Getting the band together part 2

“If you know yourself and you know your enemies, you need not fear a thousand battles. If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

~Sun Tzu, the Art of War

I think it would surprise many people to know that as a teacher, I apply Sun Tzu regularly to my classrooms. I have done work in public and private schools all grade k-12 and English conversation classes for 6 mo. to 72 yo. In all that time with all of those challenges, I can count my large failures on one hand and my smaller ones on two. One of the key points comes from the quote above. Knowing. And to know, you have to evaluate.

To give an example, I worked at a private elementary school last year. The prior teacher had followed Japanese one size fits all method to teaching English. I came in and found there were huge variations even with students who started let alone at the upper grades. After a week of evaluating, I formulated my curriculum and went to work. The results were amazing as kids who had never been good suddenly improved and were even excited for learning.  Likewise, my current job at a girls high school required me to evaluate their abilities and problems and tailor my classes to meet their needs.

With demonstration gaming, the same idea can greatly benefit you.

A quick look at the current market shows a huge variety of games; Flames of War, Bolt Action, Warhammer 40k, Maulefix,  Warmahordes, and a lot more on the market for our pleasure. If you add in role playing games, board games, card games, and computer games plus the person who is just coming in off the street. That is a lot of different histories for our potential players. What they have experienced in the past can greatly effect how they view the game and how we should approach them for introducing and demonstrating Infinity.

A game like Infinity is multifaceted in how a player can approach and look at the game. A players likes and dislikes can greatly influence how I will talk to them about a game. If they like a certain game, hearing why they enjoy that game is valuable. If there is a part that they do not like, that can be valuable too. Likewise, if they don’t like a game, knowing why can be very helpful, especially if it is something that they really have a grudge with. Past experiences can also lead to a greater understanding of who you are dealing with and what they may prefer.

When I’ve found someone interested in a game I always talk with them a little bit to learn about them. Usually I let them talk more than myself unless we hit something very similar that we have in common. Then I will begin to introduce the game which usually happens as a gradual shift in the conversation. When introducing, I try to highlight things that would interest them and maybe warn them of things they might have a bit of a challenge with.

Some dos and don’ts:

Don’t bash game X even if you think it is the worst thing the galaxy has produced since the big bang. If the potential player dislikes the game too, get some details and agree and don’t let it become a hate fest. Move on to Infinity. If a person likes it, don’t slam it. Find out what they like, politely disagree and move on. Not only is the good for you and the potential player, others might hear your conversation and slamming another game may give you a bad reputation.

Do be curious about their gaming history and preferences in games. This helps you build a connection with the person while also giving you a better idea for how to demonstrate to them.

Don’t overwhelm them with questions. No one likes to feel like they are subject to the Spanish Inquisition. Keep the conversation light and natural and be careful not to rapid fire questions.

Do display and show your enthusiasm for the game you are demonstrating. Nobody likes to get a demo from someone who shows no interest in what they are doing. Demonstrating takes a lot of enthusiasm especially on days when things just don’t go right for you.

Do admit your limits of your knowledge. If you are new to the game, let them know. If they are interested in a faction that you really no nothing about, be honest and tell them. Going back to enthusiasm, taking steps to rectify your lack of knowledge and help them is always a good thing. You’re honesty will help you build a solid reputation within your growing gaming group.

With admitting your limits, we come to the next part, knowing yourself. Each of us has our own interests and preferences when it comes to a game. By knowing what you can do an cannot can greatly help you with your chances of building a successful Infinity community.

The biggest thing for building a community is time commitment. How much time can you spend building up the community? Can you consistently spend the same amount of time each month or will it vary? Is your schedule rigid or flexible? The more consistent you are with the timing of your gaming can greatly influence how well and quickly the community can grow and establish itself.

Your personal abilities and preferences will also shape what type of demos you can run. Are you able to run painting demos or sculpting demos? How deep are you into the fluff? Willing to introduce the new RPG as well? Are you outgoing, smooth talking person or are you an introvert? The more options you can give, the better you can build up the group alone. If you find yourself weak in certain areas, getting some help or advice is wisely recommended.

In the end, our goal in all of this is to establish a solid reputation. We want to gain new members and have a community that is reputable and one that the store owner or whoever’s place it is, is excited to talk about. Putting thought into these things before hand can help you establish your ideas and vision on how your are going to go about it. If your reputation is solid enough, you can even generate interest before the first demonstration games.

So my 7th Ranger Line Regiment ‘the Roughnecks’ have our plan ready. My Bakunin will be painted up in anime colors. And I already have a player who went out and bought 240 pnts of Yu Jing after I talked about the game. I’m still searching for a gaming area, but my friend was kind enough to let me use his gaming room to get in my first few games.