Gaming groups: friends or all business?

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

I really only want to play with my friends. I find it's much more satisfying to turn my friends into gamers than hook up with strangers. I've gamed in mixed groups before, and my friends were always the ones who kept coming back.

I have such an aversion to gaming with strangers, it's largely kept me away from cons.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

I didn't know 4 of the 5 guys I game with when I started. Now I consider at least one of them a good friend, and the others friends.

The other is my boyfriend, who I knew before.

 

[Piratecat]

In the past few years, primarily thanks to EN World gatherings, I've started to play games with several other folks, a number of whom I'm quite friendly with now, although it happens that we've never gotten together on a non-gaming occassion.

Don't believe it; I can't get this SOB out of my back yard.

Dave, get away from those garbage cans, and quit hogging my wireless broadband!

 

[Stockdale]

Having got back into this hobby through my 10 year old son after a 15 year or so hiatus, most of my current and long time freinds don't game and have little interest. I am even referred to as a (looks both ways) dork (gasp). So, my current gaming group is made up of people I met through his board. When I emarked on this I hoped to make these new people friends as well, and I think that has happened. I game with people whom I would just as soon stop out for a visit as stop out to game. I think the prospect of meeting new people through gaming (or any other hobby) is great and if they become friends-even better. But then, I'm not really bashful.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I have a few old friends that I still game with. Most have moved away or are too busy to play.

Mostly though it's just people who play. Some I've grown into friends with and have known for a long time. Others...

 

[Olive]

There are six of us...

One is me.
One is my girlfriend.
One is an old friend, and one of my best.
One is an ex-colleague, who is also a friend, and very good friends with the old friend. I don't see a whole heap of him outside of gaming.
One is a good friend, who i met through starting my gaming group, but is a friend outside of gaming too.
One is a colleague, who I don't really see outside of work or gaming, and who I'd probably rather just see at work if I'm super honest...

Both colleagues I gamed with before working with.

So it's kinda a combo.

 

[Wombat]

Of the five people who are in my current game, 2 were friends prior to gaming, one is a spouse of one of these friends, and the other two I got to know through the gaming circle; one is a "gamer only" and the other is a buddy.

I usually start a game with a couple of known friends, as it gives me something to go with and aids the other players in getting the feel of how I handle games, as opposed to other gms. But if the chemistry isn't right, one of the players may have to go; this is a rare and VERY painful experience, and I hope it never happens again!

In any case, for the most part I want to game with people who at least have the potential of becoming buddies.

 

[Terwox]

I've played in a few groups.

Of the group I'm still playing in, although that is about to end because I'm moving, I met a few of them after someone else read a list on white wolf's site and emailed everyone in the city.

Of the I believe six people who originally showed up, I'm still in contact with two of them, and they're some of my best friends now.

The other members are one of the aforementioned people's brother, his best friend, and an old friend of mine from a different gaming group that disbanded.

I've joined two groups for the sole purpose of gaming -- one of them, like mentioned before, was showing up just to game. I wouldn't recommend that, but it DID turn out well, as I have some good friends now. However, eh, if you're ever in an odd social situation, hey, maybe it's worth a shot. I was leaving my former gaming group, so I figured, what the heck.

 

[S'mon]

I don't want to game with anyone who I wouldn't want to hang out with outside of gaming".

...and if you ask me, that's just good sense.

I agree with that; OTOH all my current players I met through gaming - either they saw the ads for the game, or they came via EN World and/or Gencon, so they were all strangers to start with.

 

[Desdichado]

That's what happens when you move as well; I happened to move about three months before 3e was released. I wasn't going to wait around to try and convert some gamers, I went out and found a group so I could play with the shiny new rules.