Sunday, July 28, 2019

New Friends And New Possibilities



One thing I've struggled with is finding people to game with and that's why over the last several years I've been moving more towards playing rules/games that have a solo option. But also, truth be told I'm a bit of a socially awkward person.


And I really don't do well in speaking situations. For example, I can't tell you how many times I will be out at a restaurant and the server brings my food and says "enjoy your meal" and I'll say "you too". Winning.


I sometimes have a hard time trying to keep conversations too - I stumble on words and find it hard remember simple words, and a lot of that is because of the many concussions I've had over the years from sports. So I'll always be the one not talking. It's extremely frustrating but I always have to preface that when I meet new people


Flash forward to present day and I was seeing just some incredible work being put up on social media by a guy named Fenton Crackshell (aka Beau). He had posted about doing some 7TV games (he's really active on the Facebook page for the game and does some absolutely brilliant stuff in that pulpy/spy-fi genre that I just love) in the past at a comic book/game store that I had been to before. Immediately I start thinking "if he's gaming there he's got to be relatively close to me", maybe this is a great opportunity to meet up with like-minded gamers despite all my social anxiety as explained above.



We got in contact with each other and set a meet up to play some 7TV at his home. It's a bit mad to think back on it on now, but essentially it was what it must feel like for anyone who's ever been on a blind date before - we didn't know each other from a hole in the wall and we both could have been complete maniacs or serial killers. Though the odds of two serial killers being in the same basement is probably pretty high, no?



The best analogy that I can possibly give you to walking down into Beau's jaw dropping gaming basement is that it felt exactly like when the kids first entered the chocolate room in the movie 'Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'. I was in complete awe and wonderment of what I was seeing - there were games, comic books, probably 1000's of miniatures, terrain, old school cabinet style video games, graphic novels, a ski ball machine, a massive gaming table, pop culture stuff, and all of it was everywhere and as far as the eye could see - honestly it was like what it would have been if 14 year old me could have bought everything I ever wanted all in one place, it was total sensory overload for a geek like myself! And if it wasn't for the fact that it was the very first time being at his home and meeting him I totally would have been snapping photos on my phone left and right lol!



After I finished gawking at everything we got right into the game following a quick refresh of the rules, as I hadn't played 7TV in well over a year. Beau took on the role of GM and a friend of his, Bob, ran the opposing league. All the photos above and below that you see of the game are all compliments of Beau's iPhone.


You've heard me joke in the past about how awful my luck is when I roll dice for games, well if Beau and Bob were here to comment they would verify that very fact. It was unreal how badly I was rolling, it was absolutely incredible!




Unfortunately it's been almost three months since we played this game so I can't remember a lot of the details of it, but I did use some of the cool gadget cards to get my agent (above) into the ship - I think it might have been the suction cups that allowed me to scale the side of the ship here.



A lot of the terrain and scenery, like the brick work above, was all done by Beau's other friend Chris. Just some amazing scratch built terrain and the photos don't do it justice!


What can really be interesting for a possibility in the future is that he has a You Tube channel - he did a six part series on the MV Australis build, which is the massive ship from Black Site Studios that you see in all the photos - so maybe video battle reports are something we could try in the future. Then the whole world can actually see how badly I roll dice!



The one thing that also blew me away was Beau's incredible painting. All these photos don't even come close to showing how amazing the brushwork on these models were - I really wish I'd taken some close-up photos, but hopefully I can do that next time.



Despite my horrific dice rolling I somehow managed to get two of my agents into the same room with the MacGuffin for a checkmate sort of play and actually won the game! It was great fun and just an absolutely incredible table to game on!

Again, a big thanks to Beau for welcoming me into his home, and to Bob as well for playing. I know he's interested in giving Pulp Alley a go, so that's on my list to get something made up for him and the other guys to possibly try. Here's to hopefully getting together on a more regular basis to roll some dice or heck, maybe even making it a small impromptu club, meeting every other week or two each month.

Until next time, thanks for looking!
Ivor

20 comments:

  1. Reading through your "history" I can really empathise with its contents. I have had similar 'problems' but sot-of in reverse. Gping from hainvg regular opponents and games to now, when after an eight year illness, I have many of the your original problems. Finiding a friend who will game with me is next to impossible.

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    1. I hear you Joe. All the best for your health and lucking on to some new mates like I did 🙂

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  2. I have very similar problems in interpersonal relations, so I understand you perfectly.

    It's great that you can meet and play! :)
    best

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    1. Reading through a lot of the comments on this post it seems I'm not alone in this feeling, which has definitely made me feel a bit more comfortable about it, thanks Michal!

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  3. You don’t come off as awkward online, so maybe that’s something.
    On a serious note: awkwardness will never fully cover over a good attitude and a kind heart, and those are the things that gamers look for. Keep putting yourself out there bc war gaming is at its best as a social activity.
    Good luck to you my online friend. 😀

    Oh, and nice pics. Get another invite to that basement.

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    1. Well, I definitely hide behind an awful lot of emojis and exclamation points to be honest! Thanks for the kind words 😀

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  4. Great to see you getting out for some gaming Ivor, while I'm a solo gamer myself it for a different reason but I know how much fun it is to roll dice with like minded people.

    Really hope this all works out for you & you guys keep getting together to have fun :)

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    1. Thanks Frank! I think, much like the ending of 'Casablanca', this group could be the start of a beautiful friendship 🙂

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  5. What a great story and so pleased that the day went well. Sometimes that first, tentative step leads to so many more opportunities.

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    1. Cheers Michael! I think some really great gaming possibilities are in the near future.

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  6. Glad you took the plunge and it was a rewarding experience.

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    1. Thanks Riot! Definitely good things to come!

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  7. Hi Ivor, I dont think your story is unusual or unique, life deals people different hands, your blog prescience is great, warm and friendly and that's how you appear to lots of people all over the world.
    Hopefully you will build a rapport with Beau and the rest, and you have a lot to bring to that party.
    Take care.

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    1. Cheers John! Extremely kind words to say the least 🙂 I think there will be lots of really great stuff coming from this new group!

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  8. Ivor, kudos for you for publicly opening up on this topic. Lots of folks struggle with this, and I'm no exception. Sometimes I don't experience it at all, while other times it comes unbidden and for no good reason, leaving me covered in sweat and struggling to be as articulate as I want to be. I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but just keep putting yourself out there...I've learned that most of the time nobody really notices the social anxiety you're feeling, and if they do, they typically don't care. If it makes you feel any better, I would have never described you as socially anxious or awkward in the least, so despite what it feels like on the inside, it's not really coming off that way to others.

    When I put together the Second Saturday Scrum Club, I didn't know most of the guys who eventually ended up in our little gaming group. I had a similar feeling meeting folks like John Sears and the others for the first time...but you know what, in the end I put myself out there and now have a regular gaming group full of guys I love spending time with once or twice a month. Hoping these new fellas you've met turn into the same for you!

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    1. Much appreciated Joe! It's really good to hear I'm not alone in these feelings - though I do like to describe myself as the one that's usually hiding off in the corner watching from afar lol! Fingers crossed that this group turns out half as good as it did for you and your group 😀

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  9. Ivor, excellent news! Very happy you have found some gamers! You and I should never play on the same side ... although if I buy new dice I usually get a game of ok dice rolling from them before they abandon me, lol. I have a lot of sets of slightly used dice. The Chessex guy creams his pants at local cons when he sees me enter the dealers room.

    Ahhh, social akwardness. It's a tough thing for sure. I'm lucky in that I really only hit it when I have nothing in common with a person.

    And, I hear you on the "first date" thing ... lol, do I have some stories for you!! One day my friend, one day ... a strong drink and a barrel of laughs!

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    1. Thanks Jay! I think this will be a great thing.
      Yeah, I don't see you as having any issues socially - besides, you are like a titan in the gaming community. Jay-Zeus 😀
      Ima make a giant statue of you like in Clash of the Titans!
      *while obviously the statue thing won't happen, how cool would a Jay-Zeus t-shirt be?! Ima work on that instead 😀*

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  10. Very impressive looking table mate! Lucky to get to play on it for sure.

    Social awkwardness is a pain in the butt. I too suffer from time to time, though it's mostly offset once I get a beer or two down my gullet. ;)

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    1. Much appreciated Dai! Beau and Chris really knocked it out of the park with the table for sure. That is definitely a go to for helping with the social awkwardness lol :)

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