I was chatting on the Game Chef Discord server with other participants about how some design spaces feel a bit intimidating. This is why I thought of sharing my feelings here. Other Game Chef participants said that they were intimidated by forums but less by interacting with fellow game design enthusiasts on Twitter or in small Discords and in game jams on itchio. So maybe forums generally contribute to this effect.
New User Introduction
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Hey there people! I’m Tomes (also Tomer), and I’ve been a member of the community for over 2 years. I live in one of the city of angels, Los Angeles, California, USA, run Games on Demand at our local Strategicon convention, help run a bi-weekly Story Games Glendale meetup, do technical training stuff by profession, and recently started a podcast called Small Game Hunter under the Happy Jacks RPG network, and have been lazy about updating my blog at supernovembergames.com. When you don’t find me playing here at odd hours with friends from around the globe, you can find me at various smaller RPG conventions in the Western USA. I’m on Twitter at tgurantz.
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Hi folks,
I’m Eiríkr/Erik (he/him), and currently live in Rhode Island. I got interested in role-playing games growing in the early 90’s, and have played them more-or-less actively since then. I help run the Providence Indie RPGs Meetup.
I have a lot of affection for older games (e.g. 1st edition AD&D, Middle-Earth Role Playing, Traveller) but most of the games I end up playing these days are fairly modern (e.g. Urban Shadows, Monster of the Week, FATE, Troika). I really enjoy learning new game systems and talking about them.
I’ve also helped maintain the roguelike computer game Angband and have broad interests in procedural generation, interactive fiction, functional programming, and divination methods.
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Hi all! My name is Rafael, I’m a 38 yo Chinese martial arts teacher from Brazil. I’ve been playing since early 90’s, and had some material published here. Got amazed by Solo RPG recently, like the ones you use a DM emulator. Got here by a Facebook recommendation, and I pledged my soul to the Fear of a Black Dragon podcast. It’s one of my top 3 podcasts, along with Appendix N Bookclub and System Mastery.
Looking for a good place to chat with good people about good games 
. Cheers!
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Hi everyone! My name is Ivy(She/Her). I’m 27. New to the Gauntlet. Been playing Call of Cthulu, DnD, and tabletop war-gaming since high school. I’ve been super into storytelling rpg’s of late. (Monster Hearts, 12 Candles Red Carnations, etc). I’m a martial artist who works with swords(HEMA/stage combat), I used to play full contact boffer larp (dagorhir) and quasi milsim airsoft for a few years.
As a designer I’m interested in created hybrid storytelling games as well as trying to re-configure larp combat. Oh and I love vampires more than anyone really should. Nice to be here!
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What’s up man?! This is Brendan! We met at Strategicon in February, we played Xas Irkalla together. I think I’ll be out there for Gateway at the end of this month and I’m looking forward to some Games On Demand! See you then!
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Welcome Edera! What kind of table-top warging do you do?
Hello all. I’ve been posting on the forums more or less since they opened however many months ago that was, but I never really introduced myself, so here I go!
My name’s Brock (he/him), I’m 25 and work as an archivist. I’ve been a fan of videogame RPG’s my whole life and was always vaguely aware of the tabletop IP’s they were drawing from, but never made the push to play any (I got really into World of Darkness after playing the Vampire the Masquerade computer game, but have never played the actual ttrpg, for example). I finally got into TTRPG’s maybe 6-7 years ago with D&D 4e, followed by various experiences with 5e that I was never quite happy with, before discovering the world of PbtA and storygames and realizing how much their playstyles aligned with my tastes, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I really enjoy melodrama, over the top stylish action, and super sappy, earnest, emotional anime type stuff, and am currently chipping away at writing a JRPG-inspired PbtA game that I hope captures that type of fantasy!
I played in my first two Gauntlet hangouts games in July and had a ton of fun with everyone and hope to keep playing in even more!
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Welcome Brock! (I love sappy earnest emotional anime stuff too)
@rafaelbeltrame Thanks! Oh nice! Looks like y’all had some epic combat!
@CarrionCallingCard Thank you! I played Full-Thrust, Firestorm Armada, and Warhammer Fantasy a bit.
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Hello, Frank (he/him) here, another person wandering in out of the rain having been sent here when the doors closed at Storygames. My interests these days lie mostly to old school games (I’m running Classic Traveller, OD&D, and RuneQuest 1st edition (yes, 1st, not 2nd, not 3rd…), and playing In The Labyrinth). My short list of interest does also include Burning Wheel for a less old school vibe.
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Hello all, I thought I posted here, but in seeing some names I know from other forums, I realize I haven’t introed myself.
I’m Ron, I play mainly AD&D 1E/OSRIC type games, but have played others. It’s always good to interact on forums like these… though I’ll likely be more of a lurker.
Be well all!
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I’m a “read only” gauntleteer as well. I do love lurking here though.
Bryan (He/Him); I’m a big ‘World of Dungeons 1979’ fan, and am always interested in ideas or practice that will help me be a better player and ref.
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Yes! And looking forward to seeing you again this coming con, I hear… definitely we need to do some more gaming, my friend… and game design chatting!
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Hi! I remember your posts back on G+. Your artwork is amazing! I was routinely blown away by your creativity.
I hear what you’re saying about the Gauntlet and forums in general as being intimidating spaces. I can say that I would personally be overjoyed to play in a game with you. Actually, I would be happy to reserve you a spot in one my future games on Gauntlet Hangouts. Just PM me if you’re interested and we’ll make it happen! (BTW, I only facilitate GM-less games partly because I find GM’ing very intimidating!)
One last thing: I want to point out that you totally just participated in this community in a meaningful way by making this post. You pointed out a barrier of entry to the community, which is an important issue that we need to address to be a safe and inclusive space. We need more posts like yours!
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Hi there! I’m Kristina (she/her). 27. I’m a biostatistician. I’m new to Gauntlet and TTRPGs outside of 5e DnD. I’m a lifelong video and board gamer.
I’m drawn to narrative gaming as a contrast to DnD’s often incomprehensible list of rules and minutiae, which often feel boring at best and inaccessible at worst. I am especially interested in games with creation/destruction and post-apocalyptic themes — games like Downfall, The Quiet Year, The Companion’s Tale, and For the Queen.
I’m currently finishing graduate school, which comes with its own set of challenges. Beyond the game table, I enjoy programming, talking about scientific communication and statistics education on Twitter, and learning foreign languages. I look forward to meeting others in the community!
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Hello all! I’m Maria (she/her). Like @luoyun I’m also 27 and finishing graduate school, but in microbiology! 
I joined the Gauntlet in July after coming from playing mostly Pathfinder with friends from undergrad. I’ve been enjoying playing story games and keep hoping to improve as a player and make interesting tales with people! When I’m not in lab or on the internet, I’m usually reading (romance! fantasy! science fiction!), fencing (the modern olympic kind with wires and beeping), playing board games or making things (knitting, sewing, baking… I have too many hobbies).
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Hi, all. I’m Christopher (he/him). I briefly played AD&D a long time ago in the last millenium. Then in February of this year I got the itch and found a public D&D game to join. A couple months later while trying to figure out how to run a game for my kids I discovered Dungeon World, and from there a whole other world of RPGs opened up to me, with just one problem—I couldn’t find anyone playing story games or OSR, and I’ve failed to coax any of the local folks I game with to take a look at these games. So, here I am, a little hesitant and tentative with my lack of experience, looking forward to finally getting to play some of these games I’ve been reading about.
Cheers!
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Hello! I’m Ivan (he/him). I’m 42 and am in Ireland.
I work as an archaeologist and I play music.
I played lots of gamebooks as a kid (CYOA, Fighting Fantasy, Endless Quest, Lone Wolf etc) and then played bits of D&D (BECMI), Warhammer Fantasy and MERP in school and a little bit of Werewolf and stuff in college.
I guess I played lots of boardgames and videogames since then but it’s only in the last few years that I became aware of all the possibilities of play. I read about the Quiet Year on boardgamegeek and when I got a copy of it I knew that I wanted to play more games like it.
I think I stumbled across the Jank Cast somehow and then heard about the Gauntlet through that. I’ve played some tabletop rpg sessions with friends, done some larp stuff in the last few years and I’m always writing bits of games but I really don’t get to play as often as I’d like to. I’m hoping to find the time and confidence to play some Gauntlet games very soon!
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