Part of my continuing efforts to overcome the insularity of game groups... On Monday evening we met up at PJ O'Briens in Southgate, Melbourne. I invited the GMs of four different game groups, along with their players, plus my own game group - and most importantly, several other gamers who didn't have groups. I invited 20 people in all, 9 of those came, but another 7 friends of theirs came, too. So in all there were 16 people from 5 game groups, plus a few strays. Lots of gamer contacts were made, some people got people for their campaigns, others decided to do some extra gaming with second or third groups, while still others formed a new group. So I think it was a pretty successful evening. I'll probably try for another one in about three months. It wasn't a lot of people, but it was fun, and people will be having more and better gaming because of it.

That's what GameCircle.org is about.

This is a very good idea. Glad you managed to pull it off. Over the years I've gamed with a few folks. They in turn have gamed with other people. Before, every couple of months we would all meet up and see how big the network had gotten.

Currently when we do have our meet ups there are about 20 -30 people coming (sometimes even more) and going at the specified meeting place. Nothing official just a get together of people who kind of know each through gaming. It's a very good mix of various ages.
 
We started doing this after secondary school and the tradition has endured. When I started gaming with my previous group, I kind of lost touch with the old guys/girls. Nothing to do with this group per se, just that when you game with friends, you kind of get caught up in the drama of everyday life and let things slack . Meeting up socialy with the network was one of them. I met those I knew - my old gaming friends - but didn't really have time to go for the long boozy sessions with strangers.

After we stopped playing  - for various reasons - I got a call from one of my friends from the "network" reminding me that the meet ups was still going strong. It had been a couple of years since I last attended, so I said what the hell, I went. It had been a couple of years since I gamed and was missing it, although me going to the gathering was not really to look for a group.

I just found one. One of my old friends suggested that I run a couple of games for some new folks who were in town. Although they only played d20, their GM was looking to take a break. That was two years ago. Now every Thursday night we game and yeah I make it a point to go for these kind of events. I still only game with friends (it always becomes a friendship) but make it a point to support this network of gamers.

Regards,
David R

This is just a note to bump up this thread so I remember to report on it after tomorrow. We're having another Geektogether Monday evening my time. I don't think we'll get as good attendance at this one as last time, since I've not been circulating gamers through my group as in the past, had the same people for some months, and also I've not gone to a con this year, so there are less for me to invite.

Still, I think we should get a dozen or so, and we'll see how it goes.

Good luck with that Jimbob.

 Other then at a game store that's as public as I am going to get with my part of the rpg hobby.  I can't imagine running a game in a bar or other public place.

We won't be gaming. It's just a drink and chat.

Of course we'll talk about gaming

Quote from: JimBobOzWe won't be gaming. It's just a drink and chat.

Of course we'll talk about gaming

That's cool.

Don't think I could do that though.  Found out I worked with a gamer but only after we were chatting and it slipped out.  Usually it's not something that I make known.

I do not feel any particular embarassment at my hobby, or shyness in talking about it. But it's not an issue in organising the Geektogethers. The way I do it is this.

• I have my own game group, and invite them. That's 4-5 people.
• I also have another two game groups I've gamed with in the last few years, and who I still keep in contact with. So I invite all of them, that's another 5-10 people invited already.
• Then I extend it to people who've gamed with my group in the past, but not now, and who I think everyone would be happy to see again, and who'd be happy to see us. That's another 4 or 5.
• Then I have GameCircle.org, and every couple of weeks some gamer pops up there saying they'd like a group. Usually I meet with them and try to hook them up with other groups I know, or know of. Sometimes it works, sometimes not - but either way, that's another 4 or 5 people I can invite.
• To all of the people who reply saying they'll come, I say that they should bring along anyone else they like and who's interested in gaming.

Okay, so that's up to 25, maybe even 35 if those invited bring others. In practice only 2/3 of the people reply to the invitation at all, and about 3/4 of them say yes. So we get, as before, about 18 people total, though only about 12 at any one time during the evening.

None of this involves telling any strangers that I game. Well, people on GameCircle.org begin as strangers, of course, but that's like coming here to therpgsite and saying you're a gamer, not really any reason to feel embarassed, you're in the company of fellow geeks

It doesn't require telling strangers about your hobbies, except on hobby-oriented sites like this one. What it does require is that you keep in contact with old game groups and new. Lots of gamers when they leave a group they never bother speaking to the people again. And lots of gamers also don't bother speaking to other gamers unless they want a group right now, today. Whereas if you are more sociable, stay in touch, and are always willing to meet new gamers, then your circle of gamers you know will be a bit wider. Of course they won't all be your bosom buddies, but just like being on an amateur sports team, you can be friendly with more people than you are friends with. And of course, this means you need never be without a game group unless you want to.

Last night we met in the same place as before. There were less people than before, but I feel it was just as successful because we had just as many different game groups represented. We had

• me and my four players who play GURPS Postapocalyptic,
• an old player from my group we'd not seen since he went overseas for a bit six months ago, from the Second Tiwesdaeg days,
• one from the Fitzroy mob playing Delta Green,  
• one associated with them, previously had run Burning Wheel in a Romanesque setting
• one from the Blackburn mob playing D&D
• one from a pair of Melbourne groups playing Fudge Traveller and Tribe 8

and so it was ten people in all, but from five - or six - different roleplaying groups. The smaller numbers made it easier for everyone to be able to talk to everyone else at least for a little bit - in the larger gathering last time, a few people got missed. I was very pleased to see that normally quiet people were talkative, I think the booth and beer made things friendly. We got to hear about several very different campaigns, which was interesting. I'd gladly game with any of the people present, but found a couple I'd like to invite to my next campaign, and I think they'll be available and interested. A couple of people were able to hook up for some new gaming.

It wasn't a lot of people, but it was fun, and people will be having more and better gaming because of it.

That's what GameCircle.org is about.

Six months was probably too long between gatherings, had I had it earlier I'd have had more people. I think I'll try to make it a seasonal thing. This was the Winter Geektogether - the Spring Geektogether would then be Monday, September 3rd, the Summer Geektogether December 3rd, and so on.

I thought the real fizzer of the evening was the much anticipated cage match between JimBob and Droog.  It was all far too polite... unless things got unexpectedly heated after I left.

Anticipated by you, maybe, but not anyone else.

I already expected to get along alright with him, as I'd been told by the Fitzroy mob, "you have similar ideas about gaming to him, it's just that this is masked by your very different personas."

Actually, that's all a lie. Really I killed him with a d4 and threw his body in the Yarra.

Shoulda used the d20....

Anyway, good finally to meet the notorious JB in the flesh. Now for the Pundido!

And we're having another one tonight, the Spring Geektogether. It's looking to be have about as many people as last time, with the usual thing of a couple of new people while a couple of the old ones don't show.

I don't know if droog is coming, perhaps his curiosity was satisfied by the last one :haw:

I was going to come, but I seem to have contracted some noxious illness in the last 24 hours, and I'm sitting at home with cold tablets and tissues. Have one for me.

But beer is the best thing for colds, everyone knows that!

You will just miss the Fitzroy Mob trying to recruit you to join their Burning Wheel game they've started... RC now says, "I done got bit by the indie gaming bug!" as he GMs the thing, and asks if they want to try others. They're said they're hoping droog'll pop by!

Get well soon!

Cheers. Tell the boys I'll be in touch.