Networking? Me?

Yes, it's true, and I am just about as surprised about this as some of you other folks who know me.

I have in the past tried to steer clear of social networking web sites, finding them to be rather like the schoolyard of my childhood...big, noisy, somewhat disenfranchising, and sometimes even a bit hostile. And much like the schoolyard, being "somebody" on those networks had much more to do with how flashy your profile was and how large your friends list had become.

But last week I decided to give social networking a second chance..and am glad I did. There are two new communities on FaceBook that those of you who are traditional style gamers might be interested in.

One is the official TARGA group, which is less than two weeks old but already almost 80 members strong.

The other is Attack of the Retro Clones, a less formal group that is also all about promoting any and all retro-clone D&D RPG publications and the playing of said games. It is a brand-new community and so far has less than 10 members.

Being that roleplaying itself is a niche hobby, making retro roleplaying a niche within a niche; I believe that these and other social networks can be valuable tools in making others aware that such games are still out there and perhaps even help bring players of a particular locality together face-to-face. The idea of a TARGA or ARC member-meetup in the Atlanta area is an exciting possibility, and I for one will do my best to support such networking.

So..take a moment and have a look at both groups. Join up if you wish, and help spread the word about traditional style gaming.