10 Tips for Starting a Wargaming Club
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2019
- How do you start a wargaming club in your area? How do you find players who want to play the games you'd like to play? And once you do get some people interested, how do you grow your membership?
Who better to answer this question than the guys at Little Wars TV, home of the world's greatest wargaming club! Our club started with two friends playing World War II skirmish games and has been meeting once a week, every single week, since 2001. We'll give you our top tips for how to build your very own gaming group, pitfalls to avoid, and we'll talk to other clubs from across the country to hear their best advice. This video gives you a step-by-step road map for starting and building a wargaming club in your hometown.
Our special thanks to "Buck" Surdu and Greg Priebe of the Harford Area Weekly Kriegspielers (HAWKS) in Maryland:
hawks-club.org/
And our continued thanks to Joe Veltre of the Acceptable Casualties in Colorado. Joe has several more tips for you, available exclusively to our "Free Stuff" members at www.LittleWarsTV.com and you can watch some of Joe's own videos on his gaming channel:
/ @theacceptablecasualties - Hry
Our club's been going for over forty years. We've done everything you said on your list. If any of you guys ever come to Melbourne Australia look us up. Nunawading War Games Association.
TIP 11
The interview.
'Do you like whisky?'
'No.'
'#*√∆ off!'
Great tips! I'm going to try and start an historical wargaming club in Tallinn, Estonia.
This is a really cool video. I'm partial to seeing if an informal club or group can be established if there is nothing in my area. Good list overall and things to consider when both looking for clubs to join and when establishing one as well.
Great Video! I am opening up a wargaming store/club here in Southwestern Oregon in early 2022. We already have about 6 gamers here in our community, and I intend to build up that number. Your video was most informative and helpful in that regards. I will keep you guys informed as to our progress. Thanks again!
That's awesome! Good luck starting a new club! It takes time and commitment, but ultimately if you stick with it, players will come! Our club was stuck around 5-10 members for YEARS.
@@LittleWarsTV Thank you for your support and great videos. Keep on gaming!
Great stuff ! thanks guys. In my country we would say "if Carlsberg created Wargame Clubs" which means 'it would probably be the best in the world' so please keep going 'no pressure'
I'm going to college about an hour from your location in York. If I get the opportunity, I will visit.
Greetings from Aus. Love the content that you all put out. For people and clubs starting out, I would love a follow up talking about models/armies and terrain. builds and buys that can be used for a variety of rule sets, best “bang for your buck” sort of thing. Thanks again.
Greetings from the USA! Thanks for the compliment, and we intend to continue doing terrain tutorials. Several of the terrain videos we've done so far are for modular-style, multi-purpose terrain. The one we did on how to make flexible rivers is a great example of a project you can do cheaply and it works for all scales. We use those rivers almost every week and they cost under $10.
Edit on my post I should of read my message... i have been always curious about the models you all use and how the club builds lists/ armies that you play for fresh starters
Very well presented…..I want to create a gaming club in the Tampa Bay Area base on a very interested and revolutionary method that actually produces a more appreciated outcome during operational simulations. Board game oriented and played.
Hey, Gentlemen, a.j.Toyenbe, the Hexes and Soldier dude told me about you's. I don't know how I didn't know this channel. Great combination scotch and war games! Chin Chin!
Glad you found us! Tell your history gaming friends!
Thanks for these tips!
All you need are some maps, a lot of books and some good whisky ;)
nice job enjoy your shows.
The problem with finding a public place to start with is you need enough players to cover the evening rental fee? Most places want at least £25 a night to hire a room and asking a couple of people to front this until the club grows could be too much for many?
That's why it's important to support your friendly local game store. We started out in a comic store that sold games and had a gaming area in the back of the store. They didn't carry much historical stuff, but having people in the store playing games is something every shop should want.
Agreed. We don’t have a local games store though, only a GW and I would rather play historical games with adults.
It can be tough, yes. But when starting a new group or growing a small one, a public location is critical for encouraging new players to join. It's hard to grow a club from someone's house. Hobby shops are one angle (the one we used), but other clubs I know use rec centers, libraries, and church event spaces, so there are certainly options. Usually you can secure something like this quite cheaply (or at no cost).
Question for Buck, if you can pass it along: what is the structure of the non-credit classes at the college. I’d be interested in doing something like this, but need an idea of where to start.
Ed For The Win…As always!!!
My community is about 800 000 and has not ever really had a long term well attended gaming club. The clubs basically did everything wrong that you explained. The one longest running club met in a really dark, moldy basement in a mall store. The key members were elitist, rule lawyers and not very welcoming. Some were outright bizarre and the club developed a reputation as a collection of oddballs.They organized open game nights and you honestly had to guard your miniatures as many would disappear from the tables. It simply was not fun. Other clubs came and went and it was if the hobby went underground. You knew there were people were wargaming but they did it privately and really did not want to be part of a awkward/dysfunctional club. It is great to see that your group broke the trend.
Question - is your guys wargaming club space rented out full time? Or do you simply rent it just for one night a week? Who does the money handling/financing? Do members pay a fee to help cover stuff?
We're very fortunate in this regard as Greg owns the building. As far as dues, we don't really do that either. We just share our minis and terrain at the club. We do help with basic maintenance and upkeep such as taking the trash out and we collectively contribute snacks and drinks, including scotch. It's all very informal.
@@IronIvanKeith That's seriously awesome, great location
#5 seems to be a direct contradiction of #7. I can see the point of both however. Nice video guys.
It's not a contradiction, it's a contingency. Because let's face it, things happen. Not every person is going to mesh with every club.
@@IronIvanKeith General Mattis- ‘Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.’ Your video reminded me of his quote. Have had many misunderstandings in the past regarding hobbies, but have to say brandishing a sword really helps to get the point across. :)
Walk softly and smile sweetly, but always carry a bludgeon/blade.
We tried that a couple of years ago in my area. It never took off.
Hey everyone, quick question I didn't see answered in the video. Is there a certain site wargames are regularly advertised on? I believe they mentioned facebook at one point, are there tags I should be looking at? Thanks!
tip 11 looks like the most efficient way to do it
Historical Wargaming Clubs are awesome, becuase there are people collecting historicals, but the problem is- they are usually disconnected from each other. And a club is the hub that brings them together.
Can you define what a "Bad Fit" is? What does a gamer have to do to fall foul of a club? What's the threshold and what's a good or a bad mesh for a club? Also, how do you deal with the person who isn't a good mesh? Confront them or shun them until they "get the message"?
That's hard to define, but you know it and feel it when it happens. You have to ENJOY gaming with the other people in your club or it won't survive long. That's the hard truth. Do not recommend "shunning!" Just be courteous and honest.
Now i know why my local club died we did the exact opposite of everything in this video
hello im George im 14 i really wanna know were u guys get the characters what i mean is tanks soldiers. im bad in english sorry i live in the netherland but i mean the figures and i want to start playing wargames. so hope u guys react. Bye
Comment left for engagement purposes.
Oakland A's?
Every gaming club I've ever joined/started grew out of watching, or having other people watch, an ongoing game.
Here in Ohio, libraries are a great place to attack players and to advertise for players.
Gawd I hate autocorrect... "place to attract and to advertise for players."
@@jeffhess4650 actually attack seems fitting for a wargaming club
*Attack players' army men toys
If the homeless paint and build terrain... sure.