(Net) Running a League - Step One: Location

Man, do I love to play Android: Netrunner. And from all indications, lots of other people feel the same way. Unfortunately, very few of those other people were my close gaming buddies – they would all rather play Agricola or Power Grid or Puerto Rico or Lords of Waterdeep, all fine games but they are not, sadly, Android: Netrunner. So there I was with this awesome new game that I wanted to play and almost no one to play it with. So I did what I often do in these situations.

I did something about it. I went out and started an Android: Netrunner League.

It's been pretty successful, too. We have 27 active players who have played 160 matches so far this season (over the course of three Sundays).

And now I'm going to help you do what I did. Step-by-step. It's a lot easier than it seems.

Step One: Find a Location
You may be saying to yourself, "Isn't finding a place to host all the potential players I am going to find BEFORE I find those players putting the icebreaker before the ICE, as the kids say?"

The short answer is, "Nope."

The long answer is that finding a location will actually help you attract players. Because the goal isn't really just to "find" a place for your League to sit down and play, it's to find a place that will help you make your League a fun and rewarding experience for those that get involved.

You have a couple of options when looking for a venue:

1) You Friendly Local Game Store – this is, by far, the best option, so make it your goal to get them involved. If you don't happen to work at your FLGS (which gave me an "in" for sure), there are still lots of ways to get the shop interested. Hosting a League, if done "properly," is going to bring a lot of folks into the store on a regular basis. Those people will market the store for free (albeit through the lens of the League). Those people will also be much more likely to purchase their Data Packs, sleeves, deck boxes, and other accouterments at the store. Because of the ongoing, regular play, the shop will see customers who might not normally rush out to buy Data Packs go so far as to pre-order them so they can play with the new stuff a.s.a.p.

The biggest thing to do when pitching your FLGS on a Netrunner League is to make it clear that YOU will be doing the majority of the work. You need to make it clear that the shop will have to, at most, help set-up the space on League Days and do a modicum of marketing by making sure that a short description and the dates and times are on it's website/calendar/what-have-you. You will do everything else – running the Game Days, sending out League communications, maintaining the stats, everything.

Be aware that the Organized Play kits cost money and your FLGS may not be interested in paying that cost for you (at least until the LEague takes off and even then, they may not want to pony up the cash). The kits are pretty affordable ($17.95, I believe) so you may need to pay out of pocket or take up a collection from League members to buy one or two. We'll talk more about OP Kits in a later installment, but just keep the potential cost in mind.


2) Your Local Spacious Bar/Pub/Coffee House – You might be surprised how readily a local bar/pub/coffee house will agree to host your League. You will probably need to be pretty flexible as to your regular day and time, since the establishment will no doubt have its peak hours and will probably not want you taking up a bunch of space during those times. However, if you can work with them to find a time when they are usually slow, they will often be more than happy to have a bunch of new customers that will probably AT LEAST order a few drinks. One of the local boardgame meet-ups here in Chicago meets every other Saturday in the back room of a pub on the city's north side. The pub makes a good deal of money from gamers who order a beer or two and, usually, a sandwich or something.

Before you approach the venue, you will want to do some research, though. You want to be able to give a fair and reasonable estimate as to how many players might show up to the average event. You always want to come in low on your estimate because you don't want them to get irritated because they were expecting 50+ people and expected a certain amount of sales. You also want to go over any rules they wish to enforce about behavior, attire, etc. You want to be clear with all your League members on what the establishment will and won't allow (so that you don't have a bunch of people bringing McDonald's into a place that serves food, for instance).

The establishment may even be willing to offer specials during your League Days (the "smaller" the place, the more likely they'll be willing). This can help both you and the venue by making League members feel "special" and driving sales of food/beverages.

3) Your Friendly Local Library Or Park District – Most libraries and park district buildings have spaces that they make available to the public. Here in Chicago, the library will let you use a conference room for free, while the park district buildings charge an hourly rental rate, so you may need to pay out of pocket or take up a collection from the League members each meet-up. There are some things you'll need to make clear before you sign up to use such a space: is the space available regularly; can you give away prizes (some places consider this a form of gambling and, as such, prohibit it); what kind of furniture (tables, chairs, etc.) are in the room and are you allowed to reconfigure them; what is the food/beverage policy; etc.

Be aware that most libraries will require that events held on-site must be open to the community. This shouldn't be a problem, but you may occasionally get someone who has no idea what Netrunner is stopping in. Make sure that you have a plan for how to deal with that kind of interruption without disrupting the players or the venue.
This should be your "last resort" choice for space, though, since most libraries or park districts aren't going to do anything at all in the way of marketing or helping to make the League more exciting. If you already have a solid player-base, though, this can be the most hassle-free choice, since these places are pretty hands-off about what goes on once you've reserved the space (as long as you don't start knocking down walls or lighting things on fire, of course).


Ok, now you have a Step One, so go on out and find yourself a location at which to base your League. Next week, we'll talk about ways to find like-minded players, how to get them to come (and come back) to your League, and the easiest/best ways to keep them informed of League news and events.