Frustration has gotten the better of me and I am seriously considering giving up gaming. So I look to my fellow Paizoans, sell me on gaming. Why do you game and what makes it a good hobby?
Well, if gaming is fun for you, then do it. If it's not fun for you, then don't do it. I don't think it's any more complicated than that.
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I've tried to kick the gaming habit and I just can't. There have been periods of time when I have gone for a couple years with no playmates but I still find myself buying books and making characters.
What is it that frustrates you at the moment? The expense? The people you play with? The difficulty in getting a game night? The preparation?
well, court fool, i have had long periods without a group. i have been in groups that are no fun, and i have tried a game with dunderheads as players and gm.
i have always bought gaming material, read my books, made characters, and even played solo things, using the random charts at the back of the ad&d duneon masters guide to make maps, and populate it with monsters and stuff.
even if your not playing in a game, always be a gamer....
sorry, lost my train of thought.
if its fun and fells good, then do it. if it hurts and isnt fun, then dont.
Frustration has gotten the better of me and I am seriously considering giving up gaming. So I look to my fellow Paizoans, sell me on gaming. Why do you game and what makes it a good hobby?
I am gaming because it is a great way to gather with friends around a table (or on a server online) and share adventures together.
It is a good hobby for the same reasons, as most of my friends share the same interest for games, fantasy or sci-fi...|
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I like the social aspect of it.
I didn't have a game for a few years and missed it.
My last game I got a new player out of the blue. (I play at a FLGS because I don't have space at my place.) I let anyone in the game who wants to play as it also helps out the FLGS. I have a place to run my game and the FLGS has happy customers. WIN-WIN.
I love reading the stuff. I have MANY books that I know that I will not play, but they are so much fun to read. Even though I won't play them I can still talk about, and share them, with other gamers.
You.
Get.
To.
Roll.
Dice.
w00t!
It's always cool to see how the players will surprise you and come up with weird/wacky crap and how you deal with it or how they deal with what you throw at them.
I love getting to make a story with other people. I love that I never really know what's going to happen next. Not that I have no control, because I do and I get to steer the story as much as anyone, but there's no set script of how this is going to turn out or what interesting twists it will take along the way.
And if it's not fun, stop. My husband took a five year break from gaming at one point because the frustration was greater than the fun. After awhile he started to remember why he liked this game in the first place and picked up where he left off. Point is, sometimes it's okay to walk away for a bit.
To me it's all an exercise in letting my imagination roam free, something I can't necessarily do in the normal day-to-day life (e.g., work). It's a creative outlet for me to be thinking about world design, campaigns, characters, etc. For instance, I've been gearing up over the last month to do my own overhaul of standard D&D; this after almost 30 years of using the RAW.
It's also a social exercise. Even when I don't have time for much face-to-face gaming w/ a buddy, I still can experience the hobby in a different way by coming, well, here for example.
For me, I love gaming, and can't ever imagine not doing it. Having a wife who's also a gamer helps a lot. Having a great group of gamers who became friends and vice versa also helps. I'm lucky. I've played with not-so-fun gamers, and I can say that having to put up with them and not getting any good experiences via good gamerfriends would quickly dampen my spirits.
But, when the group got small from graduations and such, I posted a few adds of "looking for gamers!" Responded to a few emails, then met one couple of gamers for coffee. They seemed cool, so we invited them over to try it out. They're a solid part of the group now.
Keep trying, look around, and go with your gut. Its about people, so logic often takes a back seat to intuition. Only give it up if you feel you could be having more fun doing something else with that time. Its not much, but its t best advice I can give.
I love how the stuff that comes out of nowhere session in and session out spawns fond memories long afterwards. Some of my best friends are gamers - and the variety found in gaming is unmatched by all other hobbies.
I've taken breaks from gaming now and again - but not even MMOs have succeeded in capturing my attention and energies anywhere remotely on par with pen-n-paper.
'Sides, a LAN party just is not the same as sitting around a table with four or more buddies, rolling dice and role-playing.
The Golden Gaming Rule: If the game is not fun, the game sucks. If the gameplay is not fun because of the other participants, find another group.
Just sayin'...
And hope you figure things out! :)
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What is it that is bugging you so much CF?
Obviously there are complications, I have Been gaming since I was 12. Gaming encompassing war-gaming and role-playing. I began my role-playing with AD&D. Over time I have phased out a great many games, usually for something I like as an alternative, or is just plain better.
Gaming is always different considering the people you're with. In my early years, it was pure Monty Haul dungeon crawl. I never got to play as much as I spent reading through my books of course, and I remember very few of those younger games...usually memories of specific events.
When I was int he Navy, I had a great game master, he ran the best Earthdawn and Vampire games, I was GMing Deadlands and Battlelords of the 23rd CEntury at the time, we'd play almost weekly at the time, and we played a lot of GW wargames as well, Epic, Necromunda, BLOOD BOWL!!
I'm currently running 2 RL games, and it's funny, my 9 yo kids are better role-players than the adult group...
Is it the group dynamic? the Revision war? what's bugging Court Fool?
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CourtFool,
I know you were having trouble finding a group nearby. I know it is not much of a substitute but you are welcome in any of my PbPs anytime.
Tarren the DM
Consider the same offer open from me. False Hope is the name of my PBP.
To answer the question though, I game for social interaction, mental exercise and creativity outlet.
Social Interaction- Sitting around a table with a bunch of mid-30's guys laughing and joking is awesome. Toss in the random discussions about how a Masterwork Bong would function or how horrible our accents are makes the entire thing fun.
Mental Exercise- I don't have anything in my life that stimulates my brain more than D&D. Between the ever expanding vernacular, the instantaneous math problems, and discussions of real world physics in relation to game rules, I am much smarter than I would be if I didn't game. Carpenters don't usually have that much of a chance to expand their learning and gaming does that for me. It challenges my mind.
Creativity Outlet- I don't think I need to delve very much into this one. We all know the amount of creative thinking that goes into D&D/gaming. Where would you find that type of outlet outside of this community?
Anywho, if you need a game, False Hope is the name of my PBP. Also I am in a game that is getting ready to start that is a Virtual Tabletop game using Fantasygrounds software. We have spaces available if you are interested. It's a Second Darkness game and it is listed in the 'Looking for game' section of the site. I'd love to game with you, brother. As a member of this community I don't want you to go. You are a good addition to the collective and we would lose something without your quirky style.
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I would try a pbp on the site with one of the guys who offered(well, maybe not with Tarren). ;-) You would get to play with Paizo friends and maybe it would inspire you to GM online. At the very least you're doing something new to try and break the funk.
P.S. Can I have all your books when you give up? Oh wait, it's all Hero stuff... damn...
I thank everyone for their response. I was curious to see what other people enjoyed about gaming in hope of finding some inspiration and/or new perspectives.
I appreciate the offers of pbp games, but I really do not have the time to dedicate to them throughout the week. Posting once a week seems like it would be intolerably slow.
Even if I gave up gaming, I would still hang out here.
I discussed one of my frustrations in more detail here. While that was an isolated event, it was part of a common trend; at least for me.
lynora hit upon it. I love making a story with other people. The problem is I have not found that in about ten years. That is not entirely true. I have a current group that is very much like that. However, due to real life, we only meet about once a month. Lately, less than that.
The vast majority of other groups and players I have encountered want to play a tactical war game.
Obviously, I have other interests in my life besides role playing games. I just wonder if my return on effort would be better by spending all this energy somewhere else instead of chasing after an elusive game.
Fake Healer asks where I might find another creative outlet. I have always wanted to write a book and I love digital scrapbooking.
Fray, BenS, ericthecleric and Fake Healer all mention the social aspect. I could always play card or board games with the neighbors. Yes, I have already tried to get them into role playing.
My wife thinks role playing is stupid and immature. Maybe she is right. Afterall, it is really just pretend with rules. Maybe it is time to grow up and stop playing pretend.
I am tired of the bait and switch of “Oh, my game is different. It is a balance of combat and role playing” only to find out it is another night of random monster encounters punctuated by leveling up. That just does not do anything for me.
Maybe I should join the community theatre.
Oh wait, it's all Hero stuff... damn...
I do have some indie games too.
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My wife thinks role playing is stupid and immature. Maybe she is right. Afterall, it is really just pretend with rules. Maybe it is time to grow up and stop playing pretend.
This line got me actually... that's a shame. My wife supports what I do even if she doesn't always get it. Hell, she has tried to play and enjoyed it to some degree but would never do it if I didn't encourage her. I don't know what I'd do if she was saying stuff like the above to me.
This line got me actually... that's a shame. My wife supports what I do even if she doesn't always get it. Hell, she has tried to play and enjoyed it to some degree but would never do it if I didn't encourage her. I don't know what I'd do if she was saying stuff like the above to me.My wife thinks role playing is stupid and immature. Maybe she is right. Afterall, it is really just pretend with rules. Maybe it is time to grow up and stop playing pretend.
Yup, things can be pretty tough when you not only get no support at home but actually get talked down to. I am glad I got a wife that not only supports my "obsession", but is willing to play in the game I run. Of course we have a pretty non-standard group. Of the 7-8 people that we game with in that group, 3 are male and the rest are female. We also have a pretty laid back environment with people doing other stuff during the session (knitting, painting figs, drawing anime characters on their laptop). We even stop gaming for random conversations, jokes, etc. While we could do alot of that with playing cards or watching movies or something else, we all enjoy this genre and getting to work as a team (which you can't do with card games usually).
A lot of the players don't mind being support characters as long as the group is doing well. My wife's favored soul has a lot of utility spells without having very many direct damage spells. The group was in an area that was very hot and they would have to make constant fort saves, until they realized she had plane shift and they could just jump to the ethereal plane and travel that way. She got a big kick out of being able to save the group a lot of trouble.
Maybe your problem is Texas... move to a better part of the country. ;-)
You can't say nothing about Texas!
Sounds ta me like CJ's got a bad case of the Texas Envy.
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You know your from Texas when,,,
You've spray painted your girlfriends name on an overpass.
When someone asks to see your I.D. - you show them your belt buckle.
You've lost at least one tooth opening beer bottles.
You have a rag for a gas cap.
"Jack Daniels" makes your list of most admired people.
Redman chewing tabbaco sends you a Christmas card.
You view the upcoming family reunion as a chance to meet girls.
Your house does'nt have any curtains, but your truck does.
Your junior and senior prom had a day care center.
Grrrr...
You know your from Texas when,,,
You've spray painted your girlfriends name on an overpass.
When someone asks to see your I.D. - you show them your belt buckle.
You've lost at least one tooth opening beer bottles.
You have a rag for a gas cap.
"Jack Daniels" makes your list of most admired people.
Redman chewing tabbaco sends you a Christmas card.
You view the upcoming family reunion as a chance to meet girls.
Your house does'nt have any curtains, but your truck does.
Your junior and senior prom had a day care center.
OMG this is so FTW!!!!
I shall memorize these for the next time I chat with Daigle :D
You know your from Texas when,,,
Hmmm, maybe I am not from Texas then.
Hey Jack, the Club House now looks like a set of a cheesy Soap Opera... I don't know if to get me a role or to flee screaming in terror... :D
Continues singing:
Gotta dance!
Hey Jack, the Club House now looks like a set of a cheesy Soap Opera... I don't know if to get me a role or to flee screaming in terror... :DI decided to flee.
;-P
Tooooo much dramaaaaaaa....
Tooooo much dramaaaaaaa....
Wait?! What?! Drama?! Where?!
Yap!
Frustration has gotten the better of me and I am seriously considering giving up gaming. So I look to my fellow Paizoans, sell me on gaming. Why do you game and what makes it a good hobby?
I think that once you are bitten by the bug and you can't go back. I haven't sat down at a gaming table for nine years now. Since BEFORE 3E came out!
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Wow, that's odd, thinking the last time I rolled dice with friends was when we were arguing about the upcoming 3E.
I tried getting my fix other ways: MMORPGS, videogames, etc. But it was not the same.
I post so much here because despite the long post times in PbP I still FEEL like it is a D&D game, and that's the important part. I get to 'talk' to like-minded individuals and we explore a shared mental universe. It continually surprises me, unlike the 'kill mob rinse repeat' of MMORPGs. My players and my DMs always have such innovative twists!
Anyway, whatever you do CF keep the faith and good things will happen. It took me eight years to discover the joys of PbP.
Oklahoma maybe?You know your from Texas when,,,Hmmm, maybe I am not from Texas then.
Reminds me of that joke that asks why Texas doesn't fall into the Gulf of Mexico.....
Really CourtFool, it's like coming in here and announcing that you're gay.
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Don't sweat it. We don't hate you or nothin'.
It leaves more games for us, brother.
I now see the error of our ways. We have been treating this as a case of persuasion or of intensive care. This is a case for tough love! Grab your bats! We'll make CourtFool feel better! And we'll feel better too!
have you thought about trying to get in on a web game? many people run them with things like fantasy grounds and maptools, and pygon from these boards has a must excellent tool called ttop that works very very well.
Also folks in the paizo chat room often hold weekly or bi weekly games,good place to find folks for real time games..not the same as face top face but not bad at all
Really CourtFool, it's like coming in here and announcing that you're gay.
What is that suppose to mean?
Also folks in the paizo chat room often hold weekly or bi weekly games,good place to find folks for real time games.
Hmmm, maybe I should run some pick up games off the Paizo chat room.
Not to tangentialize this love-in but I saw that some of the jack regualrs were a little put off by the soap-opraey stuff going on, so the improv RPGers have agreed to take the weird storyline stuff to an alternate area so that the original Jack's clubhouse can be a place of violence and hilarity once more!
This line got me actually... that's a shame. My wife supports what I do even if she doesn't always get it. Hell, she has tried to play and enjoyed it to some degree but would never do it if I didn't encourage her. I don't know what I'd do if she was saying stuff like the above to me.My wife thinks role playing is stupid and immature. Maybe she is right. Afterall, it is really just pretend with rules. Maybe it is time to grow up and stop playing pretend.
O.o CF, the wife's perspective is going to be hard to deal with unless you two can "agree to disagree". I wish you good luck in hashing that out though!
Also folks in the paizo chat room often hold weekly or bi weekly games,good place to find folks for real time games.Hmmm, maybe I should run some pick up games off the Paizo chat room.
^^ That's the spirit CF!
[/endlovein] Shall I bring the villains?