What are you doing to keep the hobby alive?

[TheAuldGrump]

*Shrug*
I run games.
One game, three weeks a month, is for nearly or newly teens. (Mostly kids of the gamers in my other two games.)

The kids have a good time. Some run games of their own.

Running a good game is about the best way to keep the hobby alive - if they aren't having fun then they won't pass it down.

The Auld Grump

 

[marketingman]

Set up public playing session at local coffee house. Try to bring my own enjoyment level up to a level of awesome.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I charged up the paddles...

CLEAR!

*ZZZZZZAAAZZT*

Breathe, you marvelous hobby, BREATHE!

 

[TheClone]

I don't think the hobby is dying, but it's never bad to attract more players (capitalism tells us that only growth is good).

I have a blog (a German one, see my sig) together wit ha friend. I also try to post an article for newbies every once in a while, hoping to give some solutions for problems they might have.

I rung games.

I mention my hobby every now an then, if possible.

I hope to start one or two newby groups soon. Unfortunately I don't know any FLGS that I could use as a base for those.

 

[Festivus]

Where do I start?

I organize a monthly meetup at our FLGS, which is open to ANY role playing game. We have one guy who has been running Ennie winning games for the past few meetups, which is freaking awesome.

I also organize the Encounters program at the same store, and any Gameday events WoTC puts on.

I am trying really hard to get more Pathfinder games to run at our game days too so that we have some more variety in terms of game systems being run.

At our meetings, I always have at least one, usually two, games that are specifically aimed at players who are new to the hobby.

We have run special "kids only" events to try and get some younger kids exposed to the hobby.

All of this leaves little time for a home game, but I do manage to play in a biweekly Pathfinder game and an occasional LFR game.

 

[Osgood]

I'm buying a couple of the new red box sets to donate to charities that give toys to needy kids this holiday season.

 

[TerraDave]

DMing

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Gaming with new players, and with old players I haven't met before, is fun!

Some things I do that expose me to new faces:

- play and GM with New York Red Box, which is always open to drop-ins and meets in public

- teach a D&D afterschool program for kids 8-11 and donate a D&D birthday party to my son's school

- run games at NYC art galleries and art-world parties

- play & GM at conventions - upcoming ones are Anonycon in Stamford, CT and GaryCon in Lake Geneva, WI

 

[Festivus]

I firmly believe that anything I enjoy so much should be fun for other people as well. I introduce gaming to new players, particularly women and kids who might not otherwise have an opportunity to play; I try to run fun demo games at cons and game stores; I try to make this place fun and inviting for as many people as possible.

Also, I GM with no pants on.

Kevin, the question was what are you doing to keep the hobby alive, not scare women and children away!

I had this crazy thought, based on something my wife does. When she walks my older son to the bus stop in the morning, she brings along a childrens book (usually scooby doo) and reads it to all the kids at the stop. She tells me that a lot of these kids, their parents are not reading to their kids at home. So being Halloween, I am going to my younger son's preschool today to read Halloween stories to the kids... and I decided that I am going to get the kids involved in acting out the story for me. Sort of a little halloween skit.

I think if we start at the root, getting kids interested in books and boardgames instead of television and video games, there will be more interest in these weird dice games down the road.

 

[CleverNickName]

Hosting a Halloween Monster Design Contest.
*cough*