I love it when a plan comes together...

Well, if you've been following this 'blog - and I know a few people have - I need to warn you that we're nearly at its end.

I've still got a few hiccoughs to sort out - the storage thing is one, as is the quest for an alternative venue - but my quest is almost complete. Club membership has now exceeded 20 people, with an average weekly turn-out exceeding 12. We even managed something approaching an AGM (it involved me shouting at people while they tried to ignore me and get on with playing their games, but I'm assured that that is in the best tradition of wargaming all over the world).

Oh sure, my committee mostly let me do all the work (we'll see how long that lasts!) and there're still jobs to do but the club is there, established. We've crossed the sort of member threshold, with a great cross-section of older and younger gamers, that means that we won't be crippled at the start of the university academic year.

So what've I learnt along the way? What advice can I offer to anyone who wants to do what I've done? Here're a few suggestions:

1. Find a venue. Ultimately, the YGWC grew out of me deciding that, come what may, I would be at Hurst Hall, every Tuesday, from 7.30-10.30PM every week and if anyone wanted to join me, they were very welcome.

2. Join the GCN. When it comes to advertising, there's no better outlet than your local GW and the GW Community Forums.

3. Never give up! There were a fair few weeks when it was just me. Then it was just me and one friend. Then me and three friends. Then all of a sudden I found myself collecting the club subs and asking "who're you again?"

If you're trying to start a club of your own, feel free to drop me a line. At the very least I'll send you encouragement.

Happy gaming and may all your dice roll 6s (except when you need 1s)!