Monday, May 24, 2010

Pining for SGS (but not SGS)

Being naive and dorky (and when "the web" was still in its infancy), I clearly remember one of the first things I did when I moved into the dorms in college: I took out a Magic card from my box, pasted it on my door, and wrote something to the effect of "If you know what this is, let me know!" One knock on the door later (from a guy postering for Film Series who I would later know as Juj) would eventually lead me to something I never could have imagined: a still-forming Gaming Club (the eponymous Strategic Gaming Society).
A weekly meeting of fellow dorks and geeks, getting introduced to games (including German imports like the original "Die Siedler") and having hours on end to try them and play them and even leave boards on a table in a locked conference room for a week.
For more than 4 years I was attached to this club (yes, I overstayed my welcome, the Film Series Curse that would take me some time to escape), I held every named position for some time, and I established some friendships that still last (cue sappy music)...

Sorry, where was I?

Oh yes.
Now, I'm old. I'm in my mid-30s, I have (in no particular order) a job, a mortgage, a wife and a toddler. I have "responsibilities". I have gamer friends with their own "responsibilities". The pact to meet monthly to play our old-folks D&D game cannot be kept up. I get to game on most Monday nights but the focus is usually on VTES.
I just don't have too much time to try out new boardgames (that support more than 2 people and/or that my lovely wife isn't interested in; thankfully she likes some Gamer games!) or to play the 3+-hour games too many individual times. Sometimes I wish I still had that flexibility.

Trying to organize my own "board game day" is only serving to prove my point. Gathering folks from several different gaming circles, even, on the one day in the near future that I can finally take one day to do such a thing, and I'm answered with a handful of (legitimate) No answers. Now, hopefully I can still enact this plan, and maybe there's even a prayer of making it something regular, but I can't help thinking about the days when I could just walk into a room in the Campus Center and say "What are we playing today?"

3 comments:

  1. Organizing gaming groups is hard because gamers are often flaky and a little strange. I've had more luck organizing people for VTES in terms of reliably showing up than for just "games." If people all agree on what they're going to play ahead of time, it seems to help clarify who is interested and who will attend. Good luck!

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  2. Alas, I know your predicament. My answer....Look to the future young man! Soon the toddler will be a teen and, consequently, want nothing to do with you (until xe needs cash!). The wife will join a book club and want to spend regular time with the "girls"! The job will become routine and require less time and energy outside of work. And, conveniently, slots of open time will fall into place. Then, someone else will walk into YOUR regularly scheduled game night and ask you, "What are we playing today?"

    At least, that is what I'm holding out for....

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  3. Yeah, this was more of a "we're all getting older" post with a gaming theme, rather than a specific complaint. I think I have relatively good access to gamers, as a matter of fact. But hey, it got some more followers to my blog now, didn't it?

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