How to Get the Younguns

[bloodshadows]

I've done my part. A friend of mine who loves Call of Cthulhu and the system, in particular, had apparently turned his 16yr old son onto the game. I've got more copies of the game than I know what to do with so I gave him one.

Now I need to talk to them about the wonders of BRP.....

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by RosenMcStern

David ultimately had some chances against Goliath, let's be honest. But Dobyski versus Larry Elmore..... tsk!

Yeah, that's one of the things that kept me playing RQ... never could stand Elmore's art.

This discussion of 'how to get the younguns' reminds me of my friend whose only experience of gaming was seeing 'creepy guys in the back room at the comic book store and the little boys they brought with them'... he suspected it was some sort of NAMBLA convention.

[Dredj]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

Yeah, that's one of the things that kept me playing RQ... never could stand Elmore's art.

This discussion of 'how to get the younguns' reminds me of my friend whose only experience of gaming was seeing 'creepy guys in the back room at the comic book store and the little boys they brought with them'... he suspected it was some sort of NAMBLA convention.

I've noticed that the word 'creepy' is being overused for EVERYTHING that's unusual in recent years. Usually, the people who use it are sometimes people who need to get out more, but definitely need to interact more with people outside of their narrow range of social interactions. I don't know your friend, of course. I'm just saying that's what I notice from people who use that word often for things they don't understand.

Also, what's this fixation with pedophilia that almost everyone seems to have, nowadays?

[Harshax]

There are a few things needed to attract more gamers (of any age).

Good Settings: Evocative, with great art, and is accessible to home brewed scenarios.
Prolific writers.
Third party support.

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by Dredj

Also, what's this fixation with pedophilia that almost everyone seems to have, nowadays?

I think it's mostly due to news people looking for 'exciting' stories...
It's silly to me but it has effected my comfort level around kids... even older ones... because it feels like everyone is prone to assume the worst.

Anyway... I didn't see the guys my friend was referring to... I assume he'd find most gamer types 'creepy'... but he's a suspicious sort of guy... he'd definitely find a thread called 'how to get the younguns' suspicious.

[Dredj]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

I think it's mostly due to news people looking for 'exciting' stories...
It's silly to me but it has effected my comfort level around kids... even older ones... because it feels like everyone is prone to assume the worst.

Anyway... I didn't see the guys my friend was referring to... I assume he'd find most gamer types 'creepy'... but he's a suspicious sort of guy... he'd definitely find a thread called 'how to get the younguns' suspicious.

I'm running into an awful lot of people like your friend lately. Also, I agree about your above comment about people assuming the worst. Pretty much everyone I know has had their comfort zone effected from people assuming the worst about this kind of thing.

[seneschal]

The "creepy guy in the back room" phenomenon is a legitimate concern. To attract younger gamers we have to create a family friendly environment. Not immediately killing off a new player's starting character is only part of that.

A couple bad examples: I've taken my kids to a couple local game/comic shops. At one, teen and pre-teen Halo players greeted us by loudly cursing like sailors at the online action. My 11-year-old son said he had no desire to return to that location. Another store hosts Saturday HeroClix sessions ... in a dirty, cramped back room with icky bathroom facilities. Ruthless gameplay wasn't so much a concern, but the language and attitudes of older players was. One insisted on using foul language and discussing questionable topics despite remonstrance by another player (not me) that children were present. And tournament play required participants to purchase new playing pieces on a regular basis, OK perhaps for singles with no responsibilities but not sustainable when you've got kids to house and feed.

If we want to attract younger players, we'll have to adjust our language, dress, behavior and possibly playing style as well. If I want 10-year-olds to participate, perhaps I shouldn't run that half-demon lesbian axe murderer even if she does happen to be my favorite character. My campaign scenarios perhaps should be more upbeat, less violent, less focused on the occult, should avoid some topics altogether. Maybe I shouldn't wear that T-shirt featuring the nearly nude female warrior with blood dripping from her scimitar. Does it cramp my 40-something '70s sci fi nerd style to do so? Maybe. But such sacrifices may be necessary if I'm to win the enthusiasm of new players and (as importantly) the trust of their parents.

[soltakss]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

I think it's mostly due to news people looking for 'exciting' stories...
It's silly to me but it has effected my comfort level around kids... even older ones... because it feels like everyone is prone to assume the worst.

That's their problem, not mine.

To be honest, though, the only contact I have with children is with my nephews and they have never expressed an interest in roleplaying, in fact I doubt if they know that Uncle Simon plays silly games.

But, I have seen kids at conventions happily playing RPGs.

Originally Posted by Simlasa

Anyway... I didn't see the guys my friend was referring to... I assume he'd find most gamer types 'creepy'... but he's a suspicious sort of guy... he'd definitely find a thread called 'how to get the younguns' suspicious.

What do we play? Roleplaying GAMES.

Who normally plays games? Kids.

I can't see anything wrong with a thread aimed at attracting more children into roleplaying.

Could my idea of a tube of Smarties in every box be misconstrued, then?

Believe me, if people wanted to find things about roleplaying that scared them off there's a lot scarier than this thread.

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by soltakss

What do we play? Roleplaying GAMES.

Who normally plays games? Kids.

I've been playing with a new group lately... and sometimes the son of a couple of them comes along... but he doesn't play with us... instead he sits on the couch and plays with his handheld Nintendo.

It might be his parents' choice to exclude him... I don't know... but he seems awfully content to just play video games.

I wonder if, for him, it's kind of like it is for me when I watch my parent's play Bridge...

[kustenjaeger]

Greetings

My children knew from a young age that their father played wierd games but telling them fantasy stories led to an interest in roleplaying (our son was also getting into Warhammer). We started with D&D for ease of getting into but they've been playing a variety of RPGs for a few years. Our son is 17 now and three of his friends play too - in fact he is running a D20 Star Wars game later this evening (a combat heavy clone wars commando game as his sister is away ).

We've also played a tweaked MRQ and they like D100 as a style to play but I think I'm the only one who would run it.

Some of my university friends have certainly had some success getting their own children to play but I think it has all been 'at home' with friends rather than in a game store environment.

Regards

Edward