The Raygun Lounge's liquor license means you can only go in if you are 21 or older. There was talk about having a license more like a restaurant that allowed underage people to be present but not order alcohol, but right now that's not the case.

They are actively checking ID as they are legally required to do. Anyone underage will be turned away.

So for the forceable future our Thursday meetups (and Tuesday playtest meetups) are exactly that: 21 or older. That's definitely going to leave some people out but there's no way around it.

I apologize that we were caught off-guard by this.

If we have any under-21s interested in coming, is it possible we could send a group away to some establishment where they're allowed? We'd need a way to assign them to games, since they couldn't attend the pitch meeting, but that still might be better than completely excluding them.

I think that would be very hard to coordinate. Even ignoring the difficulty of putting them in games without their agreement they'd miss the welcome, the veil, etc. They wouldn't be on equal footing with everyone else.

I'd much rather just suggest they go to Saturday or Tuesday Eastside, which are all ages.

Hey Ben, I gave Becca your e-mail.
We were wondering. If I were to commit to pitching a game each week we showed up and asking for two people, if I could move it over to the coffee house next door? That way Becca could still get into some games since she works nearly every Saturday. She is aware of the veil rule and I can go over it with the group after we settle down.

It would be easier to coordinate this way since I'd be taking the responsibility for moving it. I don't see a way of working around stragglers though.

I'm with Ben on this. The location is 21 and up, which is unfortunate, but it's what we have for Thursdays. Securing a welcoming, accommodating space for gaming is difficult, and while the age restriction isn't something we like it isn't something we can change. Furthermore, asking someone to miss the spiel and introductions is problematic, as is having someone be the gate-keeper for another person's games, despite good intentions.

Cody, I think your intentions are good, but I don't see your plan working out.

For one thing, it would require you to pitch a game every week, and for Becca to play whatever game you pitch with whoever you get. That will become very tiring for you and might make her feel like she has no input. And for another, feelings of resentment may arise if other players don't want to play whatever you've pitched but feel obligated to do so since you will always need players in order to have a game. Imagine how someone would feel when presented with the choice of a) play a game you don't want to play, or b) leave Becca sitting alone in a coffee shop without any game at all.

I agree that it's unfortunate that the venue is 21+, but for now that's how things are.

On a somewhat related note, have you heard of any of the various excellent two-player story games, such as Murderous Ghosts or Mars Colony? These might present a solution.

I agree with Marc and Caroline that this plan would be a strain to do every week, but it doesn't seem like that much of a hardship to do it occasionally. We already routinely pitch exactly enough games to fit everyone and count on social obligation to fill them- if no one wants to play the game Cody pitches, that's no more awkward than when nobody wants to play the game I pitch, and I've survived that. And Caroline, when someone shows up late and misses the introductory spiel, we don't throw them out.

I'm not trying to make conflict here, but I think not excluding people is worth occasional awkwardness.

I don't think the "wait in the cafe" idea works as a strategy to let under age people participate on Thursday nights. I'm not having people wait in another room while we do the welcome and pitch games. I'd rather have people not come than invite them but then treat them as second class citizens. It just seems… rude.

Anyone who feels strongly about this should talk to Raygun management about getting a liquor license that allows under age people in the lounge. That's the best solution.

I'd rather have people not come than invite them but then treat them as second class citizens. It just seems… rude.

But, but... it's treating them as second-class citizens if you don't allow them to come. The only difference is that we wouldn't have to think about it/accommodate them.

Seriously, in the age of google hangouts we can't find a way for them to hear the pitch?

I am inclined to agree with Martin on this point. People get shunted into their 2nd or 3rd choice of game every week. Whether the game is played in a bar or coffee shop is immaterial.

While Ben does a very nice job of delivering the opening speech, I see no reason why the schpiel could not be repeated or written down for use in another space. At most, it would require a vet taking 2 minutes at the beginning of the session to make sure the coffee shop people are copacetic.

It's true that the under-agers would be limited in their game choices, but they'll also have a dedicated facilitator who will advocate for their preferences in the pitch mob. Really, it's not that different from someone making a request, which is honored by a kindly facilitator. I think this is the stickiest aspect of the situation, but by no means prohibitive.

Finally, most of us would prefer to see the story gaming community thrive. I would love to see both the quantity and quality of players continue to grow over the next few years. And, as with any group/team/company, there are few better ways of strengthening the community than by raising up young talent from within. Today's underage players are tomorrow's facilitators, publishers and designers. Investing in youth just a smart long-term play. Plus, we get to indoctrinate the living shit out of them!