Telling non-Arm people about Arm (without sounding crazy)?

[Rairen]

How do you talk about the game to non-players?  While I don't play anymore, some of my favorite war stories are fictional and without context sound really, really strange. Do you prefer to slowly introduce outsiders to the world, dunk them straight into the deep end, or find other not-crazy things to talk about?

A la, the reason I decided to post - this morning for St. Patrick's to the husband I met well after I stopped playing:

Me:  One of my proudest moments was in that online game when I - well, I played a girl who was a singer, but well yes, it was text-based so sometimes you had to write bad poetry to kinda fake it.  Awkward.  Anyway, I did this parody of Mary Mac, and it had external rhyme and internal rhyme and it was the best thing I ever did.  Except that it was about another character I didn't like, which sucked because she was a rival, but her name fit so I had to do it.
Him: (bewildered but nice) Huh.  That's... cool. 

(Nope, definitely not playing nor have time to.  But I like to lurk because semi-annual Tuluk and bard threads make me giggle.  And all those teenagers I used to know are getting so old!)

[Is Friday]

I don't.

[RogueGunslinger]

I don't.

I have a couple times, and they never seemed remotely interested, so now I don't either.

[Marauder Moe]

I don't.

I have a couple times, and they never seemed remotely interested, so now I don't either.

[Cavaticus]

Rarely, except in the very occasional context that I help run an online game. When asked what kind of game, I describe it as one of the oldest extant examples of the modern MMO's precursor.

[Rairen]

I describe it as one of the oldest extant examples of the modern MMO's precursor.

That's DEFINITELY a conversation starter.

[Semper]

Explain that you used to play (or are playing ) an online text-based version of a D&D game, assuming your listener knows a bit about D&D boxsets and such. If they are a bit interested in what a D&D is, then you can start from there and go into the basic concept of a roleplaying game, and why you enjoy it. It's good way to test the waters, so to speak.

I think when someone is given a recognizable background to Arm's context (even if it's not very accurate), people are a bit more understanding of why you played a (general sample of a D&D like character).

After someone has more of a background, you can explain Armageddon's setting and you won't sound so crazy because the person should hopefully know the context. A good suggestion maybe is not to expect to tell them a specific story about a character until they know the general setting of Armageddon, and usually they're interested to know at least a bit of what I do in my free time since they asked, so they won't blow me off. Just don't try to do all this in one sitting!

[Talia]

Actual conversation reenactment!

Acquaintance: What do you do for fun?
Talia: I build zombie spider monsters in my workshop and then try to kill people with them.
Acquaintance: *edges away*

A few of my friends know that I do this for fun. Some of them think it's pretty cool, though they aren't interested in it themselves.

[Saellyn]

I made the mistake of telling my army buddies about Arm...

[Barsook]

I don't.

I have a couple times, and they never seemed remotely interested, so now I don't either.

Or they don't have the time to try to play Arm.

[bcw81]

Surprisingly, I routinely get asked what I've been up to in Arm by two of my good friends whenever I see them. One of them tried Arm for a bit and never really got into it, the other just likes hearing the stories.

I think I started by edging them into the world by talking about external city politics, then moved inwards until they had a firm grasp. At that point I got to start telling them about my whacky adventures.

[Is Friday]

My wife has to hear all of my Arm stories.

[Tetra]

"I play MUDs, they're an online interactive storytelling game.  Like Shakespeare only in 2 dimensions and in a sandbox..literally."

[nauta]

It's basically sex chat but with bone swords.

[Barzalene]

It's basically sex chat but with bone swords.

It really doesn't have to be.

[Erythil]

When pressed I described it as 'Like a big game of Dungeons & Dragons, but with a focus on storytelling instead of on loot.  Also, there's no graphics.  Like dwarf fortress.'

That seemed to work well enough.

[nauta]

It's basically sex chat but with bone swords.

It really doesn't have to be.

You're right, I've just never been a fan of axes.

[Barzalene]

It's basically sex chat but with bone swords.

It really doesn't have to be.

You're right, I've just never been a fan of axes.

[bcw81]

True Fact: Reason I got my one friend to even try Arm was because I told her she could play a gutter-tramp prostitute.

[Tetra]

True Fact: Reason I got my one friend to even try Arm was because I told her she could play a gutter-tramp prostitute.

LOL.

I have been trying to convince my guild from another game to all roll PCs on Arm and do an indie clan/hostile takeover.  But they're terribly attached to their graphical MMO.

[Harmless]

How do you talk about the game to non-players?

I don't. I try not to.

[HavokBlue]

I have two groups of friends.

I have a group of friends that do not play games, or video games or any sort, and most just party and drink. They don't even know Arm exists.

I have a closer group of assorted gaming buddies who have dabbled with D&D and similar shit in the past who are all interested in hearing my latest Arm stories but not in playing the game because they're either intimidated or don't have the time to invest.

[Jihelu]

"Hey heres this game, heres the lore, I'm going to tell you my perfect idea on how to start my own kingdom but it won't work because I suck at the game"

My discussions in a nutshell.

[valeria]

Me in the cafeteria at court a few days ago: I mean so nerdy that I play an online text-based roleplaying game.

Guy who clerks for a state Supreme Court judge: You mean like MUDding?  I used to do that in high school.

[HavokBlue]

When people seem confused about Armageddon I just tell them it's text-based internet D&D where you don't have to roll any dice and they seem to understand.

[solera]

In my peer group, and amongst my English speaking workmates, no one talks of playing computer games , apart from occasional mention of  weekend console gaming. I keep this part of my life locked in the closet. They talk of Facebook and TV and books, hiking and biking,sport and gardening. I just shut up and work.
I talk about my PCs with my family when I see them, but I need to ration my outbursts,and stop when I get the look. They had dabbled but not been hooked.

[Dakota]

"Let me tell you, about the greatest game you've never played or heard of..."

is usually how I start.

Then I follow it up with things like being able to do anything. The fact theirs perma-death and you can't ever play the same character twice. How high the stakes are when a game is designed that way.

Sell them on the excitement such an environment builds.

[MeTekillot]

"Are you talking about that black box game you always play?"

[Sedora]

The majority of people I know are lucky to get a computer turned on and their browser of choice loaded to a search engine. Welcome to the middle of nowhere.

The one friend I have who is a gamer type like me asks about my Arm shenanigans, and is even a fellow RPer type, but is afraid to start playing the game. She doesn't like the concept of permanent death.

To broach the topic, I would suggest making sure that whoever you want to talk to about it has an at least basic acceptance of the concept of roleplaying. There are people I know who if I told them I roleplay in a text game, would try to check me into the nearest institution.

[Tetra]

There are people I know who if I told them I roleplay in a text game, would try to check me into the nearest institution.

This is a social phenomena called listening apprehension, we learned about it in interpersonal communications in college. 

People have a trigger of anxiety or fear for things that they do not understand.  So, be proud of your creativity.

If you ever need to put it into context for people, explain Johnny Depp does the same thing for a living, he only makes millions of dollars doing it.

[Sedora]

If you ever need to put it into context for people, explain Johnny Depp does the same thing for a living, he only makes millions of dollars doing it.

I never thought of it that way! I'll use that next time, thank you

[najdorf]

Once I was so close converting a guy, 3 days I told him stories, then he said it is the shittiest game he has ever heard about.

[Aruven]

Once I was so close converting a guy, 3 days I told him stories, then he said it is the shittiest game he has ever heard about.

Lol dude, this.

I get people stoked by talking about the 'realism', the 'excitement', even 'perma-death'. ( I get : "Yeah Fuck yeah this sounds like an awesome version of oblivion or something!!!")

I say shit like "Think about our desert hikes, ok now add huge predatory shit stalking us, rock weapons, and magic." (Yeah fuck yeah!)

Ok, now just 'see it', because the whole game is words and text on a computer screen...



Guys? Where did you guys all go?

[Fathi]

Everyone I've ever mentioned it to (granted not a lot of people who aren't already gamers) has seemed pretty fascinated by the concept.

But I say it's more like a really violent book you can control a character in. That tends to get the seal of approval from most people.

[Beethoven]

When I describe Armageddon to my friends, I get the impression that people think I'm the nerdiest person they have ever met, and not in an endearing way. They look very uncomfortable and seem like they kind of want me to stop talking. So I tend to never mention it again.

[Revenant]

I either get a thousand interested questions, but a "Dude, wait, sounds way out of my league!" when I try to convince them to play, or I get a confused look and "That sounds WAY too complicated!". This from people who already play text-based games. The latter will quickly change the subject because my detail-filled explanations baffle them. The former will demand a story the next time they see me.

[RogueGunslinger]

Hah. I enjoyed reading that.

[Kismetic]

I have a few friends who know about it, that will even ask about my characters.  "Are you still playing that guy who blah blah blah?"  They know some of the stories, seem interested, just not in actually playing the game itself.  Other friends I wouldn't even broach the subject, because it doesn't contain anecdotes about:  music, drugs, listening to music on drugs, playing music, or anything remotely sports.  That's fine, too, but despite having a broad spectrum of friendships, I have never succeeded in recruiting an Armer.

I was recruited into this MUD, having had experience on other MUDs as a long time player (since Dragonrealms in the late 90s) and administrating (on a MUD called Faerun/Rauvyon), and I swore up and down that I would hate this game, because it was far left field and I'd never played DarkSun.  Turns out, I found it very enjoyable.  So, that's the trick.  Getting people to play that one character where they go really deep.  I think.  Maybe.