Welcome to the Forum Nick!

Good news... you are following forum posting etiquette, so no problems.

There are a number of gaming groups that use this Forum around the Greater New Orleans area.  What part of town do you have a preference for playing?  That would help some of the other groups reach out.  Also sounds like you are looking for the traditional 'sword & sorcery' fantasy RPG, but over the last few years there has been an explosion in options ranging from traditional D&D to Future (space exploration, aliens, space westerns, etc.) campaigns.

You may want to check out the d20 'Open Game Licensing' options, which have free rules for various genres.

I have never used a game for therapeutic reasons, but will say it does help me unwind and release stress from work!  Also the experiences/skills learnt while DM/GM'ing related to understanding Player motivation, inter-Player Conflict Management, Public Speaking, etc. have been of huge benefits to me in my professional life.  I am sure there must be folks who have tried this somewhere on the web that can give you advice.

So go ahead and check out the Forums, and have fun!

Thanks for the replies.  I live in Metairie, but I am willing to play in the gno. I was thinking of traditional d&d, but only because that is all I know.

Both of you hit the nail on the head concerning why I think gaming could be a corrective social experience for some adolescents and adults for that matter.  It is a great place to learn social dynamics and conflict resolution because it is like a laboratory. A player can "try on" different personae and attitudes in a hopefully safe environment, see how they work in the group, and apply what they have learned to their everyday social interactions. Not too different from group counseling really, except the therapeutic vehicle is fantasy and the projection of how we really see ourselves in character creation and actions.

Thanks for your thoughts, hopefully we will get to play together sometime. -Nick

!---Perhaps I'll come armed this week. Perhaps I won't come at all... See how you fare without a Doc to patch you up!

Experimenting on me won't do much good, i'm way outside standard deviation from the norm. You won't get useful results.

Oh and one of these days, I think a 2nd edition game is in order. Thoughts?

Fine with me!