This is my second year as Heston and Ealing Wargamers’ Deputy Club Secretary, not that I expect anyone to remember this milestone. I would like to imagine that I am Marshal Berthier to Rob’s Emperor Napoleon, and in so far as I push a lot of virtual pens, that is not a bad analogy. What follows is a view from behind the desk, and hopefully not too ranty....
Stefan Czarniecki (1599-1665), Palatine of Kiev, with the ceremonial mace of a Polish Field Hetman (second in military seniority)
The role was established at a recent club AGM (2022 I believe), the idea being to support Rob in his Club Secretary duties by taking on functions such as: organising and updating the club programme, ensuring that messages get out in order to keep everyone informed, while also continuing as the unofficial club blogger. My previous office of Club Biscuiteer was formally abolished upon election to the deputyship, however I do still provide the odd biscuit and crisp on club nights and at the War Room. We wouldn’t want to go hungry now would we? (Though I am first to say I could lose some weight.)
The fact is that Rob does need support. Being club secretary means that he is the main ‘face’ of the club, and often deals with enquiries from non-members via the website or directly to his email. Besides being a busy family man with a major business, Rob is also involved with wargaming beyond Ealing, and in touch with fellow wargamers around the country. Add to this the fact that the War Room is located in Rob’s home, and is available to all members, with Rob putting on regular games, catering, as well as running the Back of Beyond campaign – which is much appreciated. Could anyone actually do Rob’s job at the club? I don’t think so.
In the office...
Among the joys of being Deputy is getting to organise the programme of games. We have now developed a system whereby I will send out a blank programme six weeks in advance of the next quarter, by email. I will then have to encourage (and perhaps cajole – but never induce nor yet compel) club members to agree to put on games. This is usually fairly light work, but I do have to go around games, ask people to sign up, and follow up on their initial agreement.
This role is fun insofar as I get to have conversations with you all and suggest games you might like to stage. I try to ensure that we have a mix of games and periods represented for sake of interest. Recently, Rob has introduced wargames on Wednesdays and Sundays, monthly, both of which have to be organised. Putting my propagandist hat on (yet also speaking honestly) I believe that club members are getting the benefit of great figures and games put on at various times of the month in accessible locations – never more conveniently, never more value for their membership fee.
The ’downside’ of organising the programme is that once we have 12 or 13 Friday games and another six other games agreed upon for a quarter (which can take 3-4 weeks, or longer), club members sometimes pull out of their agreed game(s). They are fully entitled to do so, as the club is formed from ‘volunteers’ not ‘conscripts’. All hosts are volunteering their time and energy, which they can withdraw at any time. However, it is appreciated if a cancellation can be done with as much notice as possible.
If a game is cancelled, obviously a new game and new host must be found to plug the gap, which is not always easy (there is a limited pool of active hosts). Sometimes this leads to a cascade of changes of dates, as I have to reset the programme and find new hosts. Each person on the programme has obviously assessed when they can or cannot put on a game – that’s naturally only fair. It’s worth bearing in mind however that when you cancel a game, someone else will have to take up the slack and alter their own plans.
Communication is another core part of my role for the club. Rob recently suggested and implemented the Whatsapp group, to enable us to communicate about wargames matters more easily. It is a good tool, but not every club member is actually on Whatsapp. In order to update you all about games and arrangements for travelling to shows, or other matters, I have to send out emails and Whatsapps in order to ‘catch’ everyone.
The disadvantage of Whatsapp in my opinion is that it hasn’t actually led to timely replies to queries about who is coming to games. Many people view the Whatsapp messages, but do not reply to them. I think it would be best to state categorically whether you are coming to a game or not in good time. Those putting on games (or maybe just me) are waiting to hear whether showing up at all is worthwhile. Personally, I would rather know that 0-3 people are coming, than to have fellow club members not want to hurt my feelings – and so not reply at all. I would then discover the reality anyway but after coming down to the community centre: so what was the point of the Whatsapp? I think 1-2 days at most is a reasonable amount of time to reply to such a request. It’s not compulsory – but it is good manners.
Blogging is a related aspect of wearing a metaphorical Silver Star at the club. Having done quite a few, and enjoyed writing and putting them all together, I must say that it would be good to hear from more of you. I set a personal target of two blogs a month, and often produce three, but I would welcome and encourage everyone to put on at least one game a year and write at least one blog a year. My blogs take 2-4 hours nowadays to produce, unless it is a major game such as at the War Room. I am happy to help anyone by taking photos for their piece, and editing their work if needs be. These can be anything from battle reports, product reviews, photo montages of your latest painted figures, or any thoughts on the hobby. In principle if you want to submit something, it will not be rejected, barring egregious offensiveness… Having produced a blog post, I then do rudimentary marketing by emailing all those on our mailing list about it: this lets everyone know that a game has happened, gives credit to the host(s), and provides a user-friendly link to the blog post.
All in all, I am enjoying being Deputy Club Secretary (DCS). Completing admin work efficiently may not be exactly exciting but it is satisfyingly useful. I want the Club to work effectively, because I have a stake in the club as a member. While we have cancelled a few recent games, by and large this is an exception. Games are being put on regularly and hopefully being enjoyed. But this does take time and effort behind the scenes to manage consistently throughout the year. I would like to acknowledge that everyone who puts on a game is taking the trouble to get figures, acquire or write rules, think of scenarios and host. All players who turn up hopefully have fun but just as importantly are supporting those putting on the game in question. My role is to assist all of you, and many club members are helping behind the scenes with their advice and offering their own endeavours - for instance, Richard and Alex have both pioneered new games in recent months either at their homes, at the centre, or the War Room.
A final word about Rob (the Emperor), who has put an awful lot of work into the club over many years. Although he conducts himself more like a benevolent First Consul than a questionable imperial despot, I think it’s important to bear in mind just how much and how well he has catered for us, particularly at the War Room. With the Back of Beyond campaign, he has been superhumanly dedicated and really generous. I believe that each club member should give as much of their time and energy as they can afford to help shoulder some of the weight of running Heston and Ealing Wargamers. Together we are a great club.
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