We all have our favorite games to play that are familiar and fun. Switching things up, however, can help a board game club stay fresh and exciting.
I’ve found that rotating themes can give us a chance to look forward to new opportunities. We have to remember not every game title or special event may be popular for everyone at our gaming table. Variety is a good thing. Offer new experiences and know that it’s also okay to revisit your club’s more popular themes. Your players will appreciate a diverse but familiar routine.
Having a plan for each quarter of the calendar year has really helped my club develop a better appreciation of the hobby.
I encourage you to run annual tournaments, single-day challenges, and even two- to three-month-long special events.
Have you considered alternating your larger themed events and offering them on an every-other-year schedule? This way helps your community from feeling fatigued. It also gives your core group of players something to look forward to in the future.
Finding the right balance can be challenging. You have lots to think about when it comes to age ranges, maturity, levels of rule complexity, competing schedules, and space.
The best advice I’d like to share is that there truly isn’t a right or wrong way to run your club. You just need to find what makes your players comfortable and have fun.
Here’s an example of what the Hartington/Wausa Board Game Club’s year looks like:
January – Car Wars Tournament and Vehicle Design Contest.
February – Love Letter and Boffer Building.
March, April, May – Rotating Special Event (Mechs and Kaiju). Coloring and Creative Writing Contests.
June, July, August – RPG Camp and Rotating Special Event (Star Trek).
September and October – Magician Academy (Special Event) and Random Game Demonstrations.
November – Fairy Tale Fantasy Football and HeroClix.
December – Open Table Gaming.
Peter R. Talley 