How to find a group?

[Grace_Norris]

Hi all

I recently decided to give in to this forlorn feeling, that a hiatus of 20 years from Traveller left me stranded with. It'll take a while to collect all those publication of CT (which I hope stands for "Classic Traveller" *g*) again, but I guess that's the fun part. The not-so-much fun part is the sudden realization, that I can't just pick up the phone and call my old headgame buddies.

Over the last two or three weeks I checked out local game shops, but frankly, their little pinpads don't help and their backroom groups play either AD&D or some funky new Vampire clone. Next I dug through some sites on the web, that organize meetup groups. For a short while I thought I struck gold there, because there are people out there who play Traveller. Or so I thought. It got pretty obvious pretty quickly, that the people on those sites are happily talking about meeting to play, but for some reason it is not happening now and it seems, it never was. Of course, if I could just find it in me to start playing AD&D or some funky Vampire clone...

Earlier today I stumbled over these forums and signed up. You guys are playing Traveller one way or another. So, do you have any viable ideas how to find people who actually want to play?

 

[aramis]

I'd be surprised to find any gamestore backroom running AD&D... that line's been dead since 1997. 3E, 3.5E, 4E owe asmuch to D&D (Basic/Expert/Companion/Master) as late 2nd Ed AD&D.

Finding a traveller group is, as always, a matter of getting away from the D&D/WWG-WoD crowd, or converting a few. Post a notice in your LGS, and see what happens...


If you don't mind PDFs (ebooks), getting everything is easy...

Now, you can get almost everything from CT in Scanned PDF's from Drive Through RPG/RPGNow...

or, cheaper, order the consolidated CD's for $35 each from Far Future Enterprises. (Sorry, no DGP stuff...)... CT-GDW, MegaTraveller, FASA/Gamelords-CT... and 2300, Twilight2K 1E, Twilight 2K 2E. 35 each disk. Same PDFs as DTRPG.

 

[Supplement Four]

Yes, Wil is correct. If you don't mind pdf's, you can spend just a little and get the entire game line--just about. Typically, people buy the CD-ROMs, and them buy hard copies of their favorite/most used books.

FFE also publishes big floppy books, that are a type of omnibus for Classic Traveller. Check out the FFE site.



As for getting gamers to play: I see you're from Houston. There's a thread around here somewhere, recent (do a search) that lists a few people from Houston. You need, what, three players? You should be able to find them.

Check the net, too. I think there's a CT meet-up listing. And, this and other gaming forums might be able to get you the people you want.

 

[CosmicGamer]

You want to look in
TravellerRPG.com > Citizens of the Imperium > General Traveller Discussions > Recruiting Office Do a search on your city.

There are a variety of places you can play by post (PbP). Including this site. Play by Post - OOC is where the games start up and http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/forumdisplay.php?f=76 is where the games occur. If you are interested in this style of playing, say so, and we can post other sites we've found to play at.

http://nearbygamers.com/ is a place where you might find gamers in your area.

There is software available to help with playing on line games. Live chat, dice rolling, maps, sharing files... OpenRPG and MapTool/RPTools come to mind. Personally, I have not had much luck with this. Lots of excitement when the game first starts, but then... You still run into the same problem as in person games: players lives interrupt scheduled game nights to the point where the game falls apart.

Good luck.

 

[RKFM]

There is software available to help with playing on line games. Live chat, dice rolling, maps, sharing files... OpenRPG and MapTool/RPTools come to mind. Personally, I have not had much luck with this. Lots of excitement when the game first starts, but then... You still run into the same problem as in person games: players lives interrupt scheduled game nights to the point where the game falls apart.

I like RPTools myself, and they have a new build: http://www.rptools.net/

However, as CG said, I've found that tools like these can actually encourage lame attendance.

If you haven't played a game in a while, check out this article from another thread: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6719812/305vas-Ostracism-in-RPGs. Take it as a warning...

 

[Kilgs]

Neaby Gamers is a great resource. You can also check the Pen and Paper RPG forums as they have a complete database and notify you of individuals within XX number of miles with similar interests.

 

[Darkhstarr]

I can understand the feeling. I haven't had an ongoing campaign for about ten years, just running Traveller at cons. I've been asked to run a campaign by some of my con regulars, but I really no longer feel my current mental state is up to running a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly game session.

Hopefully, if the next 7 months life straightens out & I'm not part of the next round of layoffs things may change.

The upside is that with pulling stuff out of the attic & the basement, I've found some more of my old Traveller notes including some of my Far Frontiers & Foreven sector data.

 

[Qstor2]

You might consider checking out Mongoose Traveller. Its similar to CT and in print.

There's also gamer 'finding' aids/groups on Meetup.com, Enworld.org and Yahoo! Groups.

Mike

 

[Grace_Norris]

Thanks for the feedback, guys, especially the tip with the recruiting office.

I thought, maybe I am just too dumb to find people, but from what I understand, even four and a half million people in this town seem to have difficulties to produce a steady weekly group.

 

[jappel]

There's also Nearby Gamers, which lets you plug in your zip code and what games you're interested in, and displays a map showing other people in the area with interests in the same games. (You can also just look for other people in the area and what games they're interested in.)

http://nearbygamers.com/

 

[Grace_Norris]

Last time I tried, I typed in a downtown zip for Houston, TX, and the closest Traveller group it spat out was "nearby" in Arkansas

Maybe I should change the focus of my question. Maybe instead of asking "Where are ye, ye olde Traveller fans?" I should ask "Once I have found a nest of die hard Traveller fans, how can I wake them from their beauty sleep?" ... err... "...optimally without smooching them?"

But seriously, after checking sources named in this thread (thanks to all of you), the challenge seems to be exactly the same like I found it on the Meetup website to begin with. There isn't a shortage of Traveller fans willing and eager to play, just a shortage of Traveller fans willing and eager to play once a week on the same evening.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I understand not thinking about roleplaying games. Didn't do so in twenty years (besides the occasional nagging feeling of missing something very badly). I also understand tight schedules. I have an appointment book chained to my ankle and scare the esoterically inclined to tears with my chain rattling and howling. But I remember during college we used to play at least twice a week, and my group had six players plus a GM.

So yes, seriously, for all of you, who don't find the time to actually play in a group, what would make a weekly game evening worth your time? Enough worth your time in fact to sacrifice something else for it?

 

[CosmicGamer]

So yes, seriously, for all of you, who don't find the time to actually play in a group, what would make a weekly game evening worth your time? Enough worth your time in fact to sacrifice something else for it?

Cash incentive? Free gaming material? Dinner, snacks and drinks provided?

Seriously, if they are people I already know and like to hang out with it is easier to give up a night.

When trying to start up a group with strangers, perhaps you do some short convention style adventures that can be played in one session. Work into it slowly and create a bond with them until you all want to game on a more regular basis. Go out and see a movie and do other activities too so that you make more of a connection that just 'the guys I RP with when I get a chance'.

Personally, I've see lots of issues with weekends. Holidays, family events, weekend getaways, special projects at work, and whatever else, it seams like someone often has something else they need to do.

 

[ThunderChilde]

Too True, Sundays are the best of the two weekend days, most stable by and large. Speaking just on behalf of the interlocking circles of RPG folks I know, we haven't had a female player since, um about 95-96. We never had more than 2 at a time in any case, seem quite rare in these parts. Caveat, I do know of some, but they play WOD (World of Darkness), and we don't.

I've been on nearby gamers for a while and I seem to be in the sahara of gamers, 90 to 120 miles to anyone nearby.

Good luck and do mean that finding a circle of likely players.

 

[sabredog]

Like CosmicGamer says, the session has to be about more than just playing Traveller or it will be too hard eventually to compete with everything else going on in people's lives.

This is especially true when they have kids, spouses, holidays, varied job schedules, sick kids, sick spouses...etc. The last time I had a group that got together nearly every Saturday night for a game was when I was in my 20's (as was everyone else in the group). Once we hit our 30's and lives got complicated games started taking backseat to life in general.

Since then I play mostly during the summers because at least then everyone's kids are not on school and sports schedules, plus my wife and one of the regular players are teachers so they have the time off. But even with this the real reason we have still gotten together to play at all is because its a social event rather than just game night.

Not that if we wouldn't spend more time if we could, its just that one's life gets complicated. But just wait till I retire - man, it'll be game night every night!:rofl:

 

[Icosahedron]

Not that if we wouldn't spend more time if we could, its just that one's life gets complicated. But just wait till I retire - man, it'll be game night every night!:rofl:

Yeah, Traveller's 50th birthday is where it'll be at, with all the Old School retired.

Unless we're gaming with Mr Gygax, that is.

Either way, we'll be in gamer heaven.

 

[ThunderChilde]

Orly, 50th you say?

Just 8 short years away to the 50th. My current group has been gaming since 82 for the oldest association most of the rest since 86. Folks have come and gone, some never came back. Most are gaming friends, we don't really hang much otherwise, a few are close friends and have been for a very long time. I still game with one of my High School friends and games club members.

That said, we talk an awful lot, sometimes see movies, go to airshows, that sorta thing. We frequently Geek Out too, truth be known.

Good Luck Grace, I hope you can find some Gamers, and some new friends at the same time.

 

[Icosahedron]

Just 8 short years away to the 50th.

I meant Traveller's 50th - 2027.