My name is James Arbuthnot, and I am the new Quartermaster at Privateer Press.
As Quartermaster, it is my pleasure to be in charge of the Press Gang, our organized group of volunteers who help Privateer Press bring our games to the world.
This week will marks my first full month as Quartermaster. In that time, I have heard some incredible stories of what our Press Gangers are out doing to make our communities better; massive 100+ person events, charity drives, school clubs, organizing their own conventions, and building gaming groups from scratch.
When a Press Ganger puts on their shirt, logs into the Privateer Press forums, or picks up their dice, they represent Privateer Press. They are our emissaries, our ambassadors, our face, our voice, and who players see the most. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to be a Press Ganger.
As a Press Ganger, you are the person who gets to help people get into the hobby, get into the scene, and help them get to the level they want to. It can be all too easy to get wrapped up in Steamrollers, List Pairings, and Match-Ups. It is exciting to see new possibilities in the latest released models, and it is fantastic that there are players who enjoy pushing themselves to be competitive, squeezing out every ounce of skill to win as much as possible in competitive tournaments. However, not everyone will be into the tournament scene, and that’s fine. Press Gangers are not gatekeepers, you are tour guides. You show our newest recruits how to play, how to paint, how to be a part of the community you have built.
Being a Press Ganger is about loving our games and sharing that love with others. It is more than running tournaments, book release events, and leagues. As a Press Ganger, you are a pillar of your gaming community. You reach out to new stores and help them develop a player base. You travel around the region to support stores and other Press Gangers who are struggling with their own communities. You sacrifice your time to help teach new players what games are like and to nurture their new hobby. Sometimes being a Press Ganger even means showing a player how to beat you during a game, just so you can see that player smile and learn a new technique for victory.
We want everyone to belong to our family; painters, players, tournament champions, spectators, cosplayers, casual gamers, hobbyists, authors, photographers, the list is truly endless. People buying models because they love to paint, and only pick up the dice once a month, are as much a part of our community as the players who play five games a week, who fly all across the country to compete in tournaments, who have every rule for every model in their lists memorized. We are diverse, we are proud, we are strongest as a community of variety.
If you think you have the time, dedication, temperament, and generosity to be a Press Ganger, you can apply at our Volunteer Portal.
—James