Game Jargon Definition: “Table Talk”

Table Talk (noun) - ta · ble talk / ˈtāb(ə)l tôk /

Within the context of tabletop gaming, table talk refers to the verbal dissemination of information between players that may seem innocuous on the surface, but could, in fact, constitute cheating, especially in games with limited or hidden information.

“Table talk” has its roots within the Poker community as well as in team-based games where teammates do not share all information with each other (such as Contract Bridge), and the number of specific words or phrases that teammates may use to communicate with each other during play is extremely limited.

However, as the number and variety of tabletop games has increased, so the definition of table talk has become more varied, as have players’ feelings about it. For example, table talk may simply refer to players around the table discussing things during a gameplay session that are completely irrelevant to the game being played but distract players from the game itself.

While most gamers would probably consider any table talk that constitutes cheating or that directly negatively impacts gameplay as more serious offenses than casual life-event table talk, every gamer and game group has their own preferences and rules. Even so, excessive table talk of any type is usually considered poor gaming etiquette.