Where would you host a first game?
RPGaDay prompt #4, from https://www.autocratik.com/2022/
This is a trickier question than I thought it would be at first glance. Practically speaking, if I think of what I’d do these days, I’d host a game online. It’s a low bar for most people, as you can participate from the comfort of your own home. It also lowers the pressure for me, as I wouldn’t have to invite people to my home, which to me and my wife is a very private space. Moreover, nowadays, after COVID-19 and the current Monkeypox outbreaks, it’s also a safer means of interacting with groups.
However, as I mentioned in a previous post, I do also miss the old face-to-face games. There was something really nice about my student days where every Friday a group of friends would come by, we’d cook for each other, and then we’d play a roleplaying game together. It was a wonderfully social activity that allowed a quite varied group of people to stay in contact.
At the same time, I’ve also never experienced a public gaming space. For the longest time, there just wasn’t really a gaming store nearby that offered public games or a space that catered for such. By the time something like that was offered in Groningen, I was already working full-time in Leeuwarden with that terrible commute that left me with little time for anything else. While Leeuwarden has a gaming store, I don’t believe they organize anything.
All in all, I think online gaming has progressed to such a point that it’s become a really viable, practical, and workable alternative to face-to-face gaming. So while I miss rolling around physical dice, I think a first game works really well online.