Last weekend I, my DH, 2 friends and my brother played a big boardgame, which ended up lasting 6-7 hours (arkham horror). It's a coop game. Now, when I have a stroke of bad luck, I will let out an annoyed sigh. I know it's 'just a boardgame', but yeah, when my character ends up getting stuck or having a big penalty, I am mildly annoyed. I am not dramatic, but i will occasionally mutter 'poopadities' or sigh. The thing is, I really try to hold back on that. When I was a child, I could actually get really dramatic about taking losses in games. I know a game is a game. But I do care about in-game success and winning. I can't turn it off.
But every time I let out the smallest sigh, or groan very softly, people will pipe up and say 'it's just a game!!' Well, thanks for telling me what I know. Trying to keep myself in check at all times takes quite some energy from me, so it annoys me when people crack down on me when something slips through.
But I can see their side of the issue as well. So I proposed that I'd just sit on the table, watch them playing the game and serve them drinks and food. No stress for me, no annoying stressed player for them. Great solution, right? But they keep pressuring me into playing. They do this because these games tend to get better as you add more players.
Next time I'm putting my foot down. They either keep silent when I display my small amount of annoyance, or I'm not playing.
