Moving to NYC in a coupla weeks...

[Indigo Veil]

...and I'm looking for information on where to go within the New York metro area to find people interested in roleplaying.

I am a native New Yorker, but when I left the city, I wasn't as interested in gaming as I am now. When I left, the only store I knew of that even carried gaming supplies was The Compleat Strategist, by Penn Station. I'm not into game mechanics that are system heavy (that is, I'm much more interested in campaigns that are more pathos and narrative driven than dice driven; Seasong, my current GM, spoils me so!), and thus this board might not be the best place for my request, but I figured that people here will likely be able to direct me to appropriate places...or, at least, be able to start listing off places that I didn't know existed so I can start my own search.

Any and all help is appreciated!

 

[Waylander the Slayer]

I have read Seasong's Iron DM entries and he seems to be a very creative GM. Are you looking to play in a D&D campaign or something else? I know of a few groups in NYC and the surrounding areas that are very good and creative. All of them are story/ character driven but do have varying degrees of combat. If you can be more explicit, i may be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[el-remmen]

Feel free to email me when you get to NYC.

Any player of seasong's is okay in my book - Not sure if I can promise exactly what you are looking for - but I know of several groups that may (or may not) be looking for a player.

 

[Indigo Veil]

Mmm. I don't have problems with combat--in truth, I rather enjoy game violence ("physical," sexual, mental) so long as what's happening makes sense within the context of the story--but the game mechanics of such combat has to be pretty elegant for me to tolerate it. My big problem with dice is that, at least in my eyes, games that make frequent use of them tend to have cumbersome systems that detract from the overall storytelling experience.

To give a bit of background, a lot of my formative rp experiences occured online in freeform chatrooms, where the ability to write fluff and punctuate properly brought a player more acceptance than his ability to come up with engaging plots or interesting PCs. Fast forward a year or two, and follow me to the other end of the spectrum. My first two tabletop experiences included a D&D campaign and a superhero campaign based on the Champions system. I detested both campaigns because what emotional tension there was in relating to the characters (which I had come to expect from ffrp)was broken completely for me because of the constant reference to source books, the clatter of dice when I thought they were unnecessary, players arguing with the GM about rule interpretation, etc., that generally amounted to flat roleplay.

Champions seemed to require more dice than I owned for the resolution of small, stupid issues, and D&D is, in my opinion, a setting that rather limits what you can do with a story. Also, I've found that system heavy games tend to draw munchkins who attempt to "beat the system," something I don't appreciate. To be fair, some of my bias probably stems from the group I was with, but to this day, if I can avoid playing something system heavy, I will. =^^=

Of course, with tabletop gaming, if you find a good GM, the stories you weave as a group will likely prove more stable, more interesting, more compelling, and probably more generally immersive than any evening spent typing away in an rp chatroom.

I'm asking a lot, I know, but I guess that's what I looking for, since you requested specifics. I'd like to find a GM who merges the best of both ends of the rp spectrum.

Following is a link to a thread that seasong started on the merits of roleplaying without mechanics: http://p087.ezboard.com/fseasongsmusefrm2.showMessage?topicID=89.topic

Thanks again for reading. I appreciate the comments.

 

[Indigo Veil]

Posted twice. Sorry!

 

[Indigo Veil]

Thanks, nemmerle, for being willing to touch base when I get there.

I realize that this D&D/D20 board likely isn't the best place to find exactly what I'm seeking, but my gaming contacts and list of resources are pretty limited. Like I said, The Compleat Strategist is the only store in NYC that I remember even carrying gaming supplies (and I think it was mostly miniatures wargaming that they focused on, at least back then). What I expected in posting here was really just a collection of places I could go to find people interested in gaming...I think finding specific people who'd like to play what I'd like to play (not that it's "better" or "worse" than what people like here, it's just what -I- like) is a task that'll have to wait until I get there. ^_~

So anyone know of any brick and mortar places where NYC gamers go to gather? Any online resources to recommend?

Thanks for all comments and responses!

 

[Waylander the Slayer]

The strategist is the only gaming store in NYC. It caters to gamers in general. There is also a DnD meet up in NYC- i have never been to it so i cannot vouch for it. Here is the link -
DnD meetup in NYC

There is also neutral ground which is located around 27th street and the strategist has a message board where there are postings for games, tournaments etc. Where in NYC are you moving to?

 

[Indigo Veil]

The strategist is the only gaming store in NYC.

O_O!

Whoa! Are you serious...?! Even Austin has at least two decent sized ones and a number of smaller ones that are known throughout the community!

Thanks for the link...I'll have to check it out when I've a little more time than I've got this second. Someone else also referred me to rpgregistry.com, but from what I've seen so far, that looks rather limited, too. (but it's more than I had before!) Then again, I'm probably not as proficient with the search function as their other members are.

27th, huh? Localized around any particular shop, or is it more a "secret handshake walking down the street" affair? ^_~

I'll be moving to Queens. I saw Germanicus' post recruiting players, but it seems he was asking for a player to begin playing something specific, so... ^_^ I do hope, however, that he happens to see this thread and comments.

 

[el-remmen]

Neutral Ground (if you can stand the soaked in gamer smell) has tables for gaming (mostly CCG and minis stuff, from what I have seen) and sells a bunch of gaming books and stuff.

 

[Indigo Veil]

<laughs heartily> Duh. Should've realized that that was the name of a store...I didn't, and for some reason, rather than questioning the phrasing, I began to envision people who were into different game types or settings splitting into factions to get ready for war (or, at least, rather passionate arguments with lots of accusing fingers pointing all around). I suppose that was vaguely bleedover from another thread. ^_~

Thanks for the (much needed!) clarification, nemmerle. Do they also have a bulletin board set up for player/GM seeking, or is it just more the "show up for events and tournies" type of thing? And, yeah, the "soaked in gamer smell" kinda helps it fall lower on the list of places to visit. ^^;;;

It's so hard for me to believe that in a city as large as New York, there are only two (!) stores for this niche culture, and they're both in Manhattan. I mean, goodness. ;