Gaming at meetup

Do you actually run one-shot games at your meetups?

I'm thinking that may be something we could try. Have open gaming tables. GMs bring a game, and players that would like to join, just have a oneshot adventure. If groups form from that, great.

Well, we actually haven't had a meeting yet, so that's to be sorted out.

Still the meeting would lend to one shots or serial campaigns. (A serial campaign is sort of like episodic TV. Each adventure has nothing to do with any other adventure.)

I also see it as a great place for playtesting new RPGs. I do design work on a freelance basis for a RPG company and we're about ready to playtest one of our games. I can see holding playtest sessions at a meetup event.

Well, we actually haven't had a meeting yet, so that's to be sorted out.

Still the meeting would lend to one shots or serial campaigns. (A serial campaign is sort of like episodic TV. Each adventure has nothing to do with any other adventure.)

I also see it as a great place for playtesting new RPGs. I do design work on a freelance basis for a RPG company and we're about ready to playtest one of our games. I can see holding playtest sessions at a meetup event.

There must be something in the air. I didn't check this message board out until today, but for my own group (Minneapolis), I'm suggesting that we do this.

I only recently signed up as the Group Organizer and there wasn't much to go on. Meeting attendance is quite low, but I'm doing what I can to attract new members. I'm going to experiment with meeting times and venues to see what days or weeks would generate better attendance (I've sat up to two hours waiting for people to show up).

It's been a long time since I've been a GM, so I'm hoping one of our members will volunteer to run the first weekend one-shot gaming sessions next month.

Look forward to see more discussion about this.

Thanks,
Lea

We did it. We had actual gaming at the regular meetup event. More folks showed.

We had 3 games to play, but everyone joined in one one game. In and out about 9 players and 1 GM. Well, things got a bit to slow in the game for the amount of time we had to play, but it was fun. Even non-meetup people join us.

We've decided next time we'll break up into smaller groups of 3-5 gamers. The teashop people were happy to see so many showed up.

Very cool. I'm glad you posted this. Feedback accumulated under Past Events is typically sparse, and I was curious how the more play heavy focus went.

Maybe I'm a bit too easy-going, but I intend leaving off running games at the meetups I'll organise. I feel as though that perception that you'll be expected to take part in a game may put off people who would otherwise just drop in and get to know the regular members first.

On the other hand, having an activity to take part in or spectate might well be a bigger drawcard. Still, as Cairns has very few gamers, I don't want to rush things at the moment.

You definitely want to get to be friends before gaming together, IMO. Ron's roleplayer group has around 100 members and over a year of event history. They're ready to kick it in with play at the meetings.

It looks like your group is just getting started, (kind of like mine ) so, yea: do the talk thing.

Well, my group held a character generation session this Saturday. It is not our regular meetup. We had only three people from the Meetup show up. I sent out a reminder notice and thanked those who RSVPed and asked others to RSVP even if it was a 'no'. I emphasized that using the comment box would let peole viewing the event know what's up. Some people were out of town others were attending a pre-convention event.

Those of us who did show up created characters for a GURPS campaign.

I had several people ask about the group and what we were doing and how often we meet; invited the querrents to attend the monthly meetup coming up this Tuesday.

We decided that the Saturday's venue would be great for demo game events once every three months. We agree that we need to keep the main meetup event as a social event but gaming events would be special events outside the monthly event.

I've also suggested on our message board that any groups hosting gaming let me know if they're seeking new players so we can post as an event. I haven't had much of a response, yet, but it would give us something to talk about at our meeting on Tuesday.

For the campaign that I want to run, I've expressed that I will do a short run of four sessions--outside our regular meetup--so other people might have an opportunity to run something.

I'll keep you updated on how things turn out.

Lea

We have not tried this yet. There have been a few of us who have gotten together and ran a one shot with out it being a meetup but that was more when my group was young.