Suggestions Please: building a better Scene at a hobby store

[Guide16]

I was hoping a few people could offer suggestions on how a hobby store could offer more events to beginner Warhammer players. My Ideas so far include various league play, mordheim variants, house rule treasure hunts, cavalry races, and warband skirmishes.

Please reply with any recommended events for beginners. That are 1-2/hr sessions per week, affordable, and maybe less demanding rules wise.

Thank you so much for your help.

[John Rainbow]

If you want to play some small games take a look at the Blood & Glory tournament ruleset. It's a UK event run by Ben Curry of the Bad Dice Podcast. I know for the past couple of years that they have run some very small points level tournaments - I think as low as 100 or 200 points. Could be worth a shot if you're looking for some intro. games. By all accounts the rules worked really well. They also did 500pt events as well as the big deal 2400pt competition IIRC.

[grantmepower]

You could modify the old rules for Warbands. They allowed for a unit champion to be the general, for undersized units to be used (say 4 archers), and other modifications that allow for small games. You start with a certain point level, say 100 points, then each week or two you add to it. The goal is to paint a handful of models a week and only field painted models. It's a good way to slowly build up the painted models collection of new players.

[Snoeaengel]

Hey

My local GW store have run a simplified Triumph&Treachery game a few times. No brass tokens so all action cards are free and people play in teams to get up the points. It's been a lot of fun for the kids (and one beginner 28 year old) that join with what they got and have some fun. My elves met fierce resistance from a combined Bretonnia/WoC army reinforced with an Arachnarok Spider and in the third corner Skavens had allied with DoC lead by Glottkin

[Prince of Spires]

I think focusing on the social and/or hobby aspects of warhammer is a good idea.

Finding battles as a beginning player is (in my experience at least) difficult, unless you know some active players already. So a league play kind of thing is great, as is simply having a fixed gaming night (where there hopefully always is someone to play against).

Another event you could have is a low points team tournament. Have 500 or 1000 points per player, so most people can join once they have 2 or 3 units painted up and 2 guys per side. And either randomly assign teams on the day or have a pool of players who don't have a partner and join them up.

You could have a campaign (though those can be quite involved and ask for a bit of commitment) with a bunch of players. Starting at low points and slowly building it up

An easy one is to have painting/modeling masterclasses. Nothing fancy, just going over the basics. How do you prime models, how do you use washes, what is drybrushing, maybe go into the idea of basecoat, layer, wash, layer again to get good tabletop standard models. But also, what is greenstuff and how do you use it.

Rod

[Ladril Caledor]

You could modify the old rules for Warbands. They allowed for a unit champion to be the general, for undersized units to be used (say 4 archers), and other modifications that allow for small games. You start with a certain point level, say 100 points, then each week or two you add to it. The goal is to paint a handful of models a week and only field painted models. It's a good way to slowly build up the painted models collection of new players.

Check out the full Regiments of Renown rules here: http://warhammerworld.games-workshop.co ... Renown.pdf. Designed to fit with 8th Edition rules and regular army books. Pretty fun way to play a quick game with very few models.

Here is an Old World Wars battle report from last week featuring Regiments of Renown (High Elves vs Empire): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l48YYLTXoR8

[fransotto]

...Skip the magic phase. A well cast irresistible force will ruin the game for the opponent (especially beginners who doesnt know all the rules or is struggling with understanding all the rules). The magic phase also takes up a lot of time and you need to know a lot of rules.

...find or design scenarios with different points per side. In that way players can field their newly painted figures against players that is painting slower.

...Pair veterans with new players in order to make the new players learn faster.

...Skip or loose the army restrictions in order to make players field what they have just bought. The other side can start with VP or bonus re-rolls or anything.

...When it comes to general game or any other hobby AVOID punish people. ENCOURAGE people, there should be different levels of success or winners. Even the one who loose all the time and struggling in the bottom on the league should feel like a winner; Randomize the prices is one thing (quite common in kid sports)