Work friends aren’t the issue for me. I do fine in that regard, the problem is that I work from home. I’m interested in finding non-work friends that I could see in real life instead of on MS Teams. The other challenge for me personally is that I live in a very sparsely populated area.
So your best bet is online, especially if travel is a concern or challenge, depending on where your nearest game store is and the time and effort it would take to get there.
Fortunately there are games held online. But meeting people online presents its own challenges, such as whether you can trust someone behind a screen. Of course, for some on the spectrum, this can be an advantage, you can be your true self and, while you risk greater conflict, you also risk deeper engagement with like-minded individuals.
And D&D is really for everyone. Not everyone is a born adventurer. You can play a bard who joins a party and inspires them with music but they don’t fight directly. Druids and monks do some fighting but they’re more into setting the stage. There are probably ways to play where you do not do any combat yourself (like the bard). The point is to put yourself out there in all your weird glory and find people who think that’s cool and who think you’re cool. So you read up on all the character races and classes and pick the one that sounds coolest to you, and you find a group that wants someone with the background/skills you’ve chosen. And then hopefully you vibe with the group.
Well, on one hand, gaming isn’t for everyone, so if it’s not for you, it’s not for you.
That being said, most D&D groups are pretty inclusive, and it’s typically welcoming to all.
One of the best games I ever played involved a six year old. She did not want to play, she just wanted to be included in the group. So she volunteered to do the dice rolling and the “secretary work” (keeping track of player/monster health). We looked over her work, but she did not make mistakes. We were allowed to focus on the story and she handled the dice and paperwork. Eventually she did want a character, so we made her one. That was over 30 years ago and I haven’t forgotten that game. I hope she hasn’t either.
Work friends aren’t the issue for me. I do fine in that regard, the problem is that I work from home. I’m interested in finding non-work friends that I could see in real life instead of on MS Teams. The other challenge for me personally is that I live in a very sparsely populated area.
So your best bet is online, especially if travel is a concern or challenge, depending on where your nearest game store is and the time and effort it would take to get there.
Fortunately there are games held online. But meeting people online presents its own challenges, such as whether you can trust someone behind a screen. Of course, for some on the spectrum, this can be an advantage, you can be your true self and, while you risk greater conflict, you also risk deeper engagement with like-minded individuals.
And D&D is really for everyone. Not everyone is a born adventurer. You can play a bard who joins a party and inspires them with music but they don’t fight directly. Druids and monks do some fighting but they’re more into setting the stage. There are probably ways to play where you do not do any combat yourself (like the bard). The point is to put yourself out there in all your weird glory and find people who think that’s cool and who think you’re cool. So you read up on all the character races and classes and pick the one that sounds coolest to you, and you find a group that wants someone with the background/skills you’ve chosen. And then hopefully you vibe with the group.
It might have to be gaming, even though I have very little interest. There is in fact a gaming place not too far away.
Well, on one hand, gaming isn’t for everyone, so if it’s not for you, it’s not for you.
That being said, most D&D groups are pretty inclusive, and it’s typically welcoming to all.
One of the best games I ever played involved a six year old. She did not want to play, she just wanted to be included in the group. So she volunteered to do the dice rolling and the “secretary work” (keeping track of player/monster health). We looked over her work, but she did not make mistakes. We were allowed to focus on the story and she handled the dice and paperwork. Eventually she did want a character, so we made her one. That was over 30 years ago and I haven’t forgotten that game. I hope she hasn’t either.