Are you passionate about Blood & Plunder, or one of the other great games published by Firelock Games? Do you thrive on sharing your love for immersive tabletop gaming with others? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you! Firelock Games is seeking dedicated individuals to join their Quartermaster’s Program.

What is the Quartermaster Program?

The Quartermasters Program is the name of an outreach team and program offered by Firelock Games.   It is a team of volunteers and veteran players known as “Quartermasters”.  Their primary purpose is community leadership & outreach by introducing new players to great games and creating & building communities of local players around those games. Quartermasters help introduce new players to games by showcasing mechanics, the setting, and the style of play.

In the age of sail, a ship’s quartermaster assisted the captain and officers in vessel upkeep, supply distribution, and crew coordination. They maintained morale and relayed ship needs. In an army context, quartermasters handled supply management, logistics, maintenance, and administration. Therefore, “Quartermaster” aptly describes the volunteer staff’s role.

Qualifications for Joining the Quartermaster Program

• Have a collection of painted armies to showcase 1 or more Firelock Games’ titles.
• Enjoy teaching and demoing games to new players and strangers.
• Passion for gaming and enthusiasm for Firelock Games’ products and the wargaming hobby.
• Ability to plan and coordinate events, manage schedules, and ensure all resources are ready for successful demos and tournaments.
• Know Firelock Games’ systems, lore, and products to answer player questions and create engaging gameplay.
• Reliable and punctual, delivering high-quality demos and interactions.
• Provide feedback and collaborate with Firelock Games to grow the community.
• Willingness to participate in new product playtesting.

Key Responsibilities of Quartermaster

• Host demos and tournaments to introduce others to Firelock Games’ titles.
• Serve as outreach and recruit new players at local game stores.
• Share your love for the game on social media platforms or personal blogs.
• Play games and produce battle reports in various formats to share with the community.

Quarterly Expectations

Quartermasters are expected to perform at least two of the following per quarter:

• Host a demo day at a local store, gaming convention, or similar event.
• Organize and host a tournament.
• Create helpful hobbyist or general knowledge videos or write-ups.
• Host an event at a local game store.
• Help organize or run convention events.
• Create blog posts or podcasts focused on Firelock Games.
• Create YouTube videos or content related to games, such as “How To” hobby guides, new scenarios, etc.

Quartermaster Task Guidelines

Firelock Games prides itself on excellence and attention to detail, and they expect the same high standards from all Quartermasters. The following is an outline summary of their guidelines for suggested events.

Demo Days

This is the bread-and-butter event for Quartermasters. As the task name suggests, a Quartermaster sets up a local game store, convention, or other public venue to run demos of their chosen game.   The goal is to build and expand a new community.

• Provide 2 forces for demonstrations
• Announce your event locally and on social media to reach the community.
• Document the event with photos or videos.
• Post a brief summary detailing the location and attendance.
• Plan ahead and collect contact info to follow up with new players via email, text, or social media to answer any questions.

For me, these are the most fun events to run. I love teaching new players and helping them discover great games. Your energy in teaching is contagious. Keep things light and fast-paced. Spin a story as you play and add some color to the games. It will help make things more memorable and fun.

You can listen to a full length segment on how to run a demo on Episode 3 of the Blood & Pigment Podcast.

Store and Convention Events 

While store and convention events can involve teaching new players, they tend to be narrative events, campaigns, or even hobby meetups. Rather than getting new players to join, it’s about bringing the community together to share the love of the game. Events like Summer of Plunder are an EXCELLENT opportunity for this style of play.

• Announce your event at your local store or on social media to reach the community.
• Aim for 4 participants as a minimum.
• Document the event with photos or videos, and, if possible, include a write-up or summary of what happened.
• Post a brief summary detailing the location and attendance.
• Plan ahead and collect contact info to follow up with new players via email, text, or social media to answer any questions.

Please note that prize support is generally not provided for events other than tournaments.

Narrative Events

Blood & Plunder offers a wealth of historically-based scenarios like “The Great Swamp Fight” (Fire on the Frontier pg. 71). These often recreate events or battles that occurred in history. It also covers “generic” encounters like “Capture the Surgeon” in Raise the Black (pg 166). These events help add variety to games and keep them from being generic standup fights.

Alongside these, there are exciting non-historical events, such as the thrilling Treasure Scramble, where players compete to capture chests for points. Or special Halloween events like Ghost Ship on our blog.

Narrative events are designed for multiplayer games with 3-6 players per table. These are ideal platforms for nurturing community bonds without creating a competitive environment.

Though usually standalone, you have the flexibility to weave them into an enthralling mini-campaign. Be assured, these events follow the same guidelines as Store or Convention Events mentioned previously.

Tournaments 

Tournaments are ambitious endeavors, requiring meticulous planning, ample materials, and thorough setup. To successfully host one, you’ll need to prepare 3-12+ game tables with mats, terrain, and essentials. It’s advisable to gain experience by organizing standard events and building a robust local gaming community before diving into tournament hosting.

When gearing up for a tournament, remember to adhere to these guidelines from Firelock Games:

• Choose a public venue like a store, school, convention, or recreation center.
• Aim for a minimum of 4 players to ensure a lively competition.
• Engage the community by announcing the event at your local store or on social media.
• Notify Firelock Games at least 30 days in advance if you’re seeking prize support, tailored to your expected turnout.
• Capture memorable moments and winners with photos to share with the Firelock Games community.
• Provide a detailed write-up, showcasing winners’ names and forces, to Firelock Games.
• Share tournament results and highlights across social media platforms and forums to celebrate the event’s success.

You can find Firelock’s Tournament Rules document here and see an example tournament packet we made for AdeptiCon 2024 here.

Blogs and Podcasts

Blogs and podcasts offer a diverse range of content that can captivate various audiences. Some notable sites include:  BloodAndPigment.com, DeadMansChest.org, TalesoftheSail (No Dice No Glory), The Plunder Den, and TimberAndSail.com.

Here are some positive guidelines to follow:

• Blogs should be a minimum of 500 words and include relevant pictures, showcasing either the work in progress or the final product.
• Aim for at least 6 quality photos per blog post.
• Firelock Games appreciates permission to feature the content on our website/social media, with the understanding that minor edits may be made for quality and readability.
• When submitting a podcast, dedicate at least one segment of its total time to Firelock Games content.

Video or Text Battle Reports 

Battle Reports are a great way to advertise the game to a larger audience than just a local gaming store. When these events go up on YouTube or online they can be seen by people around the world and last longer than just the game day. Players, visitors, and interested parties to a site may see the game months even years after it happened.

Creating battle reports? Here are some tips for making them awesome:

• Use high-quality video or photos with clear, detailed shots of the action.
• Ensure videos are free of background noise and clearly show the battle (move the camera for better views if needed).
• Include descriptions of each player’s actions for better understanding.
• Make sure miniatures are painted and the terrain looks great.
• Feel free to use original scenarios or ideas from our books and website.

Our YouTube channel has several examples of our Blood & Plunder Battle Reports playlist that you can use for inspiration.

Perks of the Quartermaster Program

You might be wondering, “Why become a Quartermaster?” or “Why take on more when my gaming time is already limited?”

Here’s a brief list of why I am a Quartermaster:

• You’re guaranteed to make tens and tens of dollars… sort of… Every 4 hours (or the equivalent in content creation) you earn around $17 in “doubloons”. (Doubloons translate to webstore credit from Firelock Games website.)
• You get to use those precious hours you previously wasted on sleep to plan and run events.
• Joining the cool kids at gaming conventions like AdeptiCon and Historicon is probably reason enough to join by itself.
• You can expect to buy extra dice, cards, and accessories to replace the ones that get lost, stolen, or damaged.
• There is nothing more “fun” than the masochistic pleasure of watching your minis get scraped, dropped, and treated like toddler toys as people casually dump them on the table, grab them in fistfuls, or pick up soldiers by the bayonets.

Just kidding…
..sort of.

REAL reasons to Join the Quartermaster Program

Ok, here is a list of REAL reasons:

• Painting your minis for demos turns that gray pile of shame into a vibrant display!
• It will elevate your terrain game as you create demo game boards.
• You become part of a community of like-minded individuals who share your passion for the game and make lasting friendships and connections with fellow gamers.
• Sharing your enthusiasm for the game and seeing others enjoy it can be deeply rewarding on a personal level. As cheesy as it sounds, knowing you helped someone discover a new hobby or game brings a sense of fulfillment.
• You get to support the company behind your favorite games—helping Firelock Games grow means more awesome games and minis for you!
• Many demo team members are invited to attend gaming conventions and special events to help showcase the game. Team members may gain early access to the vendor hall, discounts, or reduced/free entry fees.
• Demoing games sharpens your knowledge of rules and mechanics.
• Teaching new players boosts your communication and social skills.  
• You sometimes get extra “free stuff” like shirts or minis when working conventions.
• You will receive a periodic Quartermaster Newsletter in your email inbox, full of all the freshest and tastiest news and updates from Firelock Games!

How to Join the Quartermaster Program

If you are passionate about Blood & Plunder or one of Firelock Games’ other titles, and you would like to help out and be a community leader, consider joining Firelock’s Quartermaster program! To join, email quartermasters@firelockgames.com or fill out the online application form. It’s a quick process and someone from Firelock Games (Jonathan is the new QM coordinator) will be in contact with you.

Once approved, you’ll have access to the super, top-secret Facebook Group and Discord channel where all the cool people hang out (eye roll).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Quartermaster Program is dedicated to fostering vibrant and engaged gaming communities around Firelock’s games. By serving as ambassadors, Quartermasters not only get to share their passion for miniatures games, but also play a pivotal role in welcoming and guiding new players into a great hobby. Their efforts in hosting demos, organizing tournaments, and creating content contribute significantly to the growth and enjoyment of the gaming community.

For those of you reading this and are ready to join, we can’t wait to have you join the team. It really is awesome to help make a meaningful impact on the community. As Firelock Games continues to expand this initiative, the gaming community can look forward to even more dynamic and inclusive experiences. Exciting times for the game are ahead and we think the future looks bright for Firelock Games. Together, let’s help make the next chapter even more extraordinary.

Article by Jason Klotz

Additional Reading Suggestions

• Review the Getting Started with Blood and Plunder page to brush up on info to pass on to new players.
• Checkout our collection of Scenarios for some fresh ideas for games