Player Profile: J. Stanley

Occasionally, you see an activity that initially doesn’t interest you but after deciding to give it a try, you get hooked. This was how J. Stanley got into the Megagame hobby.

“I went to the 2017 PAX Unplugged convention and saw events listed for some megagames, including The World Turned Upside Down, which is themed around the Revolutionary War,” Stanley said. “I saw the SUSD video some time later and while the concept of a convention-in-miniature to play a LARP/game seemed novel, I wasn't terribly interested, plus it seemed to be a European thing. I saw the panel listing for Dallas Megagames at PAX South 2020 (RIP), and attended along with a friend of mine. We figured we'd give it a try, and went to Aegon's Conquest just before the lockdowns.”

Taking the chance on something outside his initial interest helped create some great memories.

“My first game of Aegon's (Conquest). It was a completely new experience. I played the knight role, and was decked out in full costume. House Gardener was part of the Hero Squad who utterly refused to bend the knee to the Targaryens, and I managed to kill one of their dragons.”

That first taste of what makes Megagames special and the differences in each game he has played has kept Stanley coming back.

“Seeing how things will change from game to game. Will I be a Wolf this game? Which House is in need of a backstabbing?”

Now, Stanley has a few stories he can tell when bringing up the hobby. These stories can usually catch someone’s attention if they’re on the fence about attending.

“(My pitch for Megagames is) "You ever hear of megagames?", followed by a general explanation and a story from one of the games, and telling them to look up (Dallas Megagames).”

Once they’re hooked, Stanley urges new players to dive into the game and not be intimidated by the scale of what’s going on.

“Don't be intimidated by the game. Ask questions of other players and Control. Arrive early enough to wander the game area and schmooze. Understand that the best laid plans go awry, and even though you play to win, embrace the organic storytelling as the goal. “

Stanley is also a huge proponent of dressing the part, if you can.

"If you have access to a costume for the game's genre, dressing the part adds a lot of fun to playing a role.”