Warsaw (PL) Tabletop Role Playing Game Group for Expats Only. D&D Fortnightly

Who said anything about making people feel uncomfortable? I'm talking about consenting adult swingers dressed as leprechauns playing RPGs.


That went over my head. I'm probably not kinky enough.

You'd probably have to look deep down in yourself to find your other side that would fit to twisted Shadow's clique :-)

Hey Shadow. What's the current quest your PC's are on? Have you had any PC's come into the game from this forum?

I was visiting on the weekend some of my old mates whom I used to play D&D with - we were talking about maybe getting into D&D again! We're looking at doing this over Skype or similar, as we all live quite far apart from each other, have kids etc. I dug out my old D&D books over the weekend, and guess what I found - our character sheets from about 20 years ago! Ah, the memories there! Cheers Dan.

If that went over your head, you're not very tall.


Education:
youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fExrstN8TEg


Hey Ozi Dan.
The game (running since the beginning of this topic) is focused on politics, genocide, and an epic battle. The players have come up from 1st level, learning the story and game as they go and forming a tight bond together as people. They have made NPC allies from whom they unravel the story, which they share with new players as the new players arrive. It is a group activity very much focused on what Terry Brooks explains is his personal motivation for writing. Our group culture fits to that.

There have been several people from this forum who have expressed an interest, all of whom I have met. Some have joined our group. Some I have directed to a gaming group that broke from our group. Someone here introduced me to the term Sheldon Cooper types, and they want to play a system strategically rather than associate through a shared story. I send such persons to the other group. Looking through this one topic I can recall several names: Aaron, Daniel, Lauren, Ryan, Lonsdale, Nestor, and many others besides. In fact, this topic has supplied two groups with players. The raison d'etre of our game is to make local friends using the game to get to know the other players. I tend to welcome new people over gamers as an easy shortcut to lessen confusion about what I mean by that.

My memories of playing in a regular game with my group (DM Dave K, Andy P, Louis G, Paul K, Hugh E, and Mike K) remind me of them more than of their characters - I cannot recall their character names. I do recall specific events that occurred within the game and how these were handled. The discussions we, as players, shared about how to resolve in-game problems and puzzles are a particular highlight. My interactions I had with these persons resolving in game conundrums when I was younger helped me form my critical thinking. Having been in Poland without any real mental challenge (or intellectual stimulation) for 13+ years, I look forward to stretching myself through this activity; a benefit I receive in-game with my current friends. Plus it is nice to have a regular meeting scheduled with friends - easier to schedule when meetings are arranged around friendship rather than around an activity in my experience. I think the resulting friendship is what makes our group successful more so than knowing the rules.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

I'm not. But you still haven't explained what it means. Perhaps because it doesn't mean anything. Please enlighten me.

You need to be mature to understand or it is hopeless, and it would just pull this thread way off-topic to explain.
You appear clueless about making people feel uncomfortable by discussing your sexual interests. And frankly, for the general record of this topic, you are the type of person I avoid.

I have never discussed my sexual interests on this or any other forum. As for immaturity, a mature person would answer a simple, sincere question.

Were a simple, sincere question asked....

So your simple and sincere answer is: no.


This does not preclude you from playing whatever dress-up sexual game at your table you wish to engage in. Only I would exclude you from my table as this is not the welcome I wish to convey to strangers. You're not making that connection for some reason.

The simple question was what does the above mean?
If you are unwilling to answer, perhaps other members could give me guidance.
As for


you clearly have had either a sense of humour bypass, or deep-seated sexual issues, perhaps concerning
"doe-eyed underage pupils".
Anyway, since you can't answer my question, I'll leave the last, no doubt verbose, convoluted words to you. Some of us have to work tomorrow.

For as much as I know and remember, these RPGs can be great fun and a good way to meet people; the same with war games. Myself, I play bridge and enjoy it.

But the dressing up does sound intriguing as does the nudity with wizards. Can mine be Daniel Radcliffe? Ian McKellan can be someone else's.

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=COJDIR9TczM

Let's go on a quest!
and step away from the mundane stereotypes of being foreign in Poland.
youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CC7OFAoGpvY

What are these stereotypes?

Having a lot of difficulty finding people to play together as a foreigner. I'd like to join the group. How do I do that?

Which is why the group remains for expats...


I no longer welcome experienced gamers. The group's purpose is for forming friendships not to be an Aspergers community support. I suggest the Facebook group to find the gamer community. facebook.com/#!/groups/114651881879023/

Good luck.

why are you being so rude about people with processing differences? since when has 'Aspergers' become an insult.?

Thanks for the Facebook group but I wouldn't like to play with you anyway. You're quite rude as rozumiemnic stated above.
I don't have any problems with socializing or communicating. It's just I don't have much time and my friends are all Polish who are either not interested in role-playing or do not want to play in English.

That's why us non-expat foreigners do have a real life.

It is insulting to processing differences when people choose to adopt anti-social behaviour typically associated with a real disorder. It's demeaning to the people who suffer. It's like someone using foul language laughing about Tourette's syndrome when the Tourette's behaviour exists due to personal choice and not disorder. In fact, the insult is in the behaviours chosen.

Lots of studies use Role-Playing Games to assist patients with Autism spectrum disordersto overcome behaviours identified with the illness.
rpgresearch.com/blog/using-role-playing-games-for-autism-spectrum-participants

Then people who do not have the medical diagnosis but present the symptoms at the table because they feel they can play an autistic-like character for laughs is insulting. The guy who insults the women at the table but claims misogyny is only part of his role-play and not part of his true nature is doing the same thing. This anti-social behaviour appears to predominate the role-playing gamers, accustomed to getting away with it, rather than people playing RPGs for the first time who are prone to self-represent (i.e be themselves, relaxed) and display greater courtesy, politeness and friendship towards others at the game table.

To answer: Aspergers becomes an insult when people choose to adopt maladaptive social behaviours of their own free will, thereby belittling the people with a credible diagnosis for the disorder (who, not surprisingly because they are sufferers, attempt to be better behaved than the role-players who emulate them in-character for a laugh).

And that makes me angry. I have no time for it. I am non-supportive of it. It has been frequently enough demonstrated to be a reliable stereotype in the last 4+ years to inform the current policy of my group. No experienced role-players. Period.

vice.com/read/notallroleplayers-a-history-of-rapey-dungeon-masters?fb_comment_id=fbc_768833629826812_768886849821490_768886849821490

Lots of companies and acting departments in universities are also use role-playing as a way of teaching, Mr. Superiority Complex the Segregationist.

You and people who think the way you do started to build a paranoia in people's minds. People who wouldn't mean anything bad or hurt an ant now question themselves of racism, sexism etc. Start learning how not to generalize and direct your accusations on individual cases rather than saying 'gamers have asperger's'. As a gamer, I claim I am less of a psychological patient than you are.


Here we can see how you like to label other people. Start to think of human beings as individuals.

If there are people from your table here, I'd like them to warn you about this issue because you won't listen to me and try to prove your claim in your respond anyway.

Yes, case study method has been around a long time now. Also emergency responders use role-playing as a behavioural aid, to simulate stressful situations. I have no problems with the tool, but I would with the situtation if the trainee behaves like some of the creepy antisocial gamers I have met in Poland....


If they did, actually have Asperger's, I could work well with that situation. I have plenty of empathy for people working to overcome disadvantages left over from having no sympathy whatsoever for people who mock such people by their behaviour.

The stereotype I have witnessed here is based upon 4+ years meeting individual gamers in Poland at my table. These unique snowflakes do not represent the people I came to know through RPGs back home or the people I have met here who were new to the game. It can be that people who pack their rulebooks into their luggage are more predisposed to fit this stereotype than people who are more casual with their play behaviour.

If I take the analogy to a place where non-gamers might understand. The purpose of my group is to meet to become friends, and the game is a way to do that. It's like meeting people in a pub because it is centrally located and inexpensive. However, gamers meet to play a game, condescend upon new players for being either ignorant or Mary Sues or both. Gamers appear to need people only so much as they get their game. The analogy is gamers choose to meet in a pub because they are alcoholics. The people inside the building are secondary to getting their fix.

1. I never choose a pub for a role-playing game because it is a loud place. Role-playing is a listening-heavy activity. The best place to play is an apartment.

2. I like to prepare a game one week before (previous weekend) to make it more fun, content-rich. I'd prepare hand-outs and maps if required. After all the effort I make and the time I spent (I don't have much time either, day-job, studies and game development at the same time) if players act ignorant on the table, I feel bad. However I don't have to insult them or anything, I just don't play with them anymore.

3. There is an other extreme which is the gamer who thinks he/she knows everything and tries to argue at the table, spoiling all the joy. I know that these kind of gamers exist and I think it's just a complex. I don't play with them too. There are lots of normal gamers out there.

4. I was also an anti-social person in the past and I think if a person is anti-social, he/she should be encouraged instead of being separated with a 'nerd' or 'weird' label. That's like, the worst thing you can do. That's actually why people become anti-social, by being said 'can you go away, we will talk something' all the time.

5. Don't generalize.
6. What rules of dungeons & dragons you use while role-playing I wonder? Do you use character sheets? Do you do combat? You talk like you don't play the game but rather chat about how 'social and cool' people you are. While rules shouldn't be questioned and judged frequently by players (which would be acting like gamers in 3), game master should apply them anyway. Because your game might not be counted as a D&D game then, just saying.

True. Games are at the Game Master's apartment. This brings people into contact in a private space. Knowing where someone lives can be a disadvantage if someone becomes "uninvited" for some reason. Some locations have children - which is why I protect the group's reputation here from wierd comments. Creepiness has been an issue in the past. We had a group of 14 strangers playing together at one time, which had an even split between men and women. Gamers do not have the exclusivity on freekiness on The Internet obviously but The Internet is not invited into someone's living room.

I have an interview process to winnow out people, which I have refined over time.


As you can see from postings before, there is a time requirement for GM preparation (including a first one-on-one game called Blue Booking). Also there is this wiki

inyurl.com/ADD1ePOLAND
specifically for munchkins; from a time when gamers were welcome before their abuse of players and the resulting cycles of destruction/rebuilding/destruction of groups made that policy unrealistic and a waste of time.


Making the rules work according to the desire of the players is the GM's job. The players do not have to learn how to move the levers of play. They just need to know the possible consequences and risk from using their agency. No player should be forced to study a rulebook. A list of spells can be chosen from laminated spell cards and managed by the player as a resource easily without involving the player in too much minutia. People want to play not devote a life to the study of min-maxing.

It is leisure time not work. Surprising how many people will not come back when they feel intimidated by their "comrades," the gamers.


Been there, done that, no longer going to happen. It is about making friends not invigilating or being crowned king of all role-playing. I have had gamers tell me that players do not deserve to play if they cannot master the game. Gamers have told me they feel such players hold them back. This bile makes me sick. Gamers are not at the game to make friends when they think like that. My group is not for gamers.


AGREED.

Thus Role-Play at my table is conducted through player interaction rather than dice mechanics. Gamers have told me this is elitism. Arguments include such logic as a player must be a trial lawyer to play a trial lawyer.... and these unimaginative comfort-zone only gamers are at the wrong game table. And I won't have them.


I have found the question rests not on being labeled a geek or a nerd but whether or not someone is geek or nerd enough. Sad. This comes from the gamers. People who are not up to a gamer's standard are labelled casuals and treated as disinterested. Not the best atmosphere in which to make friends - again, making friends is the goal of my group. Common gamer behaviour is at cross purposes. And few people like them as they retreat from social interaction into their niche hobby elitism.


I am too old to continue reliving past mistakes. Heuristics are necessary. 4 years is enough data gathering to make a decision. No gamers.



mxplx.com/reference/1835/


This link, too, might also relate to your query's impression, why our game seems so very open-ended to you as to be without rules. When I was playing in 1979, this hobby attracted a highly social interaction.

geek-related.com/2013/10/12/rule-zero-over-the-years/

You still generalize by saying 'gamers', I don't really want to argue with you on this anymore. If a person thinks newbie players are holding them back, then he likes hardcore gaming obviously and has no place in a newbie table. It's not that all gamers like to play that way.

When I say players act ignorant, I meant the players who were already not interested before the game. Everyone should work together to maximize the fun, game master is not a clown who is responsible for making everyone happy. If you are not interested in role-playing, what are you doing at that table?

I asked about the rules cause you talk like you have a bourgeois group which wouldn't play with normal rules. I guess it's because you use the word 'gamer' but you mean people who like to play with hardcore players. I'd agree that those people are not very good for role-playing community if you'd ask me. People are already prejudice on games or role-playing, they make it worse by pushing casuals out.

Speaking of being a nerd...you really make the top league...Don't you really have a life out of this artificial one? Btw Can I register our family labrador? She is very much into role playing.

I quite agree with you.

The reason I flat out reject gamers is because I cannot tell the normal gamers from the stereotypical gamers. I mentioned I worked up an interview. The best I can do from that interview is sense if someone has any empathy and isn't an axe murderer.

What I cannot do is suss-out someone who is playing me for a fool by saying all the right things I want to hear from a gamer - even agreeing about what I quoted you from AD&D 1e and Gary Gygax (which should put a definitive end to rules lawyers and social misfit behaviours). I find out my mistake along with everyone else, at the table, when it is too late. Then all the work I put into creating a pleasant atmosphere for making friends is threatened and often ruined.

Stereotypes exist for a reason; that reason being there is a grain of truth behind it. If I have to convince people - as I have tried to do on this topic - that RPGs is a harmless and fun way to meet normal people and become friends and 9/10 gamers at my table make others feel uncomfortable and unwelcome I am left with only them. New players feel the stereotypes are confirmed and never return.

And they won't trust you if you say the confirmed stereotype is an anomaly.

At that point it is too late to uninvite those gamers. So I play it safe and do not invite gamers at all. Sorry if you're one of the normal ones. Role-playing games are a lot of fun with the right people.

Now here's something you'll all enjoy! as Rocket J. Squirrel used to say.
youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6VuypA17vHs


lifehacker.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-role-playing-games-and-how-1684582789

Hello,

I am a Spaniard living in Warsaw for three years now. I've met a lot of people that plays role play games or is interested on them, but nobody interested on trying on English (or Spanish for that matter). It's been 3 years already and I miss terribly this hobby. I've been playing RPGs for more than 9 years, as GM and player.

For those of you that are wondering what is this "pen & paper RPG" thing:

Is a table game where the players role play the actions and decisions of a character created by themselves, inside a context described by the "game master" or GM. The GM creates with his words a world and fills it up with characters, locations, events and all the necessary details to make the world alive, and the players describe the actions of their characters inside this world, with the help of a set of rules and dice throws that will determine how successful the players are in their actions.

There are plenty of games, based on all the themes you can imagine: sci-fi (star wars), medieval (D&D, Pathfinder, Warhammer), futuristic (Cyberpunk), terror (Call of Chutlu), samurais (Legend of the 5 rings), magic (Mage The Ascension), vampires (The Masquerade), werewolves (The Exile)... Some of them are more focused on combat, rules and stats, some of them focus on character interpretation and dialogue. At the end every group of players can adapt it to their own taste, the only limit is the imagination of the group.

I am searching for anyone interested on pen & paper RPG sessions in the Warsaw area, in English, as player or game director, with or without experience, any game :).

If you are interested, or know somebody that could be, you will make me very happy :)

I see the thread is quite old but i will try my luck anyways. I've been playing tabletop RPGs since I was 16 and i didn't have the chance to play even one single time since i moved to Warsaw, three years ago. I miss it terribly. English is not my native tongue (Spaniard here), but I work with customers from USA every day, so i expect that won't be a trouble.

There's still a chance to join you?

Learn Polish, you're welcome.