My current AD&D table has players ranged from 10-49.

Granted, the 10 year old isn't always there, but even without him we're talking 21-49. I haven't really noticed all that much of an age issue, since we're otherwise from similar gaming cultures. So, 80's movie reference like Conan is fine, even with Driving Miss Daisy references would likely go over the younger folk's heads (not that it matters).

Quote from: ggroy;494160Definitely.

This is the main reason why I haven't play any regular games lately using older editions of D&D/AD&D.  The individuals who I've come across locally who are interested in older editions, are generally very unpleasant to be around with.

I totally hear you and it's a damn shame, really. I started a D&D 1e game at a RPG store about 8 years ago. Everybody who showed up was: A) Enormously fat, B) All in their 40's-50's, C) All rules lawyers, D) More interested in telling me how to run the game (as I was running it!) than staying in character and actually playing the game, E) Possessed of an extremely bad attitude.

I dumped the game after 4 weeks because it was simply too much of a pain in the ass to put up with all the garbage between the players and me (and each other).

Quote from: Melan;494178There are age differences which can become problematic. I value out of the game talk, and when we had very young  (ca. 17-19) people in a campaign once, it turned out their experiences and interests were so different from us we had very little common ground outside the game. With people my own age or older, we could talk politics, conspiracy theories, genre and nongenre media we liked or hated, daily adult problems or whatever. These folks were just too distant from all that, and we from them.

I've had that experience before....!

Sucks, doesn't it?

Quote from: Blazing Donkey;494230I totally hear you and it's a damn shame, really. I started a D&D 1e game at a RPG store about 8 years ago. Everybody who showed up was: A) Enormously fat, B) All in their 40's-50's, C) All rules lawyers, D) More interested in telling me how to run the game (as I was running it!) than staying in character and actually playing the game, E) Possessed of an extremely bad attitude.

I dumped the game after 4 weeks because it was simply too much of a pain in the ass to put up with all the garbage between the players and me (and each other).

Even outside of the game, these particular local individuals were very unpleasant to be around with.  It was like dealing with a bunch of 40 year olds who behaved like 12 year old kids, whether at a restaurant, mall, etc ...

A few I suspected were partially "mentally challenged", but still functional in their day jobs, where they didn't have to do a lot of thinking.

Quote from: Blazing Donkey;494139I do have a rule that I don't play in or run games for anybody under 18. They are often irritating, don't understand complex language, and don't have the attention-span to sit still for a 8-10 hour game.

I don't think that I have the attention-span to sit still for a 8-10 hour game! :eek:

My current group consists of my family and friends so 42 to 56. 4 to 5 hours of gaming is enough for us.

I generally prefer to play with people of the same species. Meerkats are certainly excellent after-dinner conversationalists, but their game playing skills leave much to be desired.



Just my experience...

In general I think I prefer a mix of ages, where there is a variety of cultural reference points vs. groupthink.
The group I play with on Saturdays are all about the same age and sometimes it's like playing with a hive-mind... they all like the same movies/music/food.
I'm the same age as them but culturally different enough that a lot of their references skate past me.

There are currently two 12 year-olds in the group, while the rest of us are young 30s. None of us really mind it that much. Both of their dads play along, and though we get a but rowdy, it's nothing out of hand.

I consider it my geek duty to pass the hobby on to the next generation, and hopefully we're doing just that.

No, I don't feel more comfortable gaming with people my own age.

If you're a pleasant person to be around, you're welcome to play in my games. If you're a douchebag of some stripe, you're not welcome. That's pretty much it.

Depends on the game, and the social setting.

At a game-store with an open-table game, I'll play with anyone.

If it's a home-game, generally I'll draw from friends and acquaintances around my age, give or take a few years, same as I would most other social activities, excepting family/work related things.

That's not to say I wouldn't game with someone older or younger if I got along with them well-enough on a non-gaming basis.

Quote from: Peregrin;494394At a game-store with an open-table game, I'll play with anyone.

Famous last words.

I once tried playing a game of Rifts with some teenagers at a RPG store. The GM was 13.

One of the PC's was a Full Conversion Borg and he thought it would be funny to grab my character and hold him up in the air in the middle of a fight. I ended up getting shot three times for 40 points of damage.

So when he put me down, I cast Carpet of Adhesion on him which stuck him to the ground, immobile. Then I dropped a Fusion Block at his feet and ran away. It blew up for 120 points of damage, kiling him.

The player who was around 16 got all cry-faced, and the GM yelled, "You can't do that! You're out of the game!"

I've had the same sort of thing happen in similar games with young players so I just avoid them in general.

Hopefully you've had different experiences...

Quote from: Darran;494326I don't think that I have the attention-span to sit still for a 8-10 hour game! :eek:

My current group consists of my family and friends so 42 to 56. 4 to 5 hours of gaming is enough for us.

I find that 3-4 hours is more than enough.  Most of my group get pretty tired/bored after 4 hours.  I wouldn't play for 8-10 hours straight unless I was being paid.

I game with guys my age, but I'd add someone younger to the group in a heartbeat. I've spent most of the last 10 years in one university setting or another, and like several of the other posters I find younger folks to be easier to deal with sometimes.  Then again, I'd sooner light myself on fire than reference Monty Python in any context. Ugh.

Beyond being above the legal drinking age I'd consider anyone with the right attitude towards the game at our table.

Quote from: Numa Pompilius;494120Or of various ages? Or is there a range centered around your age?

A thought that has occurred to me recently as I've been the main GM for all my groups for the last 6 years. All of the players have been, mostly, younger than me (except in about 2-3 cases). Now, I'm not saying I'm a master old fart (I'm a balmy 36 soon to be 37), but I'm feeling a sort of "life/responsibility" divide from my regular group.

The group are all guys, 23-27. Most in relationships with SOs, and most having recently finished Bachelor's or Master's programs. So, it isn't a matter of intelligence or income or anything that's causing issues. It's age, simply put.

Case in point; we're all busy, and can only game once a month. However, "busy" for me is actual work stuff, or family stuff, or home maintenance, or just trying to squeeze in more time with the wife since we barely saw each other all week thanks to wonky schedules.

For these guys, "busy" is next party, or gotta meet their girlfriend for a bit, or the like. When we game, they often go out afterwards to a club or party or something whereas I inevitably have to go home to get back to the family, or for some work function. And I like it that way; haven't the slightest interest in the club scene (I am very much a "homestead" sort of guy).

Even when we sadly need to cancel a game, as happened for next week's game: I've had to cancel for, you guessed it, family reasons; they usually cancel because "such and such exhibit is in town" or "I'm going with other friends to blah blah far place for the weekend" or whatever.

Now, not saying their a bad lot; they ain't, and we're friendly and do have a coffee or conversation now and then. It's just, well, to me, just a little, they're kids. I know, I know, they're adults and have jobs and have all sorts of sex and can buy x-rated things and understand what responsibility is. But...they're still kids to me, sort of. Which is why, sometimes, I feel I dominate the group just a little more than I ought to.

It's also a comment my wife made once. Back when we lived in Japan, my gaming group was all my same age, and, well, my wife sort of "respected" my "guy time" away from home; I was out with the guys, after all. But recently, I was talking about some stuff happening with this group in a game session, and she said something along the lines of "well, what do you expect? They're too young to know that! Duh!"

So, my question is: do you prefer to game with people around your own age? Or near it? Or something like that? Or it doesn't matter? Or it matters and you like a wide range of ages for that reason? Or what?

(note: it's over on the Big Purple too, just to cover different ground)

It sounds to me like your problem isn't with age, its playing with a group of people that lack a sufficient commitment to gaming.

A few of my gamers are very busy people as well; I have some students, layabouts, and public employees of course, but also some professionals; as well as people who are involved in many other activities; a number of musicians (serious ones), people who are involved in martial arts at a very high level, guys that are in a choir, all kinds of other hobbies, obviously masonry being one of them for me at least; about half of my gaming group are in a serious relationship (several of which are living with or married to their significant other), a couple have kids.

And yet I manage to run 2-3 different games a week, and even the busiest of the people I've described manages to play once every 2 weeks.

The question isn't how busy you are, its how high you prioritize gaming in your list of other social, personal or hobby activities.

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