"The Secret to Playing More Games Is..." Topic

What is the secret to getting in more miniature wargaming on the tabletop?

A permanent table.

Put it on the calendar.

DM

Friends

What is the secret to getting in more miniature wargaming on the tabletop?

Time.

Retiring.

Time, friends, permanent table.

+1 Sharpe52

Making it a priority.

Solo games.

Staying off the internet.

I'd say getting the armies ready and preparing the terrain for the game. If you need to have a new kind of terrain that can take up some time in prepping it up.

eg My recent snow terrain took quite some time to fight Asgard vs Hyperborea. Then there were the armies to do.

Having more free time.

Opponents. If I could ever get the hang of solo play…

Being a member of a good Wargames club!

Friends, time, money, a campaign storyline, a collection of painted miniatures and terrain/structues, good food and drink, rules everyone knows and a story hook for ladyfriends to get into.

Lots of good suggestions.

robert piepenbrink – Check out the free THW games.

link

It shows you how solo play should be done.

Time management.

Having the time and people you like to game with. I liked Skippy's statement about having a campaign story line along with the good food and drink.

As to getting lady friends involved I have found that way lies madness.

Playing more games?

Eric

Plan for it. I play every Tuesday and I don't consider myself a particularly avid gamer. I just game on Tuesday's. 50 games a year just blocking off time on the calendar.

+1 EpTurner

I game every Monday and then 2-3 times (Saturdays, Weekdays with retired players). So I probably average 5 games a month….a loving wife who lets you enjoy your hobby is a plus.

from my experience..gamers that have a common interest and a good knowledge of the same period, actually play the same period, the same rules, the same scale, each one contributing with a share of painted minis and, if possible, landscape elements…in a few words TSATF colonials…and possibly with various native units at disposal

Avoiding the family and pretending they are not there for a night :(

More players and a place to keep a game set up.

Also helps to be single. If married it really helps not to have kids. It really, really helps to have most of your weekends free.

As a married wargamer with kids and weekends packed with activities, I can't say any of those have ever got in the way.

Being a member of a good Wargames club helps, a lot.

Finding a good set of rules you and others really like.

A big dungeon to keep many prisoners. So you have many to force to play with you.

Do less of other things. It's pretty much how to do more of anything. Good targets for doing less:
– sitting around doing nothing
– watching television (which is pretty much the same as the above)
– waffling about what to do
Objective lists (preferred) and calendars (if you must) are good techniques for doing less of the above and doing more of whatever you want.

The secret to getting in more gaming on the tabletop means you have to do things you can, that are under your control.

That means there has to be something YOU can do to have more games. That means that YOU have to do something and that means YOU have to want to do work. If you are waiting supinely for others to do something you will wait a LONG time. The second part, as many have noted is to have friends. To have friends YOU have to be friendly to them and that means extending yourself and sometimes letting yourself be taken advantage of.

Friendship means personal relationships. You have to like being with your friends, not just being at a game with them. If you don't like being with them, and you view them solely as someone to move the bad guys in your games they aren't your friends, and there's no reason anyone would want to be friends with you.

This explains all the ills of war games and why it is a tiny niche hobby now 100 years after its inception.

A wildly exaggerated sense of entitlement.(I want everyone to agree I am the Alpha Male in the group)
A dislike of extending ones self and doing things for others.(I want others to "do" for me, not me for them.)
A miserly attitude(I want to get more out of games than I put in)
A slothful attitude (I'd much prefer someone else do all the work).

The guy from Nazareth said it best. "He who would be the first of all must be the last of all. He who would be the lord of all must be the slave of all."

Friends who have the time
Our schedules not conflicting
Less wasted time to open time for more solo gaming

Well said Otto.

Kevin

Replace TV time with gaming time :)

Git off yer butts and git 'er done!

If you want to game strongly enough, you can find a way. If you want to use any of the 500,000 excuses why you can't, then any excuse will do.

Some of my favorites why someone missed a game:
"I needed a haircut."
"I forgot."

I think some of the secrets to get in more games are:

Accessible, streamlined rules that you like well enough to teach with enthusiasm. You don't want to overwhelm someone with a bunch of options, charts, and advanced tactics to start. You shouldn't have to really open the rule book which both slows the game and makes newer players think, "Wow, if this guy can't keep all the rules together in my head, what chance do I have?"

I also try to teach some basic tactics during the demo trying not quarterback a new player too much. I like to explain everything I am doing and even cover my general strategy which is typically very much like the Zulu horns, chest and loins strategy. If I think a player is stuck I will offer options that I see with any potential advantages and drawbacks and let them pick which seems most sound/fun. Also, try to setup the scenario that makes a for a good game with the better chance of the new player winning but don't throw the game.

Nicely painted models for both sides and a decent looking table. Novice and veterans of other games will always be drawn to a decent looking table. Heck, I have been asked multiple times by people just browsing one the game stores I play at quite a bit about the game I'm playing because I try create an interesting looking table. Not diorama quality like I sometimes see (and am envious of) but usually the nicest looking table in the store. Never met a person that won't play someone that has painted their models.

An outgoing personality is perhaps the biggest secret. I don't naturally have an outgoing personality, but I try to not let that get in the way. I don't have much of a problem walking up to someone to ask about the game they are playing (unless I think I am annoying them) and see if they want to demo game in the future. As the same time, if someone asks about the game I am playing, I have no problem asking if they want to try it out sometime. Also, don't feel too bad if you get rejected. I guess it is kinda like dating.

Be willing to play multiple games. I can't say I really understand uni-system gamers. That seems just as hazardous as company that doesn't diversify. The more games you are willing to play obviously the more games you should be able to get in. You don't necessarily need to buy, build and paint models for it either. My limited experience has been in any miniatures war game that has group of about 4 players has at least one that has multiple armies and is usually willing to let someone borrow it to try the game out.

Know how to use the internet to find players in your area. You might have to put in the legwork to create a Meetup or forum posts to get players to game with.