All the serious roleplayers have them-- friends who would be great gamers if only...
- gaming was less geeky, or
- was easier to understand, or
- they had the time.
And yet, they always seem to enjoy video games, play complicated boardgames or sit around the house. Clearly, it's something else. Perhaps Hank is intimidated. Maybe Joanna feels like it won't be fun for her.
Sure, it would be great to have them sitting around the table at the "Friday Night Adventure Club" (or whatever the gaming group's moniker), but how?
All their gross intellectualizations and feeble excuses can be swept away using a tool known to many... umm... marketing gurus: the gateway. The idea is to find a game product that rests somewhere between their comfort zone and your all-out role-playing extravaganza.
Selecting the Right Game
Selecting a gateway game to hook a friend is a pretty easy task, given that access to a decent game store and knowledge of the target's tastes. The goal is to take them out of their familiar territory and into the world of adventure one step at a time.
Say, for example, Tom is a poker player who loved the Lord of the Rings movies. He likes cards and fantasy: check. Now, some options to bridge the gap might include Once Upon a Time, the storytelling card game; the Lord of The Rings board game by Reiner Knizia; and (a bigger jump) The Games Workshop Lord of the Rings strategy game. Right there is a three-step staircase. On the landing? Dungeons & Dragons or Rolemaster.
SImilarly, say Joan is old-school goth with a great imagination and a fascination for models and miniatures, but always thought the rules looked annoying. This one seems tougher, of course, but can be handled in one easy step.
The right gateway game for this target lies on the borderline between Monopoly and Games Workshop's worlds of dark strife, and it's called Talisman. Here's a game that provides an icon of role-playing. It introduces all the core concepts and preps the player, if only subconsciously, for the internal logic of rpg rules.
There are a thousand other options on the shelves of the local recreation emporium. Gateway games come in every format and price range, providing everything one needs to win over that reluctant buddy or frustrated girlfriend. Often a trip to said shop is enough to ignite a passion.
What if the Geek Conversion Mission Fails?
Even if you don't manage to convert a friend to role-playing geekdom, the whole process is an investment in your gaming lifestyle. The in-between games themselves are great fun for even seasoned gamers and everyone will have had great fun along the way.
And if the target discovers the scheme and waggles a desultory finger, just shrug and smile coyly. There's a duty to be fulfilled, after all.
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