19/09/2023
I can't actually believe that it's been a year already since I started doing this. Whilst we've had some fun over the past 12 months, moving forward there will be some changes and updates to the format to make a more pleasant experience for all involved.
Firstly, originally I set out the Hellfire Club to include all kinds of board and card games, but over the past year it has become very clear that almost all of you who came to our little group are only interested in playing D&D. So moving forward I'll be increasing the focus on that score. I haven't set anything in stone yet, but I will be organising things so that the regular players will always have a table with consistent players and a DM. This means that new players to the group who are only there to see what it is like or if they like the game are introduced to the system in a consistent manner with short one evening adventures rather than being dropped into an existing campaign with little to no idea what's going on.
This fosters consistency for the regular players who can bond as a group each month and makes life simpler for the new players who just want to learn the game at a less urgent pace to see if they enjoy it. If it's something that they find they want to get further involved in they can be promoted to a regular table and take part in the ongoing campaign.
One of the things that surprised me the most about doing this was the positive feedback I received from participants and parents alike about how much they enjoyed and valued this event. Not just from the perspective of playing the game, but also the aspect of a safe comfortable space to be themselves and bond with like minded players.
Lastly, it's always been a goal to increase the number of players to the event but at the same time be aware that we only have a finite amount of players, resources and DM's to go around. If we are to focus on D&D and perhaps other tabletop RPG games moving forward I have to make sure things are organised well enough to increase numbers comfortably.