TRPBTNTWA

I know I am about a week late on this one.  But here is my contribution to "Things Role Playing Bloggers Tend Not To Write About".  You can see the original posting at Monsters and Manuals, followed by Back to the Keep, Tower of the Archmage and Stargazer's World.

Book binding.
Maybe I have been lucky, but even some of the most notorious examples of crappy binding in RPG biz have held up for me.  So it hasn't been an issue.

"Doing a voice".
I do voices all the time.  It helps set the tone of the game and the NPC I am portraying.  Plus my kids like it.

Breaks. How often do you have breaks within sessions?
At least one break for snacks or lunch.  The characters can get a short rest, why not the players.

Description. Exactly how florid are your descriptions?
Description is the difference between a game and an immersive experience. I want the players to be able to see in their minds eye just as vivid as their characters would.

Where do you strike the balance between "doing what your character would do" and "acting like a dickhead"?
As a player I don't play dick-heads.  I think PC-on-PC violence is stupid (see below) and regardless of the story at hand the group is supposed to be acting like a group of heroes.

PC-on-PC violence. Do your players tend to avoid it, or do you ban it? Or does anything go?
As  a player I don't do it.  As GM I forbid it. It has no place at my table.  Act like the heroes you are supposed to be, not the asshole you think you can get away with being. I don't find it fun and that is not why I play.
(Actually bloggers tend to talk about this one a lot)

How do you explain what a role playing game is to a stranger who is also a non-player?
Most people know about D&D so I say it is like that.

Alcohol at the table?
Eh. I did it a couple of times in college and it never really worked out.
Now I am at an age where I don't need to have a beer at every social gathering.  Mt. Dew is still fine with me.

What's acceptable to do to a PC whose player is absent from the session? Is whatever happens their fault for not being there, or are there some limits?
Players have lives outside of the game.  If they can't make it they can't make it.  If so then I work out an excuse for the character to be absent or GM-PC them in passive mode.  They are there, but not contributing as much.