Free RPG Day

The Free RPG Day that almost wasn't....

I almost didn't write this post...almost.  I try to avoid posting rants and complaints. For me gaming is supposed to be about having fun and enjoying yourself, whining and complaining is not my style. Work and real life are hectic enough.

However....here I go.  There is a local gaming club in my town that I have had issues with for several years, I've done my best to avoid them but today was the last straw for me.  They show up a local cons, and literally take over the game rooms, they show up at the FLGS and take over all of the table space, they are very loud, obnoxious, and rude. They claim the club is welcome to anyone...However there is a catch they are only interested in you playing and running the games "They" want you to run.  Any attempts to run other types of games not on their unspoken list are actively discouraged. The group/club whatever it is are avid *XXXXX players, and that is what they are all about. They claim they are promoting gaming, but they are only promoting their kind of gaming. I know of many others who want to play other games, but have met with the same bulldozer behavior. Like me these gamers no longer game at the local FLGS and tend to play in their homes or offices instead, it just isn't worth it to deal with this particular crowd. I tend to be a live and let live kind of guy, however today's occurrence has caused me to feel the need to rant. It was Free RPG day, so I went to the FLGS that posted being a participant in this, I was there when it opened and guess what? NO SWAG?! Nothing when the store opened.  I asked the guy working there and he told me the president or some such of the "local club" had come in and taken the boxes of Free RPG stuff out of the store before today, so that they could come in later based upon their schedule and distribute it! WTF??  I was flabbergasted.  The club did NOT pay for the stuff, this wasn't their stuff to take out of the store; boxes and all and then later distribute??  I was angry, the store was trying to promote gaming and get more gaming going in the area, but this club somehow think they run gaming in our city.  Other gamers like me showed up looking for the stuff, they were just as frustrated and confused as I was. Many like myself had a full day of other things to do, and to learn we had to wait for the local *XXXX guys to decide when we could access the Free RPG Day stuff, most of which had nothing to do with *their game of choice*, was outrageous. I left, later I was able to swing back by the store, I was able to get most of the items that I wanted, but the selection was by that time more limited. This is why I don't game at local shops anymore. Which is unfortunate because I have met several great people over the years from gaming at local shops and conventions, but more and more these negative experiences are becoming the norm, at least in my town. Are others having similar experiences in their communities or is my town just suffering from some exceptional rudeness?  Sorry for the rant.  I'll get back to gaming posts now.

*Note I removed references to their club name and particular game of choice, I don't want this to be about edition wars, but about acceptable standards of behavior. Thanks!