Tobold Hornblower
First Post
You're a real joker, Bolen, but if you'd been paying attention you might have noticed: "community college"
I'm sponsoring a RPG club at my school....now what?
- Thread starter Wolfspider
- Start date
Wanderer At Dusk
First Post
Tobold Hornblower said:
He was refering to my post. Anyways, people don't seem to care, well at least in my town. It's just a game after all not much more then that. Outcast, I don't think so. But that's just my school.
Have Fun
Well, I think it really depends on what you want to do with it as mentioned above.
If you are trying to provide games for people, then think about the following...
Set up a couple small campaigns using different systems/worlds as soon as possible, to get people playing so you don't lose the people you have. (even just start running one of the Adventure Path Mods)
Try and set up intro nights/days/events that are specificly set up for people to bring their nongaming friends to, to introduce them to an RPG game.
Do movie nights with a Sci-fi/Fantsay theme.
Once you get more people in, see what they want to do and try to work with it.
Possibly do surveys of current gamers so you can get them into/ or provide games that use the same gaming style, so no one gets left out. (ie the Hack'n Slashers Vs the role-players)
Make sure people are having fun.
JDragon
Well, I think it really depends on what you want to do with it as mentioned above.
If you are trying to provide games for people, then think about the following...
Set up a couple small campaigns using different systems/worlds as soon as possible, to get people playing so you don't lose the people you have. (even just start running one of the Adventure Path Mods)
Try and set up intro nights/days/events that are specificly set up for people to bring their nongaming friends to, to introduce them to an RPG game.
Do movie nights with a Sci-fi/Fantsay theme.
Once you get more people in, see what they want to do and try to work with it.
Possibly do surveys of current gamers so you can get them into/ or provide games that use the same gaming style, so no one gets left out. (ie the Hack'n Slashers Vs the role-players)
Make sure people are having fun.
JDragon
alsih2o
First Post
i graduated in '87 and my first "car date" was with a girl who picked me up from a d+d game, over the years i have had multiple girlfriends wait on me or pick me up from games....i think that kind of attitude you mention is far from universal.bolen said:
oddly enuf, the only place i here rpg's seriously considered geeky is amongst gamers....
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
alsih2o said:
i graduated in '87 and my first "car date" was with a girl who picked me up from a d+d game, over the years i have had multiple girlfriends wait on me or pick me up from games....i think that kind of attitude you mention is far from universal.
oddly enuf, the only place i here rpg's seriously considered geeky is amongst gamers....
Well, let me assure you it is not only gamers that think rpg's are geeky. Of probably my 20 non-rpg friends, I'd say 18 think it is geeky, to some extent.
recruiting troubles...not likely
Seeing as you're located in Hopkinsville, KY, IMHO you're probably not going to have major recruiting problems for your club. I first learned to play D&D as a youngster when I lived in Hopkinsville in the 70s. There was a D&D club in town that met at the local mall that at it's height had 30-40 hardcore members. They were affiliated with the hobby store that used to be in the mall, and had members from throughout the region (who didn't have access to gaming in the smaller towns surrounding Hopkinsville).
We were friends of the guy who ran the hobby store, and given the lack of nightlife and cultural pursuits in the area (it's mostly rural), people from as far away as eastern Tennessee would drive to his store to buy hobby stuff. Basically, since there was less to do in small towns, people turned to hobbies, notably D&D and wargaming, to make their own fun.
It's likely that between the college students, the "old timers" in the community who used to play in the 70s and their children, you've got a sizable body of potential gaming recruits from on and off campus.
Even though there's only about 30,000 residents in Hopkinsville, you might actually have a disproportionate number of closet gamers. As far as intolerant fundies protesting your games, well, there's always going to be a few jerks wherever you go. Given the number of closet gamers lurking in the area, you'll probably not going to have a problem.
But hey, you live there, so I'm probably telling you stuff you already know...
Some suggestions for your club:
Try doing all the things a normal club does (i.e.: have a secretary, occassional meetings w/minutes, a small budget for gaming supplies and snacks, etc).
Play more than just D&D 3e to increase the fun and draw in more membership.
Run campaigns in which club members rotate taking on the role of DM to vary the experience and further the playing skill of the participants. This has the added benefit of keeping games going if your membership changes suddenly (ex: your DM suddenly quits the club, leaving the campaign high and dry).
Do some kind of simple community outreach to sponsor gaming awareness. This could even be doing things for charity, like running a carwash, cleaning up a stretch of highway once a month, or getting sponsors to pay you for gaming non-stop over a weekend. Doing community service is a good way to publicly legitimize your club, and get the college to give you a small budget too.
A good way to raise public awareness of gaming is to run exhibition games at the local mall or student union, usually with simple rules and lots of cool visual play aids (miniatures, master maze dungeon floors, sound effects, etc).
Combine gaming events with other special events. For example, make on gaming night an "ice cream social" night where everybody makes ice cream sundaes before the game.
One final idea: have fundraisers to sponsor the club to travel together as a group to a major gaming convention. You might even get a group hotel rate...
Seeing as you're located in Hopkinsville, KY, IMHO you're probably not going to have major recruiting problems for your club. I first learned to play D&D as a youngster when I lived in Hopkinsville in the 70s. There was a D&D club in town that met at the local mall that at it's height had 30-40 hardcore members. They were affiliated with the hobby store that used to be in the mall, and had members from throughout the region (who didn't have access to gaming in the smaller towns surrounding Hopkinsville).
We were friends of the guy who ran the hobby store, and given the lack of nightlife and cultural pursuits in the area (it's mostly rural), people from as far away as eastern Tennessee would drive to his store to buy hobby stuff. Basically, since there was less to do in small towns, people turned to hobbies, notably D&D and wargaming, to make their own fun.
It's likely that between the college students, the "old timers" in the community who used to play in the 70s and their children, you've got a sizable body of potential gaming recruits from on and off campus.
Even though there's only about 30,000 residents in Hopkinsville, you might actually have a disproportionate number of closet gamers. As far as intolerant fundies protesting your games, well, there's always going to be a few jerks wherever you go. Given the number of closet gamers lurking in the area, you'll probably not going to have a problem.
But hey, you live there, so I'm probably telling you stuff you already know...
Some suggestions for your club:
Try doing all the things a normal club does (i.e.: have a secretary, occassional meetings w/minutes, a small budget for gaming supplies and snacks, etc).
Play more than just D&D 3e to increase the fun and draw in more membership.
Run campaigns in which club members rotate taking on the role of DM to vary the experience and further the playing skill of the participants. This has the added benefit of keeping games going if your membership changes suddenly (ex: your DM suddenly quits the club, leaving the campaign high and dry).
Do some kind of simple community outreach to sponsor gaming awareness. This could even be doing things for charity, like running a carwash, cleaning up a stretch of highway once a month, or getting sponsors to pay you for gaming non-stop over a weekend. Doing community service is a good way to publicly legitimize your club, and get the college to give you a small budget too.
A good way to raise public awareness of gaming is to run exhibition games at the local mall or student union, usually with simple rules and lots of cool visual play aids (miniatures, master maze dungeon floors, sound effects, etc).
Combine gaming events with other special events. For example, make on gaming night an "ice cream social" night where everybody makes ice cream sundaes before the game.
One final idea: have fundraisers to sponsor the club to travel together as a group to a major gaming convention. You might even get a group hotel rate...
Heap Thaumaturgist
First Post
Well on the non-gamers finding gaming geeky and gamers finding gaming geeky thing ...
I just moved and have three new room-mates. We're all severe white-bread dorks with fantasy novel collections that look like small libraries, so I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to start a game group.
... It's only been two weeks, but I'm already slightly afraid to bring it up. I batted around ideas with another friend of mine for the WotC setting contest and, apparently, he brought it up with my roommates (we're all mutual friends) and I have never gotten such a hard time. Various parts of my submission have become running household jokes and I get mentioned as "one of those D&D people".
On the other end of the spectrum, one of my room-mates' sister, a second-generation sorority girl whose self-professed reason for going to college is: "To meet boys and spend daddy's money." didn't bat an eyelash.
So you never know the kind of reaction you're going to get from people.
--HT
I just moved and have three new room-mates. We're all severe white-bread dorks with fantasy novel collections that look like small libraries, so I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to start a game group.
... It's only been two weeks, but I'm already slightly afraid to bring it up. I batted around ideas with another friend of mine for the WotC setting contest and, apparently, he brought it up with my roommates (we're all mutual friends) and I have never gotten such a hard time. Various parts of my submission have become running household jokes and I get mentioned as "one of those D&D people".
On the other end of the spectrum, one of my room-mates' sister, a second-generation sorority girl whose self-professed reason for going to college is: "To meet boys and spend daddy's money." didn't bat an eyelash.
So you never know the kind of reaction you're going to get from people.
--HT
Wolfspider
Explorer
Thanks for all the advice. Keep it coming! 
As far as persecution goes...I don't think it will be an issue. Even when I lived in Murray KY during the height of the "Vampire killers" craze, the gaming store next to campus stayed open and kept selling White Wolf and other games.
As far as persecution goes...I don't think it will be an issue. Even when I lived in Murray KY during the height of the "Vampire killers" craze, the gaming store next to campus stayed open and kept selling White Wolf and other games.
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
You will note that RPGs fall smack in the middle of the geek hierarchy:
http://www.brunching.com/geekhierarchy.html
http://www.brunching.com/geekhierarchy.html
Wolfspider
Explorer
Ooops. Crazy double post. Sorry. 
Last edited:
