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Breaking Into Pen and Paper

FanciestWalnutFanciestWalnut Registered User regular
edited July 2007 in Critical Failures
I have recently moved to Chicago and really don't know anybody in my local area. My question is this: How do I find a group of people to play some D&D or something of that nature? I am a noobie to the table top gaming field and wonder what is the easiest area to get into? I know D&D is "classic" so to say but is there a more enteraining or easier to learn game out there?

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Posts

  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I think we've had a few topics like this before...

    Look through your phonebook or drive around and find your local comic/gaming shop. Go there and find a nice employee to talk to. Try to pick one that looks like a gamer, or ask them if which employee is the biggest gamer.

    Most places will know the local gamers, or even have a book with the groups and their phone numbers or emails written down.

    Reynolds on
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  • Tony HellmannTony Hellmann Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I have recently moved to Chicago and really don't know anybody in my local area. My question is this: How do I find a group of people to play some D&D or something of that nature? I am a noobie to the table top gaming field and wonder what is the easiest area to get into? I know D&D is "classic" so to say but is there a more entertaining or easier to learn game out there?

    The Chicago D&D Meetup Group 160+ members

    The Chicago Sci-Fi/Fantasy Meetup Group 210+ members

    Try those folks. Both groups are very active.

    Hope that helps!

    --Tony

    Tony Hellmann on
    Tony Hellmann
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  • ZORRZAXXZORRZAXX Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I have recently moved to Chicago and really don't know anybody in my local area. My question is this: How do I find a group of people to play some D&D or something of that nature? I am a noobie to the table top gaming field and wonder what is the easiest area to get into? I know D&D is "classic" so to say but is there a more enteraining or easier to learn game out there?

    If you're into horror/sci-fi, I'd recommend Call of Cthulhu, which is (to me at least) much less complicated than D&D. Mostly, it depends on the GM and how tight a game he or she is running, as to how strict the rules are, but D&D has so so many of them.

    ZORRZAXX on
  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    ZORRZAXX wrote: »
    If you're into horror/sci-fi, I'd recommend Call of Cthulhu, which is (to me at least) much less complicated than D&D. Mostly, it depends on the GM and how tight a game he or she is running, as to how strict the rules are, but D&D has so so many of them.
    Err..what?

    Call of Cthulhu is a nice game but I'd never view it as a "staple" game. If half the party isn't dead and the other half insane by a few sessions in you're playing some weird variant.

    The concept of D&D can be hard to get into people, what with no winning. CoC is worse since it's a game you don't win but will probably still "lose".

    DevoutlyApathetic on
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  • ZORRZAXXZORRZAXX Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Devout:
    What you say is true, but I was basing my recommendation on the assumption that the OP found the enormously complicated rules for D&D to be a barrier to enjoyment. I first learned how to play D&D, then branched out to a number of tabletop RPGs, but I never found any of them to be as engaging as a good session of CoC. That's not to say that I don't dig the others, but CoC has a simple, intuitive rule set, and sessions don't generally last for days (yes, sometimes that's because all your characters die or end up in Arkham). If you are looking to learn an RPG, and are intimidated by massive statistics tables, I think it's a good place to start.

    ZORRZAXX on
  • SquashuaSquashua __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    If you just moved to Chicago, you could always hire Ken Hite to give you a tour of the crazy shit, then have him run a game of Call of Cthulhu for you.

    Seriously.

    Squashua on
  • seabassseabass Doctor MassachusettsRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I've always had trouble finding a group in new areas. My family moved on me when I entered high school, and I didn't fall into a group in high school until the end of my sophomore year. A similar thing happened to me when I hit college. Now that I'm doing my graduate work, I'm in the exact same position again.

    I've been to the campus PnP club a couple of times, but I have trouble hitting a game thats just starting, and that seems to be a problem for them. I've finally decided that if I can't get in on one at the start this year, I'll be starting one in the fall. The lamest part is that now that I'm on the east coast, I can't even get my fix at gencon this summer. </whine>

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