I’ve been playing D&D since about 2003. I’ve always had more than enough people to play with if I wanted (lucky, very lucky, I know) but I’ve avoided official spaces like the plague. I’ve lived where I am for over a year now and I really like my local comic shop, which is spacious and runs tons of game nights, including AL every Wednesday.
I’m not new, even to 5e, but I’d be new to official play. The reason I’m considering going at all is to maybe meet some people outside of my current friend group. Part of me is fraud the audience will be outside of the demographic I’m looking to socialize with (either much younger, much older—I’m 26).
So I have some questions for those who play AL not as an only option, but for the real fun of it: Why do you enjoy AL? It’s a rules-and-requirements heavy environment, but is it still fun? Have you met people you’ve been able to connect with there?
I play both a home game and AL. I enjoy the character progression and interacting with other gamers in the game store. Part of the reason I play AL is the stability it provides for a player; a group dissolving is no reason why that character can't live on. I also play because in my home game I am the DM, which I enjoy, but it is a lot of work that nobody else volunteered to do. I would definitely rather be a player.
There are some things that I don't like about AL, namely the lack of character development and the generic nature of the adventures. They seem to be necessary evils to support the good parts of AL.
AL can be tons of fun, but I still think that if you have a "home" group to play with you're better off playing with them. That being said, if your purpose is to make connections and branch out your social circle, go have fun. One of the really great things about AL is that there is no commitment necessary.
I think you should expect people outside of your desired demographic. AL, in my experience, is very inclusive and ages at tables have ranged from about 15 to 65. I think this is a great thing. I probably wouldn't want to hang out with most of these people outside of the game store, but during a game that stuff shouldn't matter. It's fun to hear people talk about the "old" days and it's also fun to see new players role-playing for the first time.
Thanks, pwhimp! That's as detailed an answer as any I could've hoped for. If anyone else has experiences, pro/cons, I'm absolutely still open to them. Until roughly 4:30PM UTC-5 5/2, at the very least. :P
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I’ve been playing D&D since about 2003. I’ve always had more than enough people to play with if I wanted (lucky, very lucky, I know) but I’ve avoided official spaces like the plague. I’ve lived where I am for over a year now and I really like my local comic shop, which is spacious and runs tons of game nights, including AL every Wednesday.
I’m not new, even to 5e, but I’d be new to official play. The reason I’m considering going at all is to maybe meet some people outside of my current friend group. Part of me is fraud the audience will be outside of the demographic I’m looking to socialize with (either much younger, much older—I’m 26).
So I have some questions for those who play AL not as an only option, but for the real fun of it: Why do you enjoy AL? It’s a rules-and-requirements heavy environment, but is it still fun? Have you met people you’ve been able to connect with there?
I play both a home game and AL. I enjoy the character progression and interacting with other gamers in the game store. Part of the reason I play AL is the stability it provides for a player; a group dissolving is no reason why that character can't live on. I also play because in my home game I am the DM, which I enjoy, but it is a lot of work that nobody else volunteered to do. I would definitely rather be a player.
There are some things that I don't like about AL, namely the lack of character development and the generic nature of the adventures. They seem to be necessary evils to support the good parts of AL.
AL can be tons of fun, but I still think that if you have a "home" group to play with you're better off playing with them. That being said, if your purpose is to make connections and branch out your social circle, go have fun. One of the really great things about AL is that there is no commitment necessary.
I think you should expect people outside of your desired demographic. AL, in my experience, is very inclusive and ages at tables have ranged from about 15 to 65. I think this is a great thing. I probably wouldn't want to hang out with most of these people outside of the game store, but during a game that stuff shouldn't matter. It's fun to hear people talk about the "old" days and it's also fun to see new players role-playing for the first time.
Thanks, pwhimp! That's as detailed an answer as any I could've hoped for. If anyone else has experiences, pro/cons, I'm absolutely still open to them. Until roughly 4:30PM UTC-5 5/2, at the very least. :P