Non-Stereotypical Gamers you've met

[Djeta Thernadier]

We rolled up a character for my dog once. One of our PCs needed an intelligent sidekick and, well, there was Slipper (my dog). We invited her to play and let her use her own stats. It was a disaster. She kept interrupting the narrative, licking the DM, eating the cheetos, etc. After a few sessions we had to ask her to leave the group because she simply couldn't wait her turn. She was certainly atypical.

I hear that. My dog likes to hang out and watch the game and he's always eating the dice, trying to distract other players and he loves running into the table and making all the miniatures fall down. We keep trying to tell him that doesn't mean "he wins".

Some nerve!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

There's always Dave Arneson's story about how a Naval Intel Officer once told him that back in the 1980's there was an active D&D group on almost every U.S. Nuclear Sub...

For all I know, it's still true. I wonder how Pat Pulling or Jack Chick would've reacted to that news?

My last unit had an unreal number of gamers (and Ft Hood even had a FLGS on post). Our Command Sergeant Major was a gamer (mostly Warhammer), as were about half the tank commanders in my company.

Here's a little story that would freak Jack Chick out:

We're out in the field for a couple of weeks, prepping for a trip to the desert, and I'm tooling about in my HMMWV, checking stuff, and drop in on the Combat Trains (where we had an aid station, and emergency fuel and ammunition, and some of our logistics-types). There's a bunch of soldiers sitting around a table, including the CSM, our Chaplain, and the Chaplain's Assistant. Turns out the Chaplain is running an RPG (not D&D, but a Christian-themed fantasy variant). Unfortunately, my duties kept me too mobile to participate in that campaign, but every time I dropped by, it seemed like the game was going on ...

 

[Cecil]

Chalk up another ex-military gamer. But I began playing when I was the stereotypical gamer in 7th grade. Heck, when I was 19 yrs old I boxed intramurals at 135 lbs--used to be a skinny shrimp who could run forever.

Much healthier now, but older (39) and can't run as far

 

[zyzzyr]

I DM for a group with an individual who is a former CEO of a large Canadian company and a former CFO of a gigantic multinational.

I killed his character on Sunday. Muah!

 

[Jhamin]

Let's see, I have personally gamed with:

-A Martial Artist/Buddhist Priest (ordained)/Carpenter

-A Cigarette Rep/Semi-Professional Carouser

- A Coca Cola Scholar/Musical Prodigy/Gave it up to join a religious commune


Two unusual groups I have DMed:

- An All-Attractive-All Female group (two artists & a Non-Goth Haloween Supply vendor) We played Champions

- An All Buddhist Priest-in-training group (including the Martial Artist/Priest/Carpenter, a longtime player)

I was once quasi-invited to joing a local Improv Troup's D&D house game. Never quite worked out.

 

[der_kluge]

Most of the groups I have ever played in were pretty typical. Most of the people were fairly decent all around (save for some of those friends in High School), but my current group probably is more atypical than others.

The current GM has his doctorate in psychology, and his wife (who also games) has her doctorate in Paleo-botany. Though, they are both gamers through and through. The GM is also big into Warhammer, and the wife really likes a lot of fantasy-genre stuff.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I'm willing to bet that a lot of ENWorlders are military personnel also.

Well, I'm an Obergefreiter (think Private or Private First Class) in the German Armed Forces.

But then again, I was drafted, so maybe I don't count here...

I'm also a trained physicist with an university diploma (think Master's Degree), which puts me safely into the "geek" camp...

 

[Nightchilde-2]

When my cat was still a kitten, he got up on the gaming table and was about the right size for a black dragon, so we used him as the black dragon "miniature."

That's pretty atypical, I think.

 

[wiseacre71]

Most people are pretty surprised when they find out that I game. Most know me as a musician or from my job as a magazine editor. What's great is that most of the people in my gaming group are atypical as far as the stereotype is concerned. I'm glad to see that the stereotype is being destroyed--but I must admit that I don't advertise the fact that I'm a gamer. Still too much of a stigma, I guess. I hate getting "that look."

I still haven't seen a real surge in the number of women who play. That's a shame.

 

[broghammerj]

We've got a pediatrician, an ER doc, a urologist, a social studies teacher, a professional student/photographer, and the typical overweight unshaven unemployed computer guy. Deep down inside we all have a little geek in us though.