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What is the state of your local TT gaming? Are people playing in person? Are they playing online? What games are popular?

Around here the pandemic devastated an already fragile community. I think the gamers moved on to other stuff. Video games/ rpgs. The hobbyists seem unaffected.

Personally the pandemic has allowed me time to reinvest in TTG.

Gaslands was the first one I delved back into from march last year, and one of my sons started pushing hot wheels round the table with me.

40k is back on my radar and friends with furlough and enforced inactivity due to lockdowns have finished or started and finished new armies for 9th edition.

My Son and I started learning the rules and playing small games but have also started booking our friends in for when our UK lockdown ends and we can again face off against each other again.

I never really had time to engage with the wider gaming community in my area but it looks like Ill be trying to get some more opponents to play against in the near future, thanks to Covid.

Full lockdown since early October.

Local Discord channel is alive and well, people are painting and there have been a few tabletop simulator matches.

The real worry is that the FLGS has gotten used to using the gaming area for bulk storage for the distribution side of the business, so who knows if we'll even get the tables back.

I never was much into the store wargaming scene. Instead, I was more of a "basement" gamer with a small gaming group of about 6 folks. On that front, it is mostly the occasional 1-off game 1-on-1.

On the other hand, I have managed to rope my wife and daughter into wargaming with me a bit more often. My daughter likes Blood Bowl, but will play anything I set up. My wife prefers co-op games.

We had 3 RPG groups going, but they all died thanks to COVID. We tried going online and it just did not work for us.

We got our first vaccine shots, and will get our second end of March. Then we hope to get back into RPGing in person. Other than that, not much has changed gaming wise in my household.

I honestly have no idea.
We’ve been in almost lockdown or full lockdown since March of last year. The LGS hasn’t had in person gaming for that long as well. Every time I go there, it’s still cordoned off and no one is allowed to game there. We all have to go in the front and leave out the back door.
I’d say that in my area it’s pretty devastated and not likely to return to normal for a while. But Canada botched their vaccine procurement and rollout so I wouldn’t expect us to be in good shape for in person gaming before next winter.
However, every time I’ve gone to the LGS, it’s busy. Like really busy. So while the in person gaming has stopped, sales certainly don’t appear to even taken a dent. In fact I think it’s safe to say they are up. Way up.
Like coy for me I have a wife and two kids that play games regularly with me. So I haven’t missed out on much, except for miniature games. Lots of board games though.

Semi-active. Getting games isn't quite as easy as pre-covid and tournaments much reduced(and need to be under 10 players) and some requlars missing. But it's not been doom&gloom. People have been painting and some games been going on. i'm at 43 games of aos since 2020 february(when i started aos), maybe bit less 40k and some lotr as well. Got used to playing with mask on.

Starting next week flgs closes gaming area due to tightening restrictions. 3 weeks closure as per initial announcement but obviously restrictions might be extended. Time to paint!

What’s a lockdown? I’m part of a decent size group of garage gamers and we’ve been playing as normal the whole time. We host regular tournaments and are holding a team tourney in 2 weeks.

 spaceelf wrote:
What is the state of your local TT gaming? Are people playing in person? Are they playing online? What games are popular?

Around here the pandemic devastated an already fragile community. I think the gamers moved on to other stuff. Video games/ rpgs. The hobbyists seem unaffected.

Right now?
-pretty darn good

this is how it went for my FLGS
.3 month total shutdown
.5 month after hours private invite only small group play
.2 more months of total shutdown
Current-25% capacity with full late night gaming

So we have around 10-12 players every Saturday for miniature gaming, some of the other groups have not made a come back yet like the RPG group and the magic players that played earlier in the day.


As for miniature games in popularity right now

.40K ( 5th edition, 9th edition, and epic)
.battlefleet gothic
.warmachine
.DUST 1947
.classic battletech
.victory at sea
.B5 wars(including star wars and star trek conversions)
.specter ops

Other games we play but have not been out lately
.infinity
.Monsterpocalypse
.

Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

I've had about two games since last March, one of which was probably stretching the letter of the law to play.
We've generally stayed connected by showcasing painting, chatting/moaning about developments, etc.

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

To live is to risk, you just have to decide what level of risk your willing to take. a virus(that is currently in a 70% decline in infections in my local area) with a 99.99 percent of surviving if your under 60 (which i am) where the median age of death is 82 is not something i am going to shut down my life for. i have a long commute i take every day to get to work and back. my risk of death every time i get in my car to make the trip is exponentially greater than dying of covid 19. i still make the trip every day.

I've not played a tabletop game since October. The locals around me are all shut down as they aren't essential services and households aren't allowed to meet if there is more than one person in said house.

I am not sure if I can even be bothered playing now anyway, I am having way more fun painting what I want and not painting things for a list that may or may not be any good.

Havent had a game in 2021 yet

Well, we have a rather strong group.
Playing is not possible due to the Covid regulations in Germany, atm.
I guess the situation will become more relaxed in the summer.
Our group mainly plays 40k, but some players show sometimes up with other games (stormcast and company, bolt action, infinity, x-wing). WMH is fully out here.

Playing outside family members is almost impossible or highly discouraged here, so no games for me since december, when the restrictions weren't so tight. At this point I won't probably play before summer, if not even september.

Nothing happening here beyond family groups - as it should be

Vaccine rolling out well so maybe in a few months.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 aphyon wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

To live is to risk, you just have to decide what level of risk your willing to take. a virus(that is currently in a 70% decline in infections in my local area) with a 99.99 percent of surviving if your under 60 (which i am) where the median age of death is 82 is not something i am going to shut down my life for. i have a long commute i take every day to get to work and back. my risk of death every time i get in my car to make the trip is exponentially greater than dying of covid 19. i still make the trip every day.

The risk is not just to you but anyone else you come into contact with - I have vulnerable relatives I am in a bubble with so for me its not worth the risk to them - not me.

 Mr Morden wrote:
Nothing happening here beyond family groups - as it should be

Vaccine rolling out well so maybe in a few months.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 aphyon wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

To live is to risk, you just have to decide what level of risk your willing to take. a virus(that is currently in a 70% decline in infections in my local area) with a 99.99 percent of surviving if your under 60 (which i am) where the median age of death is 82 is not something i am going to shut down my life for. i have a long commute i take every day to get to work and back. my risk of death every time i get in my car to make the trip is exponentially greater than dying of covid 19. i still make the trip every day.

The risk is not just to you but anyone else you come into contact with - I have vulnerable relatives I am in a bubble with so for me its not worth the risk to them - not me.

I am not responsible for everybody else, a free society has a level of risk, liberty means we all have the the ability to choose for ourselves. if you are uncomfortable with the situation because of your circumstances you are free to not participate as much as i am free to choose differently.

 aphyon wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Nothing happening here beyond family groups - as it should be

Vaccine rolling out well so maybe in a few months.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 aphyon wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

To live is to risk, you just have to decide what level of risk your willing to take. a virus(that is currently in a 70% decline in infections in my local area) with a 99.99 percent of surviving if your under 60 (which i am) where the median age of death is 82 is not something i am going to shut down my life for. i have a long commute i take every day to get to work and back. my risk of death every time i get in my car to make the trip is exponentially greater than dying of covid 19. i still make the trip every day.

The risk is not just to you but anyone else you come into contact with - I have vulnerable relatives I am in a bubble with so for me its not worth the risk to them - not me.

I am not responsible for everybody else, a free society has a level of risk, liberty means we all have the the ability to choose for ourselves. if you are uncomfortable with the situation because of your circumstances you are free to not participate as much as i am free to choose differently.

As I said - I am responsible for others and made that choice - if you wish to put others at risk by your own actions - known, loved or strangers - that is also up to you

 aphyon wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

To live is to risk, you just have to decide what level of risk your willing to take. a virus(that is currently in a 70% decline in infections in my local area) with a 99.99 percent of surviving if your under 60 (which i am) where the median age of death is 82 is not something i am going to shut down my life for. i have a long commute i take every day to get to work and back. my risk of death every time i get in my car to make the trip is exponentially greater than dying of covid 19. i still make the trip every day.

It's funny isn't it, I love motorbikes and have ridden frequently, that's deemed a lot of risk and a lot of people think I'm mad because of it. But it's what I enjoy and so I continue to do it.
Perhaps, as Mr Morden says, it's your own perceived risk to yourself and whether you can cause harm to others. I'll go to get food and other essentials, I view that as a very different category to doing something for my own enjoyment. So in that sense, if I took part in an activity and then someone I came into contact with afterwards fell ill, I'd always have that doubt that it was me and if I'd been less selfish it might not have affected that other person.

My family has been hit by the virus, one aunt dead and I have a good friend who has what I guess you would call 'long covid' in that she got it right at the start of March 2020 and now still can't climb a flight of stairs (in her early 30s). Another person I know, a nurse, is being treated for PTSD; her job in the hospitals was to sit with patients that were dying and facetime with them to their families back home, I think as well as the emotional trauma the site of someone dying off a ventilator is apparently not a pretty one. So, it might be just that hearing these things brings it home and reinforces our responsibilities. Maybe if it hasn't happened to anyone you know or love and it's just numbers in a newspaper its harder to relate to?

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

Well for here it's still fairly well in control as such. Biggest issue here is hospitals around capital are getting crowded. Outside capital it's far less of issue(my birth town　has 13 cases. Total. Period. Where　i live now isn't much worse...).

With people staying off at slightest reason　and not coming at all if they have been traveling cuts down odds(so far 0 infections on people visiting gaming area. Some(me　included) been on tests but negative). Bigger risk catching it is via train to work i can't avoid. But good thing there's no risk group member's i'm in reqular contact which helps with risk.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 aphyon wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

To live is to risk, you just have to decide what level of risk your willing to take. a virus(that is currently in a 70% decline in infections in my local area) with a 99.99 percent of surviving if your under 60 (which i am) where the median age of death is 82 is not something i am going to shut down my life for. i have a long commute i take every day to get to work and back. my risk of death every time i get in my car to make the trip is exponentially greater than dying of covid 19. i still make the trip every day.

Well mind you even if you　live could shorten life span. Significant amount(2 digit%) have lung damage and heart looks　like one that has suffered　heart attack

Iv not been able to play a physical game since Feb 2020 due to UK lockdown rules and being careful. However iv been able to move out of only painting War gaming stuff and start doing display stuff, busts etc.

But locally iv seen people considering and looking at smaller games or new products like WM/H, Malifaux, Moonstone etc. People are really considering what games they want to play when lockdown ends.

I dont think i'll be able to play a game until arrouns summer time.

No clue, I am in luck, living in the same house as another gamer, and I decided playing a rando at the game store isn't worth the chance of ending up with ruined lungs or dying.

Our FLGS is still pretty active, but there arent alot of 40k players at my store.

We have about 10 guys and only 3-4 show up with any regularity.

I have a D&D group that plays every other week at one of the members house. Most of us work together so no issue with the covids.......

Basically boarded up since this time last year.

I have been playing regularly but with only two friends at their places. The game store is not at full capacity but they do have people playing.

I get my second shot in two weeks and will happily go to the store after that.

The TT scene here is recovering.
The last couple of weekends have seen a 40k in-store tourney and an infinity tourney, and the 40k/infinity players have their regular days as well.

It's not back at 2019 levels yet, but it's recovering.

But we weren't hit anywhere near as badly with the death stick and repeated hard lockdowns seem to have done the job.

Where I am in North/Mid Essex, UK, there wasn't much of a "scene" pre-pandemic anyway. One, maybe two, known organised gaming clubs in the major town and city near me (and by near I mean 11-20 miles north or south of where I am), but they aren't accessible if you don't drive, and only meet on x day at x time in the evening.

If there's a "scene" more locally (i.e within 1 or 2 miles of where I live and hopefully accessible by bus) no-one advertises the fact. And when a club has started up, over the last 20 years 2 have tried, they don't last long for one reason or another (besides venue costs, overly pushy entitled parents was one reason for one closing, lack of players was the final nail in the coffin for the last)

The most I know of immediately locally is vaguely a "D&D group", but I only "know" 1 of them from sitting at the bus stop once or twice, I don't play D&D and the guy told me (when he saw me carrying an aluminium carry case) they moved away from GW stuff because it's too expensive!


"They" say GW is quite popular, and table top gaming is in general quite widespread, but here in North/Mid Essex it seems very much like an underground movement - talk to anyone you work or volunteer with about such things and you get funny looks! Of course there will be those that disagree that there's very little "scene" in Essex, but they likely live in the big towns and cities, and nearer London, and no doubt can drive to clubs/gatherings.


Fortunately I have a regular gaming buddy, my best mate, that I've known for 30+ years, and whilst he now lives 20 miles north of where I live, I can still just about get to where he lives, by public transport, for a game of something Mon-Sat between 11:00 and 17:00. We managed to get a game in before the pandemic (lack of/dithering) response hit and then again when the UK "opened up" again last summer, but we haven't done since things (predictably) escalated here in the UK last autumn - because not doing so is the right thing to do!

My lgs closed, and still hasn't opened for gaming. But, my local club have had house games during this time. Nothing like we had before the pandemic with big game days of 6-10 guys together rolling dice, but we've been doing what we can with regulations. Just came out of a two month stay at home order over Christmas, so have been able to roll doce again.

We are in an area of our Provence which hasn't been effected too much by the pandemic (only a handful of cases, and mostly at ltc centers).

Mostly playing 40k, and a big of aos and blood bowl.

Haven't played since 2019 basically, not worth the risk to myself, my family, or my coworkers, many of whom live with and care for elderly parents, etc.

 aphyon wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
Most of my gaming was with a group of friends, but at a house that had someone that was 'shielding' - so that's been off since last March and will be until we are vaccinated.

I love wargaming. But it's kind of like the same way I feel about the cinema, I enjoy that too but if there is a 0.1% it will give me the C-word then I'd just rather not chance it. I'm kind of surprised of the number of people who are prepared to risk actually, especially in countries where it has run amok, but it might just be that I'm overly careful!

In a jealous way I'm kind of getting kind of sick of the amount of posts I read from New Zealand though where they have big tournaments and the like going on, does make me miss it.

To live is to risk, you just have to decide what level of risk your willing to take. a virus(that is currently in a 70% decline in infections in my local area) with a 99.99 percent of surviving if your under 60 (which i am) where the median age of death is 82 is not something i am going to shut down my life for. i have a long commute i take every day to get to work and back. my risk of death every time i get in my car to make the trip is exponentially greater than dying of covid 19. i still make the trip every day.

What a dumb take. The point of the lockdowns, sheltering, and social distancing is to mitigate risk to OTHERS, especially those at a much higher risk of injury or death than yourself.

I am not responsible for everybody else, a free society has a level of risk, liberty means we all have the the ability to choose for ourselves. if you are uncomfortable with the situation because of your circumstances you are free to not participate as much as i am free to choose differently.

LiBeRtY!1!1!one

It must be nice living in a myopic bubble where you can't grasp how your actions and behavior might impact others or have consequences for people other than yourself.

Just want to add to what I said above - there must be some kind of GW interest in my local town, as my local Tesco carries White Dwarf Magazine!?