Where do you meet your partners to play (pen and paper based) RPGs or board wargames? Do you meet them at your hobby store or just get other friends into the hobby.
Boardgamer here.
At first we met at coffee shop, until they forgot to reserve our tables one too many times (the place has since closed and replaced by a Quiznos).
We then met at a place best desribed as a mall food court without the mall. 3 restaurants sharing the same dining area. We left when they kept closing earlier and earlier. That place also went out of business, was replaced, and I am not sure the replacement is still open.
We now meet at a church. Not a traditional church building. It was an Elk’s lodge. The 1st floor is offices and the third is the actual worship area. The second is where the bar was (well the horseshoe bar is still there), with plenty of tables. The senior pastor was in our game group (he moved), but we still have a few members (including the church tresurer/gets things done person). So far no sign of this place closing 
We occasionally meet at each other’s houses, but mostly at the church
Brian
Usually we met at someone’s home. A hollow core door placed on a coffee table or a couple of end tables makes a great gaming area, by the way, if you don’t have access to another table. With the last group, we’d meet at a local hobby shop which had some nice tables set up…and which sold sodas and snack foods. I’ve also played in a community center (had to pay two dollars for it, which really isn’t too bad), and in a video arcade that would allow wargamers/RPGers to use its empty party room. The arcade also sold sodas and snack foods, plus of course we’d usually play a few video games before or after the gaming session.
RPG player. We nearly always meet at someone’s house (unless we’re at a convention)…but then, our group mostly consists of adults who own their own homes. When I started playing, as a teenager, it was harder to find a good place to play, and we were always trying to find someone who was willing to host (or, whose parents or spouses were willing to let them take over the house for a Saturday).
As far as recruiting new players into our groups, it’s mostly been word-of-mouth, as various members of the group have found friends or family members who might be interested in playing. Over the years, I’ve occasionally put signs up in game stores, in my college dorm, etc., which did yield players.
I’m pretty sure the OP is asking where you find new people to play games with, not where your particular group physically meets to play once you’ve initially met them.
When I played RPG’s back in the day, there were usually events at gamestores where you could meet other players. I’d imagine nowadays, there are internet groups devoted to games for any decently populated area.
In that case, The founder of did have some signs up at the local comic shop / game store at the start, and we got a few members when we got a newspaper article. These days most folks either find us through meetup, boardgamegeek (I/we post the games after every event), or though other members.
Of course it is a ltlle easier with boardgames than RPGs, as we can easily adjust for the number of players that show up, and it isn’t a bid deal if someone shows up or not on arandom schedule.
Brian
I met some 1st Edition D+D players at work in 1979.
We’re still playing together (1st Edition :eek:) - and now the son of one of the original players has joined the group.
I’ve also been running a school roleplaying group for 23 years…
I’m in the middle of a game now (GM is out having a private conversation with another player); we meet at the GM’s house weekly. Today it’s lovely out, so we’re on the screen porch listening to mockingbirds and creeping out Alan Turing at the 1933 World’s Fair.
Thanks, sorry if I wasn’t clear.
Ah. Well, I first got into gaming because I used to patronize a shop that had SF and fantasy books, and also sold games and game accessories. I admired some of the painted minis on display, and started talking to one of the workers, who had done them. I was invited to the weekly game.
Most game shops that sell RPGs will have a notebook or bulletin board or SOME method of letting gamers or gaming groups post that they want to find a group or a game. Usually the type of game(s) and edition is specified, along with the age and experience of the gamer(s). If I were to post such a notice, for instance, I’d put that I was interested in playing D&D, any edition, Munchkin (card game), Cosmic Encounter, and that I was in my mid fifties and I live in NE Tarrant County. I’d also note the rule books/accessories that I have. For instance, I don’t have any D&D books that are newer than 3rd edition, but I’m willing to play later editions. And I’d note that I’ve been playing D&D for over 30 years, off and on. I’ve also found a couple of groups on internet message boards. Wizards of the Coast used to have a message board specifically for gamers to find other gamers.
In fact, they still do, at least for finding other RPG players:
Similar “gamers finding gamers” board at EN World (which is primarily, but not exclusively, D&D focused):
At my home. I used to wargame at the local Games Workshop but they shut down and I kind of tend to dislike most non-chain hobby stores. I guess I like the Target-feel of Games Workshop compared to the living room-feel of most hobby stores. Most of the people I met when I gamed at Games Workshop I now game with at private residences.