When you play in person, where do you play? (Poll)

[aco175]

30+ years ago we played at my parents house with my father being a player. About that time we switched to play at the Legion after the scouts meeting. I think we started off playing MagicTG with some other friends that do not play D&D, but switched at some point. We still play at the Legion for now with my father still involved in scouts. The odd week if there is no meeting we will play at my parents though.

 

[MNblockhead]

When I ran in person, I ran from my house. I had a dedicate gaming/activity area that had a separate entrance and a solid door to the stairs going upstairs. So I could have a group over without disturbing the rest of the family (and vice versa). I had run a game from a players house one or twice, I don't like lugging all my gaming stuff around.

Now I run my games online. When I'm back in my hometown, I'm fortunate to have a great FLGS that has private rooms, but I don't like to run games for my main campaign there. We'll usually play board games instead or I'll run a one-shot.

If you don't have good gaming store options nearby, check out your local libraries. In my area most have good meeting rooms which are available for free for residents with a library card to reserve. These are often better than getting a table in the common area of a gaming store. However, many of them have limits on how long you can use the conference room, but it differs from library to library.

Community centers may be another option, but in my area they are too costly for regular games.

Before COVID, there were a lot of companies that provided co‑working spaces. If everyone in the group were willing to pitch in, subscribing to a co‑working space could be affordable. Getting private conference rooms appropriate for gaming might be an added cost, however. Also, many of them just have glass walls and I would like to have more privacy.

When I was in New York, a lot of the delis/mini-grocers would have multiple levels for seating. They would be very busy during the day, but in the evenings they would be pretty dead with people just stopping in on an errand or if they did eat in would just get a table on the main level. So we would play in the empty lower or upper level. As long as we were buying snacks and drinks there, the owners didn't mind.

 

[schneeland]

When I still played in person regularly, I was driving to a player’s house. Mostly because the majority of the group stayed in the same area, but I had moved away. Before that we switched places semi-regularly (mostly because most of us were students and one home was as good as another).
These days, if we play at the table at all, we meet at whatever location is easiest to reach for everybody.

 

[aramis erak]

I voted public, because that's the actual situation, but preferred is at a player's house; my house currently cannot support it.

I have, however, played in vehicles, including public busses, back in the 80's... before a certain pastor revified the satanic panic over Rifts, Torg, and VTM. Stopped because his 1% of the city's population would go off even seeing me reading D&D, Rifts, Torg, or VTM on the bus. Usually getting themselves kicked off the bus... I do so wish we had had eReaders in the 80's.

 

[MacDhomnuill]

My only in-person game is with my kids, so we play at our house.

Same, been doing this so long I am not even sure I could run or play in a game with other adults anymore.

 

[Lidgar]

We rotate between two places that are pretty central to everyone else.

 

[Li Shenron]

Most often (and vastly so, like at least 90% of the times) it's been at the DM's place for me, whoever the DM was.

 

[Cadence]

I think I've pretty much always played at the GM's home... but I don't think there is any reason it couldn't be at a player's home.

When it grade and middle school it was the local comic/game/record/book shop, but run by the owner and she lived upstairs, so is that GM's home? There was a year in grad school where I ran (2e iirc) but it was at one of the couples who were playing's apartment.

 

[payn]

I've been in a VTT game so nobody hosts in that situation. Though, I've often had space to host and have done so over the years.

One group I joined 2 months ago has some pretty crazy logistics. One player's wife works one weekend a month and so we have to play at his place on that weekend. Another, can only play at his place on Fridays, but not Saturdays. The GM, actually has a place too small to host so never does. The last two of us can do whatever. Turns out we rotate which is necessary to make it happen. However, ive never been in a group so spread out. No matter who hosts, somebody is driving 45-60min. I've been trying to push towards me being a perm host since im in the middle (and rather close to GM with small place) though no dice.

 

[jmartkdr2]

My only current game is at the gm's house, although since his wife is a player it's technically also at a player's house (but I only voted for gm's house.)

I've done all of the above, plus at cons which is kinda like #3 but I wouldn't describe it that way.