Be Your table Champion
Every group needs that one person who is the glue, and holds it all together. Game night’s “hype man,” who is out there, making sure everyone is is ready for session. Someone who starts the scheduling conversation about when to meet. Someone who champions for game night, and their very presence holds it all together.
Level 1: Answer the Call
Being your table champion comes with extra responsibility. A lot of people who hold their gaming groups together don’t want the responsibility, but they still take responsibility. It is a gift that you give your table, and the only thanks you get will be that your group is more likely to stick together.
So set up your group chat. Set up the schedule. If no one else volunteers, step up and become the GM. Find a place to play, maybe offer your dinner table. Clean up before session, so people feel welcomed. Being a group champion is sort of like being your group’s event planner. Tables fall apart when no one answers the call. But you will.
LEvel 2: Rally the troops
Once the details of where/when/how you will game are handled, its time to bring the hype and facilitate. Get people excited, help remind them to level up between sessions, and jump in when other people suggest new ideas. Did someone see a new supplement the looks cool? Offer to help learn the rules if they buy it. Did someone do something awesome that you noted down on your post session wrap up? Send a message during break to let them know how great they are.
If you play with 3d printed miniatures, offer to paint some of them for the group. If you’ve got an erasable mat, get a spare set of markers. Snag a few sets of dice and pencils in case people forget. If you ever wonder why some people bring whole backpacks to TTRPG night? They’re probably acting as a champion, and bring enough supplies to make sure the session can’t fall apart.
Level 3: Bring a vision
At a certain point, you will fall into into habit at level 2. You have your pre-packed game night bag, you know who is gonna forget to level up and when you should remind them before session. That is a fine place to be. Your group will be stable and (hopefully) reliable with you as an anchor. But if you want to keep growing, you can work to bring a vision to your campaigns.
This is a discussion to begin when a campaign is wrapping up and people are making new characters for the next one. Propose a theme or a squad aesthetic for all of the players in the next campaign. “What if we were all Orc Berserkers?” you propose. “We can call ourselves the whack pack!” You’ll be surprised what your whole group might be excited for when everyone can be excited for it all at once. Providing this vision for your group puts them all on easy mode. Character choices are easier, roleplay is easier, and your GM has an easier time planning encounters, because they know how you are all likely to respond.
Keep in mind: everyone comes to game night for a different reason. All you can do is bring the vision, propose the idea. If others don’t like it, try to not let it get to you, and enjoy the fact that you’ve already got a nice stable table. It is easy when you are the hype man to get too hyped for your own ideas, and get bent out of shape when one person really doesn’t want to join the whack pack. That’s fine, and you should still be a friend to them above all, even above being the table champion.
Watch your group stick together longer
At level 1 and 2, your group will become more reliable and less flaky. Having one person to anchor the rest can make a huge difference. If you want your table to stick around, I invite you to answer the call.
If you do, you might get some fun stories to tell. I’ve adventured as a tag team wrestling group, as an orcish motorcycle gang, and as whole group of dragons on a search to find the most delicious creatures to eat. Games where your group has a theme are easy to keep cohesive, and it was always because one champion stepped up and suggested it. I’ve never had a gaming group with a vision fall apart mid-campaign.