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Hey all, I was chilling at one of my favorite Friendly Local Card & Comic places when I found out that they have a sister location that they actually hold tournaments at for various card games. Once the guy behind the counter found out that I played 40k he told me some interesting information. This sister location is also looking into the entire wargaming market. They carry a few loose boxes and blisters here and there, but what the owner was looking at is getting some gaming tables. Here lies the issue.
The owner is looking for somebody to run the wargaming section of the store as he doesn't have any real wargaming experience to draw on. I thought to myself, "I have the time, and a little money would never hurt either. I could run this thing!" But then I really got to thinking about it. While I have a decent understanding of the rules, I'm certainly not Gwar. And as far as time spent in the hobby, I've only been in the game for about two years. It's enough time to see 4th ed go to 5th, and I think I did a decent job tracking how that affected everything. However, the reason I'm writing to you Dakka is that I wish to draw on the accumulated experiences of any members here that have run stores with gaming tables, managed tournaments, or anything along that line of thinking. I need to know what kind of responsibilities I'll have to face going in to this, as I really don't want to screw this up. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any replies that can be tossed my way.

To me this sounds like a dream job but the old adit rings true here "mixing business with pleasure" Im not killing your ambition i would leap at this chance especially as im finishing work soon and thinking of going back to college to study for a qualification in History and the do a degree to do teaching.

Id definately do it on a part time basis but what would worry me would be a hobby becoming a source of income for me and no longer becoming a source of fun and relaxation.

You then have the inevitable point of paitence under pressure and kids people that mess about scuffles and sometimes even fights the logistics of running tournaments and campaigns and of getting armies painted and modelled on time.

Terrain builidng and keeping your side of the business on its feet advertising campaigns etc etc etc....

You take out what you put in, go ahead and try it. You'll have some great experiences.

Working in an environment that is also your hobby has as many positives as negatives and the negatives only if you think that way.
It will be challenging and tiring but rewarding as well.

Romulus, don't stress it.
You can't be expected to know EVERYTHING.
I mean, he's looking to get into WARGAMING. Do you play clix? AT43? DDM? SWM? Blood Bowl? WH Fantasy? WARMACHINE? Hordes?
I'm certain he won't choose to ONLY stick 40K.
There's going to be stuff you don't know about. Accept that.
Your job shouldn't require you to master the rules of every game carried, only to have a general feel for the game, and how it works.
Going to run tourneys? There are plenty of talented players out there who would gladly be a ref, rather than play, for a little "prize support" of their own. KWIM?
Just because you are running the tourney doesn't mean you have to officiate rules queries.

Also, don't stress out over how well you know the rules in comparison to others. Some of them are over-rated and make PLENTY of errors of their own on rules calls.

Eric

I'd put it this way.

You seem like you will regret not doing it later on so just go with it, whats the worst that can happen? I'm guessing running AoBR senarios would be well within your abilities so start there. Hell if GW can get away with running a store with a bunch of of excitable gimps then anyone can do it, just don't prevaracate too long or someone else might get in there first! Enthusiasm is infectious, just be keen and jump in feet first. You might make a few mistakes, but therein lies the lesson to be learned

PS Mikaila seems to be the man re FLGs I'd track down the threads he's been on, you often see him on the "I want to start a FLGS, what works best?" type threads.

Good luck mate

But man by all means if you can do it that would be ace....

good luck to you Romulus

Romulus, take it one step at a time.

Organizing a whole gaming group/location seems daunting, but the rewards can be worth it.

I've been in on meetings and helped organize parts of conventions and gaming events (I-Con in Stony Brook, Running GAGG for Geneseo Area Gaming Group, and Uni-Con in Rochester) and I have to say that if you find like minded people who are willing to sacrifice a bit of their time to either support you (either by networking and letting others know about the events) and with logistical and monetary support as well as volunteer work, it can happen.

Start by planning on paper (or computer) what to expect of the events you plan. See the space before you start getting tables. Make sure trash receptacles are there as well as local food and drink support for tired and thirsty patrons, and if anyone volunteers to help that their tasks are not terribly hard or onerous. Find like minded people. If there are buttheads in the local area, make sure they are not initially invited. Best to include friends you know or those they can vouch for.

During gameday, make sure you set the ground rules for ettiquette (clean up after yourself for instance) and be respectful to your host. A local hobby shop tried dabbling in MtG games for instance on Friday night at a local space he rented. It folded up after 3-4 nights as the ringleaders of the group were obnoxious, annoying individuals who led a group of middle school kids who trashed the place and were very disrespectful of the host.

Make sure too that house rules for the game are not too strict. Literal and heated interpretations can ruin an otherwise festive and fun atmosphere. Make sure everyone is comfortable and if anything, take questions, comments, and criticisms in stride. Especially, the time needed to play is a considerable chunk of time. Make sure to schedule the first event to maximize everyone's ability to attend, and make sure to announce ahead of time to everyone when and where.

And lastly, have fun. You want to have fun. The people you are playing with want to have fun. So have fun!

Another thing. Some of those CCG players may also be wargamers (I used to do both myself) who have experience running/helping with the CCG events. They'd make excellent assistants and you can get some good pointers from them. From knowledge about the dinky air conditioning, the furnace like heating or the best 'just around the corner' grub suppliers.

I think you should do it.

Yes, it will require a substantial amount of work initially, but after that it will be about timely maintenance.

Plan and acquire gamingtables.
Plan and acquire terrain.
Establish rules.
Establish schedules if necessary (monday 40k, tuesday Fantasy, wednesday CCGs and so).
Familiarize yourself with the rules of the games being played.
Establish which players to go to for rules-answers you don't know.
Go to Dakka for advice on running tournaments (I hear they have an entire subboard dedicated to just that ).


Good luck