A New Podcast is born - End The Turn

So as with my post on Roll Against Cancer (hopefully have shareable news on that soon) I have another one of my revised Hobby Objectives to update you all on.  This time it's More Involved.

Tomorrow at roughly 6pm UK time a new podcast will launch.

End The Turn is a drunken promise I made at UK Games Expo to my good friend +Liz Mackie

Unlike other drunken promises I may (or may not!) have made at UK Games Expo this one is now a reality.

End The Turn is a podcast about the hobby, focusing on RPGs and Board Games but also likely to cover other stuff in and around this wonderful hobby of ours.

So what does that mean for A 2nd Chapter?  Nothing specifically.

I'll be posting content here and I'll be posting / podcasting content there.  Some of that content will blend between both but some of it will be different.  You're definitely going to get more RPG related content over on End The Turn alongside Board Games. A 2nd Chapter will continue to be about my views and thoughts about my hobby and the hobby and I think they're compatible outlets.

So have a listen when we launch and let me know your thoughts either here or via the End The Turn avenues.

Thanks!

Starting A New Game Store....

... No not me.  My life as we know it would be over if I contemplated that!!

The awesome Gary Ray over at Black Diamond Games in Concord, California has recently started collating and posting a HUGE amount of intelligent planning and thinking in general about the process you should go through if you're looking at Starting A New Game Store.

Whilst some of his content is U.S.A. centric I'd say 99% of what he says translates to other regions of the world.

In my opinion Gary is a visionary of how hobby retail, specifically game hobby retail, needs to be run.  Invariably during my tenure at KOA I referred to his blog for insight and guidance when things weren't going well and ultimately it was his blog that helped me come to the conclusion that I needed to cease trading as KOA.  Well that and the mountain of debt that I acquired and continue to pay off...

So if you're interested in bricks & mortar retail in general and specifically in how the game hobby retail business operates you'd benefit from reading Gary's blog.

Part 1 is here - http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/starting-new-game-store-motivation-part.html

He's currently (at time of writing) up to Part 10.

Roll Against Cancer

As part of my revised hobby objectives I set out to be more involved in the hobby at large and to organise events.

Roll Against Cancer does both of these.

I've been involved in charity events in the past, mostly during the 1st Chapter but also through events at DWARF over the years.

I've am close to people who continue to fight Cancer and have lost people due to Cancer.
As have many other people I know.

I can't cure Cancer.
I also can't raise enough money on my own to cure Cancer.
I can help though.

Roll Against Cancer is an attempt to help but what is it exactly?

Well right now this is embryonic but this is what I want it to be -

• Event will be from 10am to 10pm on a Saturday
• RPGs - I want at least 4 tables of RPGs running over at least 2 slots (preferably 3)
• Board Games - I want a board game library for people to pick up and use but I also want to have some scheduled board game events and hopefully a demo team from Esdevium
• Wargames - Not sure what to aim for here as I don't want to dilute / detract from other local events.  Perhaps X-Wing or Warmachine / Hordes or perhaps something else.  Depends on what the Scottish scene can handle.
• Card Games - Unlikely to have anything that will compete with the Magic scene but will take that under advisement from my network.
• Game Jam Lite - I want to use this as an opportunity to have a Game Jam Lite.  I say Lite as there's no way we could host a full on Jam.
• Something published (PDF and/or Print) - I want to use my network to get game related "stuff" collected and published to either a) raise funds or b) be a give away to all who attend or c) something else.  This needs a LOT more thought.
• Raffle / Prizes - Not wanting this to turn into a rewards scheme for people necessarily but it would be good to get some stuff together to thank those who come and also provide additional incentives to those who would consider attending.
• Seminars / Talks - Nothing grand here but I'd like to have something along these lines.
• Introductions - I'd love to have people who have no connection to the hobby to support us in some way.
• Plus of course I want to raise money to fight Cancer.

So it's essentially a mini-convention.

The specifics around What, Where, When and How for Roll Against Cancer will go on that web page but I will post about it here too.

That said. If you want to help, let me know as I'd love some input.