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Hello all, I don’t pop by often but I’m doing some research.

In 2019, my community are looking to launch a gaming centre, as part of my business I have acquired additional units that I am turning one over to my community to open a facility.

We are in early planning at this stage, but ultimately, our community can only go so far with keeping the lights on. So what we’re collectively asking is what the people of the UK look for in a gaming centre? What would get you to spend a few hours with us in your spare time. Some amenities we have already planned :

- extended opening hours, 7 days a week midday to 10pm
- fully functioning cafe with food and drink including alcohol. Including a large selection of board a card games to hire
- a small store with market leading discounts. There will be shelf stock, but as the majority is community driven we would be looking at offering additional discount for preorder
- a gaming centre with 18 permanent 6x4 tables that can be configured for 4x4 & 3x3 games; along with at least 24 seats for card gaming
- regularly tended to toilet facilities for men, women & disabled patrons
- air conditioning
- A media studio, rentable space for content creators to use.

Further things include regular organised play events for every system are community is involved in, reaching out to different communities to get involved and hopefully make the centre their home too.

To help launch this we’ll also be running a kickstarter that would include discounts for the store (both in store and online), merchandise, play passes to the centre and many other tier benefits.

I’m sure people come along regularly with these kind of pie on the sky ideas, so I apologise if you’ve seen this all before but I have 2800 square feet of space spare that if we can get the right plan down for, I would be more than happy to pass over!

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and input and I hope to see you at the Midlands Gaming Centre in the near future!

Atmosphere, try to avoid harsh, overly bright lighting for one thing, ditto the curious scent of disinfectant lingering.

also a decent level of organisation, avoid events that clash, try to have themed days/evenings etc.

have a policy of dealing with jerks quickly before they become toxic

find other clubs/shops in the local area and work with them, not against them, i.e. put your say 40k night on a different night to others

people may come for prices and facilities, but they will stay for the other people

There's been a recent place open in London that has done similar - food and gaming - honestly food seems to be almost essential to surviving today in many retail areas.

Other than that it seems you've got most of the ideas already together. I'm not sure how well a Kickstarter will work for you, it might help boost awareness but it might not net you huge sales unless the online store is going big discounts through it. Otherwise most outside-of-region customers will have little reason to invest.

 Overread wrote:
There's been a recent place open in London that has done similar - food and gaming - honestly food seems to be almost essential to surviving today in many retail areas.

Other than that it seems you've got most of the ideas already together. I'm not sure how well a Kickstarter will work for you, it might help boost awareness but it might not net you huge sales unless the online store is going big discounts through it. Otherwise most outside-of-region customers will have little reason to invest.

Is it Warboar or Magic Madhouse you’re thinking of? I personally love the whole thing Madhouse have with the total North London vibe outside, but most people aren’t in to that.

When I say market leading discounts, I honestly mean it. As the store is a secondary market, we know that our community, the drivers behind this endeavour deserve more than what a normal store has to offer. We will be offering the same via Kickstarter.

@leopard - in relation to the dealing with toxic people, I run an all inclusive events organisation where alpha males and terrible attitudes have been seemed out, it’s certainly something I would not stand for much like I hope others won’t.

One thought that might or might not work - onsite locked storage for armies. It would need some decent appearance of security and be more than just a school locker with a padlock - perhaps even kept in a room not open to the public - ergo bring your ID and a staffer gets your cases out for you.

It might be a big help for some considering how big some armies are getting in terms of the size of models - being able to store at the big gaming centre might help them a lot. Selfishly it also means that they've more of a vested interest gaming at your store not somewhere else.

actually decent rentable lockers would be a serious plus, by the day or longer.

ditto if you have space allowing a level of "sub letting" so to speak by hosting other clubs perhaps?

I'd make renting very cheap to nearly free and see it as a means to getting customers to return, since I'd wager those making use of it would be thinking weeks not days of storage.

Of course it would depend how much you've got and how much pressure it gets; plus you'd need a good system of collecting contact information (more than one) so that if someone lapsed on their payment or hasn't been seeing in a long while you can contact them to drop in and remove/update the situation.

Again, some very good things.

Storage space was something we all touched on in passing. Space wise, easy, logistics is something else, I think it’s a huge bonus for people who are regulars, but obviously needs to be sensible and also needs to relinquish us of some liability.

We are offering the centre under ‘play passes’ so one day pass is x, one week, one month, three months, annually for example.

Perhaps the storage could be offered as part of your play pass.

Honestly?

Don’t let the Community become a Clique. It’s natural and not undesirable that you’ll find groups forming within the Community, but you need to keep an eye that none begin to act like they’re some kind of authority or gatekeeper.

You’ll also need to be strict about table hoggers. As a former GW Till Monkey, you’d on occasion find people wanting to play a larger game, which in itself is fine. But when they’re too busy mucking around to get actually get their turns in, or decide to disappear off for a two hour lunch, leaving their armies mid-battle, it ties up resources.

I’d suggest perhaps different ‘theme’ nights. So Tuesdays could be say, Tournament Practice Games, Thursdays Narrative Campaign night. Just keep two or three tables as ‘wildcards’, for those who’s real life’s might prevent them attending the appropriate session.

But seriously. You’ll need to work hard to avoid a Clique forming, because those can make it an uninviting prospect to newcomers. One way to combat this is allowing single players to book a table, then seek a volunteer opponent for them, who plays to the other’s preference in points and format. You may wish to offer some kind of perk for such volunteers - perhaps a one-for-one priority booking, or allowing them to book a table for consecutive time slots, allowing for a larger game. I mean, one would hope they’d volunteer because they’re community minded, but a little sugar never hurts.

Most importantly? Terrain, terrain, terrain. It’s what makes a game, and having a decent selection can help bring people back time and again. Again, you can rope in volunteers for community terrain painting, possibly with a member perk (perhaps a free soft drink type thing? Or just the promise of free drinks and food for those attending. Doesn’t have to be fancy!). Not only does that save you a job and benefit the tables, but also creates another Community Event to bring people together. If you’re tables all look like the LGT from last year, people are going to remember that!

I mentioned Tournament Practice? With 18 tables, you’ll be able to host your own as well. Sure they may be smaller scaled, but it’s something to get your name and venue out there. Or you can run organised practice for a larger one. That may have an appeal outside your usual demograph, and again bring people in. I know my local club does a lot of practice games, and I daresay the opportunity to expand that to include new opponents has a real appeal.

I actually come from a competitive game background, so organised play events would be very important. Both table top and card.

Another though, and this is a random one... Perhaps some kind of privacy screens if you’re expecting Roleplay Groups? Just something they can use if they want, so they can game away happily without outside visual distraction? Gives them a place to gather, without feeling intruded upon?


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Finally?

Whatever the rules or code of conduct you adopt? Enforce them with an even hand. No ‘but he’s my mate, and that’s just the way he is’. That’s not fair on other customers, and can help engender a Clique forming of players who feel Rule 13a is ‘Except Me’. Got to keep it business like! I’ve no reason to doubt you would, but felt it worth saying

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Another though, and this is a random one... Perhaps some kind of privacy screens if you’re expecting Roleplay Groups? Just something they can use if they want, so they can game away happily without outside visual distraction? Gives them a place to gather, without feeling intruded upon?

You read one of my communities mind!

We have a mezzanine floor which will home some of the card game tables and the content creator studio, of which we thought would all be good options for RP groups!

Free parking onsite - and near enough to lug cases.

tigerstyle wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Another though, and this is a random one... Perhaps some kind of privacy screens if you’re expecting Roleplay Groups? Just something they can use if they want, so they can game away happily without outside visual distraction? Gives them a place to gather, without feeling intruded upon?

You read one of my communities mind!

We have a mezzanine floor which will home some of the card game tables and the content creator studio, of which we thought would all be good options for RP groups!

Sounds good! But if it’s mezzanine, do be aware of peeps with disabilities. They may not be able to manage the stairs, even if there’s only a few (and I know quite a few disabled RPG fans!)

Some ideas you might hold back on - such as on site storage. Just to get a measure of the communities desires and needs and also its size. You can go all out but might find that everyone you get attends a school not 5 mins away and they store their models there; or you might find that you get so many people you'd never be able to easily accommodate the required storage without some restructuring.

Not to be Captain Bringdown or anything but I am assuming you have crunched the numbers on this? We all have some great ideas and fantasies of what our ideal gaming centre would be like but let's face it, wargaming in general is a fairly niche hobby and you need to be absolutely certain that any potential gaming centre, especially an absolutely massive one that no doubt will cost a small fortune to rent, heat, light etc will be able to be self-sustaining with a realistic footfall. Clearly, having a shop and selling food and drinks will help balance the books but the bottom line is that any gaming centre of any size needs to pull in a certain amount of traffic per day/per month to make it viable. Obviously, you need to determine if this is feasible and if the numbers are sensible.

I hope what I am saying doesn't come across as being obvious or patronising - I didn't mean it like that but as you have already alluded to, we see a fair amount of, as you term it, 'pie in the sky' dreams on these boards about opening a club or a shop and most of them don't come to fruition or even fail because the owners are doing it for a love of the hobby rather than a cold-hearted business decision. I would imagine, looking at it coldly and clinically, if most of us knew what investment and hard work it took to run a gaming club as well as the potential return you would get from it, most of us would run a mile. Sorry to be so frank but it should be stated before we get down to wish-listing.

 filbert wrote:
Not to be Captain Bringdown or anything but I am assuming you have crunched the numbers on this? We all have some great ideas and fantasies of what our ideal gaming centre would be like but let's face it, wargaming in general is a fairly niche hobby and you need to be absolutely certain that any potential gaming centre, especially an absolutely massive one that no doubt will cost a small fortune to rent, heat, light etc will be able to be self-sustaining with a realistic footfall. Clearly, having a shop and selling food and drinks will help balance the books but the bottom line is that any gaming centre of any size needs to pull in a certain amount of traffic per day/per month to make it viable. Obviously, you need to determine if this is feasible and if the numbers are sensible.

I hope what I am saying doesn't come across as being obvious or patronising - I didn't mean it like that but as you have already alluded to, we see a fair amount of, as you term it, 'pie in the sky' dreams on these boards about opening a club or a shop and most of them don't come to fruition or even fail because the owners are doing it for a love of the hobby rather than a cold-hearted business decision. I would imagine, looking at it coldly and clinically, if most of us knew what investment and hard work it took to run a gaming club as well as the potential return you would get from it, most of us would run a mile. Sorry to be so frank but it should be stated before we get down to wish-listing.

Not at all, these are the exact discussions our community had prior to putting the wheels in motion.

As I said in my initial post, the reason we have the space available is due to my company taking over a new facility and having excess space, this space is considerably cheaper than alternatives due to the way in which it has been acquired. We do want to futureproof ourselves to a degree, which is why we felt a kickstarter could actually gain the centre some traction and give a more clear view on the uptake of this kind of venture.

Again, full transparency, natural footfall would be light, however it is within 5 minutes of both the train station and bus terminal, thusly about the same from the town centre, hence the way we are operating the space as opposed to your more generic ‘shop’. I hope that makes sense?

Sounds very similar to what I set up. Cut and Thrust Wargaming, Bristol.
I had a unit approx 3000 Sq ft that didn't have to work too hard for itself to make ends meet.
Feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to chat on the phone.

The nearest such place to me is Common Ground Games in Stirling. It might be worth looking them up on Facebook, or perhaps giving them a call to talk things over.

You've mentioned 'community' and 'kickstarter' - can I suggest that you are very clear from the start who is responsible for what and who is entitled to what (especially if you're also intending to have paid employees).

Hi all,

Just in an update. We have lots of photos and a walk through video that is being edited as we speak along with some promotional material.

If people have some more ideas, a lot of what you have put forward has been collated and will be rolled out in or faq’s and updates for our community project.

We have lots of stuff to giveaway from creators in the lead up to the launch from Games Workshop, Play Fusion, Fantasy Flight, Warlord, Wyrd and more, as well as a huge raffle for people who may not be close to home to get involved and get some BIG cool things!

I genuinely recommend you get out and about and visit the following stores - Warboar, Magic Madhouse, Chaos Cards and Bad Moon Cafe -all do a great job in making community feel welcome.

General thoughts - think about the balance between 6x4, 4x4, 2x2 games and how boardgames/CCGs fit in. Make sure each area has a dedicated zone (Bad moon are particularly good with this).

Invest in theme nights to build community (e.g. Monday is XWing night, Wed is GW night) - this helps you predict overall demand on different nights.

Think carefully about soundproofing - RPG groups and boardgamers will prefer quieter areas to focus, as big gaming halls can be an acoustic zoo.

jim30 wrote:
I genuinely recommend you get out and about and visit the following stores - Warboar, Magic Madhouse, Chaos Cards and Bad Moon Cafe -all do a great job in making community feel welcome.

General thoughts - think about the balance between 6x4, 4x4, 2x2 games and how boardgames/CCGs fit in. Make sure each area has a dedicated zone (Bad moon are particularly good with this).

Invest in theme nights to build community (e.g. Monday is XWing night, Wed is GW night) - this helps you predict overall demand on different nights.

Think carefully about soundproofing - RPG groups and boardgamers will prefer quieter areas to focus, as big gaming halls can be an acoustic zoo.

When we release the walk through video of the space as it stands hopefully you’ll be able to see the vision in regards to layout, as well as the set spaces we’ve got for RPG’s and board games.

The space we actually are working with is a lot more comfortable than the original one I offered up, but it’s a real positive change. I’ve spent time at all those except for the relatively new Bad Moon Cafe, however have shared a lot of conversations with business owners and been to a lot of stores, along with the other guys.

We’ll be at Warhammer World in two weeks at the Champions event if anyone wants to say hi while there, alternatively people from our team will be out and about with it being Thrones Store Champ season!

I've seen places like this fill up with board game hipster wanna be's real fast. That play things like cards against humanity. Especially if you're selling craft beers. It will be bycles and tight pants for days.. And you're sure to get a clique really quick this way. You would have to really work hard to make only war gaming a thing. Than you would have magic players.. asking for space and magic players drinking beer? Well than you need security because you're going to get a fist fight or two. Which could end badly for the wargamer in the area. Dudes already fending off mr handlebar mustache with a scarf and tight pants to play his miniature game. You don't need magic man flipping some guy onto a table full of mins.

So Security is a must. Controlling your space is a must. Get some old feths with pot bellies and grey beards playing historical games twice a week and it will clean that gak up real quickly. You take your hat off around vets..

You've covered the things I was going to mention; cafe (with real food), decent toilets, space for tables. Hopefully if it's busy-ish the cafe should largely cover the cost, as long as you keep it table friendly (no cheetos).

Themed nights is good - lots of additional people will be interested if you can help them get a game arranged.

But you need MTG players! They pay for the rent, lights, heating, aircon, staff and security

Like it or not all those hipsters and MTG players are more likely to buy more packs locally in the store on a more regular basis than your wargamers. Wargames typically have a lower price mark up and have a slower volume selling pattern.

The key is providing space for both groups and managing the times. Organising events so that each group has its own nights and space to do what they want whilst also being open to drop-in games and groups. This isn't anything more than sensible community management from those in charge.

Common Ground Games in Stirling has rows of gaming tables 4' wide and at the right height for standing at, and also a lot of smaller, lower tables with chairs for board games and card games. There's room for both, and you don't end up with one type of game crowding out the others.

I am pretty involved with my local gaming store, there are some things I would suggest:

- You want to give the players a reason to feel "comfortable" at your store and want to play there rather than at home.

- Food and drink is important, it keeps the players from wandering off and on-task not hogging a table while they are away. Good tertiary revenue.

- For the food and drink end of things, some high end vending machines may be a good idea if staff is minimal to serve the customers.

- Lockers are a huge plus, some people really do not like hauling their stuff around, more money.

- A "lounge" area is good because many a parent waits for their kids to finish their games, give them a comfortable environment they may stick around and spend money.

- Clean washrooms are essential if you want a good mix of people to attend, I feel at least a men/ladies separate room is needed/wanted to reduce the "ick-factor".

- Strong chairs, some players regularly exceed the 200 lbs mark and blowing out a chair is embarrassing and could be a safety risk.

- Some dedicated, well made tables with a drop lighting over them. If you mimic the setup a little like a pool-hall you are doing it right. Give it a bit of class beyond the fold-out tables. There are many high end gaming tables to purchase or plans to build out there.

- A bright and "cheery" windowed front entrance: If the front is plastered with posters and hard to see-in most women will give the place a pass, you do not want to discourage foot-traffic.

- A well organized and clear calendar for events. I have seen so many of these go out of date and be essentially useless.

- A "hobby bar" where assembly, painting or just plain sleeving and sorting cards can be done in a well lit spot. Ventilation for priming.

- Electrical plugs as often as you can get, we all have electronic devices we use and with our hobbies.

- "Free" wi-fi, typically rolled-in with a "membership" program to prevent "moochers".

- Carry "core" material: MTG binders / bricks of cards, popular board games, 40k, X-wing, Infinity... etc.

- Carry consumables: paint, glue, primer, sleeves.

- Shelving with dedicated containers for terrain. I have seen many nice pieces damaged because they had to be lumped together in a pile when some lined totes could have prevented this.

- Try very hard to prevent "cronyism" where "friends" of the owner start treating the place as theirs, plays into the clique issue. A rule of no-one goes behind the counter unless they are being paid by the store at that time is a good rule.

- A "uniform" (printed shirt, vest, whatever is a clear indicator) helps differentiate employees vs overly helpful regulars for customers.

- Posted rules of conduct: No (loud) swearing or abusive behavior, warnings will be given then banned, "inclusion" is strongly promoted.

- Engage "experts" at regular intervals for painting / assembly / deck building and promote them.

- Paid training events that sell supplies and a kit I have found to be well received.

- Register your facility for as many groups you can (MTG, Pokemon, FFG...) there had been some "strife" with independent groups registering themselves to the business address without clearing it with the owner.

- Keep an ordering database! I have seen so many requests for stock be totally forgotten: do that once, people go elsewhere.

- A "reach" item is a modern day jukebox with music vetted by the store to allow for entertainment but no harsh language or topic matter issues.

That is the tip of the iceberg all based off of many pitfalls and successes I have seen.

Hope this helps.

Yeah, bonus points if you set the cafe up to be a desirable place for people to hang out before/after gaming, or for parents/spouses. If mom drops a kid off for a game and has somewhere comfortable to sit and read a book or whatever, then that's going to be a nice earner.

On that note it's possibly worth having a small library of non/gaminng books/magazines. My local gaming cafe always has a White Dwarf and Wargames Illustrated for the month laying around, and it's easily worth the price of a coffee to skim through and read the bits I care about. No need to go and buy stuff, chances are someone will have a subscription and be happy for the read magazines to go to a better home, and people will have plenty of decent books they can donate in.

I have a pretty nice gaming cafe in my area

https://www.gamersheaven.life

They focus on pc and console gaming but also have wargaming, board games, magic, etc. They just recently expanded to a bigger space and added a ramen cafe with some other tasty treats. It's a great nerd hangout. They don't have a huge retail area, most of their cash is made charging for the video games I assume, and the food. The place is clean for the most part, it doesn't feel like a gamernerd's mancave.

Having a great place to play is awesome, but in order to keep it you need to have it be a place where people will happily part with their money. If you want to go the cafe route more than the store route, IMO you need an inviting atmosphere and great refreshments. Vending machines might be ok on a tight budget, but really you want good prepared foods whether that be coffee and sweets, or sodas & sandwiches, or both. Either way, you're entering restaurant territory and that comes with a lot of health code hurdles to deal with. So just make sure you do all your homework