Without Theme, It's Just Another Pick-Up Game

This article is part of the Basement Gamers Cookbook series. Click here to view all available articles.

What separates a Basement Game from a pick-up game at a store or a club day is planning. Typically, you know who will be showing up for a Basement Game and you will set up the tables, prepare the food, get drinks, etc.

One aspect that is normally overlooked is the overall theme of the games that will be played. You are so glad to be getting some awesome games in that you forget to actually plan the games themselves. Sure, you specified how many points, you might have even specified a scenario or mission. But have you given the day an overall theme?

Consider this scenario: you and three fellow Basement Gamers decide to get together once a month in your basement for a game or two. The whole life-responsibility thing interferes with your gaming time and this is the only time you have where all four of you are together to play. You probably don't have time for two 2,000 point games because of wives, girlfriends, work, whatever.

How do you make this the ultimate Basement Gamers experience?

You have food, booze, tables, and terrain. Now consider what you are going to do and what you are going to play. You have six hours when everyone will be available and you know, due to the nature of Basement Gaming, a normal game will take longer (there's a lot of just hanging around shooting the breeze that occurs in a Basement Game).

Each month come up with a different theme. For example, one month can be Cities of Death. Choose two missions (White Dwarf just release a bunch of new missions) and set up your tables for some good ole' fashion city fighting. You have six hours and, if you were playing a tournament, that would be enough time to play two full games. But in a Basement Game things are bit more relaxed. So have a 1,000 point Alpha or Gamma level game and a 2,000 point Omega level game.

At the risk of sounding like the Martha Steward of Basement Gaming: planning is everything. If you plan as much as possible it makes the entire day go smoother, allowing you to socialize more.

I am not saying that every moment should be planned. Remember, rules are the background music - they should easily blend in with what you are doing. Just organize the games a bit before the day the games will occur.

If you have a Basement Game every week with a couple of players, then change your theme monthly or biweekly. One month have a "Jungle Fighting" theme and have all the tables with jungle terrain with the missions revolving around Annihilation games. The next month have a "Retrieve the Artifacts" theme and base the missions around Seize Ground objective.

You can define points and deployment before you gaming day. Do this increases the anticipation for the day as it allows everyone to plan for the upcoming mission they will be putting their army through. You can select who will be playing who beforehand or randomly select players on the day of the game.

The themes don't have to be complex or heavily involved (unless you want them to be). They can be standard missions, scenarios from the Battle Missions book, or even homemade missions.

You could even gear the food your are server to reflect the theme. If you are having a Jungle Fighting theme, you can serve Catachen Devil Gruel. For a Cities of Death game you can order pizza and Chinese food (hey, you're in a city!).

Pick-up games at a game store are random and unexpected. If you do not have a theme for your Basement Game, all you have done is moved the pick-up game scene into your basement. There is so much more you can do by providing the theme of the gaming day that will make the day more enjoyable.