Trivia Randos

      This post is about new people, but they reminded me of something I enjoyed from my past life.

      And now we tell the story out of order, because order of operations are something I enjoy messing around with. At my writer’s group I met a new woman who stood out because my writer’s group is a magnet for introverts. She was is quite extroverted. She accidentally dragged three new people to our group on her first time time with us. She is friendly and outgoing. She fits into the group, but just brought a change of atmosphere. We like her, she’s one of us, and I hope she keeps coming back.

      I got to trivia this week to try and get us one of the couches. I roll up with dinner (BYOF is amazing) and a book I was trying to finish before I started the new Dungeon Crawler Carl book. And who was there having some iced tea with a new friend of hers? Little Miss Introvert! We said hi, I asked if they were staying for trivia and asked if I could “pre-steal” the couch they were at.

      I sat with them and made sure to invite them to trivia. You see, I have been playing bar trivia for a long time. Pre-divorce, so well over a decade. We typically play at a Geeks Who Drink night, and while GWD is not what it once was, RIP Round 8. They have adapted fairly well to the post-pandemic world. They digital game platform is wonderful and a big reason why we, and a few other regulars from the before times, continued playing with them.

      One of the things we used to have on that pre-divorce team was an open table policy. We would gladly leave a seat open for people in our lives that liked trivia but could not handle it more than once a month. People with kids, people with busy schedules, people who we annoyed. That team was full of assholes, including me at the time. But we were open about it and welcoming regardless of it,

      When my divorce happened I got the old bar and hence trivia night. The team blew up, so it was just me. The host would send randos over to play with whenever someone would approach them and ask if people played solo. That way they’d have a team. I liked trivia and was introvert (see above). So having people sent to me made my life easier and better. I could walk them through the quirks of GWD and they always seemed appreciative of my willingness to play with almost anyone.

      I ended up meeting the people who now my closest and dearest friends that way. And so when I invited new people to play with us it sent some of those happy memories floding back. I was sincere and to make sure these two new people knew it I was sure to reiterate my invitation. Further when the host showed up and did his pre-show stuff, I told them that trivia would be this loud. That staying and playing was an option, but that the outdoor seating where we were was great considering the nice weather. They thanked me, I thanked them and they sat out side to chat.

      Around round 3 the new new person the extroverts new friend came in and asked if she could play. I grabbed her a stool and told her the one rule: go get us a point. Just one answer was all we needed from her.

      The rule is silly because almost anyone I’ve played has been able to give hit that low bar. I say it because it helps people feel involved. Especially since we a re juggernaut of a team that wins every week and used to compete nationally at the old Geek Bowl. (RIP Geek Bowl) It lets them know that they aren’t just sitting there while we do all the work. We expect their help, and actually want them to play WITH us. When they gave us the answer I was sure to call it out and thank them. You are on my team, I am rooting for you. The egos and fighting were for the pre-divorce team, and per-divorce me loved those fights.

      My friends now, well, we play differently. We have really good chemistry and a solid knowledge overlap. We sometimes get too lax and make silly mistakes because we aren’t thorough. There is never any finger pointing except at yourself. There are apologies for botching questions you should know. Egos aren’t an issue with this team and we don’t fight. Sometimes we drop vetos down, but mostly we get along and negotiate the best answers when there is a debate. I could get into the whole decision making process and my theory on it, but there have already been enough side posts from this one that I will just add to that list.

      My friends are awesome and welcomed this new person just because I invited them. They had a good time with us and really needed the night’s entertainment we were able to provide. I may never see them again, but everyone had a nice night and felt good when it was over. We won, of course, in case you were wondering, (You weren’t)