Mr. Blue: Our girl was nice. Mr. Pink: She was okay, but she wasn't anything special. Mr. Blue: What's something special? Take you out back and suck your dick? Nice Guy Eddie: I'd go over twelve percent for that. Mr. Pink: I'm very sorry the government taxes their tips, that's fucked up. That ain't my fault. It would seem to me that waitresses are one of the many groups the government fucks in the ass on a regular basis. Look, if you ask me to sign something that says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it, put it to a vote, I'll vote for it, but what I won't do is play ball. And as for this non-college bullshit I got two words for that: learn to fuckin' type, 'cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent you're in for a big fuckin' surprise.

Resevoir Dogs, 1992

What's a tip?

A tip is a small amount of money given to someone as a gesture of thanks for a service. In most cases, a tip is not required per se, but they are often expected by members of the service organization. Tipping is done for a number of reasons:

• To express satisfaction with service
• To display wealth
• As an incentive to get better service

The word tip is thought to derive from the Dutch words tippen or tippul, although the etymological history is unclear. It was first used with the current definition in English in 1755. Some people believe that TIPS was originally an acronym of British origin for To Insure [sic] Proper Service, but that is a largely apocryphal reference.

Games that feature tipping

The following games feature tipping in one form or another as a game mechanic.

	The orcs leave behind a tip on the table when they move. These tips are then stolen by the hobbits.
	The Butler Alien Power (Expansion Set 6) gives you the power to wait upon others. With this power you perform manually demeaning chores in exchange for a tip. You must be courteous, and a tip of one Lucre is all that you may collect per challenge. However, it's superpower is that you may demand a tip of two Lucre instead of one.
	When you get a furniture mover to the door of an apartment, you and one other player move a piece of furniture onto the back of the game box with sticks. If you move it in without dropping it, you draw a tip from a bag. Apartments on the higher floors tip more.

Tipping in the US

In the US, people typically tip workers in just about any profession in which customers come in contact with the general public. Americans tip:

• Waiters/waitresses, bar staff
• Coffee preparers and barristas
• Baggage handlers in hotels and airports
• Hotel concierges
• Maitre D's
• Croupiers
• Washroom attendants
• Limo or taxi driver
• Cleaning staff in a hotel or cruise ship
• Beauticians, masseuses, and barbers
• Strippers/exotic dancers
• Hookers and other sex trade workers
• Parking lot attendants
• Delivery drivers

In addition, Americans tip some folks once a year. These people include garbage men, newspaper/mail deliverers, and lawn care specialists.

Studies have shown that tipping is more prevalent in countries that feature national personality traits such as:

• Extraversion
• Desire for recognition
• Neuroticism/Anxiety
• Masculinity

International Tipping

In countries where tipping is less prevalent, workers in the service classes tend to have higher salaries. As a result, it is often considered an insult to tip a service worker in a country that does not encourage tipping.

Spielboy contacted a few luminaries in the boardgame industry and asked them who gets the tips in non-US countries. Names are witheld for the hell of it.

Germany	Germans generally do not tip concierges, the maitre D', or the cleaning staff in a hotel. One German game designer gives the coal-heaver 4 Euro when they put 1,000Kg in his cellar. That's about .004 Euro per Kg — it's a damn good thing new lungs are cheap over there. Furniture movers also get a good tip. He says, "I guess in Germany the people use a service if it's necessary, and in USA if it's available, right?"
England	The English tip limo and taxi drivers and bartenders, but only if you fancy them. As with Germany, the English typically don't tip the cleaning staff in a hotel, masseuses, barbers, or other service personnel. They do tip restaurant wait-staff, which is shocking considering the quality of English food.
Australia	"Australia is a very proudly egalitarian society. To offer someone a tip here is to suggest that you are in some sense superior to them. Creeping American social colonialism is eroding this tradition somewhat, but this usually only manifests itself in big hotels and restaurants in the major cities. Still, there is not really an expectation of a tip - it is just that they will now take a tip if it is offered rather than advise you that a tip is not required in Australia."
Sweden	One Swedish game designer claims "We tip the limo or taxi driver, but ONLY if the MF is worth it. We are protestents. We get annoyed by excessive service/sucking-up, and dislike haggling."
Korea	"In Korea, tipping doesn't happen. In fact, many times it is considered quite rude. Taxi drivers don't accept tips and will count you the exact change, even if it's just pennies. When you pay in a restaurant, you pay the price of the meal, and that's it. It's a wonderful place to live (unless you're a waiter)!"
Finland	"In general, you don't tip anyone in Finland. It's not impolite not to tip; I don't think anyone expects you to tip them. Finland has much stricter laws regarding employing people. Minimum wage is 5,35 euros/hour, but for that you get better benefits (health care, pensions, insurance) than in the USA, I believe."

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Games where tipping is OK

The act of tipping in games can be a little tricky since it involves the exchange of game money or components. It's not enough to simply want to tip someone, but the rules must allow for the "exchange".

Tipping is OK in many negotiation and trading games, but strictly verboten in most others. Characteristics of a game that allows for tipping commonly include loose rules for trading, games with many types and denominations of commodities, and games that emphasize player negotiation (and backstabbing). Often these games tend to be less abstract and allow for the exchange of items among players.

The following table describes some games where tipping is acceptable.

Game	How Much	Description
	1 commodity card	The fast and loose trading allows you to tip an extra resource, as long as you are dealing with the active player.
	1-2 ducats	You want to stay on the good side of the pope, and a few ducats go a long way to currying favor.
	5 ducats (smallest denomination available)	Submit an offer player for the action, and then add to it with a little "somethin' extra for yourself".
	One commodity	You can only tip when you are in the same trading center as another player, but it is appropriate if the other player made a good trae with you.

Some trading games do not allow tipping. For example, in Civilization, you cannot tip because the rules are very explicit about what can and cannot be traded. Besides, who's to say you wouldn't tip your benefactor a calamity card?

Some negotiation games forbid tipping. You can't toss an extra dollar to someone after a deal is done in I'm the Boss. Or Diplomacy, which is pure negotiation, because the game has no currency to exchange.

How do I tip?

Tipping can be a tricky business, since not all players will agree to it (especially if they are not on the receiving end). The following guidelines might be helpful when giving gratuities.

References

• National Personality and Tipping Customs, by Michael Lynn
• Gratitude and gratuity: An analysis of tipping, Annals of Tourism, Shamir, B.
• tip, Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press