Tips for Rebuilding a Gaming Community

[Retreater]

So probably like many communities around the world, COVID decimated the local gaming scene in my town. Our FLGS still don't have RPGs (they have just in the past couple months started bringing back Magic events). The town's social media groups for any tabletop games (board games, RPGs, etc.) are a ghost town.
Honestly, I've been gaming in this town since the time of the Satanic Panic, and the gaming landscape is just about as bad as I've ever seen it.
I don't think it's as hopeless as all that. I'm hoping that maybe I can put a spark in the local gaming community. (And if you've followed my posts on here, you know that I'm the resident pessimist and I hate everything. But still, I think I need to try something.)
How would you go about starting this? See if the FLGS would start allowing RPGs again? Would you try to run the newest, most popular thing? Campaigns or starter adventures? What you want to run or what you think would bring in people?

 

[nedjer]

I'd maybe consider who you're aiming at and how to reach them first off. Is it re-animating gemers who were once out there and/ or drawing in new players? In terms of titles 5e is safe and well supported, while the likes of Aliens or Dune preload lots of widely-appealing lore and offer some novelty for more experienced players.