Playtesting without an established group (or solo)

[NickEast]

I've barely scratched the surface of TTRPGs and I never truly played one before, which also means I have no one to play with in person, let alone an entire group. While finding a group online is much easier, it is extremely difficult for me to adapt as I don't know anyone and I have to get to know people before I'm comfortable to open up (I have social anxiety that becomes much worse when I'm trying to find people to play with). Moreover, time, and especially time zones, is usually an issue for me as well, as I can't always spend many hours in a row just playing a game, and I don't live by myself. Another major issue is that, due to many past experiences with other things, I fear that I won't be able to find people that like what I like (in this case, the kind of game/story/play-style). It often happened that if I wanted to be part of a group I was always forced to do whatever the group wanted to do, rather than what I would have liked because no one else wanted to do it.

TL;DR. Is there a way that I can still participate in roleplaying and playtesting Stargate? Or some kind of interaction with like-minded people that love Stargate and that I can get to know to become more comfortable with playing? I'm from the Netherlands, so maybe that can put things in perspective. I'm currently trying to play Star Trek Adventures solo (I know what most people think), and though it does work, it may not be properly representative for playtesting.

[Mal]

Have a look around on rolld20. I'm lucky to have a group locally but there are lots of online teleconferences games. Otherwise have a look around for model shops/comic book stores, some of these may even run games themselves on a pay to play basis. 

You may well struggle to playtest without a group but its not as hard as it used to be to find people.

[NickEast]

17 minutes ago, Mal said:

Have a look around on rolld20. I'm lucky to have a group locally but there are lots of online teleconferences games. Otherwise have a look around for model shops/comic book stores, some of these may even run games themselves on a pay to play basis. 

You may well struggle to playtest without a group but its not as hard as it used to be to find people.

There are no comic/game shops around where I live. And the nearest is quite a ways away, and mostly run D&D or similar games. Nothing as "obscure" or niche, in game terms, as Stargate or Star Trek. And while it's not difficult to find groups online, as I mentioned, that's not really the issue.

[PaulBaldowski]

Firstly, I too suffer from anxiety issues, so I can understand the considerable challenge of finding a group or new people to play games with.

Second, as Mal suggested, consider looking around online for games. Discord might be an option. It's also possible that once we have the playtest material, someone may run a play-by-post on the forums, which means that a group can play at a steadier pace through posts to the forum -- which means that you won't have to worry about spending a set number of consecutive hours playing.

As a playtest, you might have the option of providing feedback based solely on reading the game, creating a character, running a simulated combat solo, etc., but you would definitely benefit from the broader experience of actual play.

I'm sure that something will work out for you.

[PaulBaldowski]

5 minutes ago, NickEast said:

And the nearest is quite a ways away, and mostly run D&D or similar games. Nothing as "obscure" or niche, in game terms, as Stargate

Given the Stargate RPG is based on the OGL 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons ruleset, it should be easier than you think to play the game with exactly these kinds of gamers!

[Mal]

Hey, sorry, didn't mean to ignore your anxiety. I'm sorta in the same boat (aspie myself) so I certainly didn't mean to minimise it. 

My personal experience was that a bunch of friends who RP eventually got me to give it a go. It was a horror setting which I didn't care for but in time campaigns came up that were interesting and I got more into it and gradually got over being self conscious (now play an outrageous paladin called Ivor Fleshammer who is based on Zap Brannigan). 

Now we're in a D&D 5e game and while I basically hate fantasy, it doesn't matter because the story and company is worth it. Now that I want them to get into Stargate I have people I can nudge to play and get a group together. 

So, if I were to suggest a strategy, I'd try one of those game shops. I don't know exactly how inconvenient it would be but it sounds like a potential option?

If you're not up for that, I understand. As Paul says it still looks like you can contribute in some important ways anyway. 

Best of luck getting something together mate.

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Mal
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[NickEast]

50 minutes ago, Mal said:

Hey, sorry, didn't mean to ignore your anxiety. I'm sorta in the same boat (aspie myself) so I certainly didn't mean to minimise it. 

My personal experience was that a bunch of friends who RP eventually got me to give it a go. It was a horror setting which I didn't care for but in time campaigns came up that were interesting and I got more into it and gradually got over being self conscious (now play an outrageous paladin called Ivor Fleshammer who is based on Zap Brannigan). 

Now we're in a D&D 5e game and while I basically hate fantasy, it doesn't matter because the story and company is worth it. Now that I want them to get into Stargate I have people I can nudge to play and get a group together. 

So, if I were to suggest a strategy, I'd try one of those game shops. I don't know exactly how inconvenient it would be but it sounds like a potential option?

If you're not up for that, I understand. As Paul says it still looks like you can contribute in some important ways anyway. 

Best of luck getting something together mate.

 

No worries, I still appreciate the input

[aaron2310]

I would imagine we'll get some online groups setup through these boards too.