how do you run a good campaign?

[deamonwolf 905xp 1]

So I want to run a full on quarantine 37 Star Grave Campaign to run over a weekend ( the best expansion book imo)

but I would like some help from the community to help me make sure I run it well.

so far

I have been creating terrain for multiple boards for each of the missions and I have enough for 3 boards for each mission.

I have been steadily been sourcing what I believe would be enough baddie models for the event and painting them up

I have found a place where I can run it over a weekend in march 2023 with an alcohol licence and a bar

there are several low cost but good quality hotels 5- 15 minutes walking distance and some very good pubs near by too

( I’m located in the UK north London suburbs)

I have started looking at promoting it but not sure what’s the best way to go about this.

 

My Issues

I would like to get Joseph McCullough to come and join in, but I’m not sure if its a good idea to contact him or how to contact him.

I want to be able to run a good campaign but as I have never run an event like this I would love some pointers

after discussing it with the guy that has run several single day events of Star Grave in Milton Keynes he has found that a lot of people promise to come but don’t turn up leaving him in an awkward position with the FLGS that the event is run in and I don’t particularly want to be left with a hefty bill or a mediocre event if every one pulls out.

 

the plan

have a minimum of 8 players more is better( I have the ability to get up to 15 tables and borrow terrain but they wont be as mission specific as the terrain i have cobbled together).

have them create their crews and have extra models in case of swap outs or deaths

have each player bring 10 baddie models of 1 type ( shangrilla / pirate Trooper ect)

day 1 is a mix of Zombie missions from the book finishing with the boss

day 2 progress onto the alien missions from the book finishing with the queen boss

lunch will be at the gamers expense and can be procured from local subway greggs ect

 

 

comments and suggestions very welcome.

Cheers Deamonwolf

 

[sundancer 42985xp 3]

On contacting Joseph: he has a dedicated contact form on his homepage.

https://www.josephamccullough.com/contact/

Just go there and describe what you are planning

On people not attending: collect the fee for attending in advance. So even if someone decides not to attend you’re not sitting on the costs of renting that place.

For the organisation of the tournament/campaign I would suggest using a website like this one:

https://www.tabletopturniere.de/uk/index.php

Not sure if there maybe a better site like this in UK natively but I really like T³ a lot.

Also I would look over at Osprey to see if they have anything like an official Organized Play coordinator. Sometime companies will help with knowledge or a small price pool.

Speaking of price pool: calculate a bit of money into the attendance fee and use that to buy some prizes for winners.

[deamonwolf 905xp 0]

Thanks for the Help Sundancer

i have managed to message him with the link you sent

 

I have also started looking at T3 , I have found an Event page on the Osprey site regarding but is appears to not include Star Grave or Frost Grave,

i will email them and see if the are willing to discuss it

 

again thank you for your help

[lawnor 25939xp 1]

I’ve been attending Warmachine events in the UK for years and they’re usually run through https://www.tiebreak.co.uk/.  They’re more tournament /competitive than Stargrave, but it works well.  Might not fit what you need though.  If you’re only having a few people then you might be able to run in on a scrap of paper.  When I’ve hosted 6-8 man tournaments in my house we just run everything from a whiteboard.  I’ve heard American Warmachine players like https://www.bestcoastpairings.com/ but I’ve no experience of it.

As Sundancer said, get the money upfront, and make it clear there’s no refunds from the date you can’t get your money back.

If this is for new players, maybe offer some demo evenings in the run up to the event to teach the rules and build hype?

Have a plan for the day.  Have a timetable for rounds and a plan for how to handle anyone overrunning, otherwise you could find the final round ending 2-3 hours behind schedule.  Make sure everyone is aware of all of this at the start of the day.

Get help.  8 friends you can manage easily enough.  You all know each other.  No pressure.  8+ strangers, each with their own expectations, and possibly different rules understandings and different gaming etiquette could create issues and a demand on your time.  A second pair of hands, and a second brain for solving rules disputes can be a big help.  You’ll also need to pee sometime and someone should be available in the hall.

I’ve never gone to a narrative event so I’m following this thread to see what comes up.  I do have Stargrave on my To Do list.

[avernosKeymaster 33947xp 3]

the way we used to calculate it for ticket sales is to go for 2/3 of your venue capacity for ticket sales. You may want to change that to something lower but it more or less goes like this.

for example total capacity is 30, venue costs £300 tickets should be £15 that way you don’t need to worry about selling every ticket. Then if you do it can go towards a prize fund or the like.

I would contact Osprey rather than Joe direct as they can talk to him and put him in contact with you if he’s amenable, but in the meantime, they can help with advertising and potential prizes

 

[kiranamida 5791xp 3]

I have never run an organised day event like this but one thing I know from running clubs is: have a back-up. Preferably a person, but at least a plan.

Most of the time, everything will go smoothly as most people know what they’re about and get on with it once they find out what they need from you and what they need to come back with. The odd thing that comes up should easily be handled with a little common sense. When things get hairy is when multiple things come up at once that need handling.

With any luck, it’ll never come to be but I like to have someone else at the event, even if they’re there primarily as a player, who I know and is willing to stand in if I have to run out and sort something; as little as standing in to say “okay, we know, the person dealing with that will be back and with you shortly”. It can keep things running smoothly and people tend to have more patience when they feel that there is a plan.

[onlyonepinman 18062xp 2]

Don’t be afraid to charge for tickets.  Work out how much the venue is, what your minimum attendee number is to make it viable and charge according to that.  If that price seems too high then chances are your minimum number of attendees isn’t as low as you thought.

If more come and you end up make a few pennies for yourself, don’t feel guilty – you out a shit tonne of effort into setting it up, building scenery and organising it.  And you could always buy a few prizes to give away with any extra if you feel so strongly about it

[lawnor 25939xp 2]

Also, if you do turn a profit and do feel bad about it, just put it in a tin to pay for stuff for the next event, or use it as a buffer to cover low attendance at your next event.

[ced1106Participant 6224xp 1]

> I would like to get Joseph McCullough to come and join in, but I’m not sure if its a good idea to contact him or how to contact him.

As others have said, do it! (: From his videos, I get the impression he’s a good guy to game with. If he’s in your area, ask him if he knows a store or club that has players who might be interested. I know LeadAdventurers miniature painting forum has a group for Frostgrave.

> I want to be able to run a good campaign but as I have never run an event like this I would love some pointers

Conventions work best, as you have a dedicated group of players. Maybe a FLGS that already has leagues. No idea about pubs, I assume they don’t have leagues or campaign nights.

> after discussing it with the guy that has run several single day events of Star Grave in Milton Keynes he has found that a lot of people promise to come but don’t turn up leaving him in an awkward position with the FLGS that the event is run in and I don’t particularly want to be left with a hefty bill or a mediocre event if every one pulls out.

fwiw, I used to run demo days at the FLGS, and, yes, people look but they don’t play, often because they don’t have time, or are not interested in the game or just checking out the components is good enough for them. Getting a friend to play DOES help, even if some people just want to watch. I would have premade crews available (stats and miniatures), in case someone who didn’t know about the event is interested in joining. Also, think of some way someone can join in between scenarios (eg. premade stats for a tougher crew).

If possible, play the campaign before the event. Works out any kinks, including terrain setup.

[sundancer 42985xp 1]

Spam bot alert!

please review that users christyapary posting history!

Also check willielem as those entries do look highly suspicious!

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