ok heres a thread thats dear to oh so many. i wanna hear bout your gaming groups or clubs!! how did you join it- or start it. also id like to hear about some of your personal touches that you feel sets your club apart. for example your house rules or personal touches like does everyone have to dress in character to the game your playing. and id also like people to explain how a new person in the hobby can find a local club or gaming group. ive noticed oh so many people complain that they cant play as much as they would like because no one else plays.

ill start. first off i do not belong to a club, i have nothing against them at all. i support them fully and ive been aproached by one im giving consideration. my reason is simply i like the confined space of a small gaming group. i cant invite 50 people over for a game see. however i have over the years been involved in small freindly groups that play together just dosent have the structure of a club.

there are several things we did that set us apart from most other groups ive seen but we had one tradition we started many years ago that could benifit others we simply called the gift. it was aimed at new people starting the hobby to make things easier for them. since most people who start 40k cant play a good game for some time especially when they are young is the price tag involved so we started the "gift". when we found somone who was interested in the game the person that made first contact was considered their sponser. that persons job was to teach them to play the game using one of the spare armies we had on hand. after several games if we decided that the new gamer was serious then we discussed in private their gift. we chipped in to buy their starter set of brushes and basic paint set that we devised would be the perfect starting point. then by this time we have an idea of which army either the new gamer will want or is wanting, and we buy them their first squads needed for a basic army. usually two boxed sets of infantry and a commander model. when you think that it sounds expensive dont. it may cost money but what you have really bought is the start of a new gamers career that they will remember for the rest of their life as well as skipping a very stressful time for them.

we usually target people in their late teens to early twenties do to the fact at this time they are starting to work and soon can afford their own armies, also this is the time when you get in the most trouble in life, we give you an alternative to drinking and drugs.

most of the people we have done this for have gone on to start new groups that we can play and have remained loyal to the hobby. every time i see one of them in a store buying the starting gift for another i have to smile, its a good feeling.

speaking of which, finding a group to play. this is usually easy, where do you find your minis? hang out there and question people you get along with where they play. but this being the pc age alot of people buy online. in a college town they usually have a library i post things on the community board there where people tend to post club info.

this is a bit large and long winded but im anxious to hear from you guys.

Closest I have is a group of mates that used to go to the local GW and play a few games on a Wednesday night. That hasn't happened recently, what with me not buying anything for 2 years and general lost interest.

Instead I've been going to a local club at a Library, it's a bit out of my way, and an early start, but it's every other Saturday, costs a bit of money (£3) per game, but it's good fun. Have a few friends there, so it's friendly, and a good amount of newer people to keep the games varied.

No real house rules as such, more whatever works for you an your opponent. If someone else doesn't like it, and they aren't actually taking part in the game, they can go suck it! It's one thing that irritates me to no end, someone unrelated to the game tries to butt in and dictate the rules. I mean, if there's cheating, or someone's just made a mistake, then fine. But if I'm playing, and neither me or my opponent are following the wound allocation rules to the letter, then don't try to correct us! We know the rules, but we're finding what we're doing easier/quicker.

i hate the local expert who never plays but always wants to tell you how. i think there must be one at every event. thats why we had the ed has the stupid baton rule. to be honest its nice just to have a guy that moderates things, keep those types away from the table, though i do like some good banter at the trables, i dont need them pipin in.

thank you for checking this out blackcell

the group i play at is my the local store near me ^_^
found out about it after looking for a new place to play magic and got stuck playing 40k and warhammer instead (not that i mind :P )

We mostly have a steady group that loves to play and has their own armies they like (most of them loyalist but hey, we need those as wel B) )

new players mostly get to pick the army the find the coolest and we fins a player who has spare models so they can learn (as recently happend with my necrons :) )

Our local expert know when to keep his mouth shut in a friendly game so not much trouble with him (least of all me as it is myself who knows most of the rules of difrent games and gets new rulebooks in his hands to study and teach the other players B) )

well i dont know if that was exactly what blackcell was refering to, meaning a local expert, but i do catch your meaning. now dont get me wrong personally i like the expert who is up to date on all the rules. we usually use them if their not playing as a ref or moderator. they just walk amongst the games, us not actually having a club is rarely more than two or three, and answer questions if they arise. i think but dont place bets on if im right,that he refered to the type that butts in on games and tries to correct the players on what they have done or are doing wrong. those are not welcomed and will be told to leave if they persist on interfering. cell also refered to the fact that he was just playing the way that works for him. i like to play that way myself. to me i think thats a good sign the person your playing is comfortable with you.

when the last edition of 40k came out we bought tons. they were perfect cause if a new person joined all we had to do was give them say the marines from the box. another bonus was at the time no one used the orks so we amassed quite a few, which became spare armies we could use for extra peices when needed or for somone to jump in.


by any chance does any of your clubs or groups have painting sessions together, or perhaps terrain making? and dues, do you pay club fees?

When I finally got enough minis I knew of two stores that had gaming space and gave them a try (despite them being a pretty far drive from where I live).

I went to one place an had scheduled a "learning" match with staff and it was good. I don't know why but I only went back once or twice. This place did go out of business for reasons I was unaware of unfortunately. *One cool fact was the guys who were making the 40k mmorpg gamed here I think.

I also tried out the other store I was aware of. It was a suckfest and I have had no desire to ever go back. Everybody was a rule lawyer, if somebody lost a tank or character they would have a break down, and nobody played for the sake of playing & having fun. I truly wish that if that place ever caught on fire and was to crumble I wish most of those people went with it. Perhaps the crowd has changed with time...but I'm not enticed to go.

So, having been unimpressed with the gaming scene I just went back to modeling, converting, and painting. Did this for some time until one day one of the owners of the store I frequent here in Austin, Tribes: Comics & Games, mentioned a local group building up. I checked it out and stuck with it since. I joined for 40k but jumped onto warmachine and hordes because that group was starting out and I thought it would be good to get into a new game when everyone was new to it. I found a great gaming group where I can play 40k, WM/H, some BFG, and I am trying to push Infinity with them, and all the while have a great time.

im glad you found a good group, or i guess club never sure bout these. one thing i hate bout playing in a store are the nosy people wanting to pick my models up. who hasnt had a mini or two stolen or broken at these places. i used to be part owner of a store where we played alot. we went out of buisness cause all we did was played, forgot it was a job to lol.

I never had to worry about anyone handling my minis, thankfully. Our group has the rule of asking before touching another persons mini.

As for gaming and not working, that's the life but fortunately business practice disagrees haha. That would be pretty cool!

i was mostly referring to playing in a store. your friends in the club are one thing but that pesky shady medling kid with sticky fingers just wandering by at the store. man i sounded almost like a scooby villain there. im not trying to say you shouldnt game in a store, after all its good business for the owners to have a game going. if a kid sees people playing a game with the minis it will stick with them more imo. but playing in a setting of that nature does have its dangers of course. you just cant avoid it. if thats the only placed you can play then wear it out but watch your minis. and carry a stick to beat off all the love struck girls dumbstruck by your awesome playing skills lol. id better not joke with that im seeing more and more girls playing. my cousins role playing group is packed with them!! :rolleyes: ah to be ten years younger and single :rolleyes:

Yeah, stores with the right kind of crowd are great. Having fun-seeking and more laid-back gamers is the kind of group everybody needs.

As for the dangers for minis, I think two Red Scorpion army blogs from different users I followed online where stolen. One fella had his car broken into and the minis taken. Darn shame. A lot of time, care, and love went into building and painting those armies, not to mention the large sum of money contributed, and somebody has the nerve to just run off with it.

That's what I like about my gaming group. I can just leave my minis at my friends place and they are good to go. Even my friend's kids know not to mess with minis or anything. *though we did have a problem with a visiting gamer... :angry:

yea ive had several whole armies stolen and to be honest i dont know why alot of the time. i had an old grenadier dwarf army stolen, they took that an ashtray two cooking pots a potted cactus and i think a live chicken. none of it seems related but thats what was stolen, oh and my knee length deerskin moccasins. i think alot of the time they pilfer for the thrill or perhaps jealousy. i mean who they gonna play? most regulars know your minis. thats how we caught that theif was a guy tried selling my dwarfs. you may not know the company but it was a pretty recognizable army. and he was wearing my boots. now that makes you really stick out in crowd lol

my gaming clubs so special cause its just me and my friend and its at his house



its call cause will add a lot of extra junky rules

PS don't try to represent heavy artillery with a nerf gun

but do do it if you need to njal