Situation:
You're talking with some friends or family members who aren't role-playing savy and have to leave to go play Pathfinder RPG/Society. Do you:
A) Tell them you're going to go play Pathfinder.
B) Tell them you're going to go play D&D.
C) Tell them you're going to play a game that's like D&D.
D) Other.
I know there's are answers of "I don't tell them anything" or that you "lie about where you're going," but I'm not interested in those.
Option A to me has always involved a lot of explaining. Option B gives me the "usual looks." Option C has seemed to give me even stronger looks than Option B.
So what do you say?
A.
Situation:
You're talking with some friends or family members who aren't role-playing savy and have to leave to go play Pathfinder RPG/Society. Do you:
A) Tell them you're going to go play Pathfinder.
B) Tell them you're going to go play D&D.
C) Tell them you're going to play a game that's like D&D.
D) Other.I know there's are answers of "I don't tell them anything" or that you "lie about where you're going," but I'm not interested in those.
Option A to me has always involved a lot of explaining. Option B gives me the "usual looks." Option C has seemed to give me even stronger looks than Option B.
So what do you say?
I just say off to do some gaming. No need to spell out the details. Of course my wife knows what I'm playing as she sees the books. She doesn't get the game though. She's more of cards and board game player.
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Answer A! They won't understand either D&D or Pathfinder and they still shake their heads in confusion because they don't understand how RPGs create a chemical dependency in your brain. But if you are playing Pathfinder then stand up proudly and call it by its name and perhaps some day we can change the world!
I wouldn't usually name the game unless among gamers. I'd just say I was meeting some friends for the evening and not say more unless asked.
I would just call it gaming as well. Non RPGers are just confused about the differences between different games.
I just got a coke from the frigidaire to refresh myself after the fit of sneezing caused by the dust from the xerox's toner. Unfortunately, there's not any keelnex anywhere.
I still kinda call it D&D. Because I don't play the, uh, "real D&D" anymore, but I always called 3.5 "D&D", and I still play that, more or less. At least, when I'm talking to people who don't know much about games, that's what I call it, though I suppose I should get better about it.
I use the generic "gaming". If pressed, I usually go with option B.
D.) "I'm heading off to game" usually.
d) Going gaming or "off to do something unsavory you wouldn't approve of anyway." Depending on the relative.
I usually refer to it as gaming as well.
B mostly.
B. I say this for any roleplaying game though. My non-gamer friends and family won't know what I'm talking about if I say I'm going to play Aberrant or whatever. The only exception is when I play 7th Sea, then I say that I'm going to pretend to be a pirate. :-)
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Situation:
You're talking with some friends or family members who aren't role-playing savy and have to leave to go play Pathfinder RPG/Society. Do you:
A) Tell them you're going to go play Pathfinder.
B) Tell them you're going to go play D&D.
C) Tell them you're going to play a game that's like D&D.
D) Other.I know there's are answers of "I don't tell them anything" or that you "lie about where you're going," but I'm not interested in those.
Option A to me has always involved a lot of explaining. Option B gives me the "usual looks." Option C has seemed to give me even stronger looks than Option B.
So what do you say?
With my wife, I say B -- she knows what D&D is, and if I correct her and say "actually, it's Pathfinder" she thinks I'm being anal.
With others I'll say I'm gaming.
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I wouldn't usually name the game unless among gamers. I'd just say I was meeting some friends for the evening and not say more unless asked.
Chalk me up for this one. If they're not gamers, they won't care about what the activity is. If they are, then I'll tell them (and they *probably* still won't care, since they're not invited).
D:
I won't repeat what I'd actually say, because I suspect less than 5 people here would understand it.
Instead, I'll translate it into English:
"I'll go play RPG now"
What use would it be to use a product name? They only have a very vague understanding of RPGs in general, if at all. No need to confuse them any more than that.
B
"I'm going to Game." Any questions get met with a statement of what game (D&D regardless of the name) and an invitation to join.
Interesting. Interesting indeed!
Results so far:
- 22% Pathfinder
- 37% D&D
- 26% "Gaming"
- 15% "Meeting with friends (no mention of games)"
With only 27 respondants right now, your vote counts for over 3%!
Unfortunately "B"
At least they have heard of D&D.
I've been saying Pathfinder, because one of the kids I work with has 4e, and I want to be sure when we're talking about gaming the group knows which I'm referring to :)
As an aside, I have a group of 25 4th and 5th graders, one of whom has already bought their own copy of Pathfinder, two who are saving from their allowance for the book (I have definitely recommended Amazon for these youngsters, since the savings there can't be beat for their pockets), and another half-dozen that are considering getting the book themselves, with more thinking of Christmas and Birthdays ::laughing:: I'm doing a year long project with the kids teaching them the fun of creating their own places and using their imagination in drawing, writing, reading, etc., all based on the ideas in Pathfinder so far :)
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As an aside, I have a group of 25 4th and 5th graders, one of whom has already bought their own copy of Pathfinder, two who are saving from their allowance for the book (I have definitely recommended Amazon for these youngsters, since the savings there can't be beat for their pockets), and another half-dozen that are considering getting the book themselves, with more thinking of Christmas and Birthdays ::laughing:: I'm doing a year long project with the kids teaching them the fun of creating their own places and using their imagination in drawing, writing, reading, etc., all based on the ideas in Pathfinder so far :)
That is so cool! I assume you are a teacher, when do you do this during the school day?
If it's someone who knows what gaming is, I tell them I'm going gaming.
If it's someone who doesn't know, I tell them I'm going to play games. If they press me I'll say a roleplaying game like Dungeons and Dragons. Even if the game I plan to play is nothing like D&D I'll say that since most people at least recognize the name. Taking the time to explain everything is a waste of time. If I thought they would be at all interested I'd have invited them or discussed it previously.
I've found that it's getting harder and harder to say you are going to play a "roleplaying game" as the video game industry has stolen the terminology. I say roleplaying game and people immediately think video game, forcing me to explain the difference.
As an aside, I have a group of 25 4th and 5th graders, one of whom has already bought their own copy of Pathfinder, two who are saving from their allowance for the book (I have definitely recommended Amazon for these youngsters, since the savings there can't be beat for their pockets), and another half-dozen that are considering getting the book themselves, with more thinking of Christmas and Birthdays ::laughing:: I'm doing a year long project with the kids teaching them the fun of creating their own places and using their imagination in drawing, writing, reading, etc., all based on the ideas in Pathfinder so far :)That is so cool! I assume you are a teacher, when do you do this during the school day?
Actually, I work in an after school program, and have the kids from 2:30 to 5:15 to do all the fun stuff such as snack, playground time, homework and projects. As a teacher, I'd probably have less time to do this kind of fun stuff with my group :)
I say "Gaming". Half the time we play John's homebrew, otherwise one version of D&D or another.
I say "Gaming". Half the time we play John's homebrew, otherwise one version of D&D or another.
And why should we believe you?
B!
Yeah I know there the great betrayer and everything but people know what your doing when you say that...
If talking to someone who knows something, I say pathfinder.
And I mean the vaguest of something.
B I embrace my inner Geek but Pathfinder means nothing outside of our tiny circle.