - with the price of GW, if you can afford it you are middle class.

Its not just a table of teen boys either - it is sometimes older gamers.


With my psych thinking hat on, I'd guess that, particularly for older gamers, it's mostly due to a poor self-image, and a feeling of (whether warranted or not) social ostracism. Gaming is not a "socially acceptable" activity in the public eye. (We can thank the late 70's and 80's for that...) So you have socially inept people finding an activity that lets them "socialize" with other socially inept people and it's like a validation of their lifestyle.

Poor socialization can easily lead to things like depression, poor self image, etc. Hygiene is pretty well linked to self image. If you have no self respect, it doesn't really matter to you if you bathe or not.

At the other end of the "stink" spectrum--you have people who tend to over-focus, or even fixate on the hobby--or really, any other activity, and it can take up all their time and energy--so they don't even think about bathing regularly. It's not related to their fixation.

I have known people that fall into both categories. Fortunately, the vast majority of gamers understand that bathing regularly is a good thing.

Thankfully.

[Sure]

Question - WHY is this such a prevalent problem amongst gamers? What character attribute makes them seemingly unaware of poor hygiene?

Its not some socio-economic poverty crap - with the price of GW, if you can afford it you are middle class.

Its not just a table of teen boys either - it is sometimes older gamers.

Any clue?

Hmmm, we gamers are huge escapists. Who wants to escape sooner than others? Kids with social problems. Kids with low social intelligence or other unfortunate attributes that consign them to the loser bin in the ridiculously small world of primary/secondary education. The kids mature, and this low social intelligence or other malady results in low hook-up prospects with the desried object(s). This snowballs. Combine low social intelligence with enhanced girth and despair -you can easily get those who neglect hygiene and smell awful faster (due to not washing, not caring, and eating a lot of crap) as a result.
Yep- not only is it about not getting laid, but also losing hope of it as well.

The gaming community is best served by those who either come to gaming later in life or return to it after a teen/young adult hiatus who then are able to add a little bit of "okay, but in the rest of the larger community...." to the mix.

[inquisitorsog]

Hmmm, we gamers are huge escapists. Who wants to escape sooner than others? Kids with social problems. Kids with low social intelligence or other unfortunate attributes that consign them to the loser bin in the ridiculously small world of primary/secondary education.

That's exactly why when the rest of us to show some interest in that person, and kindly point out blatant issues like hygiene, we're possibly performing one of the most important acts of kindness that person will ever experience.

As you point out, school is a vicious world of sociopathic predators willing to climb over the corpses of their competitors to get to the top of the social ladder (yes, high school is a temple of Khorne).

[ElectricPaladin]

That's exactly why when the rest of us to show some interest in that person, and kindly point out blatant issues like hygiene, we're possibly performing one of the most important acts of kindness that person will ever experience.

As you point out, school is a vicious world of sociopathic predators willing to climb over the corpses of their competitors to get to the top of the social ladder (yes, high school is a temple of Khorne).

Yours, maybe. I think mine was dedicated to Tzeetnch.

[L192837465]

Yours, maybe. I think mine was dedicated to Tzeetnch.


I think mine was Slaanesh. Freshman year was Nurgle for sure though.

[Angron]

We've actually stopped playing Wednesday nights at the local gamestore because thats when the heroclix players show up- and theres one guy there who smells worse than a Great Unclean One after a rainstorm.

[plawolf]

I think that you really should point out to someone if there BO is a problem. Because if you are noticing it, chances are everyone else is as well. And it's not fair that everyone should suffer because of one guy's bad habits.

I found that 'leading by example' is a good way to get the message across with the smallest risk of hurt feelings.

Just say something appropriate to the situation like, 'gee, it's hot in this store tonight!' or 'was running late so had to pick up the pace and now im a little flustered' and just whip out a can of deodorant and give yourself a quick blast under the armpits and offer the can to the smelly guy afterwards.

They are usually quick enough to get the hint and can actually be grateful for the use of the deodorant. It's a win-win as the guy's feelings are spared, and self-administered deodorant will tackle the source of the BO far more effectively than air freshener or you spaying the guy against his will.

On the rare occasion the guy is too dense to get the subtle hint, just keep holding the can out, raise an eyebrow with a little knowing inclination of the head. If they still don't get it, a 'you sure you don't want to try some?' should suffice. If that doesn't work, no amount of hinting will and you will just have to bite the bullet and tell the guy he has a 'slight' BO problem, and you would appreciated it if he could de-funk himself.

[Houghten]

Blaugh. At that point, it's far too late for anti-perspirant, and most deodorants just smell worse than the BO does.

[Sure]

I think that you really should point out to someone if there BO is a problem. Because if you are noticing it, chances are everyone else is as well. And it's not fair that everyone should suffer because of one guy's bad habits.

I found that 'leading by example' is a good way to get the message across with the smallest risk of hurt feelings.

Just say something appropriate to the situation like, 'gee, it's hot in this store tonight!' or 'was running late so had to pick up the pace and now im a little flustered' and just whip out a can of deodorant and give yourself a quick blast under the armpits and offer the can to the smelly guy afterwards.

They are usually quick enough to get the hint and can actually be grateful for the use of the deodorant. It's a win-win as the guy's feelings are spared, and self-administered deodorant will tackle the source of the BO far more effectively than air freshener or you spaying the guy against his will.

On the rare occasion the guy is too dense to get the subtle hint, just keep holding the can out, raise an eyebrow with a little knowing inclination of the head. If they still don't get it, a 'you sure you don't want to try some?' should suffice. If that doesn't work, no amount of hinting will and you will just have to bite the bullet and tell the guy he has a 'slight' BO problem, and you would appreciated it if he could de-funk himself.

So...you're saying to them the Axe?

[Uncle Nutsy]

feelings?

spare their feelings? geez, when did this world turn into 'play softie with a guy'? I can understand that if you're talking to a little girl, but these are males we're dealing with. if they start crying because you 'hurt their feelings' they need to do one thing, and that is to man up.

telling them bluntly that they have a BO problem is the LEAST of their worries.


now before anyone accuses me of being an a-hole, you need to understand that I was the stereotypical wuss. then I grew a thick skin and realized they're not doing it to hurt me, but to prepare me for the harshness that is the world.

[Kawauso]

spare their feelings? geez, when did this world turn into 'play softie with a guy'? I can understand that if you're talking to a little girl, but these are males we're dealing with. if they start crying because you 'hurt their feelings' they need to do one thing, and that is to man up.


Because real men don't have feelings and women are delicate flowers that need to be shielded from the world!
Seriously, what?

To be clear, I'm not in the camp of not addressing the issue or not saying anything for fear of offending someone. If they stink, they need to know, and they need to be told it's not acceptable. There are ways to do it tactfully, however, and tact is usually preferable to bluntness.

Had a friend who had a really bad BO problem. It came and went. Got to the point, however, were myself and some others decided something had to be said, so one of us brought it up to the guy the next time they met up, alone, so as not to embarrass him in front of a bunch of people.
Guess what? It worked.
Obviously this isn't the sort of situation you can apply easily to people you might encounter at your FLGS, but nevertheless the issue needs to be communicated, and if it can be done without causing a scene or making someone feel like total ****, it should be.

[Uncle Nutsy]

Because real men don't have feelings and women are delicate flowers that need to be shielded from the world!
Seriously, what?

work in a shop for a couple months. then you'll understand.


To be clear, I'm not in the camp of not addressing the issue or not saying anything for fear of offending someone. If they stink, they need to know, and they need to be told it's not acceptable. There are ways to do it tactfully, however, and tact is usually preferable to bluntness. only if you're dealing with a kid.


Had a friend who had a really bad BO problem. It came and went. Got to the point, however, were myself and some others decided something had to be said, so one of us brought it up to the guy the next time they met up, alone, so as not to embarrass him in front of a bunch of people.
Guess what? It worked. Lucky for you, you knew someone who was quick on the uptake. I know a lot of people who aren't really bright in that area and need a little public embarrassment to get the message to sink in. I'm suprised he wasn't treated like a leper beforehand.

Obviously this isn't the sort of situation you can apply easily to people you might encounter at your FLGS, but nevertheless the issue needs to be communicated, and if it can be done without causing a scene or making someone feel like total ****, it should be.

well in my eyes, if someone is coming into a store reeking of BO, they aren't being respectful of anyone else around them. they may be socially awkward but that doesn't excuse them from doing what their mother taught them. These are adults. hand-holding them does them no good.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Speak kindly/subtly first; if they're still oblivious, then be blunt. No need to be harsh for the sake of it.

[Kirigakure]

keep a can of Axe body spray (or some cheaper brand/type) and do a D6 Stink Check at some point in the game. whatever you roll, it's always a successful roll for a Stink Check. pass the can over, then when he hands it back spray it on yourself. or spray it on yourself first. laugh about it, add humor. put yourself into the humor bit too, eases the embarrassment for the guy.

[Pendragon38]

The store owner at my FLGS bought travel size speed sticks for the rank ones and low and behold they stop stinking his store up.

[Uncle Nutsy]

Speak kindly/subtly first; if they're still oblivious, then be blunt. No need to be harsh for the sake of it.

no one said anything about being harsh. being honest and direct-to-the-point has always been the most effective i've found, because guys just don't work with 'subtle hints'. All I have to do is say 'hey dude? you're pretty heavy on the BO. you really should get that taken care of because it's really curling my hairs here". no one laughs about it because they've all grown up and moved beyond snickering at elementary school stuff.

while the speed stick/deoderant spray/air freshener bit is funny, I find that to be on the passive-agressive side.

[Valkerie]

You could try what I have. A few years ago, there was a chemical incident at work, and I wound up with a lungfull of chlorine gas. It pretty well fried my nose, so my sense of smell is pretty well shot. It does have a few disadvantages, and I don't really recommend it.;)

It did make Egypt a lot more bearable, though.:)

[Uncle Nutsy]

heheh.

well i dunno. For all the humanity-destroying scents i come across, I still enjoy the sense of smell.