Organizing an Event on board.

[wizzzzzad]

Howdy. Don't be fooled by my join date. I've only made one post to ask a question 3 years ago, and got my answer right away. I'm still new to cruising, having been only on 1 before now, and that was 3 years ago.

 

The one cruise I was on before was fun, but I've been thinking of a way I could enjoy myself more during sea days, and possilbly nights after we have left port.

 

It's an odd sort of question, I suppose is the best word for it, and I don't know how best to phrase it. I will have to lay a bit of background.

 

I am avid player of role-playing games. If you don't know what this is, it's most popular form is that of a game called 'Dungeons & Dragons'. (Let the flames commence. They will be ignored, and nothing I haven't heard from my mother, brothers, & sister over the last 20 years.)

 

Let me state, that I am nearly 40 years old, and have been playing these games since I was 10. This is no mere hobby for me. I am as devoted to D&D, as the most serious fan to his favorite sports team. I still play D&D nearly every week, and will continue to do so, for as long as I am able, and enjoy the game.

 

My question is this: If I wanted to find people who play the game, and wanted to try to play during some night (or nights) on board, what would be the best way to go about it?

 

A special thread here? Use the Roll Call thread? Print up some flyers to post around the ship? (Would Carnival object to such?) I'm not sure.

 

My ideal end results would be a group of people, although strangers, who share a common interest, getting together to play thier favorite game for a night, or nights, while on board. I'd like to use a common room, if one is available, but someone's cabin could work just as well.

 

What I don't want is parents dropping off thier kids, and have me entertain them like a baby sitter. While I don't mind playing D&D with kids (my current group has a 14 year old in it), I want them to come of thier own free will.

 

I also don't want anyone who might be coming to learn the game. I don't expect to have huge amounts of time, and teaching someone the basics of D&D, isn't something I think we'd have time for.

 

I'm also not trying to turn the focus of my cruise into playing it every night. I was hoping for maybe one session of anywhere from an hour to no more than maybe 3 hours. Just once, to say we did it. I've played D&D in many different places, when I was in the army ('87-'91), including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. On a ship in the Caribbean is another feather in my cap, so to speak.

 

I've only got 11 days until we sail on the Freedom, on August 23rd, so my time is kinda short. I frankly expect trying to organize anything this late, would probably fail, regardless of the event. We've got 2 sea days, and the lastest we leave any port is like 5:00. Plenty of time to have eaten dinner, and find a place to play by 8pm. (Except folks for late seating.)

 

So, why try to do this at all? Well, one is to say I did it. My friends at my regular Friday table will get a kick out of hearing that I did it. Three: I see nothing wrong with enjoying one of my favorite activities while on board. If others like me are on board, then why not get together for a quick game?

 

So, if you have some useful ideas, I would like to hear them. And if you are a follow player, please, if you are interested in trying to get together for a session, let me know!

 

Thanks for your time.

[travelntreats]

Use the roll call board to see if there is interest... as for putting up flyers, I seriously doubt CCL will allow you to do that on the ship.

 

You do have a unique hobby, and I wish you luck in finding others that share the same love.

[Ship Addict]

Your best bet is to post on the roll calls on all the cruising message boards you can find before sailing. I don't know how you'd go about it once on board. I don't think they'd let you put up flyers or anything.

 

I would suggest the library or the card room -- if you're going to play after dinner, those rooms are usually deserted.

 

Good luck!

[wizzzzzad]

You do have a unique hobby, and I wish you luck in finding others that share the same love.

 

Thanks for the luck. I should've done this weeks ago, I suppose, but I tried a message board for D&D Players first, and got absolutlely no response after weeks of bumping the thread. One person bluntly pointed out that after 3 weeks of no responses, I should get the hint that no one had any useful information or interest.

 

So, either people who cruise, don't play D&D, or people who play D&D, don't go on cruise ships. :D

 

I suppose that makes me unique, but not my hobby. Thousands of people play D&D across the world. But apparently, I'm the only one who likes to go on cruise ships.

 

I will probably go to the roll call thread, but I want to give this one a day or so first, to see what kind of results it gets.

 

Your best bet is to post on the roll calls on all the cruising message boards you can find before sailing. I don't know how you'd go about it once on board. I don't think they'd let you put up flyers or anything.

 

I would suggest the library or the card room -- if you're going to play after dinner, those rooms are usually deserted.

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks for those ideas. I also thought about the cigar bar room since some players also smoke. Or the conference room, if it's open.

 

I didn't think flyers would be allowed, but it was first idea that came to me.

[cmjb4ever]

If I were you, I'd just post today on the roll call thread for your sailing. You need to find people on your sailing that are interested in D&D, they may or may not come to this board. Good luck!

[kathyemma]

but I know on Royal they have a board where you could announce group meetings - mostly stuff like frineds of dorothy and bill w - but I am sure they would let you post info about D&D. Again - this was on Royal - not sure about carnival. I would check when you first get on board. My brother (who hates to cruise) LOVED playing this game in college. His wife made him stop playing. Made him stop a lot of others things too. Poor guy.

 

Kathy

[VistaRio]

Wiz...,

 

First, I think your idea is, on the surface, a wonderful one. I know that folks that enjoy RPG would certainly have a good time doing it in the games room or in a cabin during a cruise. It seems, overall, it would be fun and relaxing way to enjoy the game.

 

Here is the problem (which I think you recognize). I am not sure the figures, but I would have to assume that less than 1 in 1000 of the general population play D&D on any regular basis. If you assume a random sample (which again, a cruise is probably not, given the demographics) then you would conclude that at best 2 or 3 other folks on the ship have even a propensity to the game. That alone is not enough for a game, plus you have to add the fact that they probably have planned their time to do other things.

 

So, the only likely way, in my opinion, to do what you would like is to arrange the game far in advance with people that you know like the game independant of the cruise, and to convince them to board the ship. This quite simply will not work as 'spur of the moment', even weeks ahead.

 

I wish I had better news or advice, but sadly I think you are seeing the reality. It seems to me the only way to make it work is to invest a lot of your time, the help of a TA, and a year in advance of trying to secure players and their deposits on some future sailing. You could get quite elaborate, and start a campaign well before sailing, and continue/complete it while away. You could time it with comicon or some industry meeting so that folks already in the SD area for a few days would simply extend and board a ship.

 

Just throwing ideas out there. Good luck.

 

EDIT, I have just re-read your post, to see you are talkign about a 1-3 hour event. I'll change my tone slightly and say, "wow, that seems very not worth it, lol ".

[wizzzzzad]

If I were you, I'd just post today on the roll call thread for your sailing. You need to find people on your sailing that are interested in D&D, they may or may not come to this board. Good luck!

 

I admit I am strongly considering it, but my drive to accompish this isn't all that revved up. See below.

 

but I know on Royal they have a board where you could announce group meetings - mostly stuff like frineds of dorothy and bill w - but I am sure they would let you post info about D&D. Again - this was on Royal - not sure about carnival. I would check when you first get on board. My brother (who hates to cruise) LOVED playing this game in college. His wife made him stop playing. Made him stop a lot of others things too. Poor guy.

 

Kathy

 

I will look into this, and if I find anything useful I will try to post my results. Thanks for the idea.

 

Wiz...,

 

First, I think your idea is, on the surface, a wonderful one. I know that folks that enjoy RPG would certainly have a good time doing it in the games room or in a cabin during a cruise. It seems, overall, it would be fun and relaxing way to enjoy the game.

 

Here is the problem (which I think you recognize). I am not sure the figures, but I would have to assume that less than 1 in 1000 of the general population play D&D on any regular basis. If you assume a random sample (which again, a cruise is probably not, given the demographics) then you would conclude that at best 2 or 3 other folks on the ship have even a propensity to the game. That alone is not enough for a game, plus you have to add the fact that they probably have planned their time to do other things.

 

So, the only likely way, in my opinion, to do what you would like is to arrange the game far in advance with people that you know like the game independant of the cruise, and to convince them to board the ship. This quite simply will not work as 'spur of the moment', even weeks ahead.

 

I wish I had better news or advice, but sadly I think you are seeing the reality. It seems to me the only way to make it work is to invest a lot of your time, the help of a TA, and a year in advance of trying to secure players and their deposits on some future sailing. You could get quite elaborate, and start a campaign well before sailing, and continue/complete it while away. You could time it with comicon or some industry meeting so that folks already in the SD area for a few days would simply extend and board a ship.

 

Just throwing ideas out there. Good luck.

 

EDIT, I have just re-read your post, to see you are talkign about a 1-3 hour event. I'll change my tone slightly and say, "wow, that seems very not worth it, lol ".

 

Yeah, my wife pretty much said the same thing. (She's an economist, and has a head for numbers.) It kinda puts a downer on my attempts knowing they are likely to end in disappointment.

 

Although, I would like to inform you slightly. D&D has pre-fab mini adventures that you can run in about 4 hours. I have run these mini adventures before, and they can be entertaining. You only need 4 people to play them. If I'm one, then I only need 3 more. They're designed to get folkogether for a quick game when maybe thier regular game is cancelled or a hobby store wants to have a D&D event at thier shop.

 

I don't want to try to run a whole campaign. Heavens, no! Just one of these little mini adventures, and we can all go back home saying we did it.

 

Thanks for the advice.