Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ronbrgundy Jan 02, 2011 0:41:10	It has been over 10 years since I played AD&D 2nd Edition with the Ravenloft campaign setting.  My memories are fond.  The best games were when we played around camp fires deep in the woods as well as wine cellars dark and crypt-like.  Life is a little different today.  I am 29 years old.  I have a steady girlfriend and a handful of friends in my new life.  Its not bad but for a long time now I have felt like something was missing.  I have tried to fill the void with weak substitutes like online games.  Its just not the same.  You see role playing and tabletop strategy games are just part of me now, ingrained in me.  I debated purchasing the Ravenloft board game that just came out.  I debated purchasing it and getting my group of friends playing it and then maybe moving on into some RPG'ing.  Rewinding back a bit to before I found out this game was out, I travelled to my local comics store and a game called Zombies caught my eye.  I bought it and talked my friends into giving it a try.  I sat down, me and three of my friends, excited like I haven't been in ages practically foaming at the mouth.  Right away, problems.  Friend number one, didn't want to play, wanted nothing to do with it.  He was more interested in b'ing and whining.  Immediately starts talking about "let me get my wii out, let me get my wii out".  In retrospect I don't think he realized how important this was to me.  Oh well.  We continue without him.  Friend two, really trying but she has barely played any games of any type board game video game etc her whole life.  We end up telling her what to do for most of her moves.  Points for effort.  Friend three tries to get into it and lasts a good while.  He's an old school RPG'er, doesn't do well with strategy games.  Starts whining about why is it taking so long.  To his credit he gives the game a good shot though, and the three of us play to the conclusion. Anyway what I find myself wondering is this.  Sure it was all good and easy back in high school or kind of even in college to find people to game with (typically your friends).  Today though at my age it just doesn't seem like the easiest thing to do.  I don't want to game with a bunch of people who would rather be at home playing their wii or xbox 360 by themself because they haven't figured out that being with other people and interacting is what games like these are all about.  That thats the bread and butter of why the game is fun.  Yes its the game but its not just the game.  So Im wondering what other avenues I could pursue.  I'm wondering if other people feel this way or have been where I'm at with this issue.  Should I be going to my local and regional conventions to find gamers?  Should I be scouring internet boards?  Putting a flyer up at my local comic store?  I would love any direction on this.  I just don't want to go the rest of my life never meeting another person who gets excited and pumps their fist yelling "YES!" at a perfect dice roll, or who loves the idea of playing any game where you get to combat the undead.
#2 warghoul Jan 06, 2011 15:33:13	There are plenty of gamers out there you just have to find them. I dont play dnd with any of my close friends. I have gaming buddies and good friends that goof on me for playing dnd.
#3 gonzoron Jan 13, 2011 9:40:18	Zombies is a terrible game to spring on new gamers, or people you want to turn into gamers.   (Not your fault, it's cool looking, and can be fun, but it doesn't really "ease them in" to gaming).   But Castle Ravenloft might have been worse, so maybe you were lucky. (I like Castle Ravenloft, but it's got a lot of rules and fiddly bits and could easily turn off non-gamers).   If you're trying to get them into boardgames or games in general, you could try the "traditional gateway games" like Settlers of Catan, Bohnanza, Ticket To Ride, & Carcassonne.    They are quick (30-60 minutes), there's minimal downtime waiting for your turn, no player elimination, no direct attacks, simple rules, but moderate/deep strategy, and lots of fun. But in my experience, getting people into RPGs is a different mindset, and usually best just to try running a short and simple adventure (i.e. one or  two encounters), perhaps with simplified rules.  "You tell me what your character would do, I tell you what dice to roll and if it works." But sadly, some people just aren't gamers.   It's a painful truth.   If you need a gaming fix, you may have to find a gaming group, or play something online.  (by which I mean a play-by-post or chat-based RPG, not a MMORPG, although that might give you a bit of a fix too.)
#4 Scottyboy1979 Dec 14, 2012 2:29:46	It has been over 10 years since I played AD&D 2nd Edition with the Ravenloft campaign setting.  My memories are fond.  The best games were when we played around camp fires deep in the woods as well as wine cellars dark and crypt-like.  Life is a little different today.  I am 29 years old.  I have a steady girlfriend and a handful of friends in my new life.  Its not bad but for a long time now I have felt like something was missing.  I have tried to fill the void with weak substitutes like online games.  Its just not the same.  You see role playing and tabletop strategy games are just part of me now, ingrained in me.  I debated purchasing the Ravenloft board game that just came out.  I debated purchasing it and getting my group of friends playing it and then maybe moving on into some RPG'ing.  Rewinding back a bit to before I found out this game was out, I travelled to my local comics store and a game called Zombies caught my eye.  I bought it and talked my friends into giving it a try.  I sat down, me and three of my friends, excited like I haven't been in ages practically foaming at the mouth.  Right away, problems.  Friend number one, didn't want to play, wanted nothing to do with it.  He was more interested in b'ing and whining.  Immediately starts talking about "let me get my wii out, let me get my wii out".  In retrospect I don't think he realized how important this was to me.  Oh well.  We continue without him.  Friend two, really trying but she has barely played any games of any type board game video game etc her whole life.  We end up telling her what to do for most of her moves.  Points for effort.  Friend three tries to get into it and lasts a good while.  He's an old school RPG'er, doesn't do well with strategy games.  Starts whining about why is it taking so long.  To his credit he gives the game a good shot though, and the three of us play to the conclusion. Anyway what I find myself wondering is this.  Sure it was all good and easy back in high school or kind of even in college to find people to game with (typically your friends).  Today though at my age it just doesn't seem like the easiest thing to do.  I don't want to game with a bunch of people who would rather be at home playing their wii or xbox 360 by themself because they haven't figured out that being with other people and interacting is what games like these are all about.  That thats the bread and butter of why the game is fun.  Yes its the game but its not just the game.  So Im wondering what other avenues I could pursue.  I'm wondering if other people feel this way or have been where I'm at with this issue.  Should I be going to my local and regional conventions to find gamers?  Should I be scouring internet boards?  Putting a flyer up at my local comic store?  I would love any direction on this.  I just don't want to go the rest of my life never meeting another person who gets excited and pumps their fist yelling "YES!" at a perfect dice roll, or who loves the idea of playing any game where you get to combat the undead.  same here guy, if your still down to playing ravenloft or any other ones in 2nd edition in the las vegas area, holla aberdeen1979@yahoo.com