Divedivedive, regarding moving near another game ~ I have some suggestions, but you’ve got some good ideas already. Legonick suggested becoming a regular and offering to host sometimes is good. TheDuke suggested talking to the host – I’ll say more about that great idea. He also said avoid hosting on the same night – another great idea I’ll say more about, and a different type of game – also a great idea I’ll say more about. DeeVee8 is right about cross-pollination too. As usual, Zombie has some great suggestions!
My suggestions:
My suggestions:
- Talk to the host! You might be surprised that he would be willing to help get your game going. It will help if he doesn’t see your game as direct competition.
- Don’t do the same nights. Ask for his schedule and plan so that it doesn’t compete. Let him know that’s why you are asking.
- I’d try to schedule at least 2 days away from his game. A lot of people won’t play 2 nights in a row, so they will pick the one they like the best.
- When you go to a game, help the host! Even if it’s just putting stuff up afterwards, make yourself an attractive person to have come. Let them know you host. Other places I’ve played have invited me to invite their players. They don’t do that with everyone.
- It isn’t helping the host that will help you attract players from there. It’s developing the relationship with them that will help you attract players.
- Be the kind of guest you want coming to your game!
- Invite the host to your game. It doesn’t hurt to invite them and ask for his advice. Most people are happy to help someone who is asking for help.
- Other hosts can be a great source of players if you aren’t competing with them. Some may see it as competition anyway, but most don’t. I’d talk to hosts about how your game is different and why the games should be different.
- Don’t have the same exact game. There are so many ways to make them different – cash vs. tournament; freezeout vs. rebuy; bounty vs. no bounty; different games; different structures; etc. If your game is too much like his game, y’all will be competing against each other for the same players.
- Find a regular day and pick one where there isn’t already a game. If possible, pick at least 2 days away from other games. I picked the third Friday because it didn’t compete with any other game in the area.
- ABR – Always Be Recruiting. Your game is growing or dying. If your pool of players isn’t constantly expanding, it’s dying. Life happens to players and they drop out for many reasons. Replacements are critical to longevity. If you don’t have new players coming, your game is dying. Now, if you have a wait list every time, you might have a large enough pool for your game to survive without new faces for a while, but if you don’t have new faces coming, it’s dying. It just might not be on life support yet.
- When I moved from an ad hoc game to a regularly scheduled game, attendance jumped significantly immediately! It’s easier for them to put a good event on their calendar. Then they won’t want to miss it.
- With a monthly game, a Friday or Saturday works well in my experience. You could mix the two, but you have to plan it. You could even do a tournament on Friday and a cash game on Saturday, but you are likely to get different crowds.
- Most people would meet the expectations you have if they want to be invited back. I hate there being expectations and having no idea what they are. Expectations MUST be communicated, or there cannot be any real logical explanation for being disappointed. They didn’t know the expectations and failed to meet them. That’s really a communication problem. Most people are terrible mind-readers. How well have you communicated the expectations?
