Club Update – April 6, 2021
Stephen Duall
In lieu of a Gaming News, below is a summary/update of things that are going on, being planned, or that are newsworthy.
Board Room
Club continues to use our Sunday afternoon reservation at the Board Room in Arlington, VA. Please sign to play on Sundays so that we know how many tables are needed and to limit the number of people to what our reserved space can accommodate. You do not have to sign up if you are playing a game that can be played on a small table outside of the club’s reserved area (e.g., Kill Team. WarCry, AI). Sign ups are done through SignUp Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DA8A72EA4FA7-board.
Please be gentle with club terrain at the Board Room. Do not pick up terrain by the walls and floors; use the MDF base instead. There is superglue in the repair box on the mobile terrain shelf. Use it to repair broken off pieces. If the repair is too large to make with superglue, let me know by WhatsApp or email. Additional terrain pieces will be coming this weekend.
I have replacements for the broken wheel on the mobile terrain shelf and will repair it this coming Sunday. A new set of wheels cost over $80 (you can’t buy just one, they come in packs of four). Not sure what happened, but looks like the wheel came unscrewed and someone applied heavy force when it hit an obstacle on the floor and bent the screw. Things happen, but please understand that these things cost money, so be extra careful.
The plan is still to replace the board toppers and folding picnic tables with Gamesmat.eu folding tables or Alpha tables. Neither Gamesmat nor Alpha have had tables in stock for many, many months and there is no indication when they will have stock again. Until then, we will continue to use what we have.
Tentcon
We are less than two months away from Tentcon! The main pieces are in place for the club’s annual outdoor gaming extravaganza on June 5-6. We have the location reserved (rear parking lot of Crescendo Studios in Merrifield, VA) and a 40x30’ tent with tables and chairs. Almost all the main special events – 40k and AoS tournaments on Saturday, 40k Apocalypse on Saturday, as well as 30k, LotR, and Dropzone/Dropfleet Commander – are sold out. Spaces are still available for Blitzbowl and Marvel Crisis Protocol on Sunday. There will also be a separate hobby/hang out small tent next to the main tent on Sunday.
Soon you will be able to sign up for Necromunda, AM & PM, on Sunday (10 slots) and Open Gaming on Sunday (slots TBD). Open Gaming will be reserved by table, so you can play whatever you want with your opponent or opponents.
Volunteers will be needed to help set up early on Saturday morning and pack up after 6 pm on Sunday. Will also need volunteers to work the grill on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (around 12-2 pm) and Saturday evening (around 5-6 pm). Slots will be added to the SignUp Genius for people to sign up.
We will follow VA Department of Health guidance and rules for the event., including any mask requirements. We will not be able to maintain 6 feet of separation with the number of events and people currently anticipated. If the pandemic situation has not improved by June, or has gotten worse, so that social distancing is still required, we may need to reduce the size of the event to what it was last year, or postpone the event until later in the year. With the current pace of vaccinations, and the anticipated increase in vaccinations in April and May, I hope most – if not all – club members will be vaccinated by Tentcon.
Club Shirts
Chris K. has been working on our annual club shirt project. In the past, we have done t-shirts and set the price at a level that the club receives a share, which then goes towards paying the Board Room rent. This year the club may do something besides t-shirts. This is a complicated job, so if Chris asks for feedback, please take it seriously and help him help us.
Dropzone/Dropverse One Day
I would like to host a one-day event at the Falls Church Community Center in the summer (probably July) where people can play, and learn to play, Dropzone Commander and Dropfleet Commander. Both are excellent games, the first a combined arms land-based game (sort of like a futuristic Team Yankee) and the second is a space fleet combat game (sort of like Battlefleet Gothic). The games are small compared to the popularity of GW products, but there is a community in our club and in the United States that is looking for events to play at. Will keep the club informed of the details and will be advertising on the Dropzone/Dropfleet Facebook groups and Discords.
Necromunda Weekender
I am very serious about renting a house at Deep Creek Lake or a nearby beach in the fall off-season for a weekend in order to have two days worth of a Necromunda campaign. Obviously a lot depends on the pandemic situation, but I think we will need to make reservations now, in anticipation of pent up demand as the situation improves. I will talk to people about running the campaign and will look for housing and pricing. If it looks like it will go, I will create a SignUp Genius for people to sign up and commit to paying a portion of the costs of rental, food and drinks for the weekend. Stay tuned!
Other Activities
If anyone wants to organize club events or activities, please go for it! Touch base with me first to make sure things are coordinated and can be supported, but generally the club will support whatever gaming activities you come up with. There is lots of room for Blood Bowl leagues, Warcry campaigns, or Kill Team tournaments. Plus, always supportive of smaller, non-GW games if people want to introduce those to club members. Let me know what you have in mind!