TRASHDOME: Non-Gamers or Random Gamers?

WELCOME TO THE TRASHDOME!

This episode, we're asking the tantalizing question: Is it better to play hobby games with non-gamer family/friends, or is it better to play hobby games with random strangers at a Meetup or FLGS? Would you rather force Cyclades on your family of philistines, or instead, would you rather be forced to play it with random people you've just sat down and met at a local game store??

Edit: The definition of a Hobby Game, the scope of this Trashdome, is "Any game that, until 3 years ago, would not be found in Target, local supermarkets, or Wal-Mart. Games like TIcket To Ride, Pandemic, Dominion, and others of that ilk would only have been available online or from a specialty game store until relatively recently, so for the purposes of this Trashdome, they and their peers are Hobby Games.


HAJIME!

As the first voter, I'm voting for the first group. I prefer playing games with non-gamers who I know and like, hoping they'll like them rather than play games with complete strangers who like games, but may be complete cuntwagons. For me, it's more fun to be the usual degenerate self that my friends and family know and love than to meet new people who may not be fully prepared for the full Pete experience, forcing me to tone myself down (surprisingly, I go out of my way to not offend people, generally speaking), or that are AP-prone douchetroughs that I want to go back in time and drown as children.

VOTE: NON-GAMERS

Out of experience, much much much experience....

vote: NON-GAMERS

You pick a random gamer and you might get some sociopath who starts dropping "cuntwagons" in front of your friends and family


You might be able to convert a non-gamer into a gamer, but you'll never convert a random gamer into a likeable person unless they are already so

No contest. Non-gaming friends

My friends/family shower, change clothes regularly, know what soap and deoderant are and basically have a much better chance of not being a 'only live for my particlular game genre' type human being (i.e. I can talk to them about strange things like sport, books, TV, politics, travel, what's happening outside, life in general).

Vote: NON-GAMERS

I'm bucking the trend. Partly because I have been lucky in scouting the gaming groups I go to and partly because I don't play Magic.

I would rather play with a group of unknowns that enjoy playing games than trying to wrangle my non-gaming friends into playing my games. It is fucking horrible to try to get non gaming friends who have no concept of games outside of Life and Monopoly to embrace games like Runebound and Merchants & Marauders, let alone Dominion or Thunderstone.

I have yet to find a group in which people aren't playing a game that I enjoy at some point during the night. Yes, I sometimes end up suffering through a boring game of Splendor or roped in as a TI3 tackling dummy, but I also get to play decent games as well.

Vote: RANDOM GAMERS

I've had mostly great experiences playing hobby games with strangers, including local private meetups and game conventions.

"non-gamer family/friends" comprises my wife, and anything other than light family games is like pulling teeth. Also, pushing your hobby onto others is one of the douchiest things ever, up there with vaping.

Vote: RANDOM GAMERS

I need to think on this more. I have managed to convert some non-gamers into gamers over the years, but not often. I have had fun getting other non-gamers to at least try some games. And I've had experiences that ranged from bad to great with random gamers.

Hmm.

Non-gamers: unless the game is light, teaching the game is a hassle and I end up playing sherpa... practically hauling them up the mountain every step of the way, at the expense of being able to enjoy my own gameplay. But at least I am playing with people that I enjoy being around. And I am used to functioning as a gamemaster in my rpg groups, which involves a lot of rules-mongering and coaching even for experienced gamers.

Random gamers: I've run into a few obnoxious, stinky, or crazy gamers over the years, at conventions, gaming shops, etc. The vast majority have been pretty reasonable, and there is a good chance that I can play something heavier without spending most of the game guiding them through rules and strategy. However, I sometimes find myself compromising on the games that get played, and getting stuck with boring euro crap or weakass kickstarter bullshit. And then there are the difficult serious gamers: rules lawyer jerks, analysis paralysis victims, overly competitive types, and the occasional obsessive-compulsive.

It's close, but I vote: NON-GAMING FRIENDS & FAMILY.

There was a guy I played HS with at a tournament who kept picking up his models and facing them in a different direction. It was continuous the entire match. Didn't say anything, despite losing handily.

Watched him in the final match and he did the same thing.

Turns out it was probably OCD. Never met anyone like that so it was pretty crazy to see. Nice guy though, distracting as hell, but nice.

So yeah, I can see that being a turn off if you are ADD.

RANDOM GAMERS. At least they know and like games, in theory. Much less chance of "Am I going to have to think for this?" or "Ugggh, adding? I hate math!" or "I have no idea what I'm doing lol"

I guess I play to my audience. With non-gamer family members, no way am I dropping TITAN or something on the table. I'm up for playing Rummikub or whatever they want because I enjoy their company. I don't mind playing whatever it is they like.

I'd rather play non-hobby games with family than hobby games with strangers. The game isn't that important to me.

EDIT: I re-read the OP. This is for _hobby_ games with family. Hmm....Does TtR or Dominion count as a hobby game? If so, I'll pick those with family.

Since the focus of the question seems to be on the game, I choose RANDOM GAMERS.

Pushing a hobby game on non-gamers is more likely to be a less fun gaming experience for me, no matter how much I enjoy their company. Too much helping with strategy, re-explaining rules, etc.

With gamers, even if they are unwashed or insufferable (which, despite how much impact they have, I believe to be the minority), I get to enjoy the game itself. Also, there's the added bonus if I'm able to crush the offensive player.

Jeff: see the update to the header. YES, Dominion and TTR are hobby games.

I really enjoy both, but I'm gonna go with:

RANDOM GAMERS

Sure, it might be great if you've got some guys you've been playing games with for 25 years, but I didn't play tabletop games at all during college. I found Heroscape the summer after graduating. If I didn't take chances and drive to tournaments around the midwest (and blindly agree to stay in this guy's apartment in Iowa), I wouldn't be nearly as into games now. That guy in Iowa? He and my friend hung out daily for two or three years in Iowa City. He was the best tournament player at the time, but also one of the most gracious winners and nice guys I've met. I just drove out to see him a couple weeks ago. We talked about our lives, as well as playing games for a good 8-10 hours. I'll fondly recall our car rides to Minnesota, northern Iowa, Nebraska, etc. for years. Plaid Hat basically formed out of a bunch of 'random' fans of Heroscape getting together and pooling some talent. (As a general rule, I find that Heroscape players, even in tournaments, are pretty great people. Even in a competitive environment, there's something about the game that attracts people who know how to have fun with games).

A few years later (at the age of 25, it was 2010), I wandered into an Izaak Walton League lodge where a bunch of 40+ y/o guys were playing Stone Age, Battlestar Galactica, and some other stuff. Lots of my friends weren't nearly as into board games as I was, so I stuck it out. About a whole year later, some more guys my age showed up, and I've made lasting friendships with them. Last winter, my car broke down and my phone died a mile from one of these guys' houses, and I trudged through the snow to their place. The first thing his wife said is, "are you hungry?" Followed by, "do you want a drink?" I see him less now since his son is a year old, but if I'm running a D&D campaign in ten years, I wouldn't be surprised if they're playing alongside my kids. If it weren't for my coming to this group, I also wouldn't have gotten a chance to play Advanced Civilization last winter (which was awesome).

RANDOM GAMERS can become gaming friends. Sometimes you have to take that chance. If you're 45 and have already built up that group, it might be different, but I had to start somewhere, and I'm glad that I did.

I enjoy gaming with family, but once I settled down on wanting to convert everyone into gamers, I've decided I'll only get games out upon request.

The good part about random gamers is that you can generally pick out the losers from thirty feet away, even if downwind, even if they don't speak. There's something to the way they dress, the look on their face, something, I don't know. But I swear most of the time you can scan a room and pick out the three guys you want to stay away from.