Where do people play?

[symphonicpoet]

A gaming cafe is something that seems like an ideal and fun hobby environment, but I have never managed to use one. I have made enquiries, hoping to use them for the big battles in our campaign, but they have never had the table space, or been open long enough. And the thought of having to pack everything up safely, then travel there, then get everything in from wherever the car is parked, in order to unpack everything to play, then after the game pack everything up again and get it back to the car (which invariably cannot park nearby) then travel back to unpack everything ay home is a nightmare.

TLDR - I play at home.

BUT all that said, if ever I wasn't trying to provide both armies (sometimes more than two) and all the scenery etc, and was instead simply turning up with an army to fight someone else (like we used to do at various wargaming clubs) in a one-off game, then yes I would love to use one.

Except, what with the driving involved, I still could not have a beer.

Some of the local gaming establishments have special parking available in the back for those presenting games for some of the reasons you're describing. Not sure if that's true in the UK, but given what you do and how special it is it might be worth enquiring. If I ran a gaming cafe I'd make sure you got free food, good parking, and had as long as you needed, since your stuff will get people in the door. Can't hurt to ask. "Say, I have this ongoing campaign on my YouTube channel and blog. (Provide links or 8x10 glossy photos as appropriate.) We're looking for a place top run occasional games. Do you have space that could work?"

 

[Padre]

Kind of tried that, several times. People seem disinterested as it is oldhammer, or not 40K, or not some shop/cafe/club project, or they may just think I am bigging up a bunch of nothing. But mostly the problem is that there has not, in the 4 different local-ish places I have tried, been parking facilities close by. And lugging the amount of stuff I would lug would be a major chore, as well as packing it, unpacking it at the shop, re-packing it then unpacking it at home. The campaign games swallow vast amounts of time already without extra stuff to do.

Not complaining, not whinging, just saying it as it is. I love the idea of running big battles in a gaming cafe, but the reality is something very different!

 

[symphonicpoet]

Understandable. I only drag my world to other facilities but rarely, and it's not so involved as yours, and we generally have more parking everywhere over here. (And my musty/dusty basement usually smells better than even the nicer gaming stores in the US when they get crowded.) But anyone who thinks your campaign is a bunch of nothing . . . bah, I say! It is something, and something grand at that. Game at home in complete pride and splendid isolation. (I honestly prefer it myself. I just . . . try to take my rig on the road every now and then. For friends. Mostly.)

Honestly, the truth is I don't care for gaming in stores often in part because there's so very little in them that interests me. Board games, every now and then. Maybe a paint brush. But I use craft paints, old miniatures, new miniatures no one carries but the manufacturer, and random toys and discarded oddments. I don't really feel like I belong in gaming stores these days. (With the possible exception of Foundry.) I suppose I just live in hope, as I have memories of golden afternoons in them when I was younger. (And boardgame cafes can be a nice place for a boardgame, but boardgames are by definition a bit more portable. And the ones here generally have libraries you can use for a price, which price is reduced when you buy food or beverage, possibly to zero if you buy enough food and beverage. So no need to take anything but my own still animated corpse.)