I could crush a grape...

...it's so exciting! I went to see the proposed venue this morning and it really is ideal.

There's oodles of storage space, a fully supplied kitchen (bring your own food and drink), £4m of PLI and next to no restrictions on use (beyond normal civilised behaviour, naturally). There's a separate area for hobycraft and they can even supply simple materials like glue and cardboard.

There's parking, a bus-stop and a pub all within a two minute walk (there's even some parking right outside the door) and, best of all, there's absolutely no charge for its use!

The only downside is that the venue is some 20 minutes out of the centre of town, making it a bit of a hike for those who live on the far side or in the centre. But it's on a bus route right from the middle of town and what they have to spend on travel they'll save on hire fees.

All (all!) that remains is to gather enough people together on its first meeting night to guage interest and to get feedback on how others feel about the place.

This is where the nascent club may fall at the first hurdle.

And we're off!

Yes, after a long delay, it seems that things might actually be starting to happen, and I have GW to thank for it!

Changes to the shop opening hours and working practices have meant that the Tuesday Night Veterans' Club in GW York (and, I think, across the country) has been axed, with only Thursday night left for in-store gaming. Unfortuantely for GW, a good number of the Veterans had organized their home and social lives around Tuesday night gaming. So rather than move nights, they moved locations and have been meeting in another player's home.

Meanwhile, I made a few inquiries and found a venue supported by a national organization that was able to offer us space and time for free! It's right off a main bus route and within staggering distance of the local hostelry (for Over 18 members only!).

It's not a done deal, however. Haste, I have found, is a critical motivator in getting such a venture off the ground. So I'm going to see the venue in detail tomorrow to ask all of the relevant questions and poke my nose around. Using the GCN guide as my roadmap, the questions I'll be asking are:

• Is there storage space for boards (and scenery)?
• Can we use the kitchen and, if so, do we have to provide our own materials?
• Does the hall have its own PLI or do we need to get some?
• Can we sell refreshments?
• Can we do painting and modelling?
• What are the restrictions on use?

Meanwhile, I have contacted a previous employer who still has my CRB certificate (shame on them!). The plan is to drag in as many potential members as possible, not to start gaming straight away but to discuss a way ahead for the club. Points of discussion will include:

• How often will we meet?
• What games will we play?
• How much should we charge and what should revenue be put towards?
• If there's money involved, do we need a committee?

And depending on what answers we get to all of the above points:

• Will we sell refreshments?
• Do we want to run other events?
• Who will be the committee members?
• Do we want to join the GCN?

Of course, this could all still die a quick death. Turn out needs to be drummed up NOW and then maintained at an appropriate level. And if it survives beyond November (first meeting should be 1 Nov 05), we'll need to get organized sharpish if we're to sustain our momentum.

Well, it's off to drum up that support for me! Wish me luck!