Have you done, or will you do anything to help gaming be more accessible to new players?
Do you think anything should be done?
>>46641974
What if I don't want it to be more accessible?
>>46642008
Why do would you want it to not be?
>>46641974
>Have you done anything to help gaming be more accessible to new players?
I convinced my school's dnd club to buy pawns (the little cardboard things you put on stands) instead of plastic minis, because the former are much cheaper. Having more minis, and a little more of their funds available may be helping them somewhat. I don't know because I don't actually go to their meetings.
Aside from that, for the past 5-6 years I've been going online and offering help in response to posted inquiries and concerns. In terms of both rules, and sometimes table conduct. Not so much here though, since this place is horrible.
Within my own groups, I've helped about.. seven(?) newcomers to tabletop RPGs learn rules and have fun playing, and most of them seem to enjoy it, and kept playing for at least a year. That figure mostly includes women and minorities, so I think I'm doing my part in terms of diversity.
>do you think anything should be done?
On an individual level, just try to be helpful and not shitty to people who want to play. For the tabletop RPG industry, I think that more streamlined games that are easier to learn are helping encourage people to pick the games up.
>inb4 fuckin casuals get out of my game reeee
>>46642184
Because we need a higher quality of players and games.
>>46642265
The more people who play, the more you will have to choose from.
>>46642301
There is already a dearth of great games that are being ignored by mainstream gamers.
>>46642340
So introduce them to it.
>>46641974
>Have you done, or will you do anything to help gaming be more accessible to new players?
I introduce those who want to play. Like I've always done, like players have done since the first board games were invented.
I don't understand your question.
>>46642265
Considering the number of complaints about that guys and other shitty players I see on this board, it sounds like adding new players couldn't hurt.
>>46641974
>Have you done, or will you do anything to help gaming be more accessible to new players?
Sure, ran MAID quite a few times for newbies. It's an easy system to get into, good for first timers, and it's fun, too.
>Do you think anything should be done?
Start the newbies off with a system that has simple rules, but DON'T get involved in the freeform roleplaying play pretend storytelling of immersion.
Just get them started in playing with, and mastering, simple rules in order to overcome simple challenges.
MAID is great at that. It's rules light but it's NOT a "chuck the rules aside and just play pretend" system.
Oh, and before anyone says it:Hello /pol/! Hello anti-/pol/! Hello all the people who for some reason can't handle having a difference of opinion or hurt feelings at the table! I am sorry but the issue isn't that the hobby is unwelcoming, it's that you're way too hard to welcome.MAID wards off both /pol/ and anti-/pol/ so that solves that problem. God bless Lolis.
I really should run a game of Witch Girls Adventures sometimes and see whose magical realm can outsquick everyone else's magical realms. It'll be fun
>>46641974
The best thing to do is not blindly introduce people to the hobby, but to be choosy. You don't just throw any old sheep into the flock. The sickly, the diseased, you cull them to control the damage. You have to ostracize and remove the elements that diminish the hobby, resulting in a net gain of enjoyment for all.
>>46641974
I try to introduce new people as often as possible, amusingly, they are almost always much more fun to play with.
Of the games I have played with, new players are by far more likely to:
-Have creative solutions to problems
-Create interesting characters, rather than characters who are just payloads of mechanics bound up by contrived backstory to explain the bullshit
-not delve into magical realms or by That Guy
-actually fucking roleplay
Playing with inexperienced roleplayers is consistently the best RPing experience I ever have.
>>46642736
>The best thing to do is not blindly introduce people to the hobby
Building on this, I think it's also important to give newcomers a lot of instruction in roleplaying etiquette, letting them know about common pitfalls that would turn them into That Guy or otherwise harm the game. If new players know what behaviors are bad, they'll be more likely to avoid them. Similarly, if they know what behaviors are positive and in what contexts, they're more likely to emphasize those, developing good habits that will last a lifetime.
>>46642780
>new people as often as possible, amusingly, they are almost always much more fun to play with.
I think this is because some part of the hobby gradually crushes some of the creativity out of people. Newcomers haven't yet constrained their thinking into the generally-accepted paradigms, so they can really surprise you.
>>46642229
>That figure mostly includes women and minorities, so I think I'm doing my part in terms of diversity.
You don't need to worry about diversity. Stuff that white cis hetero males enjoy is the type of stuff that People (in general) enjoy, and it doesn't matter if the new blood you recruit is one of those white cis het males or someone else. New recruits are new recruits. Though if the hobby has a great abundance of group x, you might be able to recruit people more efficiently by targetting groups y and z!
>>46642848
>You don't need to worry about diversity.
I don't really worry about it. Those people all came to us, so it's not like I'm "targeting" any groups in particular. I just try to act like a reasonable person for whoever happens to express interest.
>>46642736
>The best thing to do is not blindly introduce people to the hobby, but to be choosy. You don't just throw any old sheep into the flock. The sickly, the diseased, you cull them to control the damage. You have to ostracize and remove the elements that diminish the hobby, resulting in a net gain of enjoyment for all.
Problem tho is that the Immersion Narrative Story Roleplayers will cull the Ruleslawyer Minmaxing Crunch Rollplayers, and vice-versa. These two groups will get overwhelmingly salty that the other is ruining "their hobby".
Without agreement on what counts as a sickly sheep, everyone will have different standards, and other people will be letting in lots of sheep that you deem sickly. This will make you butthurt.
I'd advise you avoid recruiting the people with poor personal hygeine - the people who smell like a public toilet, and also avoid recruiting the people who need to have their own way >80% of the time, since that probably won't happen in a co-op group.
Other than that, grab all the sheep.
>>46642780
>characters who are just payloads of mechanics
Heh, I know those.
I offer them mechanical advantages if they drop the veneer and decide to play as "Character Name" the d20 golem, animated by the player's desire to punch goblins and get gold.
Either you'll reveal that players actually do want to play as a human character with human feelings, or "Combat Rolldice" the d8 with limbs will surprise you by negotiating a treaty between two scheming princes [that co-incidentally involves killing a bunch of goblins as part of the treaty].
>>46642891
That's probably the best plan.
>>46642958
Character Name move actions up to the bar and interacts with the WorldObject_Stool.
"Greetings, $BARMANNAME! you look like you have a charisma of about 14, which gives you a +2 modifier! I open your dialogue tree, and select all the options that give me quest objectives. Skip dialogue."
>>46643010
Bar Manna me says out loud, in a neutral tone, "Knowledge Local ThisTown"
>>46643010
>>46643070
Someone should make a meta-roleplaying game that functions just like this.
>>46641974
Khorne does not care from whence blood flows, only that it does flow into the hobby.
But seriously, the hobby stagnates when there isn't an influx of new blood. New players are necessary for not just other players, but for giving our hobbies money.
Basically, /tg/ ain't free. The hobby has to be reinvigorated with the blood of sacrificial newbies.
>>46643227
I think it's called World of Warcraft
>>46643532
But I didn't even like the fourth edition.
>Making gaming accessible to new players
Nerds are not made, they are born.
They will find us.
>>46641974
I run games as DM/GM and make an efford to not be a dick. What more do you want?
>>46641974
It does seem like the average player is much older than he used to be, and I'd like to get some new blood in so the hobby doesn't die with us. I don't see what I can do to help, though, aside from being the best player/GM I can so that others will have a good time and maybe tell people about it.
Yeah I ran the tabletop gaming club at my university for a few years.
Now that we're all graduated I have a pretty nice group to play with.
>>46641974
I tell tales of adventures long past. Comedic, dramatic, and/or awe-inspiring for those that haven't been initiated. I usually then follow up by showing them the dice. If we have spare time I can run a 1 hour one shot for them, sci fi or fantasy, something real simple, no system, just fun dice rolling under careful guidance. After that I usually leave and let them (it's usually a group of 2 or 3 people that I do this to) decide on their own. Often I hear back from them about groups they've started or joined, and hear those awesomely ridiculous newbie stories that can't be achieved with rules-hardened players/GMs.
>>46641974
I taught a child to play magic a few days ago
>>46641974
>Have you done, or will you do anything to help gaming be more accessible to new players?
I used to make a lot of effort with new people back when I regularly went to my university gaming club. It wasn't easy, because most of the guys in that club, either intentionally or unintentionally, drove away new people like you would not believe. Some of the most unwelcoming, unhygienic, socially awkward, and overtly rude people I've ever met hung out in that club. But I helped bring a few people in, and a couple other people I knew outside of game over the years. Now days, though, I had a stable group. I don't go to clubs or stores anymore. Don't make any effort to meet new players, and I probably won't again until my current group falls apart.
>Do you think anything should be done?
I think gamers are often really bad about welcoming in new players. It's a very cliquey hobby, made up largely of social outcasts, so I think people can and should work harder to be more open to new players. Not be such fascists and elitists toward newcomers, and learn to in general not be the sort of people who repel outsiders. You know, learn to bathe and dress and shave normally. Learn how to do basic meet and greets without offending people. Learn how not to come off as creeps and weirdos.
As for reaching out to people, I don't think that's necessary. I was actually surprised at how many people used to show up at my gaming club looking to get involved, and by the variety of them. There were a lot of people who didn't seem like traditional geeks and nerds, even a lot of girls, but most of them would be put off by the neckbeards and never come back. I think the biggest thing keeping these hobbies from expanding is the behavior of the existing fanbase. If you could fix that, new players would start to flow in a lot faster.
>>46642696
>trying to bring the system based gaming to a freeform forum
>MAID has been run there in the past
>it turned into pedoporno shitfest and ruined the system's reputation forever
So yeah I went with Mutants and Masterminds instead.
>>46641974
I'm a volunteer GM in my town's cultural centre, holding games for anyone interested each Tuesday and Saturday afternoon. I usually use my own simplistic homebrew to teach people bare basics of how those games work. If they want, we switch to other games as the time progress with each new group.
Really, all it takes is being nice to people, explaining them more complicated elements, giving them clues how to role-play through situations and suggesting films or books they could watch/read for ideas. Actually, just not being dick to new people is more than enough in most cases.
>>46641974
I got into the hobby when everyone thought I was a weird nerd for doing it and I couldn't access the internet for loads of information about how the game worked, or even get the rule books for free.
Fuck you. The hobby is accessible enough nowadays. If shit isn't broke, don't fix it.
That's how you fuck everything up, like knocking out the internet for your entire division HQ.
>>46641974
I taught English in South Korea for over five years. I taught my students to play D&D every chance I got.
>>46641974
>Have you done, or will you do anything to help gaming be more accessible to new players?
When I ended up as "the Keymaster" of university gaming club, I imposed new set of rules, mostly around keeping the place clean and tidy, including players. After three most obnoxious and literally toxic neckbearders left due to not being allowed to enter unless they take a fucking shower, suddenly new people started showing up in droves, as the most off-putting members were no longer there. And I think going from 7 guys to 26 active members that actually show up regularly to play and another 5 semi-regulars is a huge success.
Beside that, I'm the "new guy GM", so I routinely work with fresh players that had no or little prior experience with tabletop RPG and board games (other than Monopoly that is). This way I can maintain friendly atmosphere and prevent friction on the line of "hurr why we are playing with noobs durr" before the new people get hang of things on their own. Then they can easily fit to any other group after getting a crash course of different game elements for few weeks. Helps A LOT.
>Do you think anything should be done?
It takes a fuckload of hard work to maintain atmosphere friendly toward new players, especially when for whatever reason local player base was hermetic and elitist to the core. By American standards I'm a fucking jock and I had really, really hard time back in high school to find gaming group, since they all were suspecting some idiotic conspiracy. After all why guy doing football trainings four days per week would want to play some Call of Cthulhu, right? It totally must be some scheme to do some shit to us, the true players.
I never fucking understand this attitude of elitism in RPG. It leads to 3/4 of all problems and issues, including shitty player groups that instead of having people wanting to play together are usually made by people sentenced to each other and forced to play together, which creates a shitload of friction
>>46642736
I'd rather have a neckbeard, a crack whore, and a toddler join the hobby, before someone who has the pictured set of beliefs does.
>>46646602
>The hobby is accessible enough nowadays
Go try find new group. But there is a catch - pretend to be a new guy to the hobby.
Then tell me how accessible it is to play.
>>46641974
I became a white male terrorist to keep thirteen year old girls out of the hobby.
>>46642265
if history has proven anything. It's that the amount of shit to good in any given segment remains constant in percentage across all numbers.
EG: the number of shit players to good players will remain constant, but we could have more good players over all.
>>46646663
Please explain us the fuck personal agendas and believes have to do with playing the game.
No, seriously, enlighten us.
My current group consist of: goth chick, rasta guy, fucking body-builder, openly gay weeb, super-religious gal and me, which means nerd working in library.
We are playing games together, not talking about personal preferences or politics, so the fuck this stuff has to do with anything, you cunt?
People like you are the reason the youth centre in my town disbanded tabletop section, since there were five neckberders there doing nothing but throwing tantrums upon every new member of the section, using whatever reason or no reason at all.
>>46646622
That's just adorable.
I don't know whether Harry Potter or Hulk is better.
>>46643532
>World of Warcraft
>dialogue trees or even menus
What are you smoking, man?
>>46642340
>Hurr nobody wants to play this
>But I won't introduce them to this durr
Then blame your fucking self
The only reason why Cyberpunk 2020 is still played around my city and surrounding towns is because few guys were always asking the same question - "would you like to play/host Cyberpunk 2020 game?"
But it's easier to bitch about things that do something about them, right?
I'm a board gamer more than anything else, so all I really do - and all I really need to do - is keep a selection of good newbie-friendly games, be good at explaining them, and patient when they make mistakes or are slow to play.
Oh, and don't be a dick to people. That's an important step.
>>46642265
>we need a higher quality of players and games.
So how the fuck keeping it elitist help? Lets think about it for a while.
You have 5 dedicated guys that want to play. Thing is, they don't hang together really well and there is shitload of friction and tension between them. But since they keep it elitist, they are forced to play with each other.
Now, their GM decides to make a wild talent hunt. 30 people show up. Fuck me, that's way too much, but in the end you are with 6 new people. That means the quantity of good players doubled and maybe you can even swap members between the two groups now, so tension is solved and shit keeps getting better.
Seriously, anyone who thinks elitism is good apparently failed to realise the progress humanity did after abandoning this concept in favour of egalitarianism. I mean the whole modern fucking industry and economy works on the concept of egalitarian society, since everyone can in theory fill the same role. Sure, some people can fill it better, but the broader the group you choose from, the easier it is to find such perfect candidate.
Elitism is what keeps tabletop RPG fucking stagnant for past 15+ years.
>>46646693
>Please explain us the fuck personal agendas and believes have to do with playing the game.
There is a big group of people who will shove their agendas whenever possible and throw a shitfit whenever anybody disagrees.
Now, to be fair, the guy you're replying to will likely shove HIS agendas at every opportunity too (given that he just did so in the thread)
I mean, would you play with a guy that would explode into frothing rage when he finds out the gay weeb is gay? I presume no, you would boot the fucker.
And a guy raving about how religion oppresses gays all the time wouldn't be a good company either.
I run tutorial games occasionally for younger players who want to get into the hobby.
And I have somehow convinced a surprising number of people (mostly women I've just met through a composite dating sits/social media hub for a niche preference) to try out a LARP and I get to bank their sweet sweet referrals.
>>46646883
Yeah, but that's not an issue with their agenda. I get pissed off when people whose agendas I do share decide that hobby time is soapbox time, and as you've said, it's not unique to any specific agenda. Better give everyone a shot, and as long as they can keep it in their pants it's golden.
>>46646883
>There is a big group of people who will shove their agendas whenever possible and throw a shitfit whenever anybody disagrees.
And you know that based on...?
You are meeting those people to play games. Not talk politics. And since /tg/ is adult-only page, the logical conclusion is that if they start talking about anything else than game, you calmly and kindly remind them they are playing and the rest is also here to play.
Meaning - personal agendas mean shit among grown-up people. And those are (supposedly) the only people in this thread.
>I mean, would you play with a guy that would explode into frothing rage when he finds out the gay weeb is gay? I presume no, you would boot the fucker.
And a guy raving about how religion oppresses gays all the time wouldn't be a good company either.
Again, there are here to play the game. So your point is so fucking invalid I'm not even sure where you are trying to get with it.
>>46646943
*they are here
>>46646883
>Anon post about group having both openly gay and religious people in it
>Apparently they somehow worked this out
>Still trying to make a point about non-existing friction based on stereotype
Got a bunch of my friends into it during high school. One of them was definitely that guy.
>>46646943
People shoving their agenda regardless of said agenda are assholes in my books. I don't welcome assholes in my hobby or my table.
>>46647029
I will give you a clue:
If you don't talk about personal agendas, you will never know them, so there is no risk of throwing a shitstorm about them.
Simple, isn't it?
But it's easier to be cunt surrounded with people with similar approach to everything and wasting shitload of time on non-gaming issues with them, so...
Then again, I don't have this time, since I've got 5-6 hours once per week to play and I'm sure not gonna waste it on anything else than playing. The moment time becomes a factor, shitload of stuff is suddenly a non-issue.
Like fucking political agenda of your players.
>>46641974
Yes, I try to get as many straight, white male chads into my games as possible. They really are a blast to play with and when they open up to RP the banter is unequaled.
>>46642897
My experience of the debate has usually been that crunchy rollplayers get waaay more butthurt about rules-light games than a lot of storygamers do about the crunchy games; the storygamers are there for story, which is divorced from the mechanics typically, so they're fairly often willing to put up with crunch or systems they aren't sold on so they can get the story. However the crunchy players are there FOR crunch and therefore can't stomach the lack of crunch in systems. But again a lot of them are willing to put up with a system they're not super-sold on to hang out and play with friends.
Not saying either are "ruining the hobby", just that they react to the """opposing""" product differently.
>>46643227
There's a FATE hack called Save Game which is all about retro vidya gaems like Castlevania dealing with the corrupting force of The Glitch, seems like this would fit in pretty well.
Don't game with assholes. Seriously, this is the most important thing you can do if you want new blood. That guy who snarls at people who take too long? Nobody's ever going to learn a new game when he's there. That guy who creeps on every girl that comes into the group? That's why they only last a single session. That girl who tries to form cliques with all her friends? Good luck getting newbies into those kinds of groups. We as a hobby are way too tolerant of shitty people.
>>46648601
>That guy who creeps on every girl that comes into the group? That's why they only last a single session.
Why I'm not going to deny this IS a serious factor, my personal experience (since we avoid creeps by default) says they as often drop after realising this is just not entertaining for them.
Which is the main reason why so many people only show for the first, maybe third game and then disappear, so it's not even gender-related.
But I honestly prefer when they drop after realising role-playing is simply not engaging for them instead of hitting it with shitty co-players and openly start hating the whole thing instead of just "meh, it's simply not for me".
Do this apply?
>anon is new and people show him X
>anon plays X game and he like it
>as time passes people drops X and go to play something else
>anon is not fond of this new game
>soon he finds himself alone with a game that no one cares about
>anon gives his best efforts to try to bring new blood to the game by showing the game, presenting demos and such.
>in the meanwhile old people suggest and imply Y game is better than X each time he passes by the LGS.
> in the meanwhile X game died Y, Z, A1 and A2 flourish making more harsh to pass by the LCG as it gives more support to those games.
>>46649468
Anon, I've got a clue for you.
Stop being such a pussy and move on, you cunt! Jesus, people like you are almost as annoying as unwashed, sweaty spergs that populate half of LCGs
>>46649468
Sounds like anon should move on and find himself another game. Or at least get over himself, realize he's not the arbiter of taste, and stop getting pissy that people don't like X and prefer Y, Z, A1, and A2, and that the store isn't taking up shelf space with a dead game.
>>46649686
>>46649722
I know I know, basically is all about all the money I put on and also the sentimental value (since this was my getaway to become a fa/tg/uy)
reality is more harsh than just that. I would be easy to start again if the thing were that none of the games that represent Y (YGO), Z(Vanguard) , A1(Pokemon) and A2(Heroclix) interest me.
>>46641974
I've managed to introduce friends and friends of friends into gaming over the years. Usually they're curious as to what's going on and why I abduct a whole bunch of them for an entire night then want to give it a try themselves.
It helps that I've got some social graces and I always speak highly of these hobbies and never dismiss it as nerdy and wasteful. I do say that most of these games do require a lot of time investment, but the greatest joy is creating a narrative with your friends.
What I don't do is go to forums or my FLGS. Even when I was at uni, I didn't go to the gaming club there. I do feel quietly guilty for avoiding people who could be actively wanting to enjoy these games, but the blunt honest answer is that I don't have the patience for spurdos or "nerds". I've managed to give the hobby a good name through my social circles and that is satisfying in it's own way.
>>46649774
>Declares himself a fa/tg/guy
>Knows only 5 games in total
>One of them is some dead shit
>>46649774
What the hell was X of people moved on to pokemon or YGO
I try to be friendly and understanding, I genuinely enjoy teaching people games.
Used to make terrain for my club.
Thinking about being a malifaux henchman soon.
>>46650022
that was necessary? I think you're missunderstanding what I said (is that or it was I who didn't expressed myself properly).
those 4 games that I mentioned have stable enough fanbases that can have support from the LGS and also are able to eat players from other games(since they have presence). and then we have Magic who is a whole different league.
>one of them is some dead shit
which one?
>>46650049
without lying. Dice masters. it was the new kid in the block and people found interested in the game due the colorfoul dies and how to play with them. after some time people couldn't or didn't want to gather so the game died in silence (the game still does well in big cities unlike in this dusty and forgotten hellhole). the remaining players after were recruited by the others leaving me in the state I'm now. Natural order I suppouse.
now why they moved to YGO and/or Pokemon? I would also like to know, I gotta guess they like weebgames since Vanguard is living and striving and soon they plan to bring FoW.
