Setting up a Club

Club Guide Version 1.0

2 DOCUMENT CONTROL

Contents Setting up a Club ......................................................................................................................................1 Club Guide Version 1.0 ............................................................................................................................1 Contents....................................................................................................................................................2

Document Control ................................................................................................................................2 GCN Guides .........................................................................................................................................2

Setting up a Club ......................................................................................................................................3 What is a Club? ....................................................................................................................................3 Choosing Your Venue ..........................................................................................................................5 Factors to Consider...............................................................................................................................6 Meetings ...............................................................................................................................................7 Membership..........................................................................................................................................8 Record Keeping and Subscriptions.......................................................................................................9 Promoting Your Club .........................................................................................................................10 Club Activity ......................................................................................................................................11 Other Practical Tips............................................................................................................................12

Document Control Author Initial

Version New Version

Date Change Summary

Matt Anderson, Giuseppe Principle, Bek Hawkby, Che Webster

- 0.0 September 2007 Game Club Core Toolkit

Richard Kerry 0.0 1.0 Edited as GCN Club Guide

GCN Guides This document is part of the GCN’s “Club Guides” collection. The documents within the collection cover various aspects of running clubs. It must be remembered that these are guides only and that no expectations are placed on a club to follow any procedures outlined within them.

Every club’s situation will be unique to some extent, but they all clubs have a number of common issues and problems to overcome. The guides provided by the GCN are written to help overcome these issues by sharing the knowledge and experiences of those that have dealt with them themselves.

The GCN recognises that all clubs are different and that these guidelines set out below will not be suitable for all the clubs in the GCN. If you have any feedback on this document or would like to add to it in any way, please contact the secretary of the GCN (seal@gamingclubnetwork.org).

The GCN cannot offer legal advice but we can share our experience and, hopefully, this will be of some practical use.

All of the GCN guides are available from the GCN’s website www.gamingclubnetwork.org.

WHAT IS A CLUB? 3

Setting up a Club Welcome to the Setting up a Club guide. This pack directly discusses some simple and easy things that you can do to get a club off the ground and make each session enjoyable for all. It is also a good guide for even veteran club leaders to peruse and use to spark off some ideas. This guide is also for a much broader audience that just GCN Member Clubs or clubs aiming to join the GCN. In short, we hope that this guide helps you and your friends take your hobby further.

Please note, this is not an exhaustive tome of knowledge or an exposition on any imagined “one true way” of doing things. Instead we have tried to make this a practical work aimed at fuelling your ideas and sparking even more exciting gaming, painting, and modelling opportunities for you and your follow hobbyists, wherever you are.

What is a Club? What is a Club?

A simple definition for a club might be: “Three or more people meeting together regularly to pursue a common interest”.

People usually meet in the most disparate places, from schools and libraries, garages and living rooms, to pubs and church halls. In fact, the possibilities for where to hold a club meeting are quite dizzying, and there are merely a few examples. The most important thing are the people who make up the club; it is these people who pursue the hobby who create and define each club.

Gaming Groups

The vast majority of players get together in small groups of less than ten people and we refer to these smaller gatherings as Gaming Groups. Often these small groups meet in venue like garages, bedrooms, dining rooms and the like. These options are often the best choice for those who are part of a small gaming group of friends, or those a bit too young to hire a hall and worry about insurance and charging entry fees.

We would recommend that home clubs or groups run or frequented by those of you under eighteen years of age do not advertise for new members and certainly never give addresses or contact details to someone they have not met with adult supervision. There can be no shortcuts where safety is concerned. Despite the benefits, expanding Gaming Groups located in somebody's home can be very difficult, especially when considering the other occupants of the house, and space to store boards and scenery.

For these reasons, and others, some Gaming Groups find themselves moving into an outside venue and forming a club open to the public at a later date.

Keep it simple!

The very best advice is to keep things simple and enjoy whatever strikes you as the most fun at any given moment. One of the most common mistakes is to rush in, trying to create something beyond your skills and experience; whilst the initial excitement drives people for a week or two, the complexity and novelty of the project can quickly de-motivate and discourage people.

Working steadily upwards towards larger projects will both build up your confidence and your understanding how best to do things; it will also allow you to make sure you do not overwhelm yourself while learning from small mistakes.

Taking Part!

Being part of a club means beings part of a like-minded group of people who share the same interests. Socialising in such an environment is not difficult at all. One of the truisms of the hobby is that there are no absolutes: there is no one right way to do any of the things that hobbyists do.

Painting, modelling, and even gaming are arts that are best learned alongside the experience of others. That is why meeting regularly in a club is an extremely healthy social experience. Sharing your enthusiasm and ideas, helping other each week by week , is a great to improve your skills and abilities while having fun with your newly found friends.

4 WHAT IS A CLUB?

You are not alone!

Just like yourself there’s a plethora of people running clubs, and we can help you establish a link with those close to you. This in turn will help each club to support the others, overcome obstacles and maybe even start a long-term club friendship

Five Reasons to Attend a Gaming Club

1. You can get a regular variety of games with your favourite rules systems.

2. You can all help each other create and enjoy the ultimate army of miniatures.

3. You can all work together to build gaming boards and scenery.

4. You can work to build hobby skills so that you get more from your hobby than you ever could alone.

5. You can take part in more than a standard game – campaigns, special scenarios and club ladders are all easy to do.

CHOOSING YOUR VENUE 5

Choosing Your Venue The very first thing to think about is where the club will meet. For many of you this will already have been decided and will not be an issue. However, if you don’t yet have a venue then considering all of these options may well spark off a whole new chain of ideas for your club.

Community Venues

This can be anything from a Scout Hut or Church Hall to a Sports Hall, or even a corporate meeting room. These are rooms available to hire or use freely, usually owned and run by a third party not directly connected with the club. These are the most commonly used venues for larger clubs. They can be found by enquiring at Town Halls, Civic Centres and local Libraries.

Pubs and Private Clubs

Pubs and Private Clubs often have rooms which can be hired out by clubs or for functions. These can vary wildly in price and are often booked out for weddings and parties. If you find one within your price band always check out what conditions the landlord has placed on its use. There may be issues around permanent storage space, and take care to find out about insurance and fire safety regulations.

One big issue for these venues is under-18’s. On no account should minors be put into a position where they may be able to buy or consume alcohol, nor should the proprietor have to worry about having underage customers on his premises.

Hobby Store Gaming Rooms

A number of Hobby Stores, have an attached Gaming Room. These are usually away from the shop floor and, as well as providing a venue for special events within the store, these can be used by various gamers as arranged by the manager.

Schools

Schools make great venues for the students and teachers in them or any nearby institution. However, unless they offer the hire of rooms as venues after school for clubs, sports or adult education, they will not be suitable for independent or adult-oriented clubs.

Libraries

Libraries are public venues and are often keen to host community activities. It will normally be a librarian or library assistant who instigates or runs the club as part of their community offer. However some are open to providing a venue for independent clubs, especially the larger central libraries who have separate meeting rooms and the like, which they may hire out or offer for use.

Questions to ask when considering a venue

• How much does it cost?

• Are there facilities for painting and modelling?

• Are there sources of water?

• Do you have permission to use the notice boards and advertise?

• What amenities does the venue have?

• Are there any age restrictions placed by the venue?

• Can members eat and drink in the venue?

6 FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Factors to Consider Health and Safety

In order for your club to provide a safe environment you need to take into consideration the following factors:

• Does the venue have adequate fire safety equipment?

• If you are going to open club membership to under 18’s then you may wish to get some members of the club CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) checked.

• Check that the venue has appropriate and accessible facilities (toilets, car parking, etc).

• Do you have appropriate First Aid facilities and personnel?

Legal Requirements

Many venues insist that there is at least one adult over the age of 18 who will take responsibility for the hiring of the venue. Do you (or the venue) have Public Liability Insurance? This is very important as if the venue is not covered, you may be personally liable! You may wish to check how many members can you legally fit into the venue, and if the venue is a pub or licensed bar then you may not be able to have any members under 18 years old. It is also worth checking your liabilities in regard to wear and tear/damage to the property, refuse disposal etc.

Time

Creating a club can be time consuming and hard work. It is always a good idea to get a couple of friends to form a committee with you so that you can share the work! It is also a good idea to have several members in the club who can set up and open the venue – this means that if you are on holiday or unable to attend the club it can still go ahead.

Space and storage

Unless you are willing and able to transport boards, scenery and gaming materials to and from the venue every time the club meets, you will need to find storage space nearby. Have a think about what scenery and other materials you are going to need and work out how much space you will want in order to store it. Think about this early on as the venue may require you to pay extra for storage space and complete lack of such space may make the venue unsuitable.

The storage area also needs to be secured. Most venues are used for other activities so this is vital as the sad truth is that other users of the venue may not treat your scenery with the respect it is due, and some may even wilfully seek to vandalise and destroy it. Do not store anyone’s personal armies, money or anything else of value at the venue.

Target Audience: Know Who You Want

A common mistake is to assume that anyone will do for your club. This might be broadly true, but when a club is new you might want to be a bit smarter about who you invite along. This can help you avoid involving either people that you don’t enjoy gaming with or just getting overwhelmed with too many new faces. If you target certain groups of people who fit the idea and nature of your club you are more likely to end up with long term members, attending consistently and contributing actively to the life of the club.

Hobby Experience

There is a good argument to suggest that you should select members of appropriate level of experience. New hobbyists can add a vibrancy and energy to a club but if there are no experienced gamers willing to help and teach them, then the new guys may become disillusioned and either leave or become disruptive. If, on the other hand, there are those willing to teach beginners you will have your own home-grown hobbyists who will probably form the future core of the club. From the other point of view, if you have primarily a beginners club you may find that inviting more experienced gamers will be inappropriate.

MEETINGS 7

Meetings Timing

If your club is going to meet regularly then you need to decide on which day of the week and the time when the club will be open. Remember that lots of potential members may have work or school the next day. On the other hand, many people other commitments or activities for the weekend.

When you are making your decision you should ask yourself who you most want attract to the club, and then tailor the session times, as much as you can, to suit the needs of your target members. The start and finish will influence a lot of the members’ availability and the length of time available can also define the sort of activities which go on. A venue itself may also dictate the start and finish time by its availability.

The club needs to have a regular start time so everyone knows when to turn up. This can not be too early as it may turn off some of the members who have to come from work or travel to the club.

Make sure the club is open long enough for members to complete the kind of activities you intend to have going on. Remember also that you need to allow for setting up and tidying the venue after the games, and also some socialising. The other thing you need to consider is are there any other clubs in the area that clash with your chosen night?

Regularity

How often the club meets may be dictated by necessity rather than choice. A venue which is unavailable when you need to meet is unsuitable, so it’s well worth thinking about.

• Once a week. This is the default option for most clubs, normally selecting an evening each week.

• More than once a week. Meeting more often than once a week may mean you split your membership. This can make it difficult to make enough money to pay for the venue on multiple nights each week. There is also a level of overkill where meeting too frequently gets members jaded towards the club and risks turning attendance into a chore rather an event to be anticipated.

• Bi-Weekly. Bi-weekly clubs do exist and may be a good option where venue or key club members have other commitments and drains on their time. The main problem bi-weekly meetings suffer from is the membership forgetting whether it was this week or the next one for the upcoming session; this confusion can cost you members if you do not carefully communicate the meeting dates and times.

• Monthly. Monthly clubs are great where each meeting is treated as a special event and lots of preparation time is required. If a particular sort of activity is the exclusive focus of the club, such as tournament play, then meeting too frequently could make the club quite repetitive for some and too short an interval between does not allow enough time for fine-tuning an army. The danger is that without the club being part of the weekly rhythm by which most people run their lives no habit is established and it’s all too easy for a person’s attendance to lapse. Monthly clubs are characterised by a close-knit membership who are in constant contact in-between meetings. Often such clubs utilise the internet or newsletters to breed a sense of belonging.

• Occasional. Occasional or irregular meeting clubs suit those groups who, for reasons of life, job or situation, cannot meet regularly or more frequently. This can also work for those groups where the members are together and in close communication all the time, such as those who are working or living together; the opportunity to arrange more or less frequent activity is always present. The danger with meeting in an occasional or irregular way is that, with all the best intentions, it is all too easy for no date to ever really be made and thus nothing ever happens.

8 MEMBERSHIP

Membership Membership Age Range

Older hobbyists are often turned off by the thought of playing amongst or against younger gamers and can be quite vocal about it. If most of your membership are adults there is often a strong case for excluding under-16s or under-18s.

As well as gaming partner preferences there are considerations of responsibility and safety here. This is all fine, but bear in mind that older people have responsibilities and commitments which, hard though it is to believe, actually take precedence over gaming. They may find that life circumstances mean that they are not free to attend and may even have to leave permanently. Younger players are the hobby’s future lifeblood; turning them away could be the doom of your club.

As a guideline, a lot of games are aimed at those over 12 years of age. Not because anyone younger is not capable of taking part in or enjoying the hobby, on the contrary we know there are plenty of under 12s who are very keen and more than capable of reading the rules or painting models. However some of the reasons for this recommendation are:

• The hobby requires a degree of commitment that young children are often not capable of giving.

• There is a lot of reading, maths and patience involved in the hobby. This demands a certain degree of personal maturity that few young children can maintain for long.

• There are all sorts of legal issues of responsibility and safety surrounding the care of younger children.

The minimum age for your club is entirely up to you. Since older gamers are quite often turned off by playing with the younger guys, be aware that setting the minimum too low may inadvertently bring down the perceived maximum. School and to some extent library clubs, will obviously have a certain age focus but we would still recommend a minimum age of around 11.

Membership of a Parent Body

Stipulation that members be part of some body, when that body is running or sponsoring the club, is entire appropriate. Examples might be gaming clubs within schools, Scout units, or on military sites. If you are running this sort of club do not rule out the possible injection of new ideas and energy which may come from including new “outsiders”. Where there are minors involved this obviously throws up a whole raft of safety and responsibility considerations so thread carefully whatever you choose to do.

Restriction of membership

Clubs may freely select the kind of people they want to come along. At the end of the day the wrong sort of members may spoil it for the others and as soon as a club is no fun, people leave and the club splits up. There is, however, a negative side to being too selective; not least that you can easily cut down on your pool of potential members to the point where the club can not function.

Social inclusion may or may not be required of a club. Usually libraries and schools will be required to include as many people of an appropriate age range as possible, whereas an independent club may decide to choose who is invited in some manner.

We believe the gaming is a fantastic social hobby which should be open too as many people as possible; indeed the more different people the greater the stimulation to creativity and fun. With this in mind we would advise you to be as open as possible to new members.

RECORD KEEPING AND SUBSCRIPTIONS 9

Record Keeping and Subscriptions Record Keeping

There is nothing wrong with the kind of club where people can just turn up and join up. Logging attendance or taking a register is good practice though, as it is important to know who is at the club at any given time; for example, this is important both for fire safety and to allow you to track subscription fees and turnover of attendees. However, having a formal membership scheme has a number of advantages:

• You can record long-term attendance, monitor turnover and it gives you a record for fire log purposes.

• The club will gain a sense of community and identity that will strengthen the group and make long term attendance more appealing to each person who joins.

• Awards or loyalty schemes reward good attendance and contribution to the club. Some clubs run a “Member of the Month” award whilst others reward members when they sign up friends.

• Being a member of a club implies both rights and responsibilities. You have the “right” to use the club facilities but a “responsibility” to follow the club rules, lest your privileges be removed. Qualification to membership could be an automatic reward on consistent attendance of a period of time, for example four weeks. Alternatively, there could be a yearly membership fee which confers a discount on weekly subscriptions. There are countless options, but the right and appropriate way will be down to the individual club to decide. The benefits of membership to the individual member could be many, such as discounted weekly subscription fees enshrined in the Club Constitution or even a feeling of recognition and belonging giving the member a sense of eligibility to enter tournaments, go on trips, and take part in any other club activity.

Registration Forms

One good way to keep track of members and allow them to prove their membership is to produce and issue membership cards. These often need to be quite elaborate to discourage copying, especially in larger clubs where you may not know everyone on sight. They should show the name of the club, the name of the member and a membership number. As members join you can keep a record of them, noting name, giving them a membership number and taking any contact or other details you may need.

It is best to work this all out before you start. Think what information you may need and don’t take anymore! Keep it as simple as you can as some people may find it intrusive to be asked for too many details, and collecting data for which you have no use is just a waste of time and effort.

Subscription Fees

The issue of whether to charge a subscription fee for attending the club, and if so how much it should be, is a difficult one and the solutions will vary from one club to another. The aim of the gaming club is to give hobbyists a great place to meet and enjoy the hobby. With this in mind it is far better to have no charges at all than add cost as a potential barrier to membership.

However, most clubs will have outgoings, regularly or occasionally. For example, the hire of the venue, or a minibus to take a club team to a tournament all costs money. To pay for these things the club needs funds which can be raised in several ways, the most obvious being a subscription fee. Planning these fees should always be guided by a few principles:

• Everyone pays.

• Only those who are brand new to the club or have paid a membership fee are entitled to discounts.

• Everyone’s payment is logged.

• The fee does not change unless it has to.

If you either do not charge a subscription fee or need to fund something out of the blue or unusual, then money can be raised through having a donation tin for that specific purpose, or by running a small tuck-shop. Some clubs, such as those in schools and libraries, may find that there is money available in the form of grants or funds for community or extra-curricular activities.

10 PROMOTING YOUR CLUB

Promoting Your Club Posters

Designing an eye-catching poster and making sure it is in the right places is a key method of recruitment. The big drawback of posters are that they are pretty indiscriminate and few people actually read them. Therefore, keeping them simple and making them eye-catching is the key to success. Please remember to ask permission before putting up a poster in a public place.

If you use any images belonging to a manufacturer (such as Games Workshop), you will need to use an appropriate disclaimer on your poster. These can often be found on the manufacturer’s website. If in any doubt, ask.

Flyers

Another good way of getting more gamers into your club is to hand out flyers to people you know are interested in the hobby. They need to include details of the club’s location and opening times, as well as contact information and details of the games played, plus any membership or subscription fee.

The main drawback of flyers is that you need lots of them, as people tend to throw them away. As a tip, try talking to people and giving them the flyer as a reminder once they express an interest in your club. This way you will not be wasting precious flyers on people who are not likely to attend the club.

The rules for posters, above, applies equally to flyers.

Word of Mouth

In the end, the best form of advertising is the good things that members and visitors to your club say about it. Promoting the club by example works just as effectively to SHOW people what it is you do. Getting involved in gaming events (locally or nationally), and similar activities is a great way to find new members. You’ll be surprised how many people suddenly “come out of the woodwork” when you put on a great show game somewhere.

Hobby Store Gaming Sessions

Almost all Hobby stores have at least one gamers session during the week, which can be a great source of new recruits for your club because they can become very crowded. Stores can be great places to learn the games but can’t really cater for all the people who, once they can play, are still looking for somewhere and someone to play.

Simply by putting on a special game to show prospective members what they are in for if they join the club can show people what your club is all about.

CLUB ACTIVITY 11

Club Activity The hobby can be enjoyed at different levels, to various degrees of commitment. This is why we have such a varied set of age groups involved. We have identified various basic skills that each hobbyist would do well to develop in order to get more from the hobby:

1. Gaming and Generalship. Most people are part of the club because they enjoy playing games. The systems played will depend on the nature of the club. If planning organised play seems the most daunting part so far, fear not! Given room to exercise their hobby the members will come up with their own scenarios, using the material from the game rules as their inspiration. This will give the club momentum and life of its own. In the end it is a feeling of ownership that will keep the club going.

2. Collecting Miniatures. Whilst this is not strictly a skill, a certain degree of knowledge of the rules is required when collecting figures or armies to attain a degree of coherency in the collection. This is especially important if the collection is intended to be used for playing games.

3. Modelling. This is something that many gamers enjoy. It is worth noting that it can be a very messy activity. On the upside, it allows gamers to take ownership of the club, making their own improvements, and provides fresh challenges or focal points for battles.

4. Painting. The other key activity of the hobby is painting your miniatures, especially to ready them for gaming. This is easy to provide for and may become a mainstay of club life. Be aware however that not all clubs can provide this facility, and it can be considered an added extra. All you need is a painting area, protected against spills of paint or water, with paints, brushes, a pot of clean water, a palette (an old white plate or tile is ideal), and some kitchen roll or tissue paper.

The simplest activity at a club will flow naturally from the desire to play games, paint miniatures and make terrain for the gaming tables. Most club members will be keen to do their own thing but there’s nothing that brings the members of a club together like joining a campaign, tournament or competition.

In time these ideas should come from the bottom upwards, created and brought into being by the club members themselves. You may find, especially in the early days of the club, that you need to generate activity for people yourself. If you are not a hobbyist then get some club activists early on and get them to organise this for you.

Campaigns and Tournaments

Campaigns and tournaments can provide a real focus to your club and really get your members involved. There is plenty of information on how to run these elsewhere, however it is really important to include as many people as possible, whilst ensuring there is still space at the club for those outside the campaign or tournament.

Talking

The hobby is a social pastime and a lot of chat goes on before, during and after games. Debates about relative merits of a particular force selection are the bread and butter of the hobby. Grand alliances and underhand schemes are plotted away from the gaming table. Don’t think everyone has to be playing a game all the time to enjoy the hobby.

Make sure there is plenty of space for just talking without bothering those who are playing or painting. It is also important to be on the look out for the individual who is not talking to the others. These people may be bored or, more commonly, simply afraid to join in and a bit lonely. Drawing then into the activity of the club is key – inviting them into another activity (like painting if they have been gaming), introducing them to the members, and asking then about what they are interested in doing, are all great ways to do this.

Reading

Given the nature of the hobby many hobbyists will find themselves reading at the club; whether it is a rules, gaming magazine or something else related to the hobby, this is also to be encouraged.

12 OTHER PRACTICAL TIPS

Trips and Outings

Some clubs enjoy the opportunity to travel outside of their local area and experience the hobby in a new way. As an example, this might involve challenging another club to a tournament, or a trip to a gaming show. This can also include putting on demonstration or participation games by your club at events.

Hobby Skills Lessons

You may want to run lessons to help members improve their skills. The key things to remember are that everybody does things at their own speeds, and what is good for you as a technique might not be for others. The hobby is about individual tastes and abilities.

Other Practical Tips This last section contains some practical tips for new clubs as well as existing clubs, just to help your club through those delicate stages.

Money

There’s no getting away from it, if you are setting up a new club in a hired venue, you will require a bit of cash before you start to pay for the start meetings and for possibly for scenery.

• Spread the load. Try to spread the initial outlay for the club among several people, and make sure the club plans to pay them back within a reasonable time!

• Remember your priorities. If club funds are in short supply, remember the hall hire and public liability insurance should be on the top of your club’s shopping list!

• Make your own scenery. Pre-made scenery is really nice, but it costs money. Making your own scenery is easy enough and can make a fun club activity. Alternatively hobby stores sometimes have old scenery they do not need anymore, and some club members may be happy to bring scenery from their own collections along.

Club Rules

Writing club rules is easy enough, however Gaming Club Network does have a sample set of clubs can adapt available on their website, www.gcnm.org.uk. Of course, if your club intends to join the GCN at a later point, using these sample rules will make the process much easier.

Further Reading

• The Gaming Club Network has a number of ‘How to Guides’ on its website covering topics such as Club Finances and Running Tournaments.

• The Gaming Club Network also has a forum specifically for clubs to share knowledge and ask different questions, available at www.gcnm.org.uk.

• Games Workshop has various documents available on their website (www.games-workshop.co.uk) specifically written to support School and Library based clubs.