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Far out! Our flgs moved recently and thank goodness. it used to be right beside the bus stop where all the boarders from me and my friends from school got off so on "40k day" which is Saturday, a good 50 cackling dull people would walk passed the shop. It’s so very funny to them.

You play in a public space, if you don't want people to watch, play at your own home. Now if those people went into your house and said such a thing... That would be funny.

loner wrote:Guys who says wargaming is fun?! Wargaming is hell!
People are dying out there just so you can move your little models around.
Just look at what Matt Warden or Jervis Johnson did, they aren't safe nowadays. Some bad people are after their blood!
But they did it because they love you.

This happened to me one time at my FLGS called Armored Ogre Games. A MILF walked in with two little girls, looked around, said," Opps, This is one of those nerd stores, lets go girls" and walked it. It was more funny then anything else. What did she expect with a name like Armored Orge? lol

Ledabot wrote:

loner wrote:Guys who says wargaming is fun?! Wargaming is hell!
People are dying out there just so you can move your little models around.
Just look at what Matt Warden or Jervis Johnson did, they aren't safe nowadays. Some bad people are after their blood!
But they did it because they love you.

Wrong topic...

Convert them to join our ranks! We are legion!

I remember once I'd made a comment in the 'roochy store about painting, it went along the lines of "hey, 'nd if all else fails, just schlop on some ink." the plainclothes salesguy chuckled.

Anyway, later on, I was painting my hippogriff [to whence no ink had been added, might I add.] and this same salesrep was painting a space marine.

The generic comment came in "You must've a lot of patience to paint these models, bravo" [the most irritating comment I've ever heard. but moving on] so the guy says "well, it's all pretty easy. and if something goes wrong I'll just schlop on some ink"

I remember the family quickly evacuating the premises.

I laughed.

Anyway. I'm used to it. but, y'see, I'm also used to being under exhibition as a referee [where the passing comment is usually 'you're gak.'] and these passersbye are easy to deal with.

Long story short, you're in a public place, you're on exhibition. make sure you wear clean underwear and have washed the night before and you'll be fine.

Alas that a situation like this did not turn out thus.

Nsfw http://img.moonbuggy.org/you-came-to-the-wrong-neighborhood/

Hit them over the head with a rock, or alternatively throw poo at them.

That will teach them to look upon you as a bunch of animals.

The next time they come in, everyone stop playing immediately. Fix all eyes on the chest area of the female. Try not to blink. Under no circumstances look away. Stare as if the Emperor himself has commanded you to do so. Now and then, lick all round your lips as if you were trying to lick off lip balm.

They will never, ever come back.

we get people walking through our area from time to time.

heck, last week we had the local newspaper come and do a story about our little gathering. that was a little odd.

I don't mind people coming in and looking around, but whats annoying is when they start actually picking stuff up. No joke, several times I've had grown adults (including several couples) who obviously had never seen anything like a game store in their lives just walk up to a table and start picking up models and handling them, no asking permission, and regardless of them being in play (their on the table that two people are doing stuff on, not hard to realize) and generally engage in behavior that, while appropriate for a curious 5 year old, they wouldn't do anywhere else, and then *really* don't like it when you say "hey, that's in play, can you put that down" or "um, could you ask first please?"

That **** irritates me. Get your hands off my painted mini's getting read to launch an assault and now we have to figure out where they were....

yeah, that happens alot.

mostly little kids that arn't being supervised in a toy store.


Fortunantly, i can cross a game room in .5 seconds to save my precious babies from certain destruction at the hands of a 5 year old.

With little kids it's natural and expected, not so much with middle aged couples (happened at least twice with couples in their 40's, probably because they *were* a couple and half again as old as anyone else in the store, so they probably naturally felt entitled to do anything they wanted) and grown, fully employed adults.

I am tempted to make a sign, but little kids either can't read yet or would just ignore the sign. Adults would obey, but they arn't a problem right now.

Ya. It's odd for us because we're purposely out of the way. Not too keen on snobby shoppers somehow getting into the store, and then they friggin ignore you when you try to address them. Guiltl3ss and I are perhaps over-reacting somewhat as for every rude person we deal with in this manner, we actually have about a half dozen friendly exchanges. It's just that after it happens to you, it's odd enough to remark about. Feel like a leper colony or something: studied intently, but not to be associated with.

happydude wrote:Actually after talking to a friend about it we decided that you must nerd the hell out of them to the point where they freak out and leave you be. Start making " pew pew" noises, talk in character, basically become the weirdos that they think they see and much more. You will either scare them away or make new friends : ) If that fails attempt to explain the finer points of slaanesh to them and watch their inner freak rise out or they may run as well.

This actually sounds fun.

Commisar Von Humps wrote:I know how you feel, maybe not to such a degree, but i get it. At the comic book store i play at, we have to bring the tables out into the mall floor, and of course we get crowds of people looking and wondering, kids staring with wonderment.

It just pissed me off when they laugh at us, almost like they are at a zoo, but other then that its fine.

That's sorta how I feel, but we play in a very out of the way store. You don't make your way into laughing range easily without conciously deciding on it.

I'm not over-reacting. Its rude to stare. I understand that many suggest to invite them to play, but I don't really want to do that. I want to play my game without being bothered. I also understand a public venue might not be the best choice, but thats a moot point. It's like staring at somone eating in a resturaunt. Sure, its a public place so you could blame them. Should they invite you to taste their food? No. Leave them alone, they're fine eating on their own. You can eat near them and you can even ask if the meal they chose was good. But seriously. Dont watch me eat please.

<insert flaming responses here>

RAWR!

Lara wrote:The next time they come in, everyone stop playing immediately. Fix all eyes on the chest area of the female. Try not to blink. Under no circumstances look away. Stare as if the Emperor himself has commanded you to do so. Now and then, lick all round your lips as if you were trying to lick off lip balm.

They will never, ever come back.

Sounds like shades of bitter experience, there. Hopefuly exaggerated up a bit.

Haha, thanks Dorn.

crimsonfist832 wrote:I have mentioned this quite a lot around different threads. When I was in the Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham hobby centre last july, a HHHHHUUUUGGGGEEEE group of girls passed the shop. Obviosuly, being who we lads are, we all looked out at them and some of them looked in at us. A few minutes later these two best friends (at least thats what i think ) walked in through the doors. They quickly looked around, jerked their necks and looked at each other. Looked forwards again and chuckled like witches then ran as fast as they could outside the store. I was in the middle of a game and we were all like wtf. So stuff like this happens.

You say you're "lads", so I presume you're relatively close in age to the girls? This is just more incentive to shower, dress nice, work out and get a decent (as in attractive, not necessarily mainstream) haircut. About half the wargamers I know are stereotypical gamer types, and the other half are guys who have NO problems meeting/talking to/attracting women. Usually confident, successful professionals. You CAN even pick up/meet women while wargaming. It doesn't happen often, but I've done it and seen it done.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Vaktathi wrote:With little kids it's natural and expected, not so much with middle aged couples (happened at least twice with couples in their 40's, probably because they *were* a couple and half again as old as anyone else in the store, so they probably naturally felt entitled to do anything they wanted) and grown, fully employed adults.

I've always seen adults ask first, but sometimes kids don't; and I'll kindly but firmly tell them (with a sympathetic glance toward the parents, not an angry one) that they need to ask before picking up other people's things.

Mannahnin wrote:You say you're "lads", so I presume you're relatively close in age to the girls? This is just more incentive to shower, dress nice, work out and get a decent (as in attractive, not necessarily mainstream) haircut. About half the wargamers I know are stereotypical gamer types, and the other half are guys who have NO problems meeting/talking to/attracting women. Usually confident, successful professionals. You CAN even pick up/meet women while wargaming. It doesn't happen often, but I've done it and seen it done.

"You can't pick up chicks in a tank."

I don't think I've ever had this happen to me. Most of the people who looked over my games in the Glen Burnie Battle Bunker were already players observing our game. They usually didn't say a word unless talked to, which is fine by me. Of course I got a little self-conscious at the time, not knowing the rules that well and not knowing any tactical blunders that were clear to an outsider.

I've never played at an actual GW store aside from the demo table, and the FLGS in the area has an upstairs gaming space separated from the retail part.

The few unaware people who have peeked in on the game just said it looked cool, but of course expensive. I don't think I've ever gotten a negative oggler, but plenty of mothers refusing to allow their children the dream of playing 40k the time being (due to price ;D )

We actually just had a mom come in and start playing along with her kids. Asked us what starter sets they all needed to get.

Son 0f Dorn wrote:

Mannahnin wrote:You say you're "lads", so I presume you're relatively close in age to the girls? This is just more incentive to shower, dress nice, work out and get a decent (as in attractive, not necessarily mainstream) haircut. About half the wargamers I know are stereotypical gamer types, and the other half are guys who have NO problems meeting/talking to/attracting women. Usually confident, successful professionals. You CAN even pick up/meet women while wargaming. It doesn't happen often, but I've done it and seen it done.

"You can't pick up chicks in a tank."

Sheeeelaaaa!!!

FITZZ wrote:

Monster Rain wrote:People come in to check out the store, yeah.

If this upsets you that much, maybe I could suggest a bit more human interaction for you. This is a weird thing to get all upset about.

Yeah,I thought the OP being "upset" over "non Gamers" venturing into the "gamers" area was a bit strange....
I mean..it's a fairly simple process to smile,nod say "hello" and get on with your game..
Are the "Non-Gamers" throwing things at you?...Did they show up with torches and pitch forks in an angry mob?...No...so what's the big deal?
Like Monster said...Human interaction...give it a go...you might be surprised by the results.

You're missing the golden opportunity here. Put up a sign that says "petting zoo, $5," also have the people there bahhh and chew on their shirts until they get fed candy bars.

That's an excellent idea! We could have a doorman that holds their coats and Nordstrom bags! This could be generating money for new terrain (which our FLGS needs badly!)

there are girls who wargame. they arn't particularly common, but they do exist.


I think the main stigma is that girls see us and equate us to the typical player of Magic, DnD, or Pokemon.

Us 40k players have a steriotype to overcome

happydude wrote:

Son 0f Dorn wrote:I play with the OP, and it's not the genial situation most of you are thinking of. The sort of folks he's talking about see you about to greet them and step out of range so they don't have to discuss anything with you. Moments later you can see them pointing at you and talking under their breath.
While I'm not ashamed of the hobby at all, I don't appreciate feeling like an F'n lion being studied by people on safari.

@Guiltl3ss: When I spotted the topic, I thought you were referencing the comment our wives made

When they do this point at them and pick at their faults while whispering. If they say something ask how they felt, making them look like the idiots. Best thing to do is stare back and see what they say then, or say " Do you see something you like? ". Be polite when making people look like the idiots and rude goffs that they are because without any fuel to fire back they simply burn red and wallow in their humility. Makes me warm inside to expose rude idiots and call them on it.

Alternatively, fling pooo as covering fire adn attack them with whippy sticks. If its good enough for chipanzees, its good enough for us.

Simple mistake, not playing orks. If you were playing orks, whenever anyone is anoying you or staring, just declare your Waaagh! at the top of your loungs. Duringe the return to Armageddon campaign us three Ork players even made a kid dive under a table