That’s to bad, but I hope the op is more open to them. Or even others that may be reading.
I agree! For most people, that’s a great way to broaden the horizons.
A little of-topic, but this seems like it could be a mistake. It is pretty well known that as we get older, our friend circles will naturally shrink, due to diverging circumstances, deaths, etc.
Meeting new people and making them into friends is something that we need to actively pursue in order to maintain a healthy connection to the outside world. GMing for strangers is an excellent way to do that, and also allows you to be a good ambassador for your preferred gaming system(s).
This is true, too. My circle of friends has decreased precipitously over the past few months: I recently had a bit of a blowup with my game group...who effectively stopped gaming in 2015. Sure, there were Fantasy & sci-fi boardgames that were being played, but as fun as those were, it’s not role-playing. So for me, they’re more of a change of pace thing. For them, too...between poker nights. Poker’s a great game, but it’s not
my game.*
I ain’t mad at ‘em, but they also made certain decisions about lines of communication that I didn’t care for. They pretty much ignored my position, so I walked.
But I’ve been an introverted renaissance man my whole life. I have plenty of things to do.
Back to strangers...
Given the paucity of local game stores, I’d probably have to host. I’m perfectly set up to do so, but I am somewhat uncomfortable inviting 3-8 unknown persons into my house just to enjoy one of my hobbies. There are other factors as well.
So...just not a viable option at this point.
* most of them are pretty good at it, too. They go to casinos effectively for free because they win enough at the tables. I can only finish up on the night by getting slightly drunk, which, apparently, utterly destroys their ability to read me. But my health and well-being take priority over beating them at their own game.