An analysis of the distribution of players is needed. Who among the group of players around the table can be considered friends ? And who are just acquaintances only brought together by the shared hobby alone and nothing else ? What the issues of contention likely to cause the kicking out ?
Actually no. People you "hobby" with are friends and should be treated as such.
No. I don't know where you game, but in my world you game with your GM's friends. This does not make them your friends. I've gamed with people I've never met with before and after several sessions wouldn't feel bad if they ignored me on the streets.
I game with people who share my hobby because my friends are unavailable. Yes its tough, but the hobby is filled with enough social dysfunctionals that your not to keen to invite everyone home and hang out with.
The people you game with, the term you call them is "friends."
And, kicking people out is a GM centric concept. If you are a player you don't have the power to kick people out. And You may not be interested in the game, but the game is accepted as a whole or not. You don't get to half choose to be in a game.
No thats
your definition Josh, not mine. Don't force your crypto-fascist friendship-ism on me
But seriously, they are people I share my hobby with, I treat them as fellow hobbyists. I've come to find many friends in that group, but that grows out of trust, respect, like and time; not being present while theres a game running.
And I'm often the GM. I've not renewed my invitation to game to certain individuals once a 'season' is over. Being a friend of a friend, or random person who's desperate to D&D gets you that much. After that its a measure of the 'fun' qoutient you bring. Harsh but fair, I've left games that my presence made less fun.
Since that will be targeted, examples: bringing a LG character to a supposedly neutral party and realising that the players were basically interested in an evil party despite the GM's plans. Looked at that group, and decided since evil wasn't my mood at the time, I'll just drop out. A more complex example, some ppl I know, and some I don't, everytime I was there my play style was too serious for the group - I chased after wounded monsters, anticipated villains and followed clues; played smart basically - I found out later that that group had less fun. S'cool, I drop out.
Mutual enjoyment is the goal of a game, but I've lost count of the amount of times we had to nurse ego's and hurt feelings. I'll do that for a friend, not some person I have no emotional investment in other than as a fellow human being,