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Are you a “guest player” or a “host player” when you are gaming?  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Are you a “guest player” or a “host player” when you are gaming?
I am a “guest player”. I focus on my favorite minis and rely on others for the rest.
I am a “host player”. I have my favorite minis but I also provide terrain/NPC’s for world building.
I do not consider myself either and will explain in the comments below.

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Made in us
Grisly Ghost Ark Driver






Yes to both. It depends on the personal time period (ironically I hosted more as a teen than I do now as an adult with more terrain and miniatures), the game system, and type of game [Board, Mini, or RPG]. For instance, we used to have a "host" who was crazy into Battletech, and he provided everything. I could have helped, but no need as he had the minis, and better terrain than I did. In high school, I hosted at my parents' house, as I usually GM'd, and was the only one with minis. Also, in the case of non-AD&D RPGs, I was the only one with the books.

Kings of War: Abyssal Dwarves, Dwarves, Elves, Undead, Northern Alliance [WiP], Nightstalkers [WiP]
Dropzone Commander: PHR
Kill Team: Deathwatch AdMech Necron

 
   
Made in nz
Rough Rider with Boomstick






Off the shoulder of Orion

I’m rather lucky that in my (small but perfectly formed) gaming group we have 4 players with dedicated gaming rooms. Most have cabinets full of painted minis and we have a huge range of terrain (including some high-quality custom made stuff by one of our group with a real talent). One member’s gaming area is actually a separate annex to his house and is big enough that we usually use a table tennis board, so games have plenty of space. He tends to host most games of 40K, but we mix other genres around the group.

I haven’t gamed at a club for decades. We’re not a closed group as such, but we’ve played this way for a long time and it works for us.

My Collected Narrative Photo Battle Reports

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Gordy2000%27s_Battle_Reports

Thanks to Thor 665 for putting together the article
 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





West Michigan, deep in Whitebread, USA

I'm hoping that if this summer cools the pandemic off even further here I can get into gaming with a wider group that's local to the city that I work in, that I have connected with on Facebook. They have even shown interest in trying more games than just the normal fare of "GW stuff only".

Otherwise I am always a "host" gamer, and have been for 20 years. If I want to get a minis game in, especially the more Indie ones I love, it's always me lending a force to a friend and playing over terrain of my creation.

Hopefully the group I am connecting with will get me more of what I have been wanting more of, which is to say a situation where I can play some games and not have everything on the entire table being stuff I own, build, and painted. It will also let me get forces for games done much, much faster (and prevent burnout), because then I don't have to look at the factor of having to buy AND paint up both forces for a given game to even get to play that game.



"By this point I'm convinced 100% that every single race in the 40k universe have somehow tapped into the ork ability to just have their tech work because they think it should."  
   
Made in de
Dakka Veteran





I think that whilst folks are getting what I am driving at, some folks are missing what I am getting at with “host” and “guest” players.

It is not about whether you hold games at your house or visit others. It is about whether you provide things for other players or just yourself.

This thread was prompted by the idea that it would be neat if folks bought some starter terrain as well as their starter miniature/warband/army and brought that terrain to help enhance the game table as well as their own personal, individual figures.

Terrain that would be affordable, robust, relatively easy to transport and general purpose… like trees, rocks, a small building or ruin. This way folks have more interesting tables and the burden (in resources) is more equally shared between users. It is about fostering a culture of thinking of the “forgotten third army on the terrain.

If experienced players encourage new players to think of others and start on terrain early, if manufacturers could create and market the kind of beginner terrain I am talking n this change could become a reality. But it requires a broad change in gaming culture.

And I came up with this in part because I am currently isolated from the gaming communities I have been in previously… so my wife and I are having to purchase, build and paint everything for the gaming my wife and I are doing. It really adds to the prep work to game when you have to do all of the terrain and both sides of the conflict compared to back in the day when I would just paint my own troops and rely on a game shop or mate to provide a game table and terrain.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/05 05:36:12


Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
Made in nz
Rough Rider with Boomstick






Off the shoulder of Orion

I see - in that case, yes, I host (as do the others in my group) and we do have enough terrain and armies to bring in other players who may not have any or who are new.

We have one in our group who has no armies or terrain, but just uses ours as we have plenty.

My Collected Narrative Photo Battle Reports

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Gordy2000%27s_Battle_Reports

Thanks to Thor 665 for putting together the article
 
   
Made in us
Malicious Mandrake




I think people ARE getting it GG. It's simply that the single biggest factor in whether I play as host or guest by your definition is the location.
   
Made in de
Dakka Veteran





stroller wrote:
I think people ARE getting it GG. It's simply that the single biggest factor in whether I play as host or guest by your definition is the location.


What would it take for you to more often act as a “host player” away from home? Not that you would need to supply all the terrain or minis, just to bring more than just your “own” personal minis for a specific game.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/06 17:32:32


Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
Made in us
Storm Trooper with Maglight





Fredericksburg, VA

Bit of both, in the small group I used to game with, 3 of us had homes with the space for a table and terrain (including myself), and 1 other did not. We always played at one of the houses with a table and terrain, so whoever lived there was the 'host' the others would be guests. We did occasionally move terrain around, but not much. And our house rule: we never rolled for table edge, the host set up the table and terrain in advance, the guest always got to choose their deployment zone - just saves time really.

Now I'm back into it, though have recently moved. I expect to become a host again as soon as I can build myself a table and terrain - for now I'll have to be a guest player till that's done!
   
Made in us
Grisly Ghost Ark Driver






 Grumpy Gnome wrote:
stroller wrote:
I think people ARE getting it GG. It's simply that the single biggest factor in whether I play as host or guest by your definition is the location.


What would it take for you to more often act as a “host player” away from home? Not that you would need to supply all the terrain or minis, just to bring more than just your “own” personal minis for a specific game.
To clarify my earlier answer, when I "host" by your definition, I was usually at home, and so also hosted in the social sense. With Away games, I'm usually a guest, unless I GM, whereupon I host regardless of location.

By type of game: Boardgame = guest, unless it's my copy. Minis & RPGs, host about 75% of the time, occasionally guest [Battletech, some 2nd ed. 40K before I got my own in 3rd ed., original White Wolf Vampire RPG & D20 Star Wars. A few more RPGs that the group did not care for and were soon dropped.]

As to your above question. A specific request to do so. While most players I know have enough minis of their own, we do help each other out as necessary. Such as, "Hey, I'd like to try Lizardmen in Kings of War. Can I borrow yours?" (Although we allow proxies as well.)

As for RPGs, if I GM, I bring everything I need and any extra stuff that will aid play. As a player, I usually bring figures for the entire party. Though never asked to do so, I could bring more, or Steve Jackson Games Cardboard Heroes if necessary. {Most of my RPGing was in a game store and the manager was the GM. He had enough minis of his own for the encounters.}

Kings of War: Abyssal Dwarves, Dwarves, Elves, Undead, Northern Alliance [WiP], Nightstalkers [WiP]
Dropzone Commander: PHR
Kill Team: Deathwatch AdMech Necron

 
   
Made in us
Brigadier General






Chicago

I think whether you're a host or a guest is more of an internal orientation rather than being rigidly defined only by whether one actually physically hosts games in one's own home. Folks may think they're both and at some point most probably have been both at least briefly. However, I believe most players are primarily one or the other. Stick them in a club and watch for a few months and it becomes clear who the "hosts" are.

They're the ones painting 2 armies, making terrain, putting together scenarios, organizing club meetings, bringing snacks, etc.
Yes, they're probably also having people into their homes to game but that's not necessarily the defining characteristic.

To be clear, it's not a moral judgement on one vs the other. We need both and there are many valid reasons to be one or the other. In the end, hosts are just folks with have the time and/or resources and/or inclination to be a bit more invested in other peoples enjoyment and participation in the game.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/06 20:10:50


Chicago Skirmish Wargames club. Join us for some friendly, casual gaming in the Windy City.
http://chicagoskirmishwargames.com/blog/


My Project Log, mostly revolving around custom "Toybashed" terrain.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/651712.page

Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad!
https://chicagovalleyrailroad.blogspot.com 
   
Made in au
Been Around the Block




I've been a Host Player quite a lot in the past, but over the past 4 years I'm more of a Guest Player for two simple reasons

1. My house is tiny and I have small kids. If I was to host a game I'd need to offload the kids somwhere for 4-5 hours which is not very practical.

2. Pretty much all of my terrain has been broken, lost or given away over the past decade. For a while there I was moving home every 12 months with my hobby stuff going in and out of storage units regularly. I just don't have the stuff to host a game anymore unless we want to play on a grass field.

Because I can't really host at the moment my gaming has taken a dive. I haven't played consistently since early 8th where most armies were still using the Index books. I had a few games towards the tail end of 8th, but it was still using the index, the datasheet that came in the box for some newer models, and a pack of datacards.

I'd love to buy a bunch of terrain and host again, but spending even a few hundred bucks on it right now isn't viable for me. In another 6 months time I hope to be able to change my answer though.
   
Made in us
Utilizing Careful Highlighting





Tangentville, New Jersey

I'm definitely in this host camp. The last game of 40K I played required me to paint my oponent's whole army, supplied all the books, and drove to his house for the game with all my terrain.

Whether at my house or a friend's house, it's usually my books and my terrain. When it's D&D, I provide 99% of the miniatures.


 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





West Michigan, deep in Whitebread, USA

 KidCthulhu wrote:
I'm definitely in this host camp. The last game of 40K I played required me to paint my oponent's whole army, supplied all the books, and drove to his house for the game with all my terrain.

Whether at my house or a friend's house, it's usually my books and my terrain. When it's D&D, I provide 99% of the miniatures.


Mine as well. First thing I did upon buying the new Battletech starter set (as well as some additional mechs from the Kickstarter) was split them into two factions with mechs filling approximately the same roles, and paint them accordingly. That way I can either get lucky and play normal Battletech with a local community I am getting in touch with (a couple of them say they play, or have in the past and would start again out of nostalgia), or get a buddy to play either actual BT or another game with the same models by providing him a force from my collection.

I automatically plan on building at least two forces for every single miniatures game I own, and expect to play on a board of my scenery, either at my house, or transported elsewhere. For 90% of the games I own, I would expect that to be the case in a good chunk of the beginning with a wider group, too, with me acting as a salesman to get other players enthused enough to get into it on their own

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/07 01:56:38




"By this point I'm convinced 100% that every single race in the 40k universe have somehow tapped into the ork ability to just have their tech work because they think it should."  
   
Made in us
Malicious Mandrake




"What would it take for you to more often act as a “host player” away from home? Not that you would need to supply all the terrain or minis, just to bring more than just your “own” personal minis for a specific game."

A specific request for item(s) X from the physical host.

"I'm definitely in this host camp. The last game of 40K I played required me to paint my oponent's whole army, supplied all the books, and drove to his house for the game with all my terrain."

OK.. to me.. that would be above and beyond.... X wing yes, skirmish yes, full 40k... come to my place.. got it here..
   
Made in us
Brigadier General






Chicago

 Grumpy Gnome wrote:


What would it take for you to more often act as a “host player” away from home? Not that you would need to supply all the terrain or minis, just to bring more than just your “own” personal minis for a specific game.


I think more a hosting mind set can be more than -or even separate from- providing location or minis. I earlier mentioned...
painting 2 armies, making terrain, putting together scenarios, organizing club meetings, bringing snacks, etc.
...and to that I'd add taking the time to help new gamers with hobbying and rules comprehension, printing out game materials, etc.

The person with the host orientation will be simply be looking for ways to contribute to the experience beyond providing their own presence and personal supplies.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/07 17:30:57


Chicago Skirmish Wargames club. Join us for some friendly, casual gaming in the Windy City.
http://chicagoskirmishwargames.com/blog/


My Project Log, mostly revolving around custom "Toybashed" terrain.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/651712.page

Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad!
https://chicagovalleyrailroad.blogspot.com 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





West Michigan, deep in Whitebread, USA

I would have to be a host player for most of the games I play, just because around here things are woefully under-represented beyond "absolutely current GW stuff". There are a couple small groups that play the Legion/Armada/X-Wing trifecta, one guy that's really pushing Conquest (I definitely have no time anymore for painting a full army-scale game like that), and maybe a couple Battletech players, in which I could jump into an already-hosted situation as just a player.

I am 99% sure that no one around here has even heard of Gaslands, Dracula's America, This is Not a Test, etc. Definitely not anything in the realm of the even smaller indie rulesets I tend to be a collector of, like Mech Attack, Brutality, the various One Page Rules games, Song of Blades and Heroes, etc.



"By this point I'm convinced 100% that every single race in the 40k universe have somehow tapped into the ork ability to just have their tech work because they think it should."  
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka




NE Ohio, USA

 Grumpy Gnome wrote:

What would it take for you to more often act as a “host player” away from home? Not that you would need to supply all the terrain or minis, just to bring more than just your “own” personal minis for a specific game.


Well, in general whatever case I've got with me already has 5k pts+ of stuff in it. And I'm rarely using more than 2k pts at a time. So I can easily field at least two functional armies of the same faction on the spot. One might be slightly better than the other though as I build one army with options, not multiple armies.

Other than that I've got quite the inventory at home. So if someone needs to borrow something all they have to do is let me know to bring X.
   
Made in de
Dakka Veteran





 Eilif wrote:
I think whether you're a host or a guest is more of an internal orientation rather than being rigidly defined only by whether one actually physically hosts games in one's own home. Folks may think they're both and at some point most probably have been both at least briefly. However, I believe most players are primarily one or the other. Stick them in a club and watch for a few months and it becomes clear who the "hosts" are.

They're the ones painting 2 armies, making terrain, putting together scenarios, organizing club meetings, bringing snacks, etc.
Yes, they're probably also having people into their homes to game but that's not necessarily the defining characteristic.

To be clear, it's not a moral judgement on one vs the other. We need both and there are many valid reasons to be one or the other. In the end, hosts are just folks with have the time and/or resources and/or inclination to be a bit more invested in other peoples enjoyment and participation in the game.


Yes! Exactly this.

Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
 
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