Northampton Warlords

Maybe this shouldn't go here, maybe it should go on the Blog but this seems as good a place as any.

I would like to say that i was really impressed with the turnout at the club today (12/07/09). When Myself and Mark decided to reinstate the Northampton Warlords I was a little worried that we would get a bad turnout and the club fail at the first hurdle.

But although we are only on our third meeting its obvious that the club is going from Strength to strength, and today it was nice to see so many people attending and a variety of systems being played (40K, Flames of War, Warmachine, Warhammer, Pirates, Uncharted seas), and its was nice to see a few youngsters playing too.

So a big thank you for everyone who has supported the club over the last few weeks and a big thankyou to Mark and Nobby who have done a fantastic job, and I apologise if I seem a bit distant at the moment what with my house move and that.

Its really great now that we have some storage space and a number of people are going to be helping the club by lending some scenery to us. Thanks guys. But already it looks like we have quite a bit of stuff ranging from 40k scenery, castles, walls, fow buildings, and boards, trees, shrubs and fantasy plants etc.

I think we are well on our way to be a well equipped club in terms of scenery but no doubt in the future we will be getting more.

Next meeting we will be having Traveller start as a RPG being run by Vaughn Noble, and as he is an avid traveller collector and GM with years of experience it should be Excellent.

I know Mark is planning a FOW campaign for latter in the year and its something I also want to get off the ground. For a long time its been an idea of mine to do all five beaches of D Day with extra tables for 6th airlanding and 82nd and 101st airborne.

Finally i would like to say that in the last few weeks I have met some great people. I have found in the past that in places like Games workshop you get  game but dont really get to meet anyone. But so far the atmosphere has been great and everyone has been really helpful and friendly.

Its great that a group of like minded people like myself (although i do find it bizarre that there are like minded people like myself) can meet together twice a month and have a bloody good time.

Thanks guys and lets make the club go from strength to strength.

Gary Arthur (Club Secretary)

Nobby Rocks!

Today I am made up. Delighted. Happy.

There - that is the hippy in me. No seriously though today was the first small step for nerdkind!!

Marks dedication supported by others like Gary, Martin, Paul and everyone else who has taken the time to turn up at the club since its relaunch have made it thus far a big success. To have 13 attendees on our second session with 18 today has meant that we have gone from strength to strength.

The support of the venue with Ken the Chairman of the Committee taking the time out of his personal schedule to build shelving for our scenery et al. never ceases to amaze me. People respond to people. Treating others like you want to be treated is a cliche that has however demonstrated it's strength in a tangible way.

Our club has the opportunity to be a real focal point within the community to provide a forum for all manner of people, young and old to express themselves through whatever gaming channel they chose. `The social development that the interactivity of face to face non-computer gaming realises has massive benefits in my humble opinion.

As one member said today it was great to see some youngsters integrating with the more mature(sic!!) of us - and fitting in well. In addition a side game with just the youngsters playing in a very considered way was fantastic.

The eclectic mix of Flames of War, Uncharted Seas, Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40k, Pirates, Wings of War and Warmachine/Hordes proved on only our third meet that we have the ability to be a very diverse community appealing to a braod spectrum of gamers.

To those who have thus far turned up merely to observe and socialise with the gamers playing my thanks. The proffering of subs to ensure the viability and ongoing success by those individuals has humbled me.

Enough Nobby - enough!

So. Thank you. All of you. Please keep attending and gaming and please spread the word. It is my job to find a way through any of the roadblocks we may face as we grow. tables, scenery, funding, whatever it is I will use my best endeavours to find a solution. You guys keep playing and having fun - but spread the word.....please!!

Take care and see you all in a fortnight.

Nobby x

Well I think that  asking Nobby to take the possition of chairperson was the right move for me. I started this club and always had the vision for it to become what it has now become today, all the club needed was a dedicated committee with the right ideas and comitment to make the steps in the right direction, once the club had those people on its committee I was willing to hand over the reigns. I think we all know the hardships that the club has faced over the last three years, to see the results of our actions now, just three meetings after our restoration is truely remarkable. Northampton warlords has now got a real chance of being a success in every way that it was originaly intended. When those of us who decided to restore the club and bring it to its former venue first planned the project we soon identified the problems we were facing and took a firm and dedicated aproach to them as a team.

In regards to who should be thanked and applauded here I think it would be rude and short sighted to say any one individaul. in reality the club would not exist today if it had not been founded to begin with, the club then would not have survived as long as it did had it not been for the dedication of those who have stuck with it through the realy hard times and to this point I would say thank you to those who have been there from the start in the face of negative comments like " no club in Northampton ever lasts more than a year"  well its now 3 years old!  I would also say thankyou to those who have got onboard, rolled thair sleves up and got thair hands dirty to get this club back on its feet!  The trueth is many people do not actualyrealise what it takes just to run a club let alone start one in the first place, but to see a number of people willing to get involved not just as club officials but activly supporting the club through just turning up and playing games, bringing new people and helping to create a warm friendly atmosphere is what this club is all about, without it the club is nothing.

So the thanks and praise belongs to everybody for all thair efforts as after all if it was only ever about one person then it would just be one person rolling dice feeling very lonely.

As the clubs founder I would like to say from me personaly thankyou to those who have kept this club alive and are willing to do what it takes to continue to keep it alive, so

 THANK YOU EVERY BODY

Mark whilst you are right to thank everybody I still stand by my convictions. It has been your enthusiasm, tenacity and commitment that has made this happen.

Make ni bones about it, from webmaster to secretary to chairman to venue liaison to retailer liaison to T-Shirt liaison etc etc......I could go on. Most of the club do not know the half of the effort you have put in. They really don't - so I do not regret singling you out as the man who must be praised for getting the relaunch off the ground.

Now it is the many that must pick up the mantle - you are right. So....

.....THANK YOU MARK. THANK YOU EVERYONE.

Well its very nice to know that there is recognition and thanks for all that hard work, work that has been greatly my own but also with fantastic efforts from Nobby, Gary, Paul, Martin, everyone who has attended too. The work must now go on through a new committee that I must say makes me proud to see taking this club where it needs to go, without that dedication from the new committee it would not be possible for the club to go on. I am  pleased to say that as I step down from being a club official on the committee and become more an active member, I know that I can now relax and enjoy all that will come from that hard work. Although not a committee member, more a senior member and founder of the club, I know that in the days to come I will also enjoy seeing the club grow and mature.

So it is with satisfaction and pride that I can say this club has become a success thanks to everyone involved.