WARMACHINE and HORDES have a treasure trove of Organized Play options, ranging from story-driven narrative events to competitive tournament series, and everything in between. Playing in any of these events is extremely satisfying as a player, but today I want to discuss the flip side of events: running them.

Before I started working at Privateer Press in 2010, I was a Press Ganger. I had been handed the reins by the previous PG in my area, a fellow you might have heard of by the name of Ed Bourelle. While I love playing games, I also find I gain equal, if not greater, enjoyment out of hosting games for others. When I play tabletop RPGs, I’m usually the GM. When I have board game nights at my house, I’m happy to sit out a game if there are too many players and teach others how to play. I find a great deal of satisfaction in being the “facilitator of fun,” as it were, and anyone who runs WARMACHINE events on a regular basis likely feels the same.

If you’ve never organized and officiated an event before, it can be a daunting task. Everyone is relying on you to make sure the event goes smoothly, to handle disputes, and to run an entertaining event. If you’ve ever considered running an event, but felt intimidated by all that goes into it, don’t worry—it’s actually a bit easier than you think. It just requires a good eye for detail, a commitment to planning, and a connection to your community. In fact, let me give you my top-ten list of things to remember when running an event. I hope you find it useful.

1.) Run the event for your community, not for yourself.

Before you begin planning an event, ask yourself, “Is this what the players want, or is it what I want to run?” You might think Steamroller tournaments are the greatest thing since Power Up, but if your locals only want to play in narrative leagues or paint-and-take hobby days, you should cater to their needs and not yours.

Now, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever run a Steamroller event, but talk it over with the group and make sure its what they want or something they are willing to try. If you just throw an event out there without doing any “market research” first, you’ll likely be surprised by the low attendance you encounter.

2.) Make the event worth the hosting venue’s time.

Once you know what your community wants to participate in, you need a place to run it—a place with ample table room, good hours, a welcoming atmosphere, and that is easily accessible for the majority of your players. Nine times out of ten this is going to be your friendly local gaming store. So if this business is going to open its doors to you and all the players, and use its valuable table space for your event, make it worth the store’s time.

Make sure the players understand the conduct rules in that venue. Make sure everyone knows what deals that venue might be offering on products related to your event. Make sure everyone knows how they can best support that venue, so you as the event organizer can build a relationship with the venue and can host events there for years to come. Trust me, when all the cogs in the machine are in harmony, it makes running events not only easier but far more enjoyable.

3.) There is no such thing as too much advertisement.

This one is simple. Promote the hell out of your event. Use every avenue you possibly can, the majority of which are absolutely free and only require a small amount of your time. Post on social media, post on our online forums, tell your friends to tell their friends, and put up fliers at the venue. The best way to have no one show up at your event is for no one to know about it until it’s too late. Start promoting at least one month in advance, two or three months if you can swing it.

4.) Create a logistics sheet, check it constantly.

In my opinion, the hardest part of an event is making sure you brought everything you need, and I mean EVERYTHING. I’m not just talking about prize support for the winners, I’m talking about all the little odds and ends you need to host a successful event. Does your event need tables, terrain, clocks, scenario sheets, player sheets, flags, zones, objectives, software to run pairings, prizes, blank paper, pens or pencils, rules books, etc?

Create an itemized list of all the things you’re going to need to run the event, and make sure you acquire or can access those items BEFORE you even begin advertising the event. A logistics sheet will go a long way toward ensuring you don’t go insane with worry and uncertainty leading up to your event.

5.) Set clear guidelines for disputes.

The last thing you want at or after an event is drama. It’s a sad truth, but when competition is involved, there is always the chance for drama. You don’t want to end up being accused of ruling in the favor of a friend over an out-of-town participant, so when you are advertising the event, make sure that any hot-button issues are addressed ahead of time (e.g.: an official rule clarification waiting on Infernal or staff confirmation), and that your players know exactly how you intend to handle any problems that might arise.

6.) Know the rules or know someone who knows the rules.

Being a great event organizer and being a great rules officiator are two different things. You can host the best events on the planet and only have a basic understanding of the deep intricacies of rules interactions, but you better have someone on hand that does know the rules better than you if that’s the case. Bad rulings are the fast track to drama town, so either be in a position where you are confident in what judge calls you make, or have someone on hand that is.

7.) Get by with a little help from your friends.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help in areas that you are less experienced in, or need assistance in. There is no shame in getting assistance from others during the planning, organization, and execution of an event. Even if that person is going to be a participant in the event, feel free to ask for his or her help . . . unless he or she would be rules officiating. You don’t want the judge to also be a player in the event (bullet train to drama town).

Hell, a massive chunk of the success of our official convention events is thanks to our friends! If it weren’t for folks like Andrew Hartland, Travis Marg, Ruxton Smith, Boots, and Tim Banky, just to name a few, I can promise we would have had some really big events at shows like Load & Load and Gen Con end up taking the express elevator straight to downtown drama town.

8.) Be inclusive, not exclusive.

Unless your event is specifically the final series in a tournament circuit that requires a player to qualify to participate (ex: The WMW Invitational or The Iron Gauntlet World Finals), be as inclusive as you can be. That doesn’t just mean open it up to everyone; it means you should also consider offering prizes or activities for folks who want to participate but might have different goals for the event.

Running a Steamroller tournament, but have a few brand-new players who are more interested in painting than winning? Pick up some Best Painted awards for the event.

Running a narrative league, but have a few old salts that only care about competitive play? Tweak the rules so that they can still participate in the league, and when they play each other, they can use Steamroller scenarios and death clocks. When they play the other participants, they can revert to the standard narrative league rules.

Make sure your event is about bringing people together, not fracturing your community.

9.) Get to the event at least two hours early.

You should be the first one in the doors for your event, and the last one to leave. It’s your baby; take pride in it. It’s inevitable that eventually, something will go wrong and you’ll have a last-minute fire to put out. Get in the habit of getting to your event at least two hours early to get everything set up, and give yourself ample time to address and resolve any last-minute problems that might crop up. Scrambling at the last second to handle a potentially event-ruining problem is a terrible feeling, so give yourself the breathing room you need so you never have to experience the whirlwind of stress.

10.) Have fun, and show it.

Seriously, have fun. If you aren’t having fun running events, then maybe it’s just not in your DNA. Here’s the cold truth, not everyone is cut out for it. It requires all the skills we’ve discussed earlier (which everyone can learn), and also requires a person who feels a feel sense of accomplishment and joy from running a successful event (which can’t be taught).

When you have fun your community notices, and they will have fun as well. You are the champion of your own event, and the players will mimic your demeanor. If you’re grumpy and complaining, or lazy and unengaged, the players aren’t going to have a good time. If you are energetic, happy, motivated, and demonstrating that you are trying to give the players a good time, they will respond in kind.