Gaming has always been a passion of mine. I’d call it a hobby, but I think that doesn’t do it justice. Much of the draw of gaming isn’t just being on table; it’s having access to the community which surrounds every RPG out there. But that’s the hard part, getting connected with the community, and then finding the right people in that community to game with. For those of us that have relocated from other cities and states, it can be tough to get in contact with other like-minded folk. Going to your local gaming store is a good start, but sometimes that’s not enough or sometimes gaming stores aren’t available.
This was my dilemma. My Star Wars Saga Edition game didn’t have enough players to fill out the table and I didn’t just want to invite anyone off the street to come to my house every Friday and share my Doritos and Mr. Pibb. I’m a thirty-something married father of two and I was looking for people who understood the obligations that I had off-table, and that sometimes taking on the Sith Empire had to take a back seat to movie night with my kids. After researching my options (posting at hobby stores, online player registries etc.) I finally settled on trying to cast my net locally. I was gaming at my home, so it made sense to pull players from my immediate community. It was then that I decided to create my own Meetup group through the website Meetup.com.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Meetup.com, it’s worth checking out. Meetup.com is a web-based group management system for organizations of all types and sizes. Meetup.com’s focus is on bringing people interested in your particular interest to your Meetup site. Meetup.com then gives you the tools to manage your members and schedule meetings as you see fit. Though Meetup.com isn’t tailored to gaming per se, it has more than enough functionality to manage even the most demanding gaming groups (e.g. message boards, event scheduling, file repository). You can delegate responsibilities and have multiple people managing multiple events/games at the same time. Through Meetup.com you can also connect with other Meetup groups, merging events with other groups or bringing their members into yours.
Meetup.com does cost money – about $70.00 for every six months. But in my opinion it’s worth it. My meager group has gone from a half-dozen gamers to over 130 members. We’ve had big game days at hobby stores, and small sessions at a home. Recently, we began just getting together to have a few drinks and talk gaming. Through Meetup.com I’ve been given me the opportunity to connect with people before gaming with them, which is important since I’ve always felt that the best on-table experiences begin with a strong off-table friendship.
*Editor’s Note* I just checked out Meetup for the first time and found several Meetup groups in my area that I’d consider going to (but not the freaky lodge where they promise to “enliven my senses,” – wait, maybe I should check out that lodge…). Thanks to Robert for letting us know about Meetup. I wish I could join you guys down there in Surprise, Arizona.
Robert Herd
Gaming has always been a passion of mine. I’d call it a hobby, but I think that doesn’t do it justice. Much of the draw of gaming isn’t just being on table; it’s having access to the community which surrounds every RPG out there.