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.