With 2020 behind us and the Third edition tried, tested and found worthy, I decided that it would be a good idea to write a post about my thoughts regarding building a community around a game and also giving a rundown on what the community in Finland is like today.
2015 - a slow start
The way I see it, in 2015 when GeeDubs killed their version of rank-and-flank fantasy, the fantasy wargaming scene in Finland was pretty stale.
Back then in Finland we had a bunch of people playing ETC-hammer, which was, in my view, a version of 8th edition that was patched almost beyond recognition. There was a semi-active tournament scene, with a few tournaments run every year. Then we had a lot of people like me and my friends, who never played new people and mostly kept to ourselves. It was regarded self-evident that there would always be a WHFB by GW and people would always play the game.
Well, come summer of 2015, it turns out that that self-evident fact was not very waterproof. AoS was a joke, and for many of us, it seemed in poor taste, although I hear nowadays it's an okay game if you like 40k. The uproar was deafening, and for the first time ever many people, myself included, looked beyond GW for a game.
Here's actually what I consider to be the biggest single threshold for people playing GW games: they often feel like they're being unfaithful if they take up a game that's non-GW. I felt the same, at first, but soon it started feeling like I had been a part of a weird, weird cult. Miniatures by another manufacturer? Pha! A game that's not titled Warhammer? Peasants! The weird thing, in my view, is that after playing other games for a change, I actually came to realize that WHFB 8th edition had never been a good game, even with ETC fixes. It achieved depth through randomness and complexity, neither of which are dominant in KoW. It had a cool backstory, or had had a cool backstory, but by 2015 that cow had been milked completely dry.
In 2015 we had one tryout KoW-tournament in Finland, with around ten participants. There seemed to be some enthusiasm, but the whole landscape of FB mass battle systems was still blown wide open. No one was sure which game to pick up.
Me and my friends stuck with Kings of War, since it seemed a lot more balanced than WHFB had beem
2016-2017 Participating in everything
I quickly realized that the community I had once taken for granted was anything but, and that behind the seemingly endless flow of tournaments and game days was a handful of people who were working their butts off to make things happen.
The first step I was willing to take was to start attending tournaments. The first few tournaments were only four players, but soon we had a regular six to eight people playing. That's not many, but taking into account that Finland, despite it's area, is only 5 million people, it was a start.
During these two years I spent maybe ten weekends driving to which ever rundown warren of miniature wargaming geeks I could cram myself into for a few hours of gaming. I met a bunch of people and slowly got to know them some, despite being a semi-introverted sluggard when it comes to making new friends.
2018-2019 Pulling my weight
2018 was the year when I really started to put time and effort into making things happen. I organized my first own tournament while still continuing to drive obscene amounts (shut up, Americans, we know you drove longer) in order to participate to tournaments held elsewhere. A weekend here, another there.
Two weeks back I found myself at Ropecon, demoing KoW for an evening and then hosting an event the next day. The tournament at this venue has become the tournament in Finland, despite being only a one day event and the games being of a relatively few points at 1750. Two eventful days full of people coming and going and even getting a surprise game in myself as the backup player!
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| Round one under way, seven tables means a small tournament, but enough to make it interesting. |
After working to build a community for a few years, I notice a thing starting to happen. A new face here, another there. Not everyone comes always, nor does every new face become a regular attendee, but a few do. Slowly but surely we have started to gain some traction, and though it's been a long four years and we're still far from a big game in Finland, I think we're starting to get this thing moving.
The year 2020 didn't happen, as we all know, so nothing to report on that blank space of time.
KoW in Finland - what's going on today?
Previously we've been hosting four to five tournaments per year in different towns and cities in Finland, mainly in Jyväskylä, Turku and in the capital region. Turku hosts a tournament in autumn and late spring, while Jyväskylä usually has a winter tournament, while the capital region is still picking up it's game. The main event has thus far been the Kings of War tournament at Ropecon I mentioned earlier. Tournaments are small, usually 8-12 players, with Ropecon attracting around 14-16 players every year. Small tournaments, but tournaments none the less.
One off games are happening every now and then, but I think we're not reaching the level of communal activity I'd like to see. That goes to say that people tend to play in their basements rather than at clubs, which is fine unless you want to attract more people. The people playing KoW seem to be from their late twenties to their early fourties, so family life and jobs take a toll on people's ability to get those games going. What surprises me is that it seems that some people in Finland are still looking for the right game to scratch that fantasy itch, even after many years of WHFB-refugeeism.
Currently I think we have around 20 active players, maybe more, and I think there's some genuine interest with quite a few others as well. I'm pretty thrilled at 3rd Edition and the coming tournaments of 2021!
KoW in Finland - what's going on today?
Previously we've been hosting four to five tournaments per year in different towns and cities in Finland, mainly in Jyväskylä, Turku and in the capital region. Turku hosts a tournament in autumn and late spring, while Jyväskylä usually has a winter tournament, while the capital region is still picking up it's game. The main event has thus far been the Kings of War tournament at Ropecon I mentioned earlier. Tournaments are small, usually 8-12 players, with Ropecon attracting around 14-16 players every year. Small tournaments, but tournaments none the less.
One off games are happening every now and then, but I think we're not reaching the level of communal activity I'd like to see. That goes to say that people tend to play in their basements rather than at clubs, which is fine unless you want to attract more people. The people playing KoW seem to be from their late twenties to their early fourties, so family life and jobs take a toll on people's ability to get those games going. What surprises me is that it seems that some people in Finland are still looking for the right game to scratch that fantasy itch, even after many years of WHFB-refugeeism.
Currently I think we have around 20 active players, maybe more, and I think there's some genuine interest with quite a few others as well. I'm pretty thrilled at 3rd Edition and the coming tournaments of 2021!
What's required to build a community?
In Finland, I'd say KoW is, right now, a second-rate game. 40k is king with a ton of players, and on the second tier we have a bunch of games from T9A to Warmahordes to AoS to KoW, with many games regularly hosting tournaments. So all in all, the miniature wargaming community in Finland is actually pretty active. My goal has, for the past five years, been to get more people interested in playing Kings of War. Community, e.g. the people playing the game and sharing the passion for their hobby, is at the heart of the hobby, and that means that in order to have a community, you have to get players.
A community is built, I feel, mainly, through relenteless work, a lot of time for the game to gain ground and some shameless advertising.
My tips for getting a community going, although I'm far from being good at this stuff myself:
1. Always attend everything you can
Whether it's a day for one off games in the next town over or a two day tournament, go if you can. Your presence will be noted, and the worst publicity a game can get are events getting cancelled due to lack of attendance. That sends a very discouraging message to anyone that could potentially be interested in the dame.
People want to pick up a game that has players and that's why it's important to help making these events happen.
2. Get in touch with local gaming clubs
Even if they don't actively play Kings of War, or even if they don't show a lot of enthusiasm for it at first, being an active member in the club will draw people's attention and maybe give you a few casual opponents to play against once you get them introduced to the game. People who already play miniature games are, in my opinion, the likeliest people to pick up Kings of War as they know how to start a game.
Interact, mingle, and if you have a friend you usually play, take your games to the local gaming den instead of your basement. That'll give you some visibility.
3. Demo the game
Running demo games is the best way to show the game off.
People are likelier to pick up a game they've tried and found interesting, so I recommend you actively demo the game. Pack two armies with you, small ones preferably, hoist your butt to the local wargaming cave and host a demoing event or a day for one off games. Even if you attract just one Joe Random, who happened by accidentally, remember that the community consists of individual players. Every player counts, especially in the beginning.
4. It takes time
People who are potentially interested in the game need time to get going, and will be more likely to turn from potential players to active ones if you keep the game visible for enough time for them to first feel like they'd not be wasting their time by picking the game up and second for them to have enough time to actually get a force assembled.
5. Ask for help and offer to help
Local wargaming clubs will, most likely, be happy to help you organize stuff and to make things happen so that they could add another game into the bulk of games they as a community represent. If someone is thinking about organizing an event in their area, go a
6. Remember that it's just a hobby
Take time off, let your miniatures sit in the corner and go drink some cold beer or whatever you do when you want to just relax. It's easy to burnout the joy of the hobby if you take it too seriously or don't have enough other stuff to keep you busy, because it can take a long while for the game to gain some players.
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At any rate, I for one can't wait to see CoVid-vaccines rollout and we can get back to the really important stuff, wargaming.
Keep safe and roll lots of sixes,
AoW
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