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Podcasting D&D Games
Reader PoC wrote to give us a heads up on RPGmp3.com, a site that (wait for it) allows you to download reviews of D&D modules in audio format. These include live, unscripted excerpts from gaming sessions trying out the modules. If you've never played D&D before, this is a safe and cheeto-free way to check it out. They even have exerpts from sessions in the awe-inspiring ($100 US) World's Largest Dungeon.
The third comment on the page (dated October 26 @ 16:59:07 GMT) has the following complaint:
Some of you may have noticed that the site was down today was we had reached our bandwidth allowance. I have now upgraded the bandwidth to 17GB per month, which should tide us over for a while.
I predict that this will happen again, just 8 days later...
Singularity: a belief in the "God" idea with the "demiurge" relation inverted.
Oh God, this is not what I want to listen to.
DM: An inky black darkness envelopes the area right in front of you, cutting off your vision of the tunnel.
Player (replete with pocket protector and buck-teeth induced lisp): I casth magic missthile at the darknessth!
Oh yeah, I will so be downloading all of these and playing them right alongside my Vivaldi and Mozart mp3's. I tell ya', nothing initiates a Zen-like "self" moment quite like listening to the gorgeous, awe-inspiring arrangement of Vivaldi's Four Seasons Spring movement by Vanessa Mae, replete with hard-pounding trance-like fluidity, followed by 6 geeks arguing about the composition and chemical makeup of a 2d6 fireball.
I don't really care what your hobby is - there are going to be "normal" people doing it, and some rather extreme people. Whipping down a hill at 100mph on nothing put a board of wood or two is not exactly my favourite activity, but skiing at normal paces is fine. Heck, I know people who ski 3 times a week - how do they do it when they have jobs or girlfriends?
Answer: as with anything else in life, it's priorities. For those who don't spend time organising their priorities before doing them, the priorities naturally gravitate to things you feel comfortable doing, and that you are good at. Some people aren't comfortable in social situations as themselves - e.g., low self-esteem. Don't deny them their hobby just because they ain't like you.
The group that I currently game with involves: one MBA, one elementary teacher, one pre-school teacher, one engineer, and one tech graduate. The two teachers are women. We play once every few months. No harm, no foul - keep your paranoia and delusions to yourself.
Mind you ... none of us were anywhere near those 30th anniversary games.
Not to feed a troll, but... Gaming is a hobby with a 'loser' repuation. You might recall that, up until fairly recently, reading SF, tinkering with computers, and electronics had that same reputation-still do, to some extent. It's a pretty safe bet that anyone here does at least one of the three, and likely more than one. My gaming group consists of seven people. WE play once a month or so, because of our personal and professional lives. The group has a test engineer, a project manager, a software engineer, an avionics tech, a special ed teacher, an accountant, and a stay-at-home mom (two young kids). None of these are exactly name tag and paper hat professions. In the relationship area, the group is 3 couples and one single guy (me) who's single because I like my toys (Cars, computers, bikes, and paintball) and the ability to play with them freely more than I like relationships. I've had the experience to tell, too. Any hobby has its 'off' people. Tell me what your hobbies are, and I'm sure I can kick an unsavory stereotype at you; it will be at least as true as the ones about gamers...
So rather than having a turducken this Thanksgiving, have a nerdorkeek! Be sure to leave out the pencil-necks though...
Those who complain about affect & effect on
I find this post to be very humorous.
Someone who is stereotyping the whole D&D crowd from a website who's tagline "News for Nerds...."
Nerd!
Mookid77
There are indeed lots of folks who play Roleplaying Games that are socially..."special", but I would wager that the vast majority of RPG gamers are socially adept, bathe, and have no problem with the fairer sex.
I wish I could quote you a study here, but I don't have one available. I can only talk from my personal experience.
Among my own circle of gaming friends, nearly every one of them has a girlfriend. Many of the girlfriends game with us. I am happily in a circle of gamers that includes half a dozen women. This is not typical, from what I understand, but it is becoming less rare as the hobby regains popularity thanks to the D&D revival phenomenon. Within the group there is a married couple, an engaged couple (myself and my SO, actually), and a couple that has been together for almost 6 years.
We get together twice a week in two groups of four, with another bunch of folks that I haven't had the chance to game with yet getting together on another night during the week. Everyone shows up bathed, clothed, and no one stares at the women when we game. Of the group, I'm the only one who you'd have to worry about lifting dead weight if I were to fall unconcious. Everyone else in the group is of normal human proportions.
Again, I don't have data so I'm not sure of the general trends.
I do know your odd, cut and pasted reply to this story is a pretty shallow look at a diverse group of people who have a penchant for storytelling.
Supposedly, the Wives did a follow-up skit on the Dr. D Show involving the DM fudging dice rolls...
...which you can check out by going to rpgmp3.com's download section. Both the original and the follow-up are availiable in the "Random Audio Ramblings" catagory.
And they've only talked about snacks and food. Sounds like a D&D Session to me! Plus they're English. The only thing to dissuade me from verifying its authenticity is the fact that there appears to be a female player :)
Ok.. Having written that it's now 6 minutes in and they're still talking about snacks. All my doubts have been allayed
Graham: Galstaff, you have entered the door to the North, you are now by yourself standing in a dark room. The pungent smell of mildew emanates from the wet dungeon walls
2: WHERE ARE THE CHEETOS?!?!
Graham: They're right next to you
Galstaff: I cast a spell
2: Where's the mountain dew?
Graham: In the fridge, DUH!
Galstaff: I wanna cast a spell!
2: CAN I HAVE A MOUNTAIN DEW?!?!
Graham: Yes, you can have a mountain dew just go get it
Galstaff: I can cast any of these right, on the list?
Graham: Yes, any of the first level ones
2: I'M GOING TO GET A SODA, ANYONE WANT ONE?!?! HEY GRAHAM I'M NOT IN THE ROOM RIGHT?
Graham: What room?
Galstaff: I want to cast MAGIC MISSILE
2: THE ROOM WHERE HE'S CASTING ALL THESE SPELLS FROM!
Graham: He hasn't cast anything yet
Galstaff: I am though if you'd listen- I'm casting MAGIC MISSILE.
Graham: Why are you casting magic missile? There's nothing to attack here.
Galstaff: I... I'm attacking the darkness!
(LAUGHTER FROM ALL)
Graham: Fine, fine... you attack the darkness. There's an elf in front of you
4: WHOA! That's me right?
Graham: He's wearing a brown tunic, and he has gray hair and blue eyes
4: No I don't, I have gray eyes
Graham: Let me see that sheet
4: Well it says I have... well it says I have blue but I decided I want gray eyes
Graham: Whatever... Okay, you guys can talk to each other now if you want
Galstaff: Hello
4: Hello
Galstaff: I am Galstaff, sorcerer of light!
4: Then how come you had to cast magic missile?
(LAUGHTER FROM ALL)
Graham: You guys are being attacked
2: DO I SEE THAT HAPPENING?!?!
Graham: No, you're outside by the Tavern
2: COOL, I GET DRUNK
Graham: Sigh... there are seven ogres surrounding you
Galstaff: How could they surround us? I had Mordenkainen's Magical Watchdog cast
Graham: No you didn't!
2: I'M GETTING DRUNK, ARE THERE ANY GIRLS THERE?
Galstaff: I totally did! You asked me if I wanted any equipment before this adventure and I said no, but I need material components for all of my spells, so I cast Mordenkaiden's Faithful Watchdog.
Graham: But you never actually cast it
2: ROLL THE DICE TO SEE IF I'M GETTING DRUNK!
Graham: Arghhhh... yeah, you are
2: ARE THERE ANY GIRLS THERE?
Graham: Yeah...
Galstaff: I did though- I completely said when you asked me...
Graham: NO YOU DIDN'T. You didn't actually say that you were casting the spell so now there's Ogres okay?
2: OGRES? MAN, I'VE GOT AN OGRE-SLAYING KNIFE, IT'S GOT A +9 AGAINST OGRES!
Graham: YOU'RE NOT THERE! You're getting drunk!
2: OKAY, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY GIRLS THERE I WANT TO DO THEM!
Head of Vecna and Eric vs. The Gazeebo ;)
a polar bear is a rectangular bear after a coordinate change.