So, I've been gaming with the same group of guys for the last 5-6 years. They were a good group, usually pretty laid back, good at playing characters, only 1.5 fatbeards.
 
Good stuff.
 
However, after 5-6 years you start to notice some things:
 
A. No matter what game you are playing they play the same characters over and over.
 
B. No matter what game you are playing, the GM's storylines become just
as predictable as the players characters.
 
C. The group grows slowly but can become out of hand. For a popular game in the group, that meant 1-2 GMs and 7-12 players!
 
D. GM's and player's tend not to change sides. It's gotten to the point were the players EXPECT us to run games for them, like we're a T.V. or a videogame.
 
So, for the last few months, my group has been arguing to continue an Exalted game. Having just run the last one (a very successful and very stressful little epic), my Co-GM and I pretty much refused to run it. They picked a new GM, and since I wanted to play (a rarity for me), I stuck around.
 
Meeting weekly for 3 Months, 5 GMs and 4 false starts later, I gave up.
 
I decided to fuck the bulshit, I'm doing what I want and I wanted to run Vampire. I invited my former group: they were more interested in continuing to ressurect Exalted. So I invited some new players (some new to Roleplaying games, some new to WoD), they dug it, and we had a blast.
 
I don't feel bad. The old group looks like they may be getting their shit together and getting a decent game going. Some of them are a little torn. Most of them don't want to go back to playing "weak sauce" characters. Not really their loss, but certainly my gain.
 
Now I have a group that is excited, positive and respectful. Plus, it's something new for them, so I'm spreading love for the Hobby.
 
So if your group is getting stale, get a new one. It's good for your games, your sanity and good for the hobby!

Yay for you!  I got stuck in a rut in the 90s with the same group playing the same things over and over again.  I still love all those people, but I'm much happier with a new gaming group.

Quote from: KrakaJakNow I have a group that is excited, positive and respectful. Plus, it's something new for them, so I'm spreading love for the Hobby.

Yay on all counts!
 

Quote from: KrakaJakSo if your group is getting stale, get a new one. It's good for your games, your sanity and good for the hobby!

Why wait?  Sometimes I just say to people "Okay guys, I love you, but I'm gonna go grab another group of people and play with them for a while."  They usually say "Well hell yeah!  More gaming friends is great!"  And then, later, I've got a larger pool of people to draft for later games.

Great! I would love to switch groups. Unfortunately, I believe that I've run through my area's alotted number of gamers, which where I live (ultra-conservative Central Virginia) is pretty low.

Then don't play with "gamers", get some people you like to hang out with and ask them to play a game!

Oh, and Welcome to the RPG site Physh!

Phish, where have I seen you? Do you hang out at rpol.net, dumpshock, or the hackmaster boards?

Congrats, KrakaJak.  I hope a little of your luck rubs off on me next week.

Quote from: TonyLBWhy wait?  Sometimes I just say to people "Okay guys, I love you, but I'm gonna go grab another group of people and play with them for a while."  They usually say "Well hell yeah!  More gaming friends is great!"  And then, later, I've got a larger pool of people to draft for later games.

I've done this plenty of times in the area I'm in...it's worked out awesome!

RPGs seem to be a little different from other hobbies. In roleplaying, we tend to find a group, and then choose the game we'll play. In volleyball or basketball or even wargaming, we choose the game, and only then go looking for a team.

Suppose there are 20 gamers you know. Normally, you find about 5 of them who you get along with and reckon you can game with, then you sit down to discuss what game you'll play. This can lead to the game group stagnating, as people have described. But what if you instead pitched a few different campaigns to those 20 people, and the people came to the campaigns?

When someone wants to start a sports team, they don't get a few of their friends together, and then decide what sport to play. Instead, they go to their local sports centre, put up a notice that they want to play volleyball, and all the people who like volleyball call them up, and they form a team. Or basketball, or football, or whatever.

This approach is the idea behind the "game circle", and comes originally from William Stoddard's "a small circle of friends". Instead of fitting the campaign to the group and having the same group for years, you could fit the group to the campaign, and play with all 20 gamers you know... and more.

You may object that you don't know 20 gamers, but actually you probably do. Most game groups of 3-6 people, at least half the members of that group will know a person or people in another group. So if you asked around, you could actually meet up with far more than 20 gamers. It's just a matter of making the effort.

By having closed-ended campaigns of 6-20 sessions, and by changing at least some of the players each campaign, it keeps things fresh. "But these guys are my friends!" you say. That's nice - if they're your friends, you'll still see them even when you're gaming with someone else. Anyway you'll see them in another campaign or two...

Quote from: KrakaJakNow I have a group that is excited, positive and respectful. Plus, it's something new for them, so I'm spreading love for the Hobby.
 

Good stuff indeed.

After my old group disbanded for various reasons, I stopped playing rpgs. I was a bit nostalgic for the good old days, but was so set in my views of what I wanted from rpgs, that I was extremely cautious about joining a new group.

Then an old friend of mine suggested I meet up with this group we both knew from way back. They had recently returned from abroad and their GM wanted to have a break. Could I fill in for him for a couple of months? Did I mention they only played d20, and nothin' else? Okay, so I ran a couple of sessions (we all had a blast), offered to introduce them to some other games and have been their GM for the past two years.

We play a variety of games, and they totally dig, what we are all doing now. I've learn't a hell of a lot from them and they me. I thought my gaming days were over...now I realize I'm in my prime

Regards,
David R

Quote from: James McMurrayPhish, where have I seen you? Do you hang out at rpol.net, dumpshock, or the hackmaster boards?

Nope, I've played a game at rpol, but it really wasn't for me and lurked a lot at dumpshock, but I don't have an account that I recall. Never been to the hackmaster boards at all.

I was on the Palladium Board for a long time, and rpg.net since 2002.

Not sure where else I'd have used the PhishStyx moniker.

Quote from: KrakaJakOh, and Welcome to the RPG site Physh!

Thanks, seems nifty.

These days I play one on one. Things looked like they were going to expand, but it didn't work out. That said, we're having a good time with it. I run a solo game for my best pal for a couple three hours; after which he runs one for me for a couple of three hours. Then we smoke some dope and watch a movie with titties and explody stuff in it- all in and all it makes for a pretty good friday night.

Phish, knowing me I may be recognizing you from here. Was the rpol game an epic or gestalt arena? If not then it's just my brain getting me back for all those years I abused it with drugs and booze.