Player Loss, and Gaming Doubts
Well...
I received a text message this morning from the new player in the Sunday gaming group that she wouldn't be able to play with us, as other commitments have arisen that prevent her from gaming for the foreseeable future on Sundays. She said that she actually would have called me to tell me in person, but I had texted her this morning about it and stuff, so she let me know in text.
She's a really likeable person, and a pretty good gamer and roleplayer, and her presence the last two weeks has benefitted Tammy and spross quite a lot, as she added a new dimension to the gaming group and the session. She's a really calm and somewhat optimistic person (from what I could tell), and this worked really well with the gaming group. I'll quite miss her, and to be honest, so will spross and Tammy.
Needless to say, while I understand her decision I'm not happy about it. I understand that Real Life(tm) gets in the way of hobbies and gaming is no exception to that. That said, I can't help but wonder...
What is it about the Sunday gaming group that I can't get any new players to stick with the group to play on a regular basis? Is it me? Either personally, or my GMing style? Is it the choice of games that I'm running? Is it the time slot (Sunday, from roughly 1:00 - 5:00 pm)? Is it the gaming location (my home)? Is it the other two gamers in the group, and new players just don't get along with them or are intimidated by them or something? Is it something else? I mean, don't get me wrong, I can handle and even like only having two gamers to play with on Sundays, but it would be so nice to have four or five players around the gaming table on a Sunday afternoon to play with. A larger group tends to provide a few more viewpoints at the table, and also allows for more input into game situations and the like as one plays, not to mention more roleplaying between the players. It also gives the players a wider group of player characters when it comes to skills and abilities.
That said, I did a lot of recruiting for new players in the Ottawa area at CanGames this last couple of years, and regularly put up a flyer at the local gaming store, Fandom II. I receive a couple of bites each year (not as many as one might expect), but none of the gamers seem to stick with the Sunday group. So I guess I'm back to square one, so to speak, in this regard. In the meantime, Tammy and spross will just have to continue with their duo of adventurers... *sigh*
I'm having doubts. And I'm depressed.
I received a text message this morning from the new player in the Sunday gaming group that she wouldn't be able to play with us, as other commitments have arisen that prevent her from gaming for the foreseeable future on Sundays. She said that she actually would have called me to tell me in person, but I had texted her this morning about it and stuff, so she let me know in text.
She's a really likeable person, and a pretty good gamer and roleplayer, and her presence the last two weeks has benefitted Tammy and spross quite a lot, as she added a new dimension to the gaming group and the session. She's a really calm and somewhat optimistic person (from what I could tell), and this worked really well with the gaming group. I'll quite miss her, and to be honest, so will spross and Tammy.
Needless to say, while I understand her decision I'm not happy about it. I understand that Real Life(tm) gets in the way of hobbies and gaming is no exception to that. That said, I can't help but wonder...
What is it about the Sunday gaming group that I can't get any new players to stick with the group to play on a regular basis? Is it me? Either personally, or my GMing style? Is it the choice of games that I'm running? Is it the time slot (Sunday, from roughly 1:00 - 5:00 pm)? Is it the gaming location (my home)? Is it the other two gamers in the group, and new players just don't get along with them or are intimidated by them or something? Is it something else? I mean, don't get me wrong, I can handle and even like only having two gamers to play with on Sundays, but it would be so nice to have four or five players around the gaming table on a Sunday afternoon to play with. A larger group tends to provide a few more viewpoints at the table, and also allows for more input into game situations and the like as one plays, not to mention more roleplaying between the players. It also gives the players a wider group of player characters when it comes to skills and abilities.
That said, I did a lot of recruiting for new players in the Ottawa area at CanGames this last couple of years, and regularly put up a flyer at the local gaming store, Fandom II. I receive a couple of bites each year (not as many as one might expect), but none of the gamers seem to stick with the Sunday group. So I guess I'm back to square one, so to speak, in this regard. In the meantime, Tammy and spross will just have to continue with their duo of adventurers... *sigh*
I'm having doubts. And I'm depressed.