A plea of recruitment

[Martipar]

All of you here are at least semi-experienced gamers, our spiritual home Spirit Games and other independent game shops around this fair isle are in crisis. So we gamers need you to go out and recruit new blood!
A recruitment video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5XzRhVfvCk&feature=related which explains the basics of board games and has links to additional videos explaining further, show it and share it freely. Get your non-gamer friends to show their support by joining this site and joining any sites their FLGS may have, spread the word that board games aren't necessarily bored games! Stand up people and let the world know that we're gamers and proud of it!
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall play in France, we shall play on the seas and oceans, we shall play with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our FLGS, whatever the cost may be. We shall play on the beaches, we shall play on the landing grounds, we shall play in the fields and in the streets, we shall play in the hills; we shall never surrender.
Gamers your local gaming community and FLGS need you, recruit now!

Some of the above paraphased from Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, Hon. RA (Dec.)

[The Overlord]

Great initiative.  I was very encouraged that there was a small group of 14to 15 year old ish players at the recent Gamma Con in Lichfield.

However, my contribution to encouraging more people to "have fun" with with Board Games, Roleplay Games, etc. is through my website www.overthecable.com, which is a play on Over The Table but with technology added.  The basic idea is to support and promote any game that is usually played at a table, whatever it might be, and try and use technology to support its play.  At the moment all I have completed is a D&D scenario pilot for 12 Players, which ran for a year.  The record and how it all worked is now on the OtC site.  I know it is very basic what i am doing, but it is a start.

I was a very enthusiastic Play-by-mail player, when the excitement of waiting for the Postman was extreme, but those days have gone, but I am still convinced that those style games can also be complimented by technology.

To cut a long story short, I think what your trying to do is great, and hopefully I can support in my little way.  The more people we get introduced to "games" even if not within traveling distance of other players, must be a good thing...surely

[Zarniwoop]

I applaud your efforts but we are all our own worst enemies.

We have a regular Wednesday night gaming sessions at Spirit Games as you know, but despite there being a section here for session reports and now a Guild on BoardgameGeek there has been little contribution outside of Myself and Carl. The problem is people's lives are busy and they do not always have the time to sit at the haunted fishtank and post messages.

We can all help by supporting local events where we can (accepting that people do not always have the time/money) and trying to play with different groups of people.

We always seem to get new people turning up at Raiders of the Game Cupboard which is encouraging.

Fundamentally though if we do not as a whole spend more time talking about games be it to family/friends/colleagues or online in venues like here or other gaming sites then our hobby will not be that high in the Search Engine hits or peoples minds.

The fact that boardgames are hitting mainstream shops like Books stores etc. is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand it will mean that the more specialist boardgames are getting out to a wider audience which may ultimately bring in more people to the hobby if they like them and want to seek out more, but on the other hand this also hurts by encroaching on the Specialist FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Stores).

I do not pretend to know what the answers are, as we are all being hit more or less by the economic downturn, but at least by talking about our hobby when/where we can either face to face or electronically we can help to raise awareness which in turn can only help bring new people into the hobby who will hopefully spend money helping everyone.

[EvilGinger]

All we can do is what we can & to support stuff like Raiders, Beer & Pretzels , Gamacon & so forth which give us the environment we all love to play in I would also rather support a real bricks & mortar store not out of sentimentality but rather that the likes of Spirit Games  for example gives more to the gaming community than any amount of discount could be worth. 

I am putting my time & cash where my mouth is , to which end I will report on more of my gaming activities here.

 I would urge others to do the same I also recognise that I cant do every thing but no one can just do you bit & the hobby we all love will not just survive but thrive.

 Ginger

[The Overlord]

It seems to me as if this splits in to two distinct issues, which need to be tackled in different ways, but the resolution would be mutually supportive.  As I see it we have problem (1) which is increasing the support and interest in the hobby/gaming and (2) how to increase the turnover of the FLGS. Maybe it would help to look at these issues separately, and get some joint views and suggestions on how to address.

[The Overlord]

Might be worth looking at groups or communities who may be interested such as the nearby Universities/Schools/Scout Groups and identifying some activities or marketing opportunities to spread the word.  This would also potentially generate increased Revenue for FLGS in the area.

How would we identify if this was successful?

[The Overlord]

Not an easy one in the current financial climate, and I am not an expert but there seems 3 areas, increased FLGS footfall, more online trade, other services and giving differentiation. 

Increased footfall seems to be covered by games nights etc., and just need to look at ways to continue increasing this.

More online trade - I guess this is very competitive, and I don't have any suggestions.

Other services - Might be worth just brain dumping some ideas:

- attend some popular local markets
- structure a gaming day that might interest local business for a staff moral day or team building exercise.  They pay for the GM and games supplies, which could be a very good little earner.
- how about have some games people can come in and rent from the shop, like Blockbusters - not sure how it would work, but might!
- Game Rule lectures or training sessions, bit like a evening class which people pay for....could advertise and see what happens.


Just food for thought 

[EvilGinger]

Well so far we have Raiders in Burton as a well established event, Beer & pretzels which is becoming twice yearly, Midcon as well established as B&P now in Derby the new kid on the block Gamacon in Lichfield. Not to mention Sabrecon in Leicester & there are others I am sure people will add.  

I also want to run Beer & Lard again but need a bit of help doing that & I am thinking of a quarterly roleplaying event  compliment Raiders. At Spirit Games we have a weekly Boardgames night with some roleplaying on the side a Weekly Friday night Magic & Malifaux Night as well as Roleplaying every other Thursday at the duke of Devonshire pub which could if there was demand & more Dm's go back to weekly. Regular Saturday events in the shop & I am urging Phil to open the shop on the Sunday for a proposed Sunday club though its his day off & there is some reluctance in that area.  

Spirit Games has also been in touch with the local wargames clubs and have a Who is Playing what blog just about to go live. It will be announced here when it does.

I think we however need as a group to talk all these events up & get folks to come to them & do the same for our FLGS too hence my creation of Friends of Spirit games on face book three or four years ago now.

 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

we also need as many difrent people to contribute as posible otherwise this will look like me Overlord & Zarni spamming the forum about it.

So stop lurking & contribute 

 Ginger

[Zarniwoop]

Well one thing I have re-implemented a while ago, is the module that links the Calendar here with my Big Bang Burger Bar Google Calendar. This is then linked to the Raiders of the Game Cupboard Guild on BoardGameGeek

So All events posted here in our Calendar get a wider audience.

[EvilGinger]

Brilliant Zarni we need to do that with the other Spirit Games Guilds on the Geek & I shall  try & get an Geek guild for Roleplaying & wargames set up as well so you can apply the same module.

However its the lurkers here I want to encourage to take more part

 Ginger

[Zarniwoop]

Well the mod only allows me to sync to one google Calendar but I could add you as an author to that Calendar so you can add it to your BGG Guild.

[EvilGinger]

Ok have no idea how to do it but since I seem to have volenteered please tell me how.


 Ginger