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Post by jefferestinpeace on Mar 4, 2015 15:06:20 GMT -6
It's still only Geek Bar Beta. Their real location won't be open for a bit yet unfortunately. I'm thinking I'll reopen that line of communication when they officially do open, but if we can make something current work well, then I'm in.
I would also be pretty much infinitely guilty of not supporting the venue we play in too, so I would personally rather we go somewhere else.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 15:50:24 GMT -6
Jeff. Organizing is a pain in the ass. You've pushed really hard and its been inspiring to watch you (and the rest of you) keep your gaming family together. I understand Linda's position. For GW product to be truly worth it, and for the table real estate to be truly worth it, she needs to see returns. Of course, because she's presumably not a 40K player, I'm guessing she's not in a position to organize events herself, so she needs an advocate like yourself to try and get those returns. We had that at NDG. Marc befriended the heads of the local Infinity group to come and play and run events in the store because I didn't know shit about Infinity, and you know he sure as hell didn't know anything about anything himself. And honestly, I wasn't getting paid enough to learn every system they carried in my free time (by the end Marc was trying to make me "that guy" and I said "No." They just carried too many systems for that.) From an outside perspective: the very family friendly, very polished Cat and Mouse will likely do fine without you guys. And I bet the board game events she holds there pull down much better numbers. The two Settlers of Catan tournaments I went to before I moved were great, well attended affairs. You guys seem comfortable with Wanderer's Refuge (echoed by everyone pretty much) and the one time I popped in to check out a gaming day, that place looked like it needed people like yourselves throwing support its way. Hell, I even bought something just for walking in the door when I didn't even play, just because (and I was penniless at the time too, but they just looked like they needed it). It seems like the right choice sticking with them since you all seem happy there. The only way you're going to really see a sense of satisfaction on your organizational return though, that will also translate to stronger numbers to the store you patronize, is if you (collectively) make some effort to grow the group. When your group is 50 people, 10-12 is still a strong turnout. When your group is 10 people, having only 20% turn out can be a bummer for all the work put in. I hope if you guys go to AdeptiCon you sport your shirts and leave some fliers around with the new forum Url. With the slow death of the AWC series after the Bunker closed, I'm sure there are some homeless 40K players who haven't truly found their new home. They just need to know you're here, waiting with open arms. One final thought, Brainstorm Comics in Wicker Park does not carry 40K. He expressed interest to me in doing so. He's struggling though. He has a TON of space for folding tables, and he stored a bunch of my terrain for weeks after a Wreck-Age event I ran there. If you guys can't get WR to give you more days, that's another option (and its like 2 buildings down from Geek Bar Beta). Most of his gaming nights are weekly or bi-weekly events. He's super rad. I mention it because it is the type of place you guys could make into a permanent home. But you'd have to build it as a 40K "place" from the ground up with him. Just a thought.
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Post by Nick P on Mar 4, 2015 16:25:08 GMT -6
One final thought, Brainstorm Comics in Wicker Park does not carry 40K. He expressed interest to me in doing so. He's struggling though. He has a TON of space for folding tables, and he stored a bunch of my terrain for weeks after a Wreck-Age event I ran there. If you guys can't get WR to give you more days, that's another option (and its like 2 buildings down from Geek Bar Beta). Most of his gaming nights are weekly or bi-weekly events. He's super rad. I mention it because it is the type of place you guys could make into a permanent home. But you'd have to build it as a 40K "place" from the ground up with him. Just a thought. Holy shit man, that's beautiful - its right off the damn blue line, right by a ton of awesome bars and restaurants for us to frequent, and pretty easy to get to from anywhere. I like this idea a lot, and if we could make it a home with storage space...all of my troubles are answered. I think Nick is right though, we have to grow the group in a meaningful way in order for the group to be more "gaming group" than "guys who make sarcastic dick jokes to each other online, and see each other once every 2 months". Shirts and flyers at A-con will really help with that I think - even just looking at the entry list for the Draxtar tournament, I see names that I recognize from DD, Galactic, and NDG, as well as from AWC events, that I'm sure would love a more permanent home.
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Post by jefferestinpeace on Mar 4, 2015 17:31:55 GMT -6
Thanks Nicks! I like Brainstorm as well, especially in that sweet space they got up there now. Do you have some contact info for them? I'd hate to ditch one store just to pick up another and not be able to spread the finances around again, but I guess it can't really hurt to give a shout, especially if we can nab a weekday. Plus comics.
I was going to do another post about considerate outreach. We might want to print up some flyers and paste em up around, just with the board info and at least the Wanderer's monthly meetup on there. However, for that, I would absolutely 100% require help because there's no way I'm leafletting any other neighborhood than Lincoln Square.
But there's also Facebook and the Meetup pages and stuff, posting in Dice Dojo's Warhammer page (just about the forums obvs) and something more permanent on the Warhammer Meetup Page (recurring reminders for Wanderer's).
Who wants to give a hand there? Someone want to be in charge of the Meetup group (would require scheduling out for at least the next few months) and another for the Dojo page? Someone want to put together a Facebook group that we can link to other related 40k Facebookery? Anyone know of any other social media places we can do a bit of plugging?
Anyone up for flyering?
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Post by Russell on Mar 4, 2015 18:47:09 GMT -6
Would it also be beneficial if we increased our online presence as well? I know Nick was joking about making video battle reports to reel in the ladies, but that would be an interesting side project to tackle. Amy (MY GIRLFRIEND) has a gopro that I could totally use.
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Post by jefferestinpeace on Mar 4, 2015 19:18:16 GMT -6
I'd love if we did some VBPs. That'd be a blast. Too bad so few of us are single.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 20:24:44 GMT -6
If we need a camera I can provide a really good one. MY GIRLFRIEND does youtube videos as part of her job so she has really high quality film cameras (read 1080p). She also has lapel mics and a tripod. Although it requires more editing I think if we do some Bat Reps we should model them after something like this www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Lcd8RHb-g rather then MWG or Blue Table Style, as people tend to watch short videos on yourtube over long ones. I also think the Spiky Bits reports come across as a hell of a lot more informed then any others I've seen of youtube.
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Post by clint on Mar 4, 2015 20:54:55 GMT -6
So I've only been around once, and my business schedule means that I'll miss a lot of Sundays, but currently I have a couple of weeknights free-ish. As a player from way back when, I walked into WR and saw everyone playing and wondered if I'd A. Fit in, and B. Be able to play regularly. I'm a long way from learning the nuances of the current rules, and catching up on my collection so my motivation to spend cash is pretty low unless it's paints or brushes or basing kits. I've got a ton or minis to paint before I even think of buying more (Aileen once told me I'm not allowed to buy more until I get caught up on painting).
What motivates me to play are the people, fun games with fair opponents who are looking for a good time. Narrative games are always fun too. Anyone remember the CityFight supplement? There was a campaign there where each game awarded a terrain piece giving the winner more points for the next game (usually 50-100). Those were lots of fun amongst my friends, but naturally with a larger group like this, it's much harder to get people to commit to and actually play the games to keep the rounds going. I've never played a tournament, and not sure I'd want to until I actually know the rules and how to play.
I'll add also that I have a folding 8x4' (actually 7'6"x4') table and a couple of boxes of homemade terrain (both jungle and cityfight) that I could chip in for the cause of games.
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Post by Joelercoaster on Mar 4, 2015 21:21:29 GMT -6
A) Props to Jeff for being the Jeffiest Jeff we know B) I would love to go to Wanderers, if there was ever an event where I wasn't 99.99% guaranteed to be working C) The Dojo is, I think, much more 40k friendly than it has been in the past. I don't have the same history with the store that many others do, since I really haven't been in Chicago that long, but opening up the basement for pick-up tabletop games was a *massive* move by them. I think there are a couple of nights where you're more likely to find a general PUG, but they also, as mentioned, have an active FB group (something that's probably stupid of us to not have if we want to start growing meaningfully). Long story short - people are asking for a store that has open space and terrain, pretty much any day you want, *and* will let you store stuff there. Hint - we have one.
I've about decided to start going up there more, both for board game nights and 40k, getting more involved in their community, etc, and I'd love to see some others join in. They'll be getting back into the swing of monthly 40k tournaments, as someone has picked up the torch that Ken dropped when he decided moving back to NC was a good idea.
D) Batreps sound fun. I've actually been wanting to do a few as I trial some new DE things, so that I can get some further feedback from the internet trolls (the best source of encouragement I know).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 22:05:15 GMT -6
So, we've been kind of playing with idea of games at the dojo a little bit. Is there any interest in doing a bi-weekly or weekly unofficial meetup there? Something ala the old game club. I know I'd be down for meeting up like that.
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Post by daniel, why on Mar 4, 2015 22:32:36 GMT -6
This is a rough situation we've stumbled in to again.
I really like Wanderer's as well, in spite of the distance from me. Dice Dojo did open up a location near McCormick Place (2154 S Michigan Ave), and coincidentally a new Green Line stop also opened up at Cermak. I haven't been yet, but I asked about it on their facebook page, and apparently there isn't a whole lot of space for 40K.
I feel like I can't make any calls, because my hobby budget (in terms of time and money) is so limited and school/research ends up trumping a lot of my hobby desires. Still, I'll give some of my thoughts, and be supportive of any approach we take.
I'm happy to host games once in awhile, hold terrain at my house, even drop it off around the city on weekends. I like the idea of weekly meetups for PUGs, but very likely I won't make many of them at this point in my career (heh, "career"). I like the idea of having several places we could go play at, but if it requires so much work on Jeff's part and isn't even financially useful for the stores, what's the point? Doubling down on Wanderer's for 40K seems like a reasonable option, then.
Expanding the group, though probably very difficult, seems like a logical step forward. I don't know if the other groups that currently exist have any sort of 'identity' but maybe we could think about that? A mission statement or some bullshit, so people kind of know what we're about. We definitely have managed to find a group of like-minded individuals, perhaps spelling that out will help us get into stores with similar ideals and give new folks some anchor point. Aileen's store's description seems like a good base. You know, kind of this "all are welcome, we're just here for some solid gaming and supportive, easy going company" kind of vibe I think we want to convey.
I guess I'm saying if we're going to label ourselves Chicago Style Tabletop, we might as well go all in and sell this thing hard. Be a presence for other homeless gamers, you know?
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Post by Nick P on Mar 4, 2015 22:37:45 GMT -6
I'm down to make bat reps, I really like the Skared Cast ones, where he basically does an intro of each army list, then just a recap of each player turn - what died to what, what came in from reserve, tapes actual rolls for reserves etc to make sure he remembers, then afterward does a 3-5 minute tactical corner where he explains why he built his army that way, what his strategy was vs that opponent, what to improve etc. Plus he plays DE and Eldar, so that's boss.
I'm down to play more at dojo, would love to get unofficial meetup nights going so I don't have to make new friends - I've met more than a few...surly? Unhygienic? Fellows up at the dojo, to say the least.
Ps I'm willing to learn to edit the bat reps too, will what software do I need for that, anything specific?
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Post by daniel, why on Mar 4, 2015 22:39:21 GMT -6
Also, Jeff, you're a gentleman and a scholar. I don't tell you I love you nearly enough.
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Post by jefferestinpeace on Mar 5, 2015 8:14:54 GMT -6
I think we're on the right track. These are some great ideas. I don't think expansion will be too difficult; the biggest hurdle is getting over the social bump as Clint pointed out. We just have to raise awareness, so I'll contact the NFL. If we build it, they will come. And if they don't, it's cause they're whiny chudbabies.
Also, I think I came off a little too jerky earlier; I want to make clear to you hobos that I have never thought you all ungrateful or anything. You're all exceptionally supportive and I know you appreciate what I try to do for us. The only reason I keep coming back with renewed enthusiasm on all these different things is because of the obvious impact it has on you all. I never take it personally if you can't make it to a game day and understand that we all just have shit going on. I'm just burning out is all and could use a break. Hearing from Linda that we weren't accomplishing what she hoped we would (which I do believe is totally understandable on her part) was the tipping point. I just want you guys to know I'm not seething over here or anything because we aren't hitting arbitrary attendance numbers in my head.
I think our most immediate plan of attack looks like this: 1) Facebook group + Outreach 2) Post regularly on Meetups 3) Establish an unofficial Dice Dojo weeknight (probably bi-weekly?) 4) Flyer w/ "mission statement" 5) Ask Aileen about more time
I'd be happy to reach out to Brainstorm as well, but now that I think about it, if they're going to jump on the GW bandwagon, I simply don't think we're going to generate the sales they are looking for in starting a new product line. We're just going to run into the exact same problem we had with C&M.
I also think we should play more board games and really try to expand our new CST branding. Who wants to start an Imperial Assault campaign? Who wants to throw 12 hours at Twilight Imperium? Who wants to roll some frosty zombies in Dead of Winter? Let's do that shit.
Also, for the above items, anyone who wants to volunteer for one or the other would be very appreciated. I'll take number 5 for sure. Someone want to be the "lead" DD representative? Joel? Will?
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Post by Joelercoaster on Mar 5, 2015 9:47:05 GMT -6
I'm already a part of the Dojo 40k group, which is basically a really convenient way to set up PUG's. I can double-check to see if they already have a set night(s?) going as "common", but as mentioned it's basically "open play" all day err'y day. Which is actually awesome.
I think a great way to start would be the FB group of our own, so we can get our name out there. Then, we can start trying to use the Dojo more... if we go all out, pick a day, advertise it, and then the core group realizes it doesn't work, that's shooting ourselves in the foot. I'd give it a couple of months of trial to see what naturally works, and then roll with it. My guess is to say that Saturdays (which evenings even work for me, there... for now), and then, say, Wednesday nights, as the "go-to" would be a start... but the ability to say "Hey I have a random Thursday night free, anyone down?" is an added bonus.
On the note of reaching out to that comic shop, which sounds like a dope place I could pick up the latest Saga, or any other store we talk to, how about just paying them for space? If you buy a box a month, that's... $20 on average? Ish? That the shop actually keeps. What if we set up a way to drop them $5 a person, cash monies, to set up some tables and play? If it happened once a week, that's the equivalent (and most people are still going to buy that box there), and gives people like me (who have no need/real money for boxes) still have a way to throw the store some dollars.
Given that advertisement for 40k is, 99%, word of mouth/seeing the game played, it's a great way for a store to, long-term, generate sales, while making the effort of having some smelly dudes make stupid jokes in the back area. The store can say "Hey, we do this once a week/month/time-period, Come Play!!". Then "learn to play" events are worth it, because Joe Brit can have mummy and daddy buy him all of the fancy things for this new fun game.
It's rough for a store, especially a "not a gaming store per se" to take on a 40k group and have it be worth the time... this is a way to alleviate that, and encourage them to do something regularly enough to attract outsiders. IMHO, if something's not once a week, it's going to be hard to get new players to remember/bother to show up.
Anyway. Just some thoughts.
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