The Clubhouse Is Exactly That

Over at the other place I’ve gone hard, in language and with a tone I refrain from using here, about the direction of the commercial side of our hobby and how its significant actor aims to organize it going forward.

Here I put forth that we are the only viable alternative to that direction, and it is for one reason: we are not contending over the same thing, or on the same terms, but on something else using different terms to define it.

We are not merchants. We are not in the business of pushing products to earn a living, or pretend to, and neither are we in the business of providing services either. This is a different motivation entirely, and it is because we commit to being hobbyists instead of making a business of it that what we offer not only has value but can contend with a far larger and more powerful opposition.

We offer brotherhood.

That sounds dramatic, but it needs to be to be comprehended correctly. The model is the Clubhouse, and that means a curated association of like-minded men willing and able to join together for mutual enjoyment of a common avocation- something that is not viable long-term without a genuine concern for, and commitment to, fostering the brotherly spirit among them.

Ross at Mythic Mountain put this in the Description of his interview with BDubs.

What is Love? How can we love one another in the hobby? Especially men, can we say that this hobby has been defined by a history of love or one of dissolution and failed affections? What if love for men playing little games of war and pretend looked like being a little harsh with them? Challenging them to be better?

What is the cultural basis needed to effect real change? How far are we willing to go to make something different? And is D&D something more than "an elf game"?

That, I put to you, is why we have something that will allow us to remain while others falter under the changes being wrought by Wizards of the Coast. We are not looking to maximize revenue, improve KPIs, please shareholders, go viral on XTokBookTube, or collaborate content drops via Discord to game the algorithms. We are looking for a place where we, through our common hobby, can improve each other and ourselves- we just do this via this hobby instead of doing Appleseed shoots, annual hunting trips, doing choir practice, or going to the Lodge or the VFW once a week.

That is not what anyone on the commercial side even has pass through their minds. Not even the shadow of that thought slide across their smooth brains like they’re in socks sliding across the floor.

This is more than just a hangout at Bob’s place. This is entering into a group of like-minded folks, closer to what our fathers and grand-fathers had with Elk lodges, with bowling leagues, and similar hobby-focused social clubs- formal and informal alike. The ones with specific, closed space dedicated to that group and pursuit did a better job at achieving this quality than the informal ones- and, to this day, if you are rich or wealthy enough you can still get it. We are merely rebuilding it for our own set.

This is something neither the nay-sayers nor the commercial side can comprehend.

They will in time, and by then it will be too late for them.

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