How to revitalize an area for gaming? (Specifically Baltimore)

[Contrarian]

The thing is still getting gamers and groups together. I've posted here. I've posted at WotC. I've posted at accessdenied. What else have we got?

The seventh-largest D&D Meetup group in the country, apparently. They're local, they play D&D, and (if they're like most meetup groups), a lot of them are looking for games. The trick would getting them in one place at one time.

 

[Ender_rpm]

The seventh-largest D&D Meetup group in the country, apparently. They're local, they play D&D, and (if they're like most meetup groups), a lot of them are looking for games. The trick would getting them in one place at one time.

+1. I used to live in CAtonsville, and played mostly with long time friends, but when I moved to Tampa last year, I used meetup, and have had a weekly game since september or so. I agree with the above post re: demographics- Most gamers are in teh burbs. A game shop in white marsh, owings mills (ah, the armory, how I miss thee), towson (there used to be one on york road, iirc), or catonsville would be a big draw, if you could publicize it. City paper was always good for advertizing to the gamer demographic, IME anyway. Get in touch with the schools (universities/colleges) and see if they have gaming clubs.

Semi random side note: My group is getting interviewed by the St. Pete times next week for a puff piece on gaming. Woo hoo!! We can be openly game now!!

 

[gizmo33]

The White Marsh idea sounds like a good start. I live about 10 minutes from the library.

Anything that works as an informal meeting would be a nice start and we can discuss other meeting places and ideas once we get together the first time.

Once we have a place, a day, and a time then we'll need a method of recognition.

Sounds good. There may be folks like Thunderfoot who wouldn't want to make the drive, so in the meantime I think it would help to set up something online - at least a place where people can post info and get info.

In the meantime, Whitemarsh is fine for me. I can't make it this weekend, but I'm available the next. Anyone who is interested can send me email at gizmo33 at comcast dot net (the anti-span version of my email) and we can at least coordinate. Then I suppose we can set up a time and place and all the rest (like secret gamer gang signs )?

 

[Mark CMG]

Definitely go with a gameday.

 

[Ebony]

Anybody been here?

LEGENDS GAMES & COMICS
503 YORK RD
(ACROSS FROM TOWSON COMMONS CINEMA)
TOWSON, MD
(410) 321-7607

Is it any good?

 

[jezter6]

Anybody been here?

LEGENDS GAMES & COMICS
503 YORK RD
(ACROSS FROM TOWSON COMMONS CINEMA)
TOWSON, MD
(410) 321-7607

Is it any good?

See post #2 in this thread. Legends is the worse of the 2 stores.

Now, as far as 'a gameday' is concerned, I'd be all for it. I've seen postings for it and the UM gameday thing, and I didn't see a lot of positive response.

I'll definately check meetup, however the idea of sending out emails to 100 people who subscribed once and probably never went back (Yes, I subscribed to D&D meetup in the last town I lived in and some months I get a random email from someone who wants to game, but I never go back and look for people or update that I don't live there anymore).

 

[jezter6]

So I checked up meetup.com for the Baltimore D&D group...
In spite of the size of overall membership, the group is seriously lacking in actual participation. The last poll for a meeting was taken back in January, with only 13 people even taking the time to vote.

So...that's out. Sadly, it's the EXACT type of web space needed to get gamers together, so if they're not going to flock to that, I don't know what they will flock to.

Anyone here also a member of that group? Want to give it one good shot at bringing that group up to par?

 

[gizmo33]

So...that's out. Sadly, it's the EXACT type of web space needed to get gamers together, so if they're not going to flock to that, I don't know what they will flock to.

I've sent out some email to the yahoo groups for RPGs in the area. They might be ghost towns as well, or there could be survivors. Regardless, my goal is to find out if there is an existing, regional clearing house for RPG (and perhaps beyond) type information.

If there's no such clearing house (or in web terms - portal), I'm going to start one. And not the kind of thing that in a year and a half will just be a bunch of broken links and non-existent email addresses. I'll take a drive to GamesComicsandStuff tonight and see what they have posted on their message boards.

Either way, I intend to have something to post shortly that will move us further along.

Again - if you send me email at gizmo33 at comcast dot net I can pass along what I find out.

 

[Sephera]

Hey atmon! Also from Baltimore.

I see we have a few issues:

1) No decent stores. Everything seems to be scattered around outside the city. With traffic how it is here in the metro, it's not easy to roll all the way out to Glen Burnie or Towson.
1a) Of those, only 1 store is any good, and it's Games & Comics & Stuff. The other store is basically worthless for this part of the gaming hobby. It's pretty much set up for card game and Warhammer.
1b) Parking sucks at both, so even if you could get a good crowd...they'd have nowhere to park for free/cheap.

I went to a gaming store in Savage, MD over the weekend that was pretty good. I get the idea that they are pretty new. They are in the same complex with the Ramshead.

Family Game Store 8600 Foundry Street
Box 2008
Savage MD 20763
(301) 776-5980 www.familygamestore.net

Lots of Euros, card games, etc. A few war games. Open board game night on Saturday nights.


Also, the parking at Games, Comics, and Stuff is much improved. There is a parking garage (free) right next door now.

I'm also noting more Maryland stores opening recently. There's also Games Club of Maryland www.gamesclubofmd.org. That's where I found some of the new stores. (They just held their 10th annual Game Days in Timonium this past weekend, not much in the way of D&D, but lots of board games - 18xx, Age of Mythology, Age of Renaissance, Air Barron, Alhambra, Apples to Apples, Amun-Re, Armory, Atlantic Storm, Axis and Allies, Bean Trader, Big City, Bonhanza, Bucket King, Call My Bluff, Chez Geek, Carcassonne, Citadels, Clans, Crokinole, Detroit Cleveland Grand Prix, Die Macher, El Grande, Euphrat and Tigris, Fluxx, Hannibal, La Citta, Lord of the Rings, Lost Cities, Medici, Munchkin, Napoleonic Wars, Paris Paris, Plague and Pestilence, Potomac Blackout, Princes of Florence, Puerto Rico, Ra, Risk, Robo Rally, Settlers of Catan, Starfarers, Taj Mahal, Tikal, Tichu, Trans America, Traumfabrik, Union Pacific, and Wyatt Earp.)

Canton Games
2101 Essex St
Baltimore MD 21231
(410) 276-2640 www.cantongames.com

Brand new store, opened 2/17/2007! Family board and card games, Strategy Games, War Games, Collectible Card Games, Collectible Miniature Games, Role Playing Games, Entertainment Trading Cards, Sports Trading Cards and Action Figures, Collectible busts, action figures, and toys

There's also TriDCon in September (www.tridcon.com) at UMCP. They're trying to expand into Role Playing Games this year.

 

[madirishman]

Well, I think part of the problem is I ran into some folks via meetup.com and it looked like they were going to work out, so I, for one, haven't done anything else with the group. Since that crashed and burned I feel kinda stupid about it. :^)

We need to just set something up and cross our fingers!

P