Where is your gaming room?

[buzz]

You make it sound so much more sinister and psychotic than I meant. A new game group is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get.

I had a feeling my post might come off this way, but my intention was to say that I thought your criteria were unrealistic, not psychotic. Your further explanation of why you don't want to game in your house (disturbing the baby) helps me to understand that aspect.

Still, how big is your house? Could the gaming area be at the end opposite the baby's room? Would there be enough buffer space?

As for "jackhole" players, how often has this come up?

Anyway, I'm just saying that, like the old saying about "fast, cheap, and good," I think that you can likely have any two of your criteria, but not all three. You simply need to prioritize. Not disturbing that baby seems to be top priority, so you need to choose between privacy and control.

It's a given that playing in a pubic area eliminates privacy, but the existence of a "jackhole" player may or may not happen. Ergo, I would go ahead and play at a player's house. If your players are all cool, then it's not a problem. If one turns out to be a "jackhole," either clear actions you plan to take with the host, or else deal with the player outside of the session. If you run into the even less likely event that the "jackhole" is the host's friend, well, then maybe they both need to go, or you need to keep looking for a new group.

Otherwise, you're going to have to get a motel room, and I tell you, there is no way in hell I would agree to meet a group of strangers at a motel.

 

[diaglo]

Otherwise, you're going to have to get a motel room, and I tell you, there is no way in hell I would agree to meet a group of strangers at a motel.

back alley, hallway, or trusty woods.

i used her. she used me but neither one cared.

we were getting our share..


my first meeting with my first attempt at the new edition. i visited message boards. found a DM looking for players. i emailed him. he replied. i sent him my number. he called. things were going fine. he invited me to meet him out of game, but at his place. i agreed.

so i show up. he lived in an apartment. not the richest part of town. knock on the door. he tells me to come in. nice guy. we are chatting he is telling me about his past roleplaying. i respond with a few stories of my own. he gets up to use the bathroom. so a look around the room a little more.

on the wall he has a symbol. a very large blair witch project thingie. he had mentioned being pagan, but i hadn't known what that meant. anyway he comes back and sees me staring. he tells me that belongs to his roommate. he then says," but she's a witch." i say, " is your roommate that bad?" he laughs. he meant a "real" witch. i hang around a few more minutes and then split...

 

[Angelsboi]

tsk tsk David. You game with two witches. Shane and I.

 

[Ukyo the undead]

In my former group we used to play in one of the player´s bedroom.

The issue is that it was small( 3mX4m) and crowded with furniture. Worse, there was a big Shelf in the middle of the room, making really really tight.

Oh, and we were a group of six players.

We used to call it "Mir"...

 

[mistergone]

I can totally understand not wanting strange people in your home. I live alone, with a huge house and lots of place to play, but I've been having the problem of not wanting just any person in my house.
Let's face reality... some gamer people... are not the cleanest or sanest people. I have met all kinds, from good Christian family guys to gothic mistresses of the macabre to your atypical convention-going unwashed gamer geek. They're by no means all bad, and I've met a lot of good people through gaming. (Wow, come to think of it, all the friends I have now, in one way or another, I have met in relation to gaming.)
However, I've met even more freaks. And I'm talking hard core circus reject freaks. People I wouldn't want around my pets much less my kids or spouse.
The best bet is to meet initially at a local game store that has some tables available to play at. Like someone else said, just chill out and talk about the game and stuff. Maybe explain campaign specifics. One way I've found that really works (all the two times I've used it) is to also hold the first "mini-game" at the game store too, where you run a sample combat scenario. Here you can make characters, introduce any house rules you might have with the game system, and most importantly, see how the players play. You can learn a lot about a gamer by running through a combat with them, and by seeing what kind of character they make or like to play.
Then at the end, you tell everyone that you'll be in touch soon for scheduling the regular game. Invite only the people you think you can get along with. As for those you decide you don't want to game with, well, you have a few options, it's up to you and your personal style. Heck, they don't know where you live.

 

[Jeph]

First off, which local gaming store? I've only ever been to Games Galore, and want to know about more in the area. I'm not sure how late GG is open, but it's got a gaming room in the back that would probably be available if they're not hosting a SWTCG tourny or something.

Personally, I just play in my dining room. But, hmm, stores in the area . . .

I've played a few games at the local Borders, which is open pretty late, 9-ish I think. Perhaps you could start an hour early? But that might be too public for your tastes . . .

For CoC, you could try the middle of the woods by shelly lake. That's pretty secluded at 10:00.

Well, that's my (meager) bit of advice.
-Jeph