History SeriousBusiness / TabletopGames

-->A terrible Grudge, [[FelonyMisdemeanour for it is a terrible play]]!

** One Grudge in the [[VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer Total War video game]] deals with a group of Dwarf travellers being killed by vampires as they moved through Stirland. That's bad enough, but the ''worst'' part was the slain Dwarfs [[EvilIsPetty were reanimated through necromancy and made to recreate a play]] called ''Stoutheart Beardcomber and the Ostlander's Wife''. The play is terrible.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' players tend to treat their game as this. The games are notoriously expensive to get into and the cost of a good army can go well into triple-digit figures, not to mention the time and effort to assemble and paint all those models.

* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} and TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} players tend to treat their game as this. The games are notoriously expensive to get into and the cost of a good army can go well into triple-digit figures, not to mention the time and effort to assemble and paint all those models.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Z_PL4vaGs This]] game of ''Jenga'' definitely qualifies.

* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} and TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} players tend to treat their game as this. [[CrackIsCheaper The games are notoriously expensive to get into and the cost of a good army can go well into triple-digit figures]], not to mention the time and effort to assemble and paint all those models.

** Bugman's Brewery, where the legendary ale known as Bugman's XXXXX was created, was once considered the greatest of all Dwarfish brewhouses. Then the Greenskins attacked, tore down the brewery, killed most of the Bugman clan, and ''drank almost all of the beer''. Note which part of that was emphasized.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Z_PL4vaGs This]] game of ''Jenga'' definitely qualifies.
* ‘’TabletopGame/Monopoly’’.

* [[TabletopGame/Monopoly Monopoly.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Z_PL4vaGs This]] game of ''Jenga'' definitely qualifies.

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... [[AbsurdlyHighStakesGame with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing.]] Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing. Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... [[RidiculouslyHighStakesGame with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing.]] Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing. Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''

** One reason the mightiest of the gods aren't [[TheGodsMustBeLazy directly trying to fix]] the mess the world's in is due to their obsession with "The Games of Divinity," which are apparently the Platonic Ideal of Fun. A lot of the fans don't like this explanation much.

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing. Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''
* The Edition Wars. You are Not Allowed to like different editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' -- you must gush blithely about Your Edition, ignoring any flaws it may have, and bash everything else without giving consideration to the fact that ''maybe'' the other sides have a point.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'': parties and other social events are ''such'' serious business among the Nobles that there have been documented cases of Nobilis groups spending three sessions planning one.
* Chess. We who play a game with largest % of world wide publishing coldly tolerate you thinking that rubbish is important. Instead useful study of the anti-neo-modern opening or the Fried Liver Attack. :)

* The Edition Wars. You are Not Allowed to like different editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' -- you must gush blithely about Your Edition, ignoring any flaws it may have, and bash everything else without giving consideration to maybe they have a point.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'': parties and other social events are ''such'' serious business among the Nobles that there have been documented cases of Nobilis groups spending three sessions planning one.

* The Edition Wars. You are Not Allowed to like different editions of D&D--you must gush blithely about Your Edition, ignoring any flaws it may have, and bash everything else without giving consideration to maybe they have a point.

* The Edition Wars. You are Not Allowed to like different editions of D&D--you must gush blithely about Your Edition, ignoring any flaws it may have, and bash everything else without giving consideration to maybe they have a point.

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing. Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing. Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''
* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', even the flavor (as in, the story and characters behind the cards) is SeriousBusiness, especially on the MTG Salvation forums where one can get permanently banned for as much as making a joke when discussing story points.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Magic: the Gathering}}'', even the flavor (as in, the story and characters behind the cards) are SeriousBusiness, especially on the MTG Salvation forums where one can get permanently banned for as much as making a joke when discussing story points.

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing. Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''

* In ''BloodBowl'', the eponymous game has replaced warfare. And this is in an AlternateHistory version of ''{{Warhammer}}''. The dwarven hatred of orcs has been reduced to hooliganism. The dark elves and the high elves settle their differences kicking a rugby ball around instead of killing each other. Khorne no longer wants blood and skulls, he wants blood and touchdowns.
* In ''{{Exalted}}'', one reason the mightiest of the gods aren't [[TheGodsMustBeLazy directly trying to fix]] the mess the world's in is due to their obsession with "The Games of Divinity", which apparently are the Platonic Ideal of Fun. A lot of the fans don't like this explanation much.

* {{Chess}}. A mind-boggling amount of literature has been written on the subject, and serious players dedicate countless hours to memorising opening moves.
** The number of complete psychological breakdowns eventually suffered by many of the game's most brilliant players is truly chilling to study. And this, stated by an admitted Chessophile.
* {{Go}}. In China, Korea, and above all Japan, the game is truly, deeply, madly serious business.
** In Ancient China, a Go game that ended badly ''started a war'': the Crown Prince of Han invited his cousin over to play. When he lost he [[{{Ragequit}} threw the goban at the cousin]], killing him (perfectly possible; a traditional goban can weigh as much as twenty kilos (forty pounds). The cousin's grieving father declared war over the [[SacredHospitality breach of hospitality]].
* Similar to the above is the card game, Contract Bridge. An incredibly difficult game to master, needing a lot of time to learn all you possibly can. There's many different lessons and leagues within the game, every game played adds up to points that varies where on the league board each player is. It and chess are the only two "mind sports" accepted by the Olympic Committee.
** A good example of the state of mind surrounding this is in Louis Sacher's book ''The Cardturner''.

** There's also Sigereth, The Player Of Games, who's basically the Demoness of SeriousBusiness. She manifests as a game board, and does absolutely nothing but play games with any and all challengers... with ridiculously high stakes for winning or losing. Think memories, skills, your body and soul... to give an example of how serious it is, most spirits are allowed to take an advantage that makes them immune to mind-control that would cause them to violate one key rule of their existence. Sigereth? ''Cannot be compelled to lose board games.''
* In {{RPG}}s, a player's dice are SeriousBusiness. Never EVER touch someone else's dice.
* Fantasy sports. They are so not [=RPGs=], even though they really are. After all, slaying dragons is geek stuff.
* ''MagicTheGathering''. You have your choice of Standard (pay a few hundred dollars four times a year) or Vintage (pay [[OverNineThousand OVER TEN THOUSAND!!!]] dollars, but only once). In-between, there are Legacy (like Vintage, but with more cards banned) and Extended (two base sets and four years of expansions, as opposed to one and two years of expansions). And limited (Ooh! Cheap! Too bad you can't do anything interesting.) and block (one year of expansions). Yeah, there are many ways to play ''Magic'', and CrackIsCheaper. In the flavor, once you win, you rule a universe.
* ''LegendOfTheFiveRings''. People even dress like their faction.
* Warhammer. It's not uncommon for people to spend thousands of dollars buying these figurines, then hours painting them, so that they can sit in each others basements and "destroy" their friends armies.

* In ''BloodBowl'', the eponymous game has replaced warfare. And this is in an AlternateHistory version of ''{{Warhammer}}''. The dwarven hatred of orcs has been reduced to hooliganism. The dark elves and the high elves settle their differences kicking a rugby ball around instead of killing each other. Khorne no longer wants blood and skulls, he wants blood and touchdowns.