5 ms·

Board games is an easy one. Tend to get a lot of repeats for those. I just started going to a new group myself that's meeting once every other weekend, and seve

Board games is an easy one. Tend to get a lot of repeats for those. I just started going to a new group myself that's meeting once every other weekend, and several of the same people are signed up for the next one. I went to one hosted by a library for a while, and they had like 5 people that showed up to pretty much every single one. I'm also a member of a local writer's group and a lot of the same people have been in that group for over a decade at this point. Got to know quite a few people from there. I've been bad about going lately though (speaking of which, I need to start showing up again). One of the local meetup groups (for 'Millenials') hosts various things that has some of the same people show up a lot. Not everyone, and not to every meetup but quite a few repeats. In fact, Meetup in general tends to have the same people show up to different meetup groups. At that board game meetup I went to for the first time, I ran into three people who I've known at meetups for other meetup groups. I try out several meetup groups (including those hiking groups you dismissed) so I'm also one of those people. At one point I admin'ed a geeky meetup group, and got to know quite a few people from that, several of which I've since been to private gatherings, weddings, baby showers, funerals, since, so pretty close. I didn't start hosting it, I offered to keep it going after the original admin moved away. I like to design games too, and got to know several people by showing up to small conventions multiple times, playing their game designs, inviting people at those conventions who live nearby to playtest nights that I host, etc. Doesn't have to be designing games, just insert a different hobby where people would like to show off their talents and appreciate feedback or small favors and try to give back in return. There's several people I've gotten to know in some smaller Discord groups just over time. You kind of have to stick around and interact long enough that you become one of the regulars, even if you start as a random.

legerdemain 4y ago
I know people recommend board games a lot, but I just find them really exhausting and ponderous. I don't want to memorize a new booklet of rules every night, I don't want to min/max my corn production or power grid generation. In other areas of my life, this is the kind of busywork that I strive to automate. And it's not for lack of trying. I threw myself into an active board-gaming group for almost 2 years a few years ago. And it just wasn't going anywhere. Over time, I started really dreading Friday nights. I wish people played simpler, more socially revealing games that build intimacy between people. You can play Agricola with someone all night long and not learn one thing about them. Those people I spent two years with all remained strangers to me.
- cableshaft 4y ago
  I can see your perspective on that, and you're certainly not alone there, I know several people who don't want to learn new rules all the time (I'm not one of those people, I love a new game teach unless I'm really tired, but I know several people like that). There are groups that stick to the same games or more social/party games and play those. The group I went to last week is kind of like that, it was all Skull and Codenames and Just One and King of Tokyo, the latter being the most complicated game played. And before they moved away, I had a couple friends who we just played Catan once a week, every single week (for months). And another group I met up with regularly for a while only played Cards Against Humanity or Exploding Kittens. And when I worked for a video game publisher we used to play a 15 minute game of Carcassonne every morning (the video game, so it did a lot of upkeep for you) to see who would go pick up the coffee (lowest score got the coffee). The game I played most last year, actually, was Memoir '44. I played 35 games of it. One of the things I like about it, actually, is once you pick up the rules there's pretty much nothing else to learn, just different scenarios with a couple minor tweaks to the rules and different map layouts to keep things fresh (you can change things up more with expansions if you want, but it's not necessary). It's worked out a lot better for me than your standard crunchy euro game where the only differences are 'what order the conversions from resource A to B will come out in' or 'which of the 3 different victory paths will you do this game'. I automate things too in my day job, but don't mind not automating board games. Or when I do, I make video games out of it :). But yeah, it's quite possible that it's just not your hobby, and that's cool too.

legerdemain 4y ago

I know people recommend board games a lot, but I just find them really exhausting and ponderous. I don't want to memorize a new booklet of rules every night, I don't want to min/max my corn production or power grid generation. In other areas of my life, this is the kind of busywork that I strive to automate. And it's not for lack of trying. I threw myself into an active board-gaming group for almost 2 years a few years ago. And it just wasn't going anywhere. Over time, I started really dreading Friday nights. I wish people played simpler, more socially revealing games that build intimacy between people. You can play Agricola with someone all night long and not learn one thing about them. Those people I spent two years with all remained strangers to me.

cableshaft 4y ago
I can see your perspective on that, and you're certainly not alone there, I know several people who don't want to learn new rules all the time (I'm not one of those people, I love a new game teach unless I'm really tired, but I know several people like that). There are groups that stick to the same games or more social/party games and play those. The group I went to last week is kind of like that, it was all Skull and Codenames and Just One and King of Tokyo, the latter being the most complicated game played. And before they moved away, I had a couple friends who we just played Catan once a week, every single week (for months). And another group I met up with regularly for a while only played Cards Against Humanity or Exploding Kittens. And when I worked for a video game publisher we used to play a 15 minute game of Carcassonne every morning (the video game, so it did a lot of upkeep for you) to see who would go pick up the coffee (lowest score got the coffee). The game I played most last year, actually, was Memoir '44. I played 35 games of it. One of the things I like about it, actually, is once you pick up the rules there's pretty much nothing else to learn, just different scenarios with a couple minor tweaks to the rules and different map layouts to keep things fresh (you can change things up more with expansions if you want, but it's not necessary). It's worked out a lot better for me than your standard crunchy euro game where the only differences are 'what order the conversions from resource A to B will come out in' or 'which of the 3 different victory paths will you do this game'. I automate things too in my day job, but don't mind not automating board games. Or when I do, I make video games out of it :). But yeah, it's quite possible that it's just not your hobby, and that's cool too.