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Just curious as to see how people find games these days. Do you make arrangements before hand with people you know on forums or groups? Or do you just head down with your army and see if there's anybody about to play?

One of my friends said 40k has developed into more of a closed group thing than he remembers. People form small groups that exclusively play each other, rather than make new friends from other groups at his FLGS.

It depends on when I get the itch. Most of the time I game with friends at someone's house, but I go get in a game or two at my FLGS every now and then.

Just show up with an army, looking for a pick up game. Or call up a friend and arrange a time to meet and play. So, a little of both.

SJ

I'm a little bit of both. Friday nights or Saturday afternoons there's basically guaranteed to be at least a couple guys at our store, and I don't think I've ever had absolutely zero players out there except for the weekend they all went to a tournament (I'm not a very competitive player and didn't go). However, if I want a game during the week because maybe I can't make it out Friday (or want to get in multiple games), I have 3 or 4 guys that I can phone up and they'll meet me just about whenever.

EDIT: I'd like to throw in that there is ALWAYS a bunch of people there, so even if no one is playing 40k I can always get someone to play a board game, some friends that let me borrow Magic decks, some heroclix players that let me borrow stuff, etc. I'm never worried about showing up and having absolutely nothing to do.

Your flag says you're in Britain. If so, FLGS aren't usually your most common gaming venue.
I have never played in a shop, but I know of a couple locally that I could do so.

The club I go to has a forum, and we try to post whether we are attending, and what we want to play.
If enough want the same system, we arrange beforehand.
Not everyone posts, and plans, change, so people do often just grab an opponent, and get set up.

Most of my gaming was done in a small group of friends, which I organised/hosted, so we'd just see who turned up and pair off or set up teams from there.

At a more public club I was at for a while, it was largely the same. We'd set up tables, pair off (sometimes randomly but most of the time we chose, or had rematches against previous opponents) and if we had time for more than one game, swap opponents with another table.

I must admit the idea of walking into a store and playing with a complete stranger seems like a pretty alien concept to me.

There's usually around 30-40 people there. If I want a really casual game I just go in as the PUG meta is super casual, if I want a competitive game I go on the club forums and arrange a game with the dozen or so core members.

My FLGS Is entirely pre-arranged battles. PUG’s are imposable these days with the swinging meta and disparities between lists, army’s and player skills. With social media it’s just so easy to schedule games.
We do run leagues and campaign on a regular basses. This is how the un-clicked get games.
New players are intercepted early by a few of us, that will quit games to stop to do demos and newbe games.

Quite simply I don't. 6th/7th has killed off 40k in my city, ie maybe 20-25% of 5th. Now it can't be done to walk in even on an open game night and find 40k being played. When I want games I schedule them and usually have to drive.

Post on the gaming group's forum and extend an open invitation or send a PM if I want to face someone in particular.

My shop is mostly a card game store but Saturdays is dedicated warhammer day so PUGs are possible . We did create a group on Facebook though for when people wanna play throughout the week that we invite anyone new at the shop to.

Both the flgs and local GW have fb pages. It's pretty common place to just mention lfg on such a date and such a time. Also reserves you a table, which is nice on busy days.

But I do just head in for random pugs on days where I think "hey I'm bored, let's see if I can get a game in", or on weekends when I have other plans fall through.

I'm not a big fan of most Facebook, but a game store having some kind of online forum or posting site should be pretty standard. Just because GW likes to pretend it's still the 80-90s doesn't mean the players need to.

I'll usually head there with friends, but when get speaking to other players and arrange games in person, take email addresses, FB details etc.
One of the venues I like has a FB page where people post up looking for games and groups.
I can also get a game any day that the local GW is open... were I to want one. There's the same small group of folk there every single day, from opening to close. It can be a mixed blessing.

 Skinnereal wrote:
Your flag says you're in Britain. If so, FLGS aren't usually your most common gaming venue.

I will respectfully disagree with that being the case up North. We quite often navigate the country by FLGS and could name one for most towns and cities around here that have decent play areas. In some like Sheffield, I think three off the top of my head. Even my home town (Wigan) has one... Admittedly in the back of a furniture store.
I can't speak for other areas of the country, but up here FLGS play is not such a foreign concept, so to speak. Some stores like Travelling Man in Leeds even rent an office for their OP and gaming space.
Finding nice players, is a different aspect in itself...

Facebook.

Generally just show up with an army, and holler out "Who wants a game?"

Just gotta know which games for which days.

In order to attract a potential opponent you must wear brightly coloured plum- errr, clothing. Perform the appropriate dance to lure your opponent to the table you've arranged. Ensure your table looks better than any potential competition. Should any competing gamers attempt to steal away your chosen opponent, you must be prepared to assert your dominance, lest your potential opponent find you cowardly and unfit for battle.

Once the ritual is complete, you may commence the battle.

I meet eyes with another gamer, an exclamation mark pops up above their head, then we battle.

If I'm going alone, I'll walk in, say hi to the manager, sit down at the painting table, set up my gear, buy what I need, and nervously whisper "Anyone want to play against some Ad Mech or Tau?"

When nobody responds due to not actually hearing me, I'll proceed to paint, build, or read in a time period where I try to help as many people as possible to be a constructive member of my store, if the assistance needed is listbuilding or general tactical advice. This is generally the time where I embarass myself the most, by inevitably saying something that was written on the internet at some point. After this time someone will generally have approached me, for allying purposes, or otherwise.

Occasionally, I'll work up the courage to break through my anxiety and whisper a challenge to somebody in the store, suggest a points value, and quickly set up a list, mostly composed of whatever models I brought in that weekend. I will then proceed to play everything RAI to avoid being slapped or dreadsocked.

Following my inevitable defeat due to my dice hating me, I will shake hands with my opponent, archive all information I had learned about their list and playstyle, and return to my corner.

If I have a friend with me, I will be much more outgoing, and often, if the tables are empty, play a game, either a large game with team v team or player v player, and try to get as much gaming as possible in that day.

And that is why I try to make friends with people in the store if they don't immediately discount me due to my personality and terrible, terrible luck.

TL;DR - I look up to people at my FLGS and try not to hurt their opinion of me.

 Zagman wrote:
Quite simply I don't. 6th/7th has killed off 40k in my city, ie maybe 20-25% of 5th. Now it can't be done to walk in even on an open game night and find 40k being played. When I want games I schedule them and usually have to drive.

Literally this, but replace city with town and "When I want games I drive" with, maybe I should have got those driving lessons, oh well it's not like I know anywhere else except the student union at university.

Well I huddle against one wall with the other noobs while the more experienced players huddle the wall opposite the room. We stare uncomfortably across the room at each other while the music plays until the first experienced player comes across the room, grabs a noob by the hand and starts a match. Once that ice is broken I'm ready to play.

 ProwlerPC wrote:
Well I huddle against one wall with the other noobs while the more experienced players huddle the wall opposite the room. We stare uncomfortably across the room at each other while the music plays until the first experienced player comes across the room, grabs a noob by the hand and starts a match. Once that ice is broken I'm ready to play.

That sounds so romantic.

We have weekly free play days at my local club. (There's actually a closer store that ALSO has weekly 40k days, but I dont go there anymore.) There's also a student organization that plays on campus on the weekends. No matter which one I go to, it's all the same: people just show up and hookup for games as they go.