Today I went back to GamesPlus for their weekly Pathfinder Society meeting, hopefully to play with people over age 13. As before, the GM was a jovial and enthusiastic young man who was clearly there to give everyone an interesting and good time. There were evidently too many people there for one table, so I got split off with two other guys to play (luckily with the same GM) a scenario where we played pregenerated characters that were like level 7 or 8. The thing is, this was my third game ever, and I got this super complicated character with tons of powers. Which might have been interesting, but there were palpable waves of disapproval and impatience from one of the other players, who was dumbfounded that I didn't know even the basics of melee combat! INCONCEIVABLE!
I'd probably feel worse about it, except the player in question was a burly ginger with a giant beard with two braids in it like it as seen in Lord of the Rings. I mean, I've known a lot of folks who don't dress like a "normal person" (whatever that is), and have, on occasion, been in public looking a little weird. However, beard man didn't crack a smile the entire time. We played for over five hours. Because evidently this was a super serious game and we all need to take the endeavor extremely seriously. It seems to me that if you're going to metaphorically shriek at the world that you're a little weird by wearing beard braids and you want to be accepted despite your weirdness, than at least you should be an affable and jolly fellow. I mean, that's my excuse! I'm a bit odd, but at least I'll try to make you laugh. Well, who knows, maybe his dog died earlier.
...because sometimes you just want to eat brains.
Regardless of grumpy players, the thing that troubles me a bit is that I had a better time playing a scenario with the 13-year-olds than doing the same with people in my own age range. The kids were having a great time playing. There was almost continual giggling and jokes and laughing but we still played in character and the mission was successfully finished. These older guys today didn't seem like they were having fun. The other, non-braided, player was a fellow I played with last week who seemed pretty laid back and was eager to explain stuff to me. But he also appeared to not be having fun.
And, like, I mean, how could you not have fun playing this game? I mean, we had secret missions, we were working for an evil syndicate, we had to investigate an illicit drug-making facility and get evidence about all the wrong-doing and evil. And I was a shapeshifter. Shapeshifter. Like Mystique. I mean, shapeshifting AND pharmacology?! It should have been a barrel of laughs for everyone. And about two-thirds through the run I freed a creature called Aogg (pictured at right) who, in gratitude for my freeing him, chomped off my head and ate my brain. Then I got to play as Aogg! Yeah, Aogg's pretty cool. He can hover. Yeah, pretty cool...
Anyway, I tore the end-boss in half with my green pincers and ate his brain. I WIN!
The win was tempered a little as the other players began immediately packing up their stuff the moment I ate the bad guy's head (awesome)... I don't get that. If you're treating the experience like it's an onus, and it's a game, then why do it at all?
Sigh. I realize I'll be happier once I can find a home game to play, or find a group that wants to enjoy themselves, or even just find a group of folks to hang out with outside of work. The main problem, as I see it, is that I mostly meet folks at work, mostly fellow instructors, and most ladies my age all are way too busy to go turning into a giant brain-eating crab monster every weekend. They're working and/or have kids or a spouse and they spend their solo free time sleeping so they don't die. And I can't be friends with men at work because prior experience indicates that men think you want to have sex if you want to meet outside of work. Totally don't. Just want to have some fun and diversion. I don't mind playing with slightly younger or older folks as well.
Ah well, I won't let one dwarven-wannabe ruin the experience. It's still fun to just go out and spend time with other humans doing something completely ridiculous without feeling foolish about it.
Anyway, I have to go to sleep; the four hour game totally set off my migraine thing and I'm still dizzy and nauseous as hell four hours later. Hmmm... Maybe I need to cut down on all the flying and brain-snacking. Teehee!
*CHOMP*
Translation: Stuff you do in the game while pretending to fight a mean thing using rules even though you're an adult but you don't care because it's awesome.
Exercise: Translate this sentence from the Rules for Pathfinder:
"In a normal round, you can perform a standard action and a move action, or you can perform a full-round action. You can also perform one swift action and one or more free actions. You can always take a move action in place of a standard action." **
Answer: Huh?