How Can We Share Our Hobby?

[Joe]

I am looking for ideas on how we can expose more people to our hobby.

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'Nosce te Ipsum' -Delphic Maxim

'Follow your bliss.' -Joseph Campbell

[narpet]

Locally... go to your nearest hobby store and offer to run free demo games of C&C. Other than inviting friends or friends of friends that's one of the only ways to spread it using the old-fashioned way (meaning without using the internet).

I recently went to a hobby store I hadn't been to and they carried some cool stuff, but didn't have any C&C stuff. So, I offered to run a few demo games if they were interested. They were... and now I'm just trying to figure out my schedule so I can run a few games there.

[Treebore]

I find that knocking them unconscious, tying them up and dragging them to your gaming table and not letting them go until they have gamed with you for 6 hours works well.

Until the police show up saying something about assault kidnapping, and some other nonsense I never understand.
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The Ruby Lord, Earl of the Society

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[serleran]

I say go old school and hand out little RPG chapbooks, like they used to do for things like the Communist party. Get some catchy game tracts and Chick it up! Also, viral parkour should help, maybe through some steam tunnels under an abandoned asylum on a campus somewhere.... of course, this has to be completely in character and dress, like a LARP only sweeter and hardcore.
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[Stainless]

You have to be the right person for this and in the right neighbourhood.

See if there is a local youth club, the type of thing run by councils and/or church groups to provide entertainment for teenagers in an attempt to keep them off the street and up to mischief. Volunteer yourself to give demo games. You may need to be police checked or supervised for under aged legal reasons. The players may be a bit boisterous and/or sceptical at first, but some will probably click with it. Not only would you be spreading the word, you'd be inculcating some key skills (reading, writing, maths, communication, team work, etc.) and doing a community service at the same time. I'm currently in the process of doing my homework on this for my area.
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[CnD]

I don't know how well this would work for anyone else, but one of my group members is a teacher at the local middle school, he started a Thursday afternoon Gaming Club. Not restricted to just RPGs, but they are the primary focus. From what I hear it has been very successful.
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It's all fun and games until someone gets eaten by a grue.

[slimykuotoan]

SKYPE
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[Omote]

Spread the word to any youngsters you know, particularly ones who are playing the computer versions of these game. Spread the word to youngsters who are in your family. Beyond that, never hold back talling anybody your hobbies when the topic comes up. Family, friends, everybody. A steady dose of talking games like this up to friends, family and particularly at the game shop will go a long way in spreading the word. Remember, you are essentially trying to sell something to someone in effect. Don't be overly pushy or extremely long winded, just show your excitment for the game you love and keep getting the word out!

~O
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Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[CKDad]

While Skype can be a great tool (as can MapTools and other virtual tabletop & chat tools), by itself it doesn't bring anyone new into the hobby.

Other folks above have the crux of the matter: you have to expose more people to gaming. Demo games at stores, running games for kids (I run for my son & his friends, all in middle school), running ads in local papers, talking it up to people who might be interested.

Recognize that different people have different tastes and different gateways to roleplay. You may not want to play Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or recreate the adventures of Malcolm Reynolds, or a two-fisted action hero - but that may be what attracts a particular new person to the hobby.
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"I don't wanna be remembered as the guy who died because he underestimated the threat posed by a monkey."

[LordSeurek]

Treebore wrote:
I find that knocking them unconscious, tying them up and dragging them to your gaming table and not letting them go until they have gamed with you for 6 hours works well.

Until the police show up saying something about assault kidnapping, and some other nonsense I never understand.

I say Tree got it figured out.....
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[Stainless]

Omote wrote:
Spread the word to any youngsters you know, particularly ones who are playing the computer versions of these game. Spread the word to youngsters who are in your family. Beyond that, never hold back talling anybody your hobbies when the topic comes up. Family, friends, everybody. A steady dose of talking games like this up to friends, family and particularly at the game shop will go a long way in spreading the word. Remember, you are essentially trying to sell something to someone in effect. Don't be overly pushy or extremely long winded, just show your excitment for the game you love and keep getting the word out!

~O

Also, either explicitly or implicitly let people know that tabletop RPGing involves meeting with real human beings, having a chin-wag and sharing some food/drink. Contrast it to sitting for hours in front of a TV or a computer, either alone or effectively alone. I think in our increasingly isolated societies, with the Internet, cable TV, etc., it's widely felt that people just don't get together enough. RPGs aren't the only answer, but they're a classic social interaction activity.
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Drug of choice...coffee

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[Frost]

I agree with Omote. Buy games for nephews, nieces, your kids, etc. The hobby will last if we can show kids how fun it is and that video games aren't the end-all-be-all of gaming.
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Baron of the Pitt
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The Dungeoneering Dad

[Rikitiki]

Here's what I'm gonna do - specifically to find players up here in this woodland small hamlet where I live, but it'd work (I think) for what we're talking about here.

Once I've gotten myself up-to-speed learning C&C (only got PHB & M&T last week), I'm going to put the following in the 'classified ads' section of our local monthly free newspaper:

Adventurers Needed!

No experience necessary. Think you have the boldness,

cunning, and fortitude to slay monsters, fight evil,

and reap treasures in the doing? Contact 'One-thumb'

at The Black Dragon Inn for details -

HERE I'll post the URL of a webpage I'll set up that'll

have the barkeep-monologue explaining

in character what's an RPG, what's C&C, etc, and an e-mail link

to me so those who're interested enough to do so can contact me

and we can take it from there -- likely a live Q&A session

once I get enough of a crowd who are interested.

Whadda ya think? Feedback, please!

- Riki[/b]

[Julian Grimm]

I'm running a game in the commons area of the school. It is a high traffic area and the school boasts a good gamer community. So, it is more about showing off C&C than anything.
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[Rikitiki]

Oh, I just remembered something which I think would also work -

Back in 1980 (coincidently enough just a week after a friend introduced me to the OD&D boxed set and ran me through a game), I was down at the local library and they had the new 1e AD&D PHB, MM, and DMG in their window display with a handful of dice and some painted miniatures.

So, maybe talk to your local librarian(s) about doing a window display like that -- I know from experience that people see a well-painted miniature and go, "Oooo, cool...what's this?!" Once attracted, the rest is up to you...