Sunday, February 9, 2014

Gaming Group Evolution

Ever since I started gaming, many moons ago, I’ve usually been the one to organize game nights and get people interested in playing games. Whether it was LAN parties, board game nights, or just hanging out and playing casual party games – I found it was usually at my house, after I (and usually one of my cohorts) were like “okay, we’re bored, let’s do this!” Being stagnant isn’t something I’m good at. I like to be doing things, whether it’s with other people hanging out or on my own reading, designing, researching – whatever it may be. 

This got me thinking about my current game groups and how they came to be. How did I get people who weren’t interested in board games to be interested? 

This isn’t to say I’m the almighty instigator of fun times (though, it’s a nice title), but a mere reflection on how my current gaming groups have formed. 

Over the years I’ve moved a few times, had to meet new people, new friends and organize new groups. I feel that over that time I’ve become pretty good at organizing solid game nights for people of all experience levels. I can generally get a feel for the type of games non-gamers would be interested in, and then proceed to figure out how to get them into other stuff – this is a pivotal moment when introducing games to new people. Gaming is a social experience, knowing who you're playing with will help you choose the games they will be interested in.

It’s not as hard as it used to be to find people to game with. Most comic book shops have a board game night these days and luckily there is usually a board game store not too far away, oh and the little thing called the Internet. Both times I've moved away from my regular group the people I befriended were more along the line of casual gamers or “I haven’t played games aside from monopoly/sorry/clue/etc.” Sure, the more advanced gamers are around as well so it’s easy to get them on board - especially when we all moved here from different places and are looking for people to connect with. 

I’ve identified four types of groups that I participate(d) in. Each one came about a bit differently and each is heading in different directions as far as interests, types of games, and the atmosphere that we play in. 

Casual Group
In Syracuse and now here and Muncie, the casual group was probably the easiest to form. These are the people who know about and want to play party games, more or less. Cards Against Humanity, Resistance, Werewolf, Avalon are all staples when we meet – and that’s ok. These aren’t the ideal games I’d like to be playing on a regular basis and the casual group doesn’t meet on a regular basis – so it ends up working out. The nice thing about the casual play is that it gives you the opportunity to talk to people about other games, perhaps get a feel for what they might be interested in. I got this group together by reserving a room in my department’s building and bringing games. Simple as that. I sent the word out that I did this and would be there with a bunch of stuff, and more people than I expected showed up. Now I don’t do this as often because our schedules are a bit crazier, but whenever it happens we have a good turnout. I’ve gotten some people from this group to show up to some other groups too, which broadens the sphere of people to play with. Some people love board games, they just don’t know it yet. 

The thing with a casual group is that we want everyone to be included – that’s why the social games are great. They can handle a bunch of players, everyone is interacting with each other, and it doesn’t take long to explain how to play. It’s really easy for people to get distracted with people playing two or three different games, so having games that everyone can get in on is important. I like to start out with games that aren’t quite CAH or Werewolf, and end with those because they are normally the favorite and the group is willing to play them the longest. If I can get people to play some other, more gamey games before the big social game, it generally lets me gauge who would be interested in attending heavier groups.. 

Group Attendance: 6-10
Games I Bring: Tsuro, Loot, Bang, Resistance/Avalon, Martian Dice, Cards Against Humanity, ESCAPE.

“I’m interested in board games but new to it” Group
This isn’t so much a group as it is a monthly meeting and who knows who will show up! The local library here has a board game day and you get all types of people. The hardcore gamers, the casuals, the “new to board gamers.” We usually meet at the once a month meeting at the library, or perhaps at someones house if there is an earlier request to play. Generally, I’ve invited people from the casual group to these sessions as well as some of my more advanced gamer friends – other people to help teach games and have an equal amount of enthusiasm that I do. I try to keep these groups smaller so the attention can be put on teaching the game, and playing games that allow for some nice player interaction but not a lot of stabbing each other in the back. At this point, it’s more of a fun evening hanging out with friends. Light strategy, good fun, a few beers – this kinda thing usually gets the hooks in :P

Group Attendance: 3-5
Games I Bring: Smash Up, Dominion, King of Tokyo, Ticket to Ride, Catan, Carcassonne, Ra.

Medium/Hardcore Group
This group has melded together for me and it really only happens when I return to Pennsylvania to visit. Before I moved, this was the weekly game group which was always at the same time and day every week. It started off with just the four hardcore gamers, and slowly more and more of our friends started getting interested. There was no time to work them through the ranks of casual games and the whole gambit – if you showed up to this group, you were getting thrown into the mix. Sure, maybe we’d play a game of Catan to wet your whistle, but you better be ready for some hardcore Euros or strategic games real quick. 
This started as a small group of four friends and by the time I left, there was usually anywhere from 5 to 9 of us at this group. We would have multiple games being played at once, pizzas being ordered, and just your average night of hardcore playing. This is the group that I could always count on. I knew it would always be there and the range of games that we would play was huge. It would be anything from something not so heavy as King of Tokyo to Through The Ages – it didn’t matter. We were lovers of games and we would play whatever is in front of us. 

General Attendance: 4-9
Games I Bring: Battlestar Galatica, Dominion, Libertalia, Thunderstone, Lords of Waterdeep, PROTOTYPES!

Dungeons and Dragons
My D&D groups came about quite randomly, actually. I’ve played other RPG’s at home, but this is the only campaign I’m currently involved in at the moment and I actually didn’t instigate it. Last semester, one of my fellow graduate students (who is admittedly not much of a gamer) approached a few of the “known” gamer students about starting the group. Altogether, he approached 5 other people and all 5 had played before. You see, the program we’re in is called Digital Storytelling – my peer who wanted to start the campaign is an aspiring filmmaker, D&D is about characters and stories – the connection isn’t loose. The storytelling aspect of D&D intrigued him and he wanted to learn about this world. We’ve been played weekly ever since (with the exception of us going back to our home for holidays and what not), and our group has expanded up to 9 or so players – most of the new people have never played D&D before. I think it’s fascinating how a group of students in a program with a focus on narrative came together to experience an oral story being told. Our program is very focused on digital narratives (obviously), but we all recognize the importance of being able to convey a compelling story to one another through words. It really is a great campaign with some great friends who are interested and invested. We aren’t the strictest roleplayers or anything like that, but the story is compelling, the characters are diverse, and it allows for us to connect outside of the classroom. Our weekly campaign has likely forged a friendship that will last well beyond graduate school, which usually happens anyway, but this bond I believe will be more than “we were in the same cohort.”

I’m not saying any one of these groups is better than the other. It’s a mere reflection of the stages of group formation that I have been a part of or helped put together. Some people like being the casual gamer while others move through the different groups until they find their niche. Given the opportunity, I love showing people new games. Thinking about how to do that in the best way possible so they aren’t overwhelmed or intimidated is important to bring new people into the table top fold. 

If we’re throwing people into a mix they may not be ready for – it’s a sure fire way to scare them away from the hobby. Like anything else, plant the seed and let it grow on its own.

-Charlie

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