Originally published at: A Guide to Growing a Netrunner Community - StimHack
Discuss the latest StimHack article here.
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Well written, great job!
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Nice article. I tried several things suggested. Final step: A friend and I made a deal with the store to buy a store Championship, so the store does not have to take any financial risks (about 3-4 people buy netrunner there).
We will do promotions and hope to get 10 or more people and get a scene going.
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Really great article.
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Very useful. My roommate and I are taking over the local scene from a previous organizer, but there’s still a lot of useful stuff here. Thanks!
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great article! really like the idea of giving a card like a non-core ID to people who try it out. @DJhedgehog/ @FoilFlaws : we should do this!
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Wow, Dan, and I thought I was overly verbose : D
love the article though!
a couple things to add-
–if you can, have some beginner decks ready to go. The Stimhack lists are great, but there are plenty others out there too. A fair number of people milling around good comic/game shops are there on leisure time; they might be ready to sit down and play a game if you’re up for it.
–this might sound weird, but please trust me on this: if you have any ladies in your playgroup, consider asking one of them to be the reach-out person if other nerd/gamer ladies stop by or seem interested. You might be a really cool/fun/not-weird dude, but trust me when I say that most women will have their guard up in nerd spaces; it is really common for them to have to deal with weird/aggressive/gross behavior from dudes in gaming spaces, and if you have a female player (who is willing!) to give this speil, you stand a way better chance of catching the interest of 50% of the gaming population.
–when comparing to magic, don’t be afraid to draw more negative comparisons; many patrons of these places are recovering magicaholics, and will be extra wary of the CCG trap. Assure them, but take care not to estrange yourself from people who still have some love for The Great Enemy in their black and twisted hearts.
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OK, the freebie idea is inspired!!!
One thing I’ve found that’s helped me ridiculously (and surprisingly) well was using some Draft decks as beginner/demo decks. Make the point that you’re not playing by the full game rules, but you’re then not worrying about Influence, ID abilities, etc during the demo which allows the game to speak for itself. That said, it might help that my Draft decks are a Tag-n-Bag and a Viral Runner (which plays really well into the cyberpunk theme 
)
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I must have reviewed that article fifty times. I can’t believe I forgot to include such a key element as demo decks. Thanks for the catch, folks. The article was updated.
Good article! I have to quibble with advice like this, though:
“Think about a night out with your friends where there also exists the possibility of meeting someone special. However you dress for that night is how you should dress for game night. An organizer should appear ready to impress. Comfortable, confident, and kissable.
Judging by the pictures of the playgroups you have, I don’t really see that this was a critical part of building the meta.
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Hey - don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t judge, right? 
Thanks for this. I have zero meatspace people to play with and am pitching the game to someone next week.
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Thanks for the comment, groober. It is true that my personal preference yielded no romantic intention with anyone depicted, nor was I looking for any. I have found, however, that particular benchmark and personal presentation results in the most consistent confidence in Pitches. “Someone special” and “kissable” was once “a potential employer” and “hirable”. That was found to present sales interactions similarly to a job interview which actually decreased comfort and confidence because everyone loathes those. I found a different analogue and the training was improved.
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Fair enough - I certainly agree that presentation is probably important, especially if the local community isn’t as full with potential players.
Also, think this is a great resource. I probably take my bustling local meta for granted and I’m indebted to the people who grew the scene into what it is.
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