D&D General In this day and age, people still laugh when you invite them to play D&D.

[DarkCrisis]

I'm in my late 40s. I often meet people and chat with them about hobby stuff around my job area.

Every so often I meet someone mentioned D&D/RPGs and they show an interest. "Oh I've always wanted to try that." or "I used to play 10+ years ago." Etc etc.

So I invite them to my weekly game at the FLG and they chuckle and look away and convo moves on.

I read a lot about how now-a-days there is a surge to play RPGs. I haven't really seen it in person. I've also read that people are having a hard time finding new friends, well maybe don't laugh when someone invites you to something.

I have a young co-worker who just works, studies, and plays games at home. He moved here from another state right before i met him. Figured he could use some friends in this new area he finds himself in. Invite him to play. Chuckles and we move on.

Another employee, a young lady. Big Star Wars fan. She says she wants to try D&D. I invite her. Laugh. Move on. Group later tries Star Wars D6. We are having a blast and next time she and I are chatting I mention we are playing it. "Ive always wanted to try that!" I invite her. Laughs. Move on.

I can't tell you how many people Ive talked to that "I want to try D&D!" and then when you invite them laugh and look away,

Not to mention randos that are talking D&D and I greet them etc. Some are nice enough to not laugh but just keep the convo rolling.


I can only assume the issue is me. IDK. Just wanted to rant.

 

[The Firebird]

I've had some luck organizing public games, but that is more of "build it and see who comes" than reaching out in person. The people who do show up do appreciate it as a way to build community and make friends at least.

 

[bedir than]

I play in public. People don't laugh. They frequently ask what we're doing. Some even watch a full session.
I speak about D&D in a very niche industry of risk intelligence. I got applause at the end with several people telling me I inspired them to play a first time or again.
My 5e campaigns are almost entirely of people who never played before.

My experiences are the opposite of yours and I'm sad that you haven't had the joy of someone unknown joining your table.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I play in public. People don't laugh. They frequently ask what we're doing. Some even watch a full session.
I speak about D&D in a very niche industry of risk intelligence. I got applause at the end with several people telling me I inspired them to play a first time or again.
My 5e campaigns are almost entirely of people who never played before.

My experiences are the opposite of yours and I'm sad that you haven't had the joy of someone unknown joining your table.

I’ve had success finding people on line and or at the game store but work friends and IRL randos is pretty dismal.

 

[AlViking]

You might want to direct them to an actual play streaming video that works for you as an introduction to how the game works and tell them to chat with you later and see if they want to try it out for real.

Another option is to organize a game night in some public place, I did this once at my wife's workplace for a few sessions. People might not be comfortable meeting you in your home, you may also want to stress that you already play with several others that would be joining.

 

[Stalker0]

I do like the idea of doing it publicly. I think so many people have this idea of dnd that is completely wrong, and then they see it and go "oh this, this looks fun" and your off to the races.

 

[Shiroiken]

IME "I always wanted to do that" and "that's interesting" are typically just polite ways of saying they don't care. If they actually wanted to, they'd ask if they could join (or at least watch).

As for people laughing... I'm a geek, so I'm used to it. TTRPGs, boardgames, and vintage video games are still not hobbies that most people consider "normal," despite the rising acceptance of geek culture.

 

[Clint_L]

D&D is still something of a mystery and a nerd thing amongst most of my generation (X). And it's like anything else - people are mostly all talk. It's easy to make conversation, but actually comitting to something, especially when you probably don;t really understand what it is? That's hard. Particularly if you're just vaguely aware of it as a nerd thing that uses dice, has tons of rules, and takes hours to play.

It's like when you're chatting, I dunno, golf or something with an acquaintance, they suddenly invite you to come on Saturday, and you're thinking, "Dammit, I was just being polite."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I definitely think younger generations are more open to this than Gen X and older folks are. The millennials and Gen Z folks at my work practically chased me down the street wanting to play some D&D.

 

[mearls]

I think it's a bigger issue with people having a hard time making friends or committing to social events. It's a real thing.