Gaming and your Significant Other

[Storm Raven]

My wife doesn't understand what is interesting about it, but she understands what it is. She's not that interested in gaming, but then again, she's not that interested in most genre stuff either.

She does understand that I like it though. When the members of my most recent game group acted like jacka**es, she sympathized with me.

 

[Silver Moon]

My wife (Kriskrafts) and I have been gaming together for 23 years and married now for 15 years. She's one of my better players and a very good DM. Now if I could only get her to ever calculate experience points for the modules that she's run it would be perfect.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

My wife used to game, but not anymore. She got into it when we got married, but when My "Great Campaign" ended in 2000 and the two other best players divorced and we ended up moving, she decided she didn't want to play anymore. I've almost got her convinced to play in a game with our 11 year old son, as his buddies who also play can't get together more than once a month. I hope I can...she was just about the best roleplayer I've ever seen. She HATES the mechanics...which I find odd because she can do calculus and trig in her head, but as long as I handle the "rithmuhtic", she does fine.

 

[Percivellian]

First off, let me say that this thread rocks. Very encouraging.

For myself, my first girlfriend in highschool was responsible for introducing me to gaming in the first place. Since then, my relationships have sort of been split evenly between gamers and non-gamers. I've only run into to the "bad reaction propogated by gamer stereotypes" once, but fortunately, she's open minded enough to put that aside at least try understand why I do it, if not buy into it herself.

and as for this:

What's the CR of rabid, enraged mother-in-law?

Considering that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", I'd say at least 33, above Asmodeus

 

[The Shaman]

Killing your SO's character is a very dangerous maneuver. Goodluck!

Thank you.

It was a TPK, so it wasn't like she was singled out or anything. Still, the first time is always the worst... :\

A few more of those and she too can be a Real Man.

I'd mention that to her, but I don't think it would really help right now...

 

[Xath]

He games. I've never dated a guy that didn't; what would we talk about? We play in one regular campaign together and have recently begun a 1on1 game. I play in another regular campaign without him, but he doesn't seem to mind.

 

[Rebecca]

My husband dissaproves of my gaming - he used to game in grade school and college, but now thinks it's pretty much a waste of time. We've hashed it out and he's pretty well behaved about it these days, but he'd rather I spent the time doing something else.

We did play together in a couple of one-shots my DMs were running when I was in school. I didn't have much fun - I felt responsible both for him having a good time and responsible to the group for his behavior, which I thought was pretty bad - arguing with the DM about what his character could accomplish, etc. So I'm just as glad he doesn't play. And much happier now that we don't argue about my playing time!

 

[Vonlok The Bold]

My wife is a tricky case. She loves online roleplaying games, Balder's Gate, NW Nights, and stuff like that. She reads fantasy novels, and loves many of them. When I tell her a synopsis of what is going on in various campaigns she thinks it sounds like fun, and is interested.

But she is very skeptical about D&D itself. She tried one game with a group just starting up, and we didn't know anyone. She loved the DM and all the players, but she was always so nervous that she was doing something wrong, and that the group would get angry she couldn't enjoy herself. She also didn't like how long combats took to resolve. She kept comparing them to the computer games.

She tried another game with my friends and brother. She did enjoy that one and has agreed to play with that group. Mostly that is because she knows everyone and isn't stressed about if she is good enough or will make them angry.

I've tried and everyone else has mentioned over and over that we all understand she is a beginner, but the stress is too high for her.

I managed to get her to agree to try a campaign where I'm the DM and she and a party of NPC's are the players. But I'm nervous about it, because normally I am a player and not a DM. I don't want to put further barriers up between her and gaming, by being slow and/or a bad DM.

She has agreed to play with my brother and friends again if my brother gets his world ready for a Fantasy Grounds online group.

It would be easier if she knew she wouldn't like D&D and wasn't interested. But because she's on the fence about it, and likes the genre, I can't help but think she would enjoy gaming. I know it brings me a lot of joy, and because I think she would like it I really want her to keep trying.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

My girlfriend became interested in roleplaying because of me the first time we were together; while we were broken up for a few years she joined her older brother's gaming group and played one or two campaigns with them. Now we're back together we intend to play together . . . whenever she finishes school at CalPoly and moves back to Sydney.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

You forgot option 5: "Gaming is my significant other."

And I would have voted for that option, had it been available. Right now I have no SO , but I put in the hands of........<me not bringing up the topic of religion here>