Playing vs Reading

[Azazyll]

I bought my first D&D product in a toy store nine years ago and I've never looked back. I own over a hundred books by now, buying just about everything that TSR and then WotC put out, from Alternity to 3.5, as well as 3rd party publishers. I've subscribed to Dragon almost since issue 200. I've read this site every day I could since before Morrus took over. I love the game, and a day does not go by that I don't dream up worlds in my head.

But I've never really played. In all those years I've run maybe three or four game sessions (mostly back when I started until my teacher banned them from being played in school). Now that I'm in college and finally have enough free time to play (and now that I'm reading these messageboards regularly to avoid homework) I'm occassionally surprised to see how other people feel about the game. I've been a player in a mini-campaign for a first time GM, and felt I knew more than he did. I know more about the game than anyone I have ever met personally because I've read so many more books, but I obviously lack in game experience. I think I have a very good idea about how to run a game, but now that I'm finally starting a group of my own, I'm curious:

Does anyone else here mostly just read the products? Do you know of any people who do? Am I an anomaly or is there a population of gamers out there who have never done much on the tabletop?

Please don't think me a newbie, I love this hobbie, it's been a defining part of my life. I just thought this might make for interesting conversation.

 

[diaglo]

yes, there was a time when gaming in a face to face environment was not possible for me. so i bought and read instead. played online. and played the computer version of games.

i still haven't found a group to play real D&D. although, i've been advertising for one for at least ...................7 years.

but don't let that stop you.

heck, i've been playing the 2000ed and 3.11ed for Workgroups for 4 years now.

 

[Henry]

Azazyll, first of all, let me be the first to say -- you've been here for two and a half years, and only had 6 posts? WOW! Given all the different opinions of people here, that's some serious self-control; I would've exploded long before now.

Second of all, you're not alone - many gamers have either been through or are going through phases where they just can't find a group to game with, and just read material like maniacs as a result. From 1983 to 1988, I had no game group; from 1993 to 1996 I just got married, and spent my free time just getting my new life together instead of gaming. Since 1996, I have been fortunate enough to have a game group at all times; it wasn't always the case, due to real life, but I've always been a gamer, made up characters for new gaming systems when I was bored, memorized the combat rules chapters on a rainy day, etc.

You aren't the only one.

In fact, if you're up for a heck of a road trip, come on down to Raleigh NC on the weekend of May 8th and spend that Saturday hanging out with about 20 or 25 ENWorlders gaming everything from D&D to d20 Modern. See my .sig for details.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Does anyone else here mostly just read the products? Do you know of any people who do? Am I an anomaly or is there a population of gamers out there who have never done much on the tabletop?

not with D&D, which I never read any of except the monster manual until I started playing 3E, but I was like that with several systems in my youth. Particularly remember reading all the shadow run stuff, but I've never played a game of it. My older brother games with his friends and I liked to read the rulebooks but was too much the little sister in that phase to be invited to play. I still like reading rulebooks, even for systems I never get a chance to play in - depending on the group availablity at the time I might like it more than playing.

Kahuna Burger

 

[Scotley]

Does anyone else here mostly just read the products? Do you know of any people who do? Am I an anomaly or is there a population of gamers out there who have never done much on the tabletop?

Well, I do play semi-regularly. We only manage to get together for a game about every 5 or 6 weeks. I do however, buy and read lots of stuff, and check in here a couple times a day. I would play more if I could, but being a married (to a non-gaming wife), full time employed, thritysomething with 2 kids and one on the way makes it tough. It is safe to say that I spend a lot more time reading and pondering now, but back in high-school/college we often played more than once a week. I hope that some day I'll be able to at least get back to a weekly game. I guess I should start looking at nursing homes that have rpg's on the activity calendar, but hope springs eternal.

Anyway, knowing the rules doesn't necessarily make for a good game. One of my favorite DM's makes lots of rulings on the fly and really hasn't studied the books since 1st edition even though we are technically playing 3.5 these days.

Scotley

 

[Herpes Cineplex]

Does anyone else here mostly just read the products? Do you know of any people who do? Am I an anomaly or is there a population of gamers out there who have never done much on the tabletop?

Weird. As I've gotten older and my free time has dwindled, I spend less time reading RPG books and more time playing. I've actually got two or three books on my shelf that I've never done anything more than skim briefly, and if at some point we decided to play using one of them, I probably wouldn't do more than skim through a few more chapters of them.

Back when I was a kid, I'd read 'em cover-to-cover, of course, but the days when I could enjoy reading everything from the setting description to the rules to the tables and charts and even get a kick out of the fluff are behind me, I guess. Now I can only bring myself to read the essential parts of an RPG, and only if we're actually going to play it soon. And even then, I've noticed that I tend to skim through it more often than not.

So it looks like you and I cancel each other out.

--
if i can only have an hour a day for leisure reading, i'll use it on a real book
ryan

 

[CaffeineBoy]

Well, I do play semi-regularly. We only manage to get together for a game about every 5 or 6 weeks. I do however, buy and read lots of stuff, and check in here a couple times a day. I would play more if I could, but being a married (to a non-gaming wife), full time employed, thritysomething with 2 kids and one on the way makes it tough. It is safe to say that I spend a lot more time reading and pondering now, but back in high-school/college we often played more than once a week. I hope that some day I'll be able to at least get back to a weekly game. I guess I should start looking at nursing homes that have rpg's on the activity calendar, but hope springs eternal.

Scotley

Amen, Scotley. I'm a just-turned-40-but-still-in-denial professional with a non-gaming wife, a child, a non-gaming ex-wife, a mortgage and a whole lot of other demands on my time. Until recently I was lucky if I could squeeze in a D&D game about once every two or three years. Not that I didn't buy everything in sight--I did--so I sympathize with Azazyll there. But until my son was old enough to appreciate the game, I hardly ever got to play.

It wasn't always that way. Highschool was amazing for gaming--once we discovered it (if you've done the math, this was about in 1979 <shudder>), we played almost daily. College was almost as good. We played at least weekly, if not more. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there.

Azazyll, all I can say is get out and play. The rules are really just inspiration for what I think is a terrific social passtime. Actually gaming with other like-minded (and not-so-like-minded) people is what it's all about. Since you're in college, you should have no trouble finding a group. Check the student union, check the local game stores, invite yourself in and start playing. Learn the craft of actually playing before you take the leap to DM, if you can. It helps a LOT. But, in a pinch, start up your own group. Find a bunch of newbies who have never played before and start up a game. Some of the most enduring friendships I have ever made began at the gaming table. And (as in all things) there is no time like RIGHT NOW. Trust me....

Best of luck! Doug.

 

[Belen]

Before I started gaming, I read a lot of the GH and FR novels and had bought a lot of the gaming books, although I did not feel comfy trying to find a group. I knew no one who admited playing until I was 16 and had my first job.

I knew a lot about FR on my first day gaming, so think I know how you feel. However, I have had a real time group for about 12 years now.

 

[Davelozzi]

Similar threads have popped up once or twice before, and there's generally been a fair number of people in your boat. I was one of them for years.

I've been collecting and reading D&D stuff since I was about 8 (around 1983). We played the very occasional one-shot that went nowhere in the first five years or so after that. Then we started a FR campaign that ran through much of junior high and the beginning of high school. After that, I went a few years without playing, then had two or three short campaigns in college (about a semester each). After college, I worked for a year in Boston, played briefly in one game and then just as briefly resurrected my old FR game for a month and half before moving to Seattle. I didn't know any other gamers there, and so didn't play at all while I lived there, except for a single one-shot one weekend when I was visiting back here in Boston. I got married and moved back to Boston right at the end of summer/beginning of fall 2000 as 3e was coming out and it took over a year before I had a game up and running. So that was about 3 years of reading but not playing, except for that one-shot.

Now, I finally get my gaming fill. My regular D&D group has been meeting every 3-4 weeks for the past couple of years, and thanks to meeting folks from EN World, I occassionally get to play other games as well. Currently, in addition to my regular campaign (homebrew), I'm running a short story arc of Dark Sun for a few folks from here and a few from my regular group.

 

[Bihor]

I play for 1 year and stop for two, with almost always new players
I move to mutch.
I buy around 1 book every 1 month for about 12 years. It help eas my gaming needs