I'm a new player (learned the game a year and a half ago and started playing live more often maybe 9 months ago). I play about once a week, twice at most, but sometimes don't play for a few weeks at a time if my work life is busy/I feel like I'm not playing well.

I recently moved from the East Coast to the midwest. On the East Coast, my home room was big (50+ tables) and active, so while I recognized a few regs, I very rarely played against someone I had history with. So I was happy to keep a very tight range and eke out a small win rate while I try to build a bankroll separate from liferoll. Of course I'd adjust to table conditions but I never really had to worry about anyone having a read on how I played from past sessions and so balancing my range didn't seem to really be a thing I needed to do.

At this new room, the most tables I've ever seen run is 3, and it's usually only one. At any one time probably have the faces at a table look familiar, sometimes even more. I've only played maybe 40 hours there but I know people are already collecting information on me (and me them) and I'm already getting a rep as a rock. This image never stuck with me in the big room but it's a little stickier now.

I feel like I need to balance out/open up my nitty range or I'm just never going to get paid off by the regs except in rare instances (these still come up enough that I'm doing fairly well).

I don't mind being seen as a nit (I am) because I can exploit that image at times (I do). But I'm wondering if anyone has any specific advice on

1) Adjusting to a new and much smaller room where it's basically impossible to avoid playing the same people all the time
2) Balancing ranges and good hands to do it with. (Is this as simple as widening my PFR/Calling range, or should I consider something else?)
3) Building a good image when I more or less have a blank slate at the moment.

To be clear I really nave no desire to make the switch from TAG to LAG. I'm not ready for that and my bankroll isn't big enough. Just looking for pointers given my situation.

Thanks.

Before you start worrying about not getting paid off enough, it may help to quantify this.

It is possible you are just worrying about nothing because of small sample size.

I'm making like 5bb/hr at 1/2. I've had a couple coolers that are hurting win rate (quads over boat twice). But some hands stick out: eg, V folding K high flush to my nut flush for less than 1/2 a pot size river bet with us both making our hand on same street,

Of course my sample size is super small but this question seems general enough to get some advice even if I'm worried about a non-problem.

And you will undoubtedly get some general responses.

-Widen your range
-Show some bluffs
-Straddle

So let's put some of this in perspective:

You have made $400 in 40 hours at 1/2.

You played two different hands where you lost with a boat to quads. Let's imagine you lost an average of $200 per hand on those two hands.

If they hadn't happened, you'd be up $800 in 40 hours for a $20/hr winrate, which is crushing the game.

This alone should tell you that it is way too early to be worried about your winrate over such a small sample size.

I'll leave this open for now, but Shell Gas nailed what will happen. TBH, I think you should be asking how to exploit their over reaction to your play, rather than how to change it.