The Headingley Games Club has 3 Tips for Gaming Long and Prospering

This blog has been dormant for too long! I’m happy to report that despite the six months of travel that kept me away from the keyboard, the San Marcos Board Gamers are going strong and meeting several times a month. I also had the chance to pick up some tips about gaming from the Headingley Games Club in Leeds, England.

The Headingley Games Club was my home away from gaming home for several weeks this spring. I was keeping busy consulting for a children’s media company during the day, but the off hours would sometimes hang a little heavy. (After all, there are only so many glorious 900-year-old ruins to explore.) Fortunately, the gaming scene in Leeds is both lively and friendly.

I first dropped in on the Headingley Games Club at one of their semi-annual Games Days. These are all-day Saturday events held at the club’s usual venue, but with a little more space and a lot more people. There are all sorts of people and all sorts of games being played, from casual card games to full-on recreation of the battle of Agincourt. Despite a crowd that would do justice to a small convention, everyone was friendly and cheerful, and the afternoon and evening flew by.

I was hooked after that first Games Day, and made a point of stopping in at their regular meeting every Thursday night. My respect for the Headingley Games Club grew even further when I learned they have been getting together since 1978. Almost forty years of gaming — that’s longevity!

What’s Their Secret?

After a few weeks of observation, some patterns seemed clear. The Headingley Games Club’s success seems to be based on three basic principles:

1. Keep it regular. The club is there every week without fail, even on Election Night. I grew to appreciate knowing exactly where I would be every Thursday night.
2. Keep it hospitable. Everyone in the club was quick to welcome new players and invite them to sit down for a game. The (free) biscuits and (50p) tea on the sideboard didn’t hurt either.
3. Keep friendly with the venue. The club meets up in a neat local arts space called the HEART Cafe, and works hard to maintain good relations. Club members regularly order from the cafe — which reciprocates by delivering right to the game room — and everyone helps out with setup and cleanup. It’s a win-win relationship for everyone.

It was a great trip, and I enjoyed the time spent with a veteran game club that’s doing everything right. But I’m even happier to be back. In my next post we’ll take a look around and see how the club has fared in my absence.

Archived from the San Marcos Board Gamers website.