Having recently moved to a new town in a new state, I decided to once again start a miniature wargaming club so that I could continue to expand interest in Civil War 15mm gaming. Here are some tips that I have found useful in the past to help launch a new miniatures club.

1. Find a consistent, easy to locate, central meeting spot.

In my case, I was lucky to find a local hobby shop, Comics Store West, that already has gaming tables in place with daily miniatures gaming, albeit 100% fantasy previously. In the Cleveland area, the club that Doug Rogers and I co-founded, North Coast Wargamers, also met in a comic book store. Other ideas include hobby shops (I know of several clubs that meet in chain stores like Hobbytown in shopping malls). Other possible venues that should be free to use would include local libraries, which often have community rooms, some shopping malls which also often have free meeting rooms, and community centers. The key is consistency -- find a good spot with plenty of free parking, easy access to key roads and highways, and good security especially after dark for evening gaming.

2. Locate other gamers in the area.

This is harder than it sounds. I posted notices on Yahoo Groups bulletin boards, on HMGS East's web site Deja message board, on various chat rooms for gaming, and in local hobby shops. I also managed to get my hands on an HMGS East membership roster which included gamers in the south-central PA area. Postcards, phone calls, e-mails, and the like were used to contact prospects. Often, you may find that a gaming club may have once been organized in the area, but the central point of contact moved out of the area or lost interest in keeping the club afloat. I've found that fantasy gamers sometimes have historical gaming in their background, and are just looking for a friendly game to rekindle an interest in historicals. Other ways of finding gamers are to post messages on local college bulletin boards or popular gathering spots.

3. Advertise the club and upcoming games.

Once, you have selected a venue for the games and developed a prospect list of garners, it's time to get the ball rolling. Generate an e-mail and/or phone mailing list, and send out notices for the first game in the area. Many communities have free advertising on cable television (community news) that you can use. Some towns have weekly newspapers or newsletters that would accept a free notification. Hospitals, grocery stores, and other places sometimes have community bulletin boards where you can post a flyer. Other possibilities include getting mailing lists from the local historical societies if they will cooperate -- often folks with a love for history have never been exposed to gaming and might be a potential source for new converts to the hobby.

4. Plan balanced, yet easy to learn, introductory scenarios

This is critical if you find that your first game is attended by novices. There's nothing to turn off interest faster than exposing new people to a complicated set of rules or a scenario where experienced gainers have a significant advantage. It also helps if the introductory game is a popular well-known battle (I like to use Gettysburg for my public gaming since nearly everyone has a passing interest in that battle).

5. Expose the hobby to new venues and potential hobbyists

One thing that Doug and I did early on with North Coast Wargamers was to present games in public places where newcomers to the hobby might be attracted to the gaming table. For example, we replayed the first day's fighting west of Gettysburg in a public museum's lobby in Cleveland (Western Reserve Historical Society) during the middle of a Civil War exhibition. I presented Antietam's Burnside Bridge scenario at a SE Ohio reenactment/living history encampment. A gaming presentation was given at a local middle school at the encouragement of the history teacher. I already mentioned playing games at stores like Hobbytown, which has been effective for some clubs in growing the awareness of the hobby. Doug and I presented a Gettysburg game in Gettysburg on the battlefield to a group of writers, authors, and historians. This sparked a couple folks into getting copies of Johnny Reb III and becoming interested in gaming. Now that I live near the battlefield, I'm presenting a series of games at local Civil War bookstores. What about your local Civil War Roundtable, if there is one in your area? Would they allow you to give a talk and demonstration on wargaming? Be creative -- there are plenty of opportunities. I know of a club in Virginia that puts on displays at the county fair and attracts crowds that way.

6. Develop a web site early on

It's often free (geocities, etc.) for a rudimentary web site, and you will be surprised how many folks in your area surf the net. Don't forget to get your club's URL listed on community web pages, and develop links where possible off of popular local sites. Submit your club's web site to as many search engines (Yahoo, Google, and others) as you can. Join web rings such as The Wargamer's Ring or similar groups. If you specialize in a gaming period, get your web site involved in period rings such as Civil War, World War 11, American Revolution rings, etc. Get other clubs in the state or region to add yours as a link to their sites. Submit your web page link to HMGS, both to Great Lakes and to Fast, as these can become sources of additional gamers for your club.

7. Be patient

I've had the experience of planning a game, advertising it well, getting confirmation that folks are coming, then showing up and having no gamers arrive. Don't be discouraged. Set up the table anyway -- there's a good chance that you might attract players if you're in a public location, or at least get a chance to explain the hobby to passersby. It takes time to build momentum for a gaming group. Patience and persistence pays off in the long run.

8. Start out with no dues, no membership fees, etc.

Nothing discourages growth more than club dues or fees. Keep it free for a while until you gain enough momentum to elect officers, form a treasury, file local paperwork if needed as a non-profit organization, etc.

And finally, have fun.

After all, most of us are into the hobby for entertainment and amusement, as well as for fellowship and a sharing of our love for history.

(Scott Mingus has helped organized a number of groups, including a miniatures and board gaming group at Miami University, then cofounding North Coast Wargamers in the 1990s, and now the Gettysburg-York Gamers, serving south-central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. He can be reached at: scottmingus@yahoo.com. The North Coast Wargamers' site can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/Scottinitigus/index.html).