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I don't know if this is the right section for this, but I am looking for info on joining a gaming group.

I have spent a long time trying to get my friends to do some gaming. Being in my 40's it has been a difficult road.

This is a small list of games I have tried to start with friends. It is a mix of board/miniature/RPG games:

Warhammer 40K,
HeroClix, Horrorclix
Magic,
Last Night on Earth,
Pirates of the Spanish Main,
D&D RPG,
etc.

I am basically giving up on converting my friends.

My question is, how does one join a gaming group without trying to be an interloper?

I have a couple of very good Game stores in my area. (Londonderry, NH). Is this the sort of thing where I just walk in and say "Hey, Anybody want to play a game?"

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Skeemodog

Hi skeemodog,

Let me start by telling you I know exactly where you are coming from. A few years ago, I was just sitting at my desk building models wishing I had someone to play with. Now, I'm an officer in a gaming group with over 30 members and we are growing every week. I can tell you have the drive, so if there isn't an established gaming group, make one! You can pop into gaming and hobby stores, leave flyers, and start your own forums with a little bit of effort. It goes a long way.


To start, I would do a search on These Forums for Gaming Groups in your area. Find out if they have forums, and join them. Joining the local stores forums is also a great way to go about things.

Go into the store, and ask the Owner if there is a specific night that the games you are interested in are played, or if there is a specific night the Gaming Group in your area meets. Let them know you are new and dying for a game. They will either play one themselves, or help get you set up with someone who will.

And yeah, just approach someone playing or observing a game. Introduce yourself, apologize for interrupting, and let them know you are new and dying to play!

First of all, welcome to Dakka! Visiting your FLGS is a great way to find like-minded gamers. Many stores have a corkboard for gamers to post "Looking For" notices or have in-store game events where you can meet and play against other gamers.

You can also post in the Dakka Schedule A Game forum and use the Gamer Registry there to find other Dakkites in your are to meet up with. We've got a great international community here and many posters love to play against fellow members.


Beat to the punch by Dez!

In my experience any club worth joining welcomes new members so my advice is to do a bit of googling and post on a site like TMP here...

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/topics.mv?id=107

or in Yahoo Groups for various games, and ask if anyone knows any local clubs. You will probably get several replies.

The one thing to bear in mind is that many clubs have an established repertoire of games they play -- often historical such as Ancients and Napoleonics, or maybe board games like Settlers of Catan.

It doesn't mean they won't try something else, however as the 'new guy' you may need to join in with their games first before you suggest something new.

Thanks for the info.


Skeemodog

Let us know what happens. And don't give up. Getting a game is as simple as showing up to the gamestore with your army, putting it out on the table, and seeing who comes up to talk about the game. Not hard. Good luck.