Courier Dispatch

Central Illinois Tabletop Warriors

by Dick Bryant

As with most groups of gamers, our local community suffers from periods of waxing and waning membership. During one such bleak period in the summer of 1984 a number of us decided to take some steps to correct our problem. Three of us got together and formed the Central Illinois Tabletop Warriors. We hoped to double our number of fellow gamers from 10 to 20, and decided to try out a format that would let us have the chance to hold a game one day a month.

Without realizing it at the time, we had run into one of those problems caused by the greying of the hobby. in the old days we were able to get together and game all night on a moment's notice, while demands on time meant it was harder and harder to do this. By holding a game one Saturday a month, somewhere in our area we felt that we might beableto have half of our membership able to attend. Dues were set for the first year at $3, and a membership age of 17 was set as well. Members under 17 are accepted if a member is willing to sponsor them and take responsibility for their conduct.

To put the membership in contact with each other it was decided that I would write a small newsletter - of the other two founding members, one, Frank Chadwick, became President, and the other, Walt LeBegue, became Treasurer. It was sent to anyone we could think of, and a mailing list from THE COURIER, courtesy of Dick Bryant, helped us find some gamers that we were unaware of at the time. Our first game was an all day refight of Chickamauga. I rented a hall, provided troops and lunch, set a price of $5 a head and waited to see what would happen.

Though the game was not an overwhelming success, the event was. 21 players showed up to take part, and several more registered who were unable to attend. From that point, we moved onward and upward. Changes occurred - THE PICKET LINE became the VEDETTE due to the fact that I was on my teachers union negotiating team - and the fact I worked on it during our negotiating sessions gave some fellow teachers the wrong impression. Membership grew from 3 to 70 our first year, and some problems arose. I had hoped to print the VEDETTE on the school's machine, but the thought of trying to run 70 copies ended up sending us to a printer. We moved from one game a session to two, and then several. The idea of the "smorgasborg" day came about, when several games are run on a common theme. And as our membership expanded, our meeting place shifted from month to month, so that those organizing the event were not always the same.

At present our organization is very loose - members serve as President, Treasurer, Editor, and local directors. Dues went from $3 to $10 a year, but membership only dropped from 70 to 52. We game in an area 200 miles by 200 miles, so location and date become important. September's meet was in my home town, and featured a day of Naval Gaming. In October, Mason City was the site, where the local group put on a day in the Americas,and had games on the F&IW, the Alamo, Plains Indian Fighting, and Pershing in Mexico. The VEDETTE exists to let people know in advance what is happening and when, so that one can decide if one is interested in attending, and if it is possible. We turn 50% of our membership for most events, and have an enjoyable day doing so.

The most enjoyable part of the CITW is the fact that it increased the horizonsof its members,and pumped newblood not only into our group, but into all of the groups that make up the CITW. Ideas have been passed back and forth - new interests shared, and increased gaming for all. Looking back over the last year we have made mistakes, and we have been successful - some thoughts to share with other groups are:

1. Keep the organization simple - remember that the goal is to game.
2. Try the "smorgasborg" approach - run some games and introduce them to new members, and to refresh old members - concentrate on learning the system rather than fighting to the end.
3. Rather than one monster game - have several smaller ones.
4. Consider Saturdays once a month as a game day, and let people know in advance what's up.
5. Be willing to share your information and ideas with non-miniature groups as it never hurts to recruit new blood.

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