Hi, I’m actually the mom of a recently ‘infected’ 13 year old (so far I managed to resist being pulled in . He started playing Runequest with 2 adult friends during the summer vacation and loved it. He would very much like to continue playing and learning more about different games. He is more or less fully bilingual German / English, so he can play in both languages. Unfortunately, we missed the convention in June, but we are planning to go and check out the game stores I found recommended here, but I was hoping to get some advice on how / where to find an appropriate playgroup?
Hello there
First : congratulations on being a great mum!
Second: our weekly play sessions on friday are only in english but we have a lot of non-native speakers. Also they aren’t always completely family-friendly (no explicit sex but sometimes innuendo and of course swearing). I assume you dont have a problem with the violence usually happening in these games. Lastly we are playing late into the night most of the time so he would have to be accompanied at the cery least. Also one would have to check with the oners of the cafe we are meeting in if that is ok for them.
On finding play groups: normally i would advise to join the friday AL games because this is where most of our newer playgroups form. But as you can see there might be things preventing that. The easiest thing can be to find sone likeminded friends and just start playing. There is also a german speaking group thingy but i dobt know their name maybe @Tersidian does?
Cheers
In addition of the Friday group, we have a used to be regularl game on Thursdays at the Spielbar.
These are also in English and we run various games, part of the idea is to try different games.
Everybody is welcome at these and most of these are PG13, although we do run the occasional horror game (Call if Chtuhlhu in particular) so it might be worth checking what game is run ahead of time…
What exactly do you mean by “appropriate playgroup?” We have a group on Thursdays which is all about learning more about different games, which you and your son are more than welcome to attend. Please note, however, that we are currently all adults, and we play in the back of a bar. Friendly adults and respectable bar, but still.
If your son does wish to drop by, please let us know in advance in the weekly thread in this forum. As bonkers mentioned, we do sometimes deal with themes that I don’t feel would be appropriate at that age. For example, not long ago we had a game about racism which I feel would be a bit much for most 13-year-olds to handle. By giving us a heads-up in advance, we can make sure the subject matter is age-appropriate, and also plan on not playing until midnight.
(As a side note, I do not believe a minor needs the owner’s approval, at least until 11 pm.)
Otherwise, just playing with friends is always the best way to go. Perhaps pin a note on a bulletin board at school?
And if you’re interested in conventions, the Don’t Panic Con is quite family friendly. The main focus is board games, but there’s also plenty of role-playing. The next one should be in February.
Another idea: Planet Harry, the games store in Otto Bauer Gasse, has a bulletin board, too. A lot of people who play these games go there regularly - that might be the best way to connect with other players the same age as your son.
(It’s also a great place to go should your son wish to expand his collection.)
. He started playing Runequest with 2 adult friends during the summer vacation and loved it. He would very much like to continue playing and learning more about different games. He is more or less fully bilingual German / English, so he can play in both languages. Unfortunately, we missed the convention in June, but we are planning to go and check out the game stores I found recommended here, but I was hoping to get some advice on how / where to find an appropriate playgroup?