Series Index
<< Part 1 * Part 3 >>
Part 2 - Introduce others to your hobby
In four large cities with communities of early D&D adopters Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Boston cross-pollination proceeded quite rapidly. Each of these major cities boasted lengthy pedigrees in both science-fiction fandom and wargames, and each supported several independent clusters of dedicated players. None, however, was very close to the midwestern roots of D&D, where the influence of the game's creators might hold greater sway. In keeping with hobby best practices, these coastal groups began publicly recording the state of their campaigns and hosting visitors unfamiliar with their ways. - The Elusive Shift, Jon Peterson. Emphasis mine.
This is the second post in the hobby best practices series. In this one I will continue with the second example given in the quote above - introducing new people to your hobby! I’ll talk about participating in hobby communities later, but in general most people tend to enjoy the company of other hobbyists that share their interests. And the way those people get there is that someone introduces them into the hobby. So why not have that someone be you?
In hobbies like TTRPGs, this more or less means one thing - run games. Be it at conventions, at your LGS or for your friends, it doesn’t matter. Organizing and running games for newbies is the best way to demonstrate the hobby and bring more people into it.
If you want to do this right, this does mean that this is a role with a good deal of responsibility to it. Being the person responsible for introducing people to a brand new thing means you are, by default, an ambassador to the entire hobby. A bad or a good experience can mean either getting a new convert or driving someone off the hobby entirely.
Also lets be clear here - you will drive people out of the hobby. Even if you are the best GM out there, you will sooner or later run a game for someone who just…isn’t into it or doesn’t actually like the hobby you are demonstrating, and your demonstration will be what helps them realize they don’t like the thing. This is not bad. Remember how I mentioned that forming taste happens through contemplating experiences and learning what you do or don’t like and why you do or don’t like it? Well you have now helped someone refine their own taste just a bit more!
In miniatures wargaming this activity often takes the form of running demo games for people. Either by individuals or by gaming clubs, organizing demo games where others can become acquainted with the hobby.
Speaking of clubs, if you are part of one, having an open doors day of some kind is a good idea and a great way to get new faces to look at your hobby. Run exhibitions, or hell - maybe even a small convention. Or have a presence at an existing local convention, showing off what it is your club is focused on!
Importantly, this activity is not just for bringing complete newbies into your hobby. For example, if you are someone like me who is interested in a specific sub-niche of a hobby (OSR or DIY Gaming or whatever you want to call it) you can still do demonstration games for people who are part of the broader hobby that yours is a niche in! Do you practice your hobby in a different way than what most others would be familiar with? Excellent, run a demonstration for them. These demonstrations among hobbyists have different requirements and different expectations to them, as others would be familiar to at least some degree with what you are talking about, but are hopefully curious to learn a new perspective.
Hell, let’s go one step further - even with fellow hobbyists who are part of your sub-niche, but don’t participate in the specific group that you practice your hobby among? Try running a demonstration for them. Maybe your playgroup have developed an interesting technique or practice that is not widely adopted by the rest of your hobby - why not share it for others to experience and learn from?
In the next part I will talk about participating in hobby communities since it naturally follows from this one.
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