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Post by leotherat on Dec 12, 2018 18:19:26 GMT
My meta died more than a year ago and I think that I'd like to try a new one/revive the old one. I'm pretty sure that some of the old members would come back but I'd like to try to bring in new blood as well. As it stands right now the closest place that has regular games/events is about 2 hours away so there shouldn't be too much stepping on other's toes. I can also probably find a store that would let me have a warmahorde day or at least an evening.
The biggest questions are: How do I entice people to return and how do I recruit new players from what is, basically, a dead start?
Ideas/suggestions are more than welcome as well as things to look out for and avoid.
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crow
Junior Strategist
Posts: 310 
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Post by crow on Dec 12, 2018 18:37:57 GMT
My meta died more than a year ago and I think that I'd like to try a new one/revive the old one. I'm pretty sure that some of the old members would come back but I'd like to try to bring in new blood as well. As it stands right now the closest place that has regular games/events is about 2 hours away so there shouldn't be too much stepping on other's toes. I can also probably find a store that would let me have a warmahorde day or at least an evening.
The biggest questions are: How do I entice people to return and how do I recruit new players from what is, basically, a dead start?
Ideas/suggestions are more than welcome as well as things to look out for and avoid.
Was in pretty close to this situation a while back, what I found works kinda well is make sure you have battle boxes available. Talk openly and offer to let as many people as you can play a game “For free”! Don’t worry about slams tramples etc, but instead focus on how to attack, boost attacks and damages, and movement (maybe charges if you think they’re catching on). Most the time if you can get dice in their hands and models moving on a table you can get them in! As you get new players in, try and be open to play at their pace. For instance if someone only has 25 points, play a 25 point game, and mention in a natural way how the next level of the game adds to the experience. EG: 25 points is cool, but at 50 you get the option to win on scenario which is really cool! Also I find themes should be the last thing introduced. If you’d like more I can try and give ya more help! But doing the following I was able to grow my meta to close to ten people constant. |
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Post by kovnikninehouse on Dec 12, 2018 18:38:08 GMT
I would suggest to have at least 2 warmachine starters and 2 hordes starters painted and left at the store to be on display and ready for a teaching game.
After that set up paint/hobbie nights and game nights. Once you get some people going find out if they want to be more casual or competitive then set up some tournaments based on the feedback you have recieved.
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gordo
Junior Strategist
My star is green?
Posts: 548
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Post by gordo on Dec 12, 2018 19:48:00 GMT
Start a scrum and offer up personal space to play. Worked for my meta. We have like 50+ people now actively involved, at least 30 of which are always playing in our league.
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Post by leotherat on Dec 12, 2018 21:07:36 GMT
Maybe it's just the differences in our English terms but could you elaborate on what a "scrum" is and what you mean by offering up "personal space to play"?
Thanks for the tips.
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gordo
Junior Strategist
My star is green?
Posts: 548
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Post by gordo on Dec 12, 2018 21:16:17 GMT
Maybe it's just the differences in our English terms but could you elaborate on what a "scrum" is and what you mean by offering up "personal space to play"? Thanks for the tips. So a "scrum" is what we call a Steamroller that we only play 1 game a week for. No judges, obviously, but it gives everyone time to get their game in and no one loses an entire day. It's a nice hybridization of tournament with casual. We organize it with a Facebook page and Conflict Chamber to make it easy to announce pairings and store army lists. By personal space, I mean we've got several gamers who open up rooms in their personal houses for people to play 2-3 times a week. This way people don't need to rely on finding tables at a store to play. This all started with 10 people in our first scrum. It's since grown to at least 30 players per scrum, out of a pool of 50 or so (people rotate in and out of each league as their schedule allows). We run a total of 6 scrums a year, so there's usually a few weeks in between for people to take a rest and test out new lists before the next one. |
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Post by leotherat on Dec 13, 2018 0:42:24 GMT
Thanks for the reply and the explanation. I'll have to consider the scrum. But first I have to figure out how to get the word out.
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Post by Havock on Dec 13, 2018 1:27:55 GMT
Themes make it harder.
On one hand I can understand leaving it for later.
On the other, it can be just as demotivating for someone that when he or she finally gets into it, what they have is two half lists rather than one actual list.
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Post by sand20go on Dec 13, 2018 1:45:10 GMT
Pick a day/night any night and stick with it. You need to be there 99% of the time (and definitely the first 4-5 times)
Battle boxes (mentioned above)
Journeyman league - you will have to organize
SRs on a monthly basis - you will have to run (for a while)
You can revive a Meta but it is on, sadly, YOU and it likely means a bit less play (by you) compared to community building.
The brutal reality is that with the demise of PG this is going to pay psychic rewards mostly in the short term and you hope, later, the benefits of a strong and numerous meta. But that is the world we live in. Good luck
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Post by marxlives on Dec 13, 2018 15:19:13 GMT
These are some really great ideas. I have a friend who created a successful Deadzone club and he said the most important thing is to be consistent with meet up times, do the equivalent of scrums and long run campaign games to appeal to casuals, and make sure there is a good influencer who gets into the game. That one person who is interested and carries a bunch of other players with them.
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shiver
Junior Strategist
Posts: 150
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Post by shiver on Dec 13, 2018 16:01:22 GMT
My local area is as dead as it can get. No one even looks at WMH favorably, let alone neutrally, in fact, the game stores and the players are pretty pissed at PP, so rebuilding is going to be a rough go for me, but we're trying. A couple of things I'm currently doing, and some new things I'm trying:
you have to be consistent, same bat time, same bat place, every week.
try to find leaders in the community and get them to play the game.
leagues are great. hold off on anything competitive, competitive scares most people away at first, so I would leave that entire portion alone unless you're using it to highlight the convention scene because they are interested.
don't oversell the balance in the game. it's not that good. sell the setting. the setting, once PP gets off their ass and starts making new fluff, it's actually pretty cool. Talk about the characters and the warlocks and the stories behind them. it's amazing how much that can draw people in.
build up slowly, and don't start hammering down on rules. also, you need to lose every game you play. good demos are ones where the person demoing the game win. bad demos are about you.
leagues, custom scenarios, and an early understanding of the theme force rules have helped me solicit some interest
don't encourage second-hand models. encourage all new purchases from the local store. if your store is like mine, it's going to be a very tough sell to justify even seeing a PP game in their store, let alone actively supporting one, so your local store is going to want to see some cash come their way.
Good luck man, it's a long road. I'm trying as hard as I can and I have had a few demos, but nothing sticking right now. The few that I have had become interested enough to buy a battlebox, unfortunately, listened to the naysayers who got the shit burned out of them by PP in the past and the didn't want to investigate any further. It's really tough in my situation, but we have to try.
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Post by leotherat on Dec 13, 2018 16:07:27 GMT
Question for any/all of you- I'm thinking of running 25 point games (after a lot of BB games)should they be played on a 3'x3' board or would you go to the normal 4'x4' board?
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shiver
Junior Strategist
Posts: 150
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Post by shiver on Dec 13, 2018 16:23:02 GMT
whatever you have access to. I think 3X3 is fine for that size of a game
besides. it gives you an excuse to use those battle box "play mats"
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Post by leotherat on Dec 13, 2018 19:10:18 GMT
Next question: Does anyone know of a way to make Merc/Minion battle box sets any where near as inexpensive as the "normal" BB sets? That's around $34 US.
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Post by Charistoph on Dec 13, 2018 23:01:33 GMT
$40 MSRP, and unless you're buying second hand, nope. Just one of the heavy kits gets close to that before you factor in the Battlegroup Controller.
Honestly, Mercs and Minions could use the new blood of having a plastic box like the rest do.
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