So, I've been in a gaming drought for quite a while (since October, if you ignore gaming cons). I've been missing that week to week group dynamic that brings out the heart of so many games. Andy pointed me to a local RPG meetup and I'm going this Sunday to play Mouse Guard (yay!) with an entirely new group of people.
Wow, ack, hmm. I hope we get along and have similar gaming needs and compatible personalities. I won't feel bad to drop out if it doesn't work out, but I hope it does.
Any success stories out there about jumping whole hog into a new group? Any ideas on how to best present myself or gauge others so as to make sure we work?
Comments
You are a pleasant, approachable person, so I'd just be honest about what you want and need and encourage them to do the same. Run a great game for them and see who clicks and who does not.
Good luck with that. I sympathise with the gaming drought. I haven't played ANY roleplaying games this year. Not one. And it's starting to make me craaaaazy.
I'm in the same boat as you, joining existing groups of strangers to play in a new city. It goes well sometimes, poorly at other times, so don't commit to anything long-term and be ready to adapt your expectations.
But I think that generally it goes well!
I guess it's telling that I assumed you were taking a leadership role in making this all happen.
Take control! Talk lots and loudly! Everyone loves a talker. People will respect you.
You're there to game, so tell everyone about your character. Make sure they know all the great things your character has done in the past.
Don't shower before going. If you do, you're basically saying to everyone present: look how much better my personal hygiene is. Make them feel good about their personal hygiene, by making yours bad.
Everyone loves Monty Python!
(Do what Jason said. Treat people as though they're nice and they probably will be. If they're not your type of people, you're not committed to anything and at least you've been nice to them. I'm sorry about the above post, but it was irresistible.)
Graham
My fear is that I'll want to move on to a new game too soon and the group may be adjusted to playing one game for quite a while. I have so many games that I want to try out.
So, yes, meetups can work out great for meeting new people and forming new groups, and hopefully you'll be able to find the people that are interested in trying new things.
I was a little worried about the social dynamics of it, but our first session last week went great.
I think focusing on the game helped. Once basic social graces had been observed, we got right to it. There was plenty of chatter and talk DURING the session, which is great, but I suspect that jumping right into the one thing you know you all have in common is helpful.
This may or may not be relevant to your situation.