Yesterday...

A good set of games yesterday at the Firebrand. Although we don't seem to have a large number of members coming along to meetings regularly. We do have several members coming along for a game when they can.
Work etc getting in the way of regular attendance.
This is why I am very keen to set up a league for members to participate in as regular attendance is not nesessary.
All is going well at the moment and set to start August 1st. I will be asking for participants in the near future.

I have added a couple of polls to the Forum. Why not go along and tick a box.. Or if you are feeling daring why not comment on a thread or start your own.

NEW Forum

Just added to the website  HERE is a nice new Forum..
So if you want to chat all things Backgammon this is the place to be. Don't be shy. Come along for a chat. You don't need to be a member of our Lansongammon group. You don't even need to live in Cornwall.
Come to think of it you don't need to be in the UK.

 

 Start a thread or add to an existing thread.  Chat... Blots, Primes, Boards, Backgames, Dice, Tournaments, Strategy, Clubs, websites, Players, venues  just anything Backgammon.

End of year League..

This week I have been in touch with League organisers in Bristol and London with a view to blatantly  ripping off their league format.
Luckily for me they were very helpful and more than willing to let me copy/paste and generally steal their stuff.
So I have sprung into action and started making a League page for the website. I have also signed up to a site that makes displaying results, players etc easier.
Thinking that it will take me a day or two to sort all this out I have penciled in the start date as 1st August 2015 running for three months.
Not many players are needed to start a league. Which is a bonus really because we don't have many.

Next Lansongammon Backgammon meet will be this Thursday (25th June) at  Firebrand
Why not come along for a game or two. If you can't play, come anyway and we will teach you.
All welcome.. 

Day after the night before.

It's the day after our first meeting at the extra venue..(The Pint & Post, St Giles.)

I placed a flyer in the pub only a few days before the meeting so wasn't sure if anyone would show up.

HOWEVER. 

When I arrived someone was sitting at a table ready for a game. (Result) After a quick chat and introductions some liquid gaming juice was purchased and we were off.

One game down and an old friend turned up for a game. While he was playing our new member more liquid gaming juice was purchased and some lovely free nibbles were put on our tables by the landlord.
Several games later and we had another new arrival.
She had never played before, so after a quick introduction she was off.
It's hard to gauge what new players to the game are thinking but I think she enjoyed her brief Backgammon experience.
Hoping to see our two new members again.   If not at the firebrand next week then at the "Pint & Post"   would be great.
                                                                                                                                                                         I went  into the pub this afternoon to update our poster with a sticker showing upcoming dates. The landlady said that she had had quite a bit of interest the previous week one local saying that they may come along in the future. The event is also going to be added to their whats on Facebook page.


So all good  so far..

Flickr Group

 I have set up a group on FLICKR  for members to upload pictures of interest. There is also a discussion section associated with the page.
Feel free to take a look and join us...You don't need to be a lansongammon member to join. Just an interest in Backgammon would be a good start.

Backgammon Ace

After noticing that the UKBGF seem to be involved with the App below I decided to download it to my tablet.
As I have a fairly old device I was concerned about the amount of memory that it was going to take but decided to go ahead anyway. After all it's no problem to delete.

The first reviews that you come across on the Google play store are not good. They moan about cheating by the App.  But after playing for what I will admit is a short time I am loving this App.
I can't see what other reviewers are saying about cheating. I'm just not having a problem and all seems good.

A reviewer has a point when they point out that it's probably just sour grapes at losing.

One reviewer also complains about the background music being annoying...Here's a thought....
"Turn it off in settings "
At present I can't complain and have deleted my old Backgammon App in favour of this one.


                                     

                                                          
        Loving the graphics.
                

Cork Backgammon: Main Tournament (Swiss Rounds) 1st Prize €3,000 + ...

Cork Backgammon: Main Tournament (Swiss Rounds) 1st Prize €3,000 + ...: Main Tournament (Swiss Rounds) 1st Prize €3,000 + Side Pools + Trophy  Clonakilty Knockout 1st Prize €300 + Trophy Last Chance Kno...

Extra meeting

This Wednesday 17th June it's the first of our alternate meetings, this time it's at the PINT & POST. A lovely little pub in St Giles-On-The Heath near Launceston.
If you want a game come along, all welcome. Or even if you can't play and want to learn come along grab a pint and say "HI".
A map to the venue and address can be found on our website HERE

I'm hoping to make this a regular meeting place on the opposite week to the Firebrand
See our website for future dates..
(Please note DAY change at this venue to Wednesday as opposed to our usual Thursday...)

New UKBGF Member.

Late night Blogg post...I have just joined the UKBGF as a basic member. I was feeling a little guilty that I have just received a grant from them and I am not a member.

So today I joined..  (With my own money I might add)

Grant money spent so far amounts to about £36.00 for flyers and business cards via Vistaprint.

Tomorrow, time permitting I am planning on looking in to advertising in two of our local quarterly mags. So It's being spent slowly but surely...

Flyers, Backgammon and a video

Well the flyers have arrived from vistaprint. and I'm very pleased with the results.
I have designed them so that they contain all the relevant contact details, Facebook, Twitter, email etc but no venue details.
That way I can add time and place details with a sticker printed at home inserted into a gap left in the center of the flier.
This seems to work well and I have made some up to place tomorrow in our alternate venue.
Business cards are also fairly basic with just main social media contact details as well as email and phone number.
I have 100 of these to hand out to interested people..I have a feeling that I will not be ordering more any time soon. (Interested people are thin on the ground)

This Thursday was our meeting at firebrand not a great success member wise.. But several games were played and Ale drank.
My opponent made a short video that was posted on Twitter that evening.  See the results below...

Adrenaline & action @firebrandbar @lansongammon. Backgammon's the new it. pic.twitter.com/HrbT2KCqsn

— Joe Thomson (@JoeThomsonBrew) June 11, 2015

Pint & Post st Giles..

I have now set up a website HERE. Feel free to pop over and take a look.
At present its still very much a work in progress but its getting there.

I have the main pages up and running together with a page link back to this Blogg.
Happy days.

Next week a new location..  We will be meeting at The Pint & Post, St Giles-On-The-Heath, PL15 9SA.
Wednesday 17th June 19:30 - 21:30
Please note the day change for this location.

 
This runs alongside our firebrand meeting on the alternate week. so nothing changed there.

All welcome. If you have always wanted to learn why not come along for a pint and a game.

For all up coming dates please see the meetings page on our new website.

A pint and a game of Backgammon

Why not pop down to the Firebrand this Thursday 11th June for one of these and a game of Backgammon...

We will be there from 19:30..

ALL WELCOME

Yesterday the business cards that I ordered from vistaprint to give to potential members arrived..

Very happy with the design etc.

Just waiting for the A5 flyers to arrive now

Backgammon in the park

Hoping for good weather on Sunday 19th July as the UKBGF are organising "Backgammon in the park"
The nearest venue to me at the moment is going to be Bristol so a short trip up the M5 could be on the cards.
At present there are going to be events at:   

 

 
• London (Holland Park)
• Edinburgh
• Brighton
• Bristol
• Chesham, Bucks
• St Albans
• Coventry/Birmingham

Next meeting

Our next Lansongammon meeting will be at the Firebrand bar Launceston on Thursday 11th June 19:30 to 21:30.
Please come along to support this new club..All welcome. If you are a beginner or a seasoned pro come along for a game..We wont bite.....Honest...

Beginners.. If you have always wanted to learn Backgammon why not come along..Its a great game.
It doesn't take very long to teach the basics and from then on you can learn as you play..

UKBGF Grant.

Well that was an interesting week.
Earlier in the week I noticed that the UK Backgammon Federation had started to roll out a new grant scheme for new start ups or clubs that had only just come into being.
I e-mailed them straight away and received a return that evening asking for a rough breakdown of what I would spend the grant on.
Since I have already purchased several boards myself to help start the club I would be spending the bulk of it on advertising via our local newspaper and whats on magazines, flyers and business cards etc.
The main reason for concentrating on this area is that I have advertised via all the usual social media outlets as well as many local whats-on sites with very little success.
I feel that there are many people out there who would like a game but maybe just don't have access to a computer or who just don't use it for social media etc.
Anyway, long story short they seemed happy with my proposal so a bank transfer was received a few days later.
They have also allocated me a UKBGF clubs adviser in case I need any advise on running our group.

If anyone from the UKBGF is reading this, many many thanks for the help as I think it is going to make a great deal of a difference to who knows about us.
Onwards and upwards....