RPG Hot (and Cold) Spots - What are good (and not-so-good) gaming towns?

[Lalato]

Steel Wind, I think what you're seeing is people come out of the woodwork for GenCon. I worked in Chicago for a few years. Yes, there are a lot of gamers... but that doesn't mean it's super easy to find a gaming group.

Beyond that, the better game stores are out in the suburbs... with Games Plus being one of the best shops around. If you live in the city (which I did), it's not exactly convenient to drive out to Mount Prospect in order to find a game. I did it anyway, but that's because I'm hardcore! LOL

So... Chicago itself is a warm spot for the number of gamers. But it's not that great for actual stores. Which means, the gamers are there, but how are you going to meet them?

 

[Elf Witch]

When I first started gaming here in South Florida it was easy to find other gamers and we had several excellent stores. Back then I would have said it was hot.

Now it is cool. Most of the stores are gone and it is very hard to find groups to play with.

 

[Flatus Maximus]

Twin Cities, MN: Warm-to-hot. Upon moving here five years ago, I found an awesome age-compatible group immediately. I'll be sad to leave this fall.

Can anyone comment on southern OR?

 

[billd91]

Madison, WI area has been pretty good for finding gamers and gaming groups. We've got a couple of successful game stores, another one or two that spring up periodically for shorter times, active groups meeting at the local student union, a local game distribution company, a couple of small-time cons, and even gaming industry/fanboy culture celebs like John Kovalic, Luke Ski, and Eric Noah. I even encounter evidence of after-hours gaming at work from time to time as someone leaves notes on whiteboards in the conference rooms.

Granted, I haven't actively looked for a gaming group in over a decade because I belong to a couple of very stable ones, but I still keep my eyes open for evidence of dice-slinging screen monkeys out there.

 

[the Jester]

Davis, CA - Warm to hot
Redding, CA - Cool, very nearly cold

 

[catsclaw227]

I was very pleasantly suprised when I moved from SoCal to Cary, NC. The "Triangle" as they call it, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, appears to teem with gamer types. There are multiple FLGS's all within 20-30 mins, and the gamer population seems to lean away from the basement-dwelling-troll types. Good stores and seemingly plenty of LFR/Pathfinder Society/D&D Encounters games.

I'd call it warm --> hot, closer to hot.

 

[HeavensThunderHammer]

I live in Abbotsford BC, a small town just outside of the official Greater Vancouver boundary.

The town has one comic shop and a collectables store, and both did/do sell D&D 4E. The nearby town of Mission (10 to 15m from Abbotsford), does have an actual RPG shop, though it also sells airsoft and paintball guns / camo etc.

Anyhow: Abbotsford and Mission both have some groups going on, though I don't know how easy it is to actually set one up, since I got introduced by a friend to one, and randomly met another that I still play with.

It seems Bellingham WA also has an RPG shop or two along with several playing groups.


I guess we could say "Luke Warm" for both areas.

 

[Mort]

Steel Wind, I think what you're seeing is people come out of the woodwork for GenCon. I worked in Chicago for a few years. Yes, there are a lot of gamers... but that doesn't mean it's super easy to find a gaming group.

Beyond that, the better game stores are out in the suburbs... with Games Plus being one of the best shops around. If you live in the city (which I did), it's not exactly convenient to drive out to Mount Prospect in order to find a game. I did it anyway, but that's because I'm hardcore! LOL

So... Chicago itself is a warm spot for the number of gamers. But it's not that great for actual stores. Which means, the gamers are there, but how are you going to meet them?

I've never had issues. Heck, when I had 1 player move away, I decided to set up an Obsidian Portal Wiki. Had 3 requests to join the group in 1 week (took on 2 and they've been with the group since)! So definite hot spot in my experience.

 

[Mort]

Beyond that, the better game stores are out in the suburbs... with Games Plus being one of the best shops around. If you live in the city (which I did), it's not exactly convenient to drive out to Mount Prospect in order to find a game. I did it anyway, but that's because I'm hardcore!

Oh and Black Sun Games is centraly located in Chicago, and is a pretty good store!

 

[Stormonu]

South Mississippi (South of Jackson) - Dead as a doornail, or close to it. Wargamers have an active presence, but the RPG scene primarily consists of a drying collection of 30-40 somethings who are desperately attempting to fend off spending another Saturday staring at old collections hoping they can get "the old group together". Formerly three gaming stores in my area at any one given time, now none remain, and the local bookstore stock of RPGs takes up less and less space each month (down now to 2 shelves from half a row at the launch of 4E).

We do have a local yearly Con, but for the last 3years, there has not been any RPGs played at it (all Games Workshop and other tabletop mini games, no DDM).