[flomo]

I think a gracious reading here is a "boardgame type" is the sort of person you would only encounter at your friendly local game store etc. GP has a point, but I know plenty of 'high(er) status' groups include 'non-straight-acting' and 'weird lefty' guys, but they are cool guys to hang out with, and not like weirdos who slithered out of their mother's basement.

Popular people like other popular people, because that's how you throw a party.

Anyway I wish OP the best. But in the grand tradition of internet meetups, "these people are really fucking weird."