Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

KK
Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
35150 2
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
20830 0
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
7405 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
3967 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
3501 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
2076 0
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
2583 0

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
2255 0
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
2497 0
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
3017 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
1973 0
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
3694 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
2625 0
O
oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
2461 0
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
2290 0
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023
2506 0

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
×
Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

× Talk about whatever you like related to games that doesn't fit anywhere else.

How Do I Establish a Good RPG Group For People Over 30

More
08 Jan 2018 13:34 #260518 by repoman
Hello Friends. I know there are some pretty active and veteran role players on this site so I thought I might ask for opinions/advice.

I think I'd like to run a bi-weekly rpg of some kind however I'm having difficulty finding people to play with. My regular game friends are either not interested or unable to set up a consistent time to play. Mainly due to work and family obligations. I don't think it's because I'm a crummy GM. Not an objective opinion but I think I'm at the least entertaining.

So, let me ask. How would you establish a RPG gaming group knowing all the pit falls and aggravation of finding people to play with that you don't actively hate?
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gary Sax, Sagrilarus, drewcula, stoic

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 13:41 #260520 by ChristopherMD
I'm in pretty much the same boat. I was thinking of going to a MeetUp event to find new players, but I live in a major city so that may not be an option for you.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 13:55 #260521 by the_jake_1973
If you don't mind online only meetups, I think you would be able to chat with people looking for groups on Obsidian Portal or rollD20.

Discord is a pretty good voice and text chat app.

Tools like Fantasy Ground can help with the sharing of information to the remote group.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 13:57 #260522 by hotseatgames
roll20.net is a good way to bridge the gap of geography / available free time.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 14:05 #260523 by Shellhead
Work and family obligations will almost always be a factor in coordinating a regular gaming group for people over 30. I tend to over-recruit so that we are more likely to have a quorum on any given game day. For example, my biweekly Ptolus game started out with 8 players, and we always played if we had at least 4 players show up. Over the course of four years, there was some attrition due to life stuff, but enough positive word of mouth that recruiting more players worked out just fine. In the final year of the campaign, we had 6 players, and sometimes had to cancel because we didn't have at least 4 present.

A couple of times in the past, I successfully recruited total strangers for rpg campaigns by posting a free ad for my game at a local game shop. The first time got me 4 players who in turn recruited 7 more! The second time around, I came up with 4 players, which was sufficient until the twins moved away.

The other thing that worked for me in the past was playing boardgames with strangers at local gaming shops and giving them the sales pitch for my campaign after a
board game, if they weren't obnoxious.

Ideally, I will screen the overall group by playing a big co-op board game, like Arkham Horror. There have been a few times where one obnoxious player might have been weeded out in advance by playing a co-op game.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 14:08 - 08 Jan 2018 14:36 #260525 by Sagrilarus
Fraught with peril, I'd recommend a short adventure for a first couple of sessions, regardless of how you manage to meet new people. If you attract turds you can jettison them without too much trouble and reestablish a group that keeps the folks more to your liking. Option 2 is enter as a player to an existing group and establish new relationships there. Over time you can invite people to your own sessions.

Boardgaming with random strangers has its drawbacks. Role Play with random strangers can be ugly ugly. Take care until you find a decent crowd.

In many towns you can purchase women for $50 an hour, and they're largely up for anything. Dungeons and Dragons may make a nice change for them. Take care though -- don't refer to it as role playing. That will lead to miscommunication during the first session.
Last edit: 08 Jan 2018 14:36 by Sagrilarus.
The following user(s) said Thank You: san il defanso, repoman

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 14:17 #260528 by SuperflyPete
Lol Sag!

I’ve found that for every rando meetup, you end up with maybe 1 cool person. I had a good group for 6 years and it all fell apart due to illnesses et al.

Now I have some other folks I’m reconnecting with and it looks good. They’re big role players and that’s not really my bag
The following user(s) said Thank You: drewcula

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 14:32 #260529 by the_jake_1973
Always establish a safe word first, Sag!

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 14:38 #260530 by Sagrilarus

SuperflyTNT wrote: I’ve found that for every rando meetup, you end up with maybe 1 cool person.


That's a solid batting average. The good news is that good matches generally lead to more good matches. If you can establish a core of two or three people you can usually grow more dependably.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 14:39 #260531 by Shellhead
Back in 2000, I wanted to run a Legend of the Five Rings rpg campaign. I bought a few booster packs to update my vintage '97 Scorpion deck, and went to a couple of local game shops to play in a tournament and some pickup games. I recruited four new (to me) players, who in turn recruited in three more players after a couple of good early sessions. That group also included a few of my existing friends, so we eventually had to split that group in half, with one DM and five players in each group. My group lasted 3.5 years.

The first session wasn't great because one of my friends brought his unruly pre-school age son. At the low point of the session, his son crawled inside one of my kitchen cupboards and kicked all the pots and pans out, LOUDLY. His father did nothing but chuckle indulgently. At the end of the session, I announced that I had decided to not run that campaign, then immediately started an identical new campaign, emailing invites to everybody except for the bad daddy.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 16:41 #260540 by Da Bid Dabid
I just had to adjust my expectations to playing once every month... sometimes every 2-3 months. I'd rather play with my like-minded friends even if their lives are super busy and make me do a different type of game/style of storytelling.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 19:30 #260551 by SuperflyPete

Sagrilarus wrote:

SuperflyTNT wrote: I’ve found that for every rando meetup, you end up with maybe 1 cool person.


That's a solid batting average. The good news is that good matches generally lead to more good matches. If you can establish a core of two or three people you can usually grow more dependably.


You would almost certainly be shocked to know that I get along with almost everyone. My only issue is ultra competitive people - those foks irritate me.
The following user(s) said Thank You: drewcula

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
08 Jan 2018 20:28 #260555 by Sagrilarus
Yeah, you’re a better man than I am. I’ve become less accommodating in my old age. I only have so many game nights left, I’m not spending one with someone that wants to buffalo me.

Role playing with strangers seems to attract people whose characters are stainless steel and who insist that they’ve got it all worked out. It’s like playing with four anime villains. They aren’t interested in story, just in show how damn good they are. I’m not dealing with that anymore.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.653 seconds