Anything but D&D

[Koloth]

See up-thread where I stated that none of the stores has a game wanted posting board, and also discussed the lack of engagement on their Discords.

Which post? Not seeing a mention of no game wanted posting board. At least not in this thread.

But anyway, if your local game stores are D&D only, time to try elsewhere. There are a LOT of folks playing games other then D&D. Seems this forum has a Gamers seeking Gamers section. I know that the SJG forum has a similar section. If there is a college nearby, they may have similar. Or your local library.

 

[Distracted DM]

Yeah if you're trying to find something not DnD-like in any way, I'd still go with my earlier recommendation: check out the game of your choice's community area. Nowadays a lot of it's on Discord, though there are non-Discord places like the r/lfg subreddit.
Sorry you're having trouble finding not-DnD games. Opening up to online play is a good idea, though it can be an adjustment if you're used to only playing in person.

 

[aco175]

Could one just say to the shopkeeper that I want to play D&D, and then pull out the Shadowdark rules when people sit down. Depends on if it is all D&D. I know most people will mostly want 5e since that is more the unspoken assumption.

 

[Staffan]

Personally, I've been running Savage Worlds in the East Texas University setting for almost a year now (I think the first session was in mid-February 2025), and co-incidentally a year in-game has almost perfectly co-incided with a year IRL. We're going to give Draw Steel a go once we're done with year one in ETU, and after that we'll see.

But I'm fortunate enough to have a gaming group that's been gaming together in a Ship-of-Theseus kind of way since 1996, so for us it's more "what game are we going to play" rather than "can I find people with which to play X".

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Could one just say to the shopkeeper that I want to play D&D, and then pull out the Shadowdark rules when people sit down. Depends on if it is all D&D. I know most people will mostly want 5e since that is more the unspoken assumption.

It depends on the context.

Like in anything in life, different people will read different things into what you say. It's never a one size fits all thing with human communication.

 

[payn]

I’ve found if I want to play anything at a game stor that isn’t D&D, MTG, or Warhammer I need to run it myself. Sucks but it’s up to me to build the community.

I will say I’ve never encountered a store that said I couldn’t run a game there.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I will say I’ve never encountered a store that said I couldn’t run a game there.

I know plenty of comics shop owners who seem determined to run themselves out of business. It wouldn't surprise me to discover there were game shop owners who were similarly perverse.

 

[Distracted DM]

I know plenty of comics shop owners who seem determined to run themselves out of business. It wouldn't surprise me to discover there were game shop owners who were similarly perverse.

The only reason that I can imagine is that they don't want people playing games that they don't carry (because then they're taking table space and there's little to no revenue for the store), and they don't have the means, methods, or motivation to carry those games. Yes, the folk at that table might buy other stuff like dice, accessories, other books or order the books through the shop but

And yes, some old school nerd-based shops deliberately cater to "serious" clientele and drive away "casuals" that aren't familiar with the material. It sounds crazy ofc but there it is.

 

[TiQuinn]

And yes, some old school nerd-based shops deliberately cater to "serious" clientele and drive away "casuals" that aren't familiar with the material. It sounds crazy ofc but there it is.

Welp, that’s why online gaming is a thing.