Drums Along the Maumee

Spring, the time when a young man's fancy turns to love. In the case of many members our little band it turns to another, Drums Along the Maumee! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year, the time when we gather our forces and prepare to march into battle. It's been a fun year helping Jim Thomasson and the Colby Street Irregulars get ready for this little event. I have also developed a profound and deep respect for the Colbys and all of our members who have to put one of these events together. Its quite a challenge to book a venue, locate hotels, get member discounts, find dealers who are willing to come, advertise the thing and then manage it all for two, three or four days. My hat is off to you guys! You do one heck of ajob and we are all grateful for your efforts.

Don't be Afraid to Run Events

That brings up another point. A lot of you may see events like Little Wars, Drums, or Advance the Colors. Maybe you just attend your local games day and say to yourself, "Gee, I could never do that, it's too much!" You are willing to come to cons, demos or games days, but are afraid to run anything in public. You may worry that their presentation might not be good enough, or that you will look silly. I've played at a number of different events and venues and have had loads of fun every time. I think that we are too obsessive about both our painting and our refereeing skills. We see the work in Wargames Illustrated or White Dwarf, or at cons, and don't ever believe that we can equal it. One of the things that have always helped me has been to remember something I realized from my time in community band. The audience can't discern between "good" and "perfect."

Here's what I mean. We all make every effort to do a perfect job, painting our minis, building our terrain, researching the scenarios we run and knowing the rules we play. The problem that we have is we have all seen someone else who has done it better. Some folks always seem to do a superb job. You could throw them into a crowd of rabid 40K fanatics with a pile of unpainted Napoleonics and some small cardboard boxes along with an old army blanket and they could slap together the greatest version of Austerlitz seen since the original battle. We marvel at these guys and think we could never come close to their ability. We may not be that good, but we can come close. Here are some things that I came up with that have helped me out:

Some Tips for Running Events

First, do a "credible paint job." That means basically the same thing today as it did in kindergarten, paint within the lines. Paint with care, but do not get obsessive if you can't do the collar piping on your 6mm Nappys like Joe at the hobby shop. The more you paint, the better you'll get. Someday, maybe you'll be able to do that 6mm collar piping!

Second, have a simple but interesting scenario ready. It doesn't have to be anything big or elaborate -- just something that can hold interest. A simple story, with attainable goals and clear objectives. This will make it easy for the novices to grasp and will also give experienced gamers something to work with and you can manage the situation better. Your players will have fun and most importantly you will have fun.

Third, if you are new at this, or have some problems managing "difficult" situations, bring along a veteran GM/Referee to assist you. You run the show, but he helps you and is your line boss for those that get out of line. However he should be diplomatic about it, just as you should. Most of the public demos you will do you shouldn't have too many problems, you're probably more likely to run into trouble at a convention with experienced gamers than in an open public showing.

Last thing, the perfect is the enemy of the good enough. That means don't obsess that you don't have the "best" painted miniatures, the neatest looking terrain, the most well written campaign or scenario compared to the club or group expert. If you set up the table and the public that stops by look and go "Ooh!" and "Ahh!" you're fine. When you get players to participate and they walk away with smiles on their faces and talking about the great time they had, you did fine. It may not have been "Historicon quality," but you may have won a convert to the hobby.

It's not as hard as some people think to run an event publicly. You can run a simple event that will bring people in to play and give them a fun time that is educational, as well. As to where to play, pick a place. You could do it at your local museum or library, at the high school down the street or community college, or even down at the hobby shop or bookstore. It's easy to do and very fun. Go for it and have a blast!

We need to do this kind of thing to get new members and put a good public face on our hobby. Oh, and don't think you will have to do this every week. Once every couple of months is fine, maybe once every three or four months will work, too. Take the time to set up a good event with well-painted miniatures. You'll be surprised at what kind of interest and following you'll get. That's it for now, good luck and good gaming.

Important Volunteer Positions Needed Filled!

The position of HMGS National Board of Directors representative from the Great Lakes chapter has become vacant. Also, a volunteer is needed to serve as Dealer Coordinator for Advance the Colors'99. It you are interested in serving in either position, please contact Great Lakes President Matt Davidson. This is a chance to volunteer to help your chapter.