How do you feel about tabletop?

[JustKneller]

I might be talking out of my butt. I'm the new kid on the block here and still haven't fully sussed out the vibe and orientation of this place. The people are nice. I figured that one out already. I know there's an emphasis on cRPGs with some trickle over into other genres of video games. There doesn't seem to be any particular aversion towards tabletop gaming and I would guess that there would be some interest there since cRPGs are the primary focus and there tends to be a lot of crossover in these circles.

But, like I said, this could be my butt talking. My motivation for asking this is largely due to my own ambivalence. Plus, it's a good way to put my finger on the pulse of this place and get to know the people.

Boring history time!

I definitely started in D&D before my first cRPG. It's not that these games weren't there, but video games were a little slow to work their way into my childhood home. I even got in a little trouble when I bought my first D&D book with my paper route money. Middle school me was a shitty murderhobo gamer. But, so were all my my middle school friends, so that worked out. It didn't get better until high school where I became a more refined murderhobo. But then, my GM at the time broke out the Planescape setting and actually playing a character engaging in a living world rather than just being a cash grabbing dungeon steamroller became an idea in my head. I'll be honest, I was the weak link gamer in my group until I “caught up” and thankfully that group was patient with me. But high school eventually ended and we all went our separate ways.

I actually ran into this GM a few years down the line when our paths crossed again. We tried to get back into the hobby, but it was a rough go and didn't work out. Our starting group wasn't cohesive enough and the second group we put together (my GM just wanted to be a player at this point) sorta fell apart. This was partly due to the shittiest GM I've ever met (and not a great person in general) combined with me not being able to resist messing with the shittiest GM I've ever met (he was verbally abusive towards his wife, so he was fair game in my book). I moved on from there. Well, sorta. It was around this time I started designing my own games. My professional background (which included statistics and game theory) actually provided me with a lot of tools to help with such projects.

On the down side, the independent game design scene was actually not all that great (and is even worse now). I won't get into the drama of it, but the scene really had a lot working against it in terms of quality. On the up side, it was all almost entirely irrelevant to me. I wasn't trying to publish “professionally” like many self-publishers, I didn't care about the cliques, cults of personality, and the really shitty pseudo-theories upon which these things were built. My M.O. was simple. Make a game, get some friends to the table to see where the rubber hits the road, learn from it, develop my next project. I didn't need to worry about the toxicity in the hobby. If I could just get up to a half dozen decent people to a table, the rest of the hobby could take a flying leap for all I cared.

This, of course, was not an easy task. My local options were dismal and were predominantly D&D and Pathfinder groups. Online groups were hit or miss, and mostly misses, with the occasional ephemeral hit. I never could pull together a small group of solid gamers who just wanted to experiment with gaming possibilities as a long term experience. It was usually just one shots and short plays. My last game was a short online game of Blades in the Dark a year or two ago that only lasted a handful of sessions and had turnover almost every session. A few years before that was a D&D group a board gaming friend put together. I didn't really care for where WotC took the system, but figured it was servicable with a good group. The GM was great, as was one of the other players. Another one was just learning the system (and RPGs in general) and struggled, but he had a lot of potential so we totally gave him a pass (especially me, considering my history). The other two players were unapologetic spotlight/treasure hogging murderhobos with no interest in anything else. Keep in mind, this is a group of grown adults with grown adult lives. I only made it about two to three sessions before dropping out.

This is where the ambivalence comes in. I still have a lot of interest in the hobby, at least theoretically. Every year or so, I'm compelled to dust off one of my designs (WIP or otherwise) and start tinkering for a bit. I start looking around for a possible gaming group and then the reality sets in. Finding a group of players that can play well together (most likely online), coordinating schedules, recruiting again when someone flakes out, other people dropping out because there is no stability, and so on. I usually end up working on a game that will never hit the table just because I like the idea of the game. I like the activity, but I'm also too pragmatic to satisfied with this.

I've talked to a lot of tabletop players over the years. A lot of the D&Ders (or Pathfinder Society players) I've known are more content since there's a stronger network to support their game, but a fair number who prefer games outside of those seemed discouraged for similar reasons. They like the idea of the hobby, but actually engaging in it just doesn't really end up working for a number of reasons. I always thought it was kind of a weird thing. A large number of people having an interest in a hobby, but then also not actually participating in the hobby because of, well, reasons.

So, where are you on the matter?

 

[shmity72]

I might be talking out of my butt. I'm the new kid on the block here and still haven't fully sussed out the vibe and orientation of this place. The people are nice. I figured that one out already. I know there's an emphasis on cRPGs with some trickle over into other genres of video games. There doesn't seem to be any particular aversion towards tabletop gaming and I would guess that there would be some interest there since cRPGs are the primary focus and there tends to be a lot of crossover in these circles.

But, like I said, this could be my butt talking. My motivation for asking this is largely due to my own ambivalence. Plus, it's a good way to put my finger on the pulse of this place and get to know the people.

Boring history time!

I definitely started in D&D before my first cRPG. It's not that these games weren't there, but video games were a little slow to work their way into my childhood home. I even got in a little trouble when I bought my first D&D book with my paper route money. Middle school me was a shitty murderhobo gamer. But, so were all my my middle school friends, so that worked out. It didn't get better until high school where I became a more refined murderhobo. But then, my GM at the time broke out the Planescape setting and actually playing a character engaging in a living world rather than just being a cash grabbing dungeon steamroller became an idea in my head. I'll be honest, I was the weak link gamer in my group until I “caught up” and thankfully that group was patient with me. But high school eventually ended and we all went our separate ways.

I actually ran into this GM a few years down the line when our paths crossed again. We tried to get back into the hobby, but it was a rough go and didn't work out. Our starting group wasn't cohesive enough and the second group we put together (my GM just wanted to be a player at this point) sorta fell apart. This was partly due to the shittiest GM I've ever met (and not a great person in general) combined with me not being able to resist messing with the shittiest GM I've ever met (he was verbally abusive towards his wife, so he was fair game in my book). I moved on from there. Well, sorta. It was around this time I started designing my own games. My professional background (which included statistics and game theory) actually provided me with a lot of tools to help with such projects.

On the down side, the independent game design scene was actually not all that great (and is even worse now). I won't get into the drama of it, but the scene really had a lot working against it in terms of quality. On the up side, it was all almost entirely irrelevant to me. I wasn't trying to publish “professionally” like many self-publishers, I didn't care about the cliques, cults of personality, and the really shitty pseudo-theories upon which these things were built. My M.O. was simple. Make a game, get some friends to the table to see where the rubber hits the road, learn from it, develop my next project. I didn't need to worry about the toxicity in the hobby. If I could just get up to a half dozen decent people to a table, the rest of the hobby could take a flying leap for all I cared.

This, of course, was not an easy task. My local options were dismal and were predominantly D&D and Pathfinder groups. Online groups were hit or miss, and mostly misses, with the occasional ephemeral hit. I never could pull together a small group of solid gamers who just wanted to experiment with gaming possibilities as a long term experience. It was usually just one shots and short plays. My last game was a short online game of Blades in the Dark a year or two ago that only lasted a handful of sessions and had turnover almost every session. A few years before that was a D&D group a board gaming friend put together. I didn't really care for where WotC took the system, but figured it was servicable with a good group. The GM was great, as was one of the other players. Another one was just learning the system (and RPGs in general) and struggled, but he had a lot of potential so we totally gave him a pass (especially me, considering my history). The other two players were unapologetic spotlight/treasure hogging murderhobos with no interest in anything else. Keep in mind, this is a group of grown adults with grown adult lives. I only made it about two to three sessions before dropping out.

This is where the ambivalence comes in. I still have a lot of interest in the hobby, at least theoretically. Every year or so, I'm compelled to dust off one of my designs (WIP or otherwise) and start tinkering for a bit. I start looking around for a possible gaming group and then the reality sets in. Finding a group of players that can play well together (most likely online), coordinating schedules, recruiting again when someone flakes out, other people dropping out because there is no stability, and so on. I usually end up working on a game that will never hit the table just because I like the idea of the game. I like the activity, but I'm also too pragmatic to satisfied with this.

I've talked to a lot of tabletop players over the years. A lot of the D&Ders (or Pathfinder Society players) I've known are more content since there's a stronger network to support their game, but a fair number who prefer games outside of those seemed discouraged for similar reasons. They like the idea of the hobby, but actually engaging in it just doesn't really end up working for a number of reasons. I always thought it was kind of a weird thing. A large number of people having an interest in a hobby, but then also not actually participating in the hobby because of, well, reasons.

So, where are you on the matter?

Preemptive warning: I'm heinously poor at spelling and writing comprehension.

Where I am out with that matter is that I just do not invest the energy, however alluring, to get people together for multiple gaming sessions. A it used to be difficult geographically with friends that are...that don't have a specific leisure schedule away from business/family and B Time constraints.

Take B for example:
I have been an mmo guild master for 15 years. I'm pretty sure they are run akin to a small business, namely the most important performance of the business/guild master is to 'be around' all the time.

When I began my current guild 7 years ago I made a point, (not unlike this forum itself) to allow it to grow organically. Namely, recruit very nice thoughtful people, rather than 'hey everyone anyone want to fill the ranks?!'

So getting back to your question about table top in person:
In relation to Time 'see B above' One must invest incrementally into the arena of gathering a working company of men and women to pursue a common goal. Have fun! in a safe environment is mine.

Good luck. I sincerely hope you find the way in which you may realize your desire to have people working in harmony for a single purpose.

~shmity

 

[m7600]

I love tabletop RPGs. I started with D&D when I was a kid, and switched to Vampire: The Masquerade during my adolescence. Played a little bit of the Lord of the Rings tabletop RPG, but I was like "meh... not for me. I prefer the books / movies". As a young adult I had other interests, and quickly a lot of new responsibilities. But my interest in tabletop RPGs came back after I got hooked on Critical Role. Lately I'm finding it difficult to get together with my friends to play tabletop games, now we just get together to drink and get nostalgic about the 90's, lol.

I think that the best tabletop experiences are with friends. Call me corny, but it's not about the game, it's about the friendships. If I had to give some advice (assuming that I'm even qualified to do that, which is debatable, lol), I would say: don't focus on finding a group of players, focus on building friendships. You wouldn't get together to have dinner, or watch a movie, or go to a concert with people you dislike or don't get along with, so why should it be any different with tabletop RPGs? That's how I see it at least.

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

Great post. I haven't played table top in almost 30 years (D&D), and that was a fun, but short-lived campaign that ended scant months in because, well, life. One person got a new job and had no time. Another went through an unpleasant divorce. I moved across the continent. It's a bugger when you're an adult. It's hard to get people together consistently. It's not just gaming, either - try to get a band together, for instance. But I think it's great fun, if you're lucky enough to find a good group. And if you have the time to do all the prep.

I suppose that's better than being addicted - which I was in junior high and the first year of high school, when I first started playing (1st edition). Our group at that time was fanatical. We played. We talked about playing. We drew maps and contemplated playing while in class, and then again into the wee hours of the morning. I can recall plugging in a child's nightlight and squinting through the dark as I worked on maps and read through the handbooks. Our grades, already poor, got worse as the obsession grew. But damn, was that fun. That period was a blast, and I doubt any of us had any regrets. I sure don't. That said, we all made a conscious decision to quit, cold turkey, in the spring of the 9th grade. It was time.

I can't rule out playing again, but I doubt I will. Everyone's so busy, including me. That's what got me into CRPGs, I guess. Particularly, Baldur's Gate. With computer games, you can play when you have the time, and aren't dependent on others. But pnp is a unique experience that really gets the imagination going. And there's more freedom IRL, as the GM can adjust on the fly. Certain classes and abilities become more useful. The thief's climb walls ability, for example. Ranger tracking. It can be great, if done right, and you have the time.

 

[Balrog99]

Last Saturday I played D&D at a friend's house for the 1st time in 40 years. I was the DM for a group of friends way back in the '80s before my dad burned all my D&D stuff in the fireplace because it was 'Satanic'. Since then I've only played on the computer.

This time somebody else was DM so I rolled up a Paladin since the party had no healers and had an almost TPK during their last session. I decided to play a Paladin of the Watchers and man was it a blast! The other guys made fun of the stats I rolled up (I think they cheated, but I didn't but that's just speculation on my part, no proof). My rolls were good even for the op way they decided to go with (best 3 of 4 d6, roll seven stats and discard the worst). I rolled two 16's, a 14, a 12 and 2 11's and decided to go with human for the +1 to all stats. They were level 9 so I got to boost my scores with +4 more to any stats. I thought I was impressive with a 20 charisma and 18 strength but I guess they thought it was weak that I didn't roll more sixes and didn't have any 18s or 17s to start with. Boy were they wrong! With my decent strength plus Divine Smite, I was holy terror to our enemies! I also really enjoyed how 5th edition handles Lay on Hands. It was nice being able to spread out my healing instead of using it as an all or nothing shot. I went from laughing stock to badass before the end of the session. The DM is probably dreaming of ways to nerf my character, but at least I'll always have my MVP night to keep in my back pocket!

 

[InGameScientist]

I might be talking out of my butt. I'm the new kid on the block here and still haven't fully sussed out the vibe and orientation of this place. The people are nice. I figured that one out already. I know there's an emphasis on cRPGs with some trickle over into other genres of video games. There doesn't seem to be any particular aversion towards tabletop gaming and I would guess that there would be some interest there since cRPGs are the primary focus and there tends to be a lot of crossover in these circles.

But, like I said, this could be my butt talking. My motivation for asking this is largely due to my own ambivalence. Plus, it's a good way to put my finger on the pulse of this place and get to know the people.

Boring history time!

I definitely started in D&D before my first cRPG. It's not that these games weren't there, but video games were a little slow to work their way into my childhood home. I even got in a little trouble when I bought my first D&D book with my paper route money. Middle school me was a shitty murderhobo gamer. But, so were all my my middle school friends, so that worked out. It didn't get better until high school where I became a more refined murderhobo. But then, my GM at the time broke out the Planescape setting and actually playing a character engaging in a living world rather than just being a cash grabbing dungeon steamroller became an idea in my head. I'll be honest, I was the weak link gamer in my group until I “caught up” and thankfully that group was patient with me. But high school eventually ended and we all went our separate ways.

I actually ran into this GM a few years down the line when our paths crossed again. We tried to get back into the hobby, but it was a rough go and didn't work out. Our starting group wasn't cohesive enough and the second group we put together (my GM just wanted to be a player at this point) sorta fell apart. This was partly due to the shittiest GM I've ever met (and not a great person in general) combined with me not being able to resist messing with the shittiest GM I've ever met (he was verbally abusive towards his wife, so he was fair game in my book). I moved on from there. Well, sorta. It was around this time I started designing my own games. My professional background (which included statistics and game theory) actually provided me with a lot of tools to help with such projects.

On the down side, the independent game design scene was actually not all that great (and is even worse now). I won't get into the drama of it, but the scene really had a lot working against it in terms of quality. On the up side, it was all almost entirely irrelevant to me. I wasn't trying to publish “professionally” like many self-publishers, I didn't care about the cliques, cults of personality, and the really shitty pseudo-theories upon which these things were built. My M.O. was simple. Make a game, get some friends to the table to see where the rubber hits the road, learn from it, develop my next project. I didn't need to worry about the toxicity in the hobby. If I could just get up to a half dozen decent people to a table, the rest of the hobby could take a flying leap for all I cared.

This, of course, was not an easy task. My local options were dismal and were predominantly D&D and Pathfinder groups. Online groups were hit or miss, and mostly misses, with the occasional ephemeral hit. I never could pull together a small group of solid gamers who just wanted to experiment with gaming possibilities as a long term experience. It was usually just one shots and short plays. My last game was a short online game of Blades in the Dark a year or two ago that only lasted a handful of sessions and had turnover almost every session. A few years before that was a D&D group a board gaming friend put together. I didn't really care for where WotC took the system, but figured it was servicable with a good group. The GM was great, as was one of the other players. Another one was just learning the system (and RPGs in general) and struggled, but he had a lot of potential so we totally gave him a pass (especially me, considering my history). The other two players were unapologetic spotlight/treasure hogging murderhobos with no interest in anything else. Keep in mind, this is a group of grown adults with grown adult lives. I only made it about two to three sessions before dropping out.

This is where the ambivalence comes in. I still have a lot of interest in the hobby, at least theoretically. Every year or so, I'm compelled to dust off one of my designs (WIP or otherwise) and start tinkering for a bit. I start looking around for a possible gaming group and then the reality sets in. Finding a group of players that can play well together (most likely online), coordinating schedules, recruiting again when someone flakes out, other people dropping out because there is no stability, and so on. I usually end up working on a game that will never hit the table just because I like the idea of the game. I like the activity, but I'm also too pragmatic to satisfied with this.

I've talked to a lot of tabletop players over the years. A lot of the D&Ders (or Pathfinder Society players) I've known are more content since there's a stronger network to support their game, but a fair number who prefer games outside of those seemed discouraged for similar reasons. They like the idea of the hobby, but actually engaging in it just doesn't really end up working for a number of reasons. I always thought it was kind of a weird thing. A large number of people having an interest in a hobby, but then also not actually participating in the hobby because of, well, reasons.

So, where are you on the matter?

I totally understand where you are coming from!
With all of life happening, it's been hard to find the time and dedicate it to ttRPGs. I would also feel bad if I joined one of those groups only to have to bail because I've got a lot going on.

CRPGs and video games in general have helped scratch a bit of that itch as it lets me play whenever I can, but as m7600 said, the best part about ttRPGs is the friendships and relationships you build through playing!

 

[mlnevese]

I played tabletop for over 20 years mostly with the same group but life made it harder and harder as marriages and children happened. We are now trying to gather once a month to play board games as an RPG campaign demands a lot of time we mostly do not have. Maybe when we retire

 

[Antimatter]

I come from that region/country where tabletop D&D wasn't popular, so I literally didn't even know about D&D before trying out BG2 back in 2000. So Baldur's Gate games became my window into the world of D&D. I played them with my friends, so that was our "D&D at home" variant. Later on, when I went to college and then university, I never really had any opportunity for a real tabletop session either.

The approach stays the same for me even these days. I got acquainted with Axis & Allies games, but again, due to having no friends around in RL to play them with, I prefer to play online, and I really, don't feel any different, with today's communication options just as text and voice chat, etc., as if it was an RL meeting to play the game.

 

[JustKneller]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I really like hearing other people's experiences on this.

I think that the best tabletop experiences are with friends.

I totally agree. But, I find, it's nigh impossible to get friends interested in this hobby that aren't already there. I've had minor success pulling from board game group friends, but nothing that lasted.

Great post. I haven't played table top in almost 30 years (D&D), and that was a fun, but short-lived campaign that ended scant months in because, well, life. One person got a new job and had no time. Another went through an unpleasant divorce. I moved across the continent. It's a bugger when you're an adult. It's hard to get people together consistently. It's not just gaming, either - try to get a band together, for instance. But I think it's great fun, if you're lucky enough to find a good group. And if you have the time to do all the prep.

It's funny you should mention the band thing. We moved to a new area recently and my two thoughts were to either get on starting a gaming group or starting a band, but they both have the same problem with the time commitment. Have you ever explored something less rigid, schedule-wise like PbP? I've been thinking more about that as being a pragmatic solution to an otherwise insurmountable logistic problem.

Last Saturday I played D&D at a friend's house for the 1st time in 40 years.

Wow, a 40 year gap between games. I could see how that could happen, though.

I totally understand where you are coming from!
With all of life happening, it's been hard to find the time and dedicate it to ttRPGs. I would also feel bad if I joined one of those groups only to have to bail because I've got a lot going on.

CRPGs and video games in general have helped scratch a bit of that itch as it lets me play whenever I can, but as m7600 said, the best part about ttRPGs is the friendships and relationships you build through playing!

I like the IE games and what not, but I'm not sure if they scratch the same itch for me. Have you ever looked into PbP? I actually have read there's more issues with longevity and stability there, but at the same time, it's designed to be more friendly to busy lives.

I played tabletop for over 20 years mostly with the same group but life made it harder and harder as marriages and children happened. We are now trying to gather once a month to play board games as an RPG campaign demands a lot of time we mostly do not have. Maybe when we retire

My previous board game group (when I lived before where I'm living now) was kinda the same way. One of my pals would do a monthly game of Eldritch Horror, largely to scratch a Call of Cthulhu itch in a practical way. Fortunately, it was also my favorite board game so it was a lot of fun, but still didn't quite check the RPG box.

The approach stays the same for me even these days. I got acquainted with Axis & Allies games, but again, due to having no friends around in RL to play them with, I prefer to play online, and I really, don't feel any different, with today's communication options just as text and voice chat, etc., as if it was an RL meeting to play the game.

I did try some online RPG groups and whatnot over the years, but they were totally unstable, too. It was common for people to flake out of a game and then the rest of the group potentially gets left in the lurch. What are you playing online these days and where are you finding other players?

 

[Antimatter]

We completed Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition with SCS in MP with @Xzarloxara and a few other people from the forums a few years ago. We play Heroes of Might & Magic 3 from time to time as well. I played The Elder Scrolls Online with @shmity72 and then later with @Urdnot_Wrex. So, apparently, forums can serve as places where you first find connections, then these connections become friends, and it's not much different from finding someone in RL as a friend.

With Axis & Allies, it's mostly niche Discord communities for that game, and again, some people there feel like friends.

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

@JustKneller I had to Google PbP. That probably tells you how old I am. I’d never heard of that until today. An interesting concept.

 

[shmity72]

We completed Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition with SCS in MP with @Xzarloxara and a few other people from the forums a few years ago. We play Heroes of Might & Magic 3 from time to time as well. I played The Elder Scrolls Online with @shmity72 and then later with @Urdnot_Wrex. So, apparently, forums can serve as places where you first find connections, then these connections become friends, and it's not much different from finding someone in RL as a friend.

With Axis & Allies, it's mostly niche Discord communities for that game, and again, some people there feel like friends.

You are my friend antimatter as we've been acquainted for so very long and laughed and cried a bit together over the internet. I really do not see 'real life' friends any differently then 'unreal life'. I met my wife in guild wars 1 17 years ago. we came together intellectually writing a story for a never winter nights 1 module I was making. Anyway, as I've been acquainted with thousands of people online...some are nearly strangers some are friendly acquaintances and some I've visited in their homes. ..my point is that it's a spectrum of relationships. HAVE boundaries. Be a friend to make a friend, and have fun doing it.

 

[Nimran]

So, my sister actually invited me to play DnD with some of her friends one day, and I took the opportunity. I didn’t know her friends, but I knew of them. After my first session, they became my friends as well. We enjoyed playing together. Alas, we don’t play any more, though. Our GM got together with his new girlfriend, who joined us for one session, and I think she had fun. But then, they had a kid, and suddenly they had no time to play.

One of our players had also moved across the country by then, so we had been playing through Discord up until that point, but it just fell through with the loss of our GM. KO and behold, however, one of my classmates from tech school wants to play DnD, and he’s practically begging me to join. Even though the place he wants us to get together at is pretty far away, I’m considering it.

To be clear, I love DnD, though I also wouldn’t mind getting into Pathfinder, or any other system. Playing with friends, and meeting new ones, can make it worth doing, in my book.

 

[Cahir]

I started to play tabletop games, in primary school, somewhere around early 90s, and it started from the game called Middle Earth RPG. We got to play 2–3 sessions with my cousins before one of them got a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay RPG as a birthday present. Boy, oh boy, it's the moment where our minds were blown. We were completely and undisputedly sucked into this world, fighting for the chance to get the book for themselves just for a moment, the rest of us begging their parents to buy us another copy, just for ourselves. And parents were merciful. I won't lie, saying I practically learned the whole core rulebook by heart.

But it was just a beginning.

My cousin learned there is an adventure released, something that we could use immediately to plunge into another exciting quest. And we did! The Enemy Within campaign started, and what a story it was. We played this campaign for a couple of years, sidetracking to fight other horrors of the world, like infamous sorcerer, necromancer and demonologist, count Drachenfels. It was the single most terrifying tabletop adventure I've ever experienced, where everything, from monsters, to furniture, even stairs wanted to kill our party. We fought bravely, managed to escape the mad halls of an evil necromancer, but it wasn't without losses. That was the price we've got, poking the evil with the pointy stick. But, then there were the vast treasure we were able to rip from our dear counts' clutches. Our comrades deaths were not in vain! Long live the heroes!

In high school, I hooked up with another team, people from my neighbourhood, and we were able to play on a weekly basis. One of the guys had the AD&D book, and here I was drawn into a rich and vast world of Forgotten Realms. We quickly realised there is a 3rd edition available, and we started to collect a library of rulebooks, trying different adventures with different parties. There were many memorable moments I cherish from that days, but it was never near anything I experienced in my younger days, roaming the halls of Castle Drachenfels, or trying to save the Empire from the evil gods of Chaos.

Unfortunately, it all ended when I went to the college. There were not many tabletop games enthusiasts there, not enough to form a solid group anyway. And then the life started to get complicated, giving less and less time to think about seeing a new group more actively. Now, I'm just a nerd, who likes to read all the fun stuff about tabletop games and my favourite settings, specifically.

 

[Amergin]

It's not an original critique, but I got to witness the transformation of RPG from "[class] role within the party" to "theater role at the table". Computer games just exacerbated it. If a class didn't have a meaningful contribution to combat, it was either augmented or eliminated. Storytelling is hard; dividing up combat duties is rote. The best sessions I ever experienced, whether DM or player, were the ones where character sheets weren't even needed.

 

[mlnevese]

It's not an original critique, but I got to witness the transformation of RPG from "[class] role within the party" to "theater role at the table". Computer games just exacerbated it. If a class didn't have a meaningful contribution to combat, it was either augmented or eliminated. Storytelling is hard; dividing up combat duties is rote. The best sessions I ever experienced, whether DM or player, were the ones where character sheets weren't even needed.

I think you'd like RPGs like Nobilis where you play an aspect of reality in a war for defining reality. The character sheets basically only served to guide the player on how big of a miracle they can work and if they are vulnerable to mundane damage at all.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

Really late to the party, I know.

I grew up in a relatively tech-distant rural environment, and I don't even know if D&D was popular in the 80s and 90s in Germany. I was one of those who learned of its existence through Baldur's Gate 2 first. There was a different P&P system called DSA ("Das Schwarze Auge"= The Black Eye) in a fantasy world and I knew people who played it, but I only read the books back then.

I found out a few years ago that a bunch of guys loosely connected to my work cycle have a role-playing group that includes D&D and stuff, but I was never tempted to ask them if I could join. Time is always an issue, and my energy for socializing with strangers because of a potentially common hobby is next to 0.

I think that for everyone past student age, it's simply too difficult to coordinate schedules and find enough time for anything.
I don't really have friends IRL, I have a few nice colleagues who I like to interact with at work, but it's maybe twice a year that we meet for a coffee or to share a bottle of wine.

I like interacting with people on this forum for example, and online friends are just as real as friends who live in the same town, but in general I think leisure time activities, and life in general, it's not so much about what you do, it's more about what kind of people you spend time with.
I like running for example, but I won't join the local group because they're either too ambitious or my kid used to kick theirs at school. I'd rather run alone, thanks.

As for meeting people online, it's great and there are many possibilities, but commitment to a fixed schedule, especially across time zones, is a limiting factor. The multi-player experience mentioned in another post is one I won't forget, but to imagine any kind of group activity that includes 5 people or more? I'd say that's next to impossible.

I have found a cooperative fantasy board game though where you have to play with a party and have a few campaigns to choose from, and I plan to force my children to give it a try at least.

 

[Balrog99]

Had my 2nd session. This time I wasn't the MVP, but by using my lay on hands in a one-shot, I was able to keep our Dwarven fighter alive. Small victory, but satisfying. I had no ranged weapon but was able to grab a longbow from our dead opponents so next time I'll be able to contribute in battle when our fighters get a little rambunctious! I swear our Barbarian and fighter are morons...

 

[Balrog99]

Reckless attack is going to be the end of our barbarian one of these days. My 16 wisdom is tingling my Spidey-sense...

 

[m7600]

I had no ranged weapon but was able to grab a longbow

Can you use Divine Favor with that bow?