Being your megagame group's biggest fan
Players at a game of Den of Wolves in the UK. Credit: John Mizon
This post is written by Greg Evans. Greg joined the megagame community in 2019 and recently started a blog called The Casual Area to bring more of a player perspective to the megagame space.
There's a lot of discussion in the megagame space about how organizers can better grow the hobby. While advertising on social media or on local game stores is a great idea, players are the best advertisement a megagame group can have.
Talk it up
Promoting an upcoming megagame, or your group in general, doesn't strictly fall on the shoulders of the event organizers. Players have to put in some work themselves to boost the event as much as they can. Regardless of the situation, the voices of 30+ people are louder than that of three or four.
A Facebook ad for an event can catch someone's eye but a friend sharing a personal experience can really get people interested in megagames. It can be intimidating to share your nerdy side with those outside the hobby but you never know whose interest would get piqued after hearing your story.
Keep the momentum going
I'm very lucky. The group I call home, Dallas Megagames, has run five megagames this year (since restarting in June) with two more on the calendar. While your group might not be playing that frequently; keeping active in any Discord, Facebook or other forums can show that there's still interest and show Control that there's a want.
I've never been on a Control team but I have DM’d for quite a while. From that experience, I know that seeing activity in your forum of choice is encouraging for any group organizer.
Whether you're sharing game stories or trying to find the next board game recommendation, this engagement not only shows Control you're still around and ready to play but it also keeps the rest of the community involved. If the forum is active, there's more chance the next game sells out. It's always easier to keep a fanbase than it is to grow a new one
Be supportive
Finally, the last thing we, as players, can do is be supportive of our Control team. When there are questions, answer honestly. When there are issues, give constructive feedback. Show your excitement when a game is coming up. Be understanding if there are issues. Control teams are, more often than not, volunteers helping you create memories on the promise of free pizza.
They're the reason we get to experience these games. They make this hobby possible. The least we can do is be active, engaged and understanding. There will always be more players than Control and we need to use our voice to support this hobby too.
Thanks to Greg for sending us this blog post. What do you do to help your local megagame group out? Let us know on our Facebook group!
You too can see your words about megagames on our site, just get in touch to let us know what you’ve written and we’ll handle the rest.