Role-playing Games in Libraries

[Dannyalcatraz]

Heaven help some English gamers who try playing an RPG at a bar in the (rural) South...they may have their own "Top Gear" moment:

"Rufus, Clyde, Skeeter...I do believe we got us some Satan lovers here..."

 

[prosfilaes]

That's the great thing about the English - they practically never do that. It makes playing in English pubs very practical, whereas I wouldn't fancy trying it in a bar in Belfast or Glasgow. Or Australia or Tennessee.

Here in Nevada my board gaming group plays in a bar & grill. There's a clear separation between us and the bar area, which probably does solve some problems. The worst we get is the occasional person asking if we're playing Monopoly. (NO.) The other problem is that we generally eat there and the food is at best mediocre.

We did clear it with the establishment before hand, and we did get asked to leave another place for reasons that were never really explained to our satisfaction. (Part of the explanation given was that the waitress was having trouble splitting the bills.)

 

[Rechan]

That's the great thing about the English - they practically never do that. It makes playing in English pubs very practical, whereas I wouldn't fancy trying it in a bar in Belfast or Glasgow. Or Australia or Tennessee.

It's not a PUB, but I once ran a D&D demo (really, a "here's how the rules work" combat sequence) in a Tennessee mall food court.

The only bystander reaction we received was an old woman asking us what we were playing, and when I replied D&D, she said "Oh my grandson would like that!"

 

[S'mon]

It's not a PUB, but I once ran a D&D demo (really, a "here's how the rules work" combat sequence) in a Tennessee mall food court.

The only bystander reaction we received was an old woman asking us what we were playing, and when I replied D&D, she said "Oh my grandson would like that!"

Yeah, I was thinking more of the dive bars outside Lawrenceburg TN (traditionally a dry city) - my wife's home town.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

Yeah, I was thinking more of the dive bars outside Lawrenceburg TN (traditionally a dry city) - my wife's home town.

Lawrenceburg, IN isn't any better. Some friends and I were playing at a bar about 4 years ago and some 'necks decided to "accidentally" spill beer on our books as they walked by.

Yeah, never playing in a bar again.

 

[Gilladian]

You do know about the google group called LibGaming, right? Libgaming[MENTION=39613]Google[/MENTION]groups.com

 

[nedjer]

You do know about the google group called LibGaming, right? Libgaming @Google groups.com

Where I'm afraid the OP will run into me again.

There's not much in there on Tabletop RPGs, but there's plenty on running videogame sessions/ noisy stuff and how to get it to fit in. Also a good place to ask questions of US celebrity library gamers, e.g. Scott Nicholson and Liz Danforth.

 

[Crazy Hedgehog]

Hey, thanks very much for all the replies. Haven't had a chance to monitor this thread as closely as I would have liked and to respond to all your comments.

I agree, from my own experience rpg gaming can get fairly loud and boisterous, and has at times included mock sword fights, dancing, and funny voices. Perhaps, if games are played at libraries, it is best to have a private room to play in. At the same time, the noise could be a positive thing as well. It shows that the library is open to having fun, and if people are coming over to watch you play, you never know they might be potential new players.

The main problem I've always run into with playing rpgs in cafes and the like are that there is never enough room for everything, and heaven forbid you knock your drink onto someone's character sheet!

 

[Crazy Hedgehog]

Some libraries have them and some don't- here's a recent thread discussing the issue: http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/315743-why-arent-rpgs-public-libraries.html

Thanks for everyone who provided links to other threads and websites: I'll definitely have a look.