Hackney Area Tabletop Enthusiasts (HATE) Club - East London

I thought I would interrupt my current run of my (very brief) crusade campaign write ups today to talk about the Hackney Area Tabletop Enthusiasts (HATE) Club. 

If you've been to some big wargaming events recently you may have seen banners displaying the iconic HATE dice logo as it's a name that is slowly, but surely becoming very prominent in the world of wargaming clubs and has, in fact been where I have almost exclusively gone to play my games of Warhammer 40,000 (matched and narrative) for the last 3/4 years.

Despite its rather harsh sounding acronym, HATE is actually part of the Safe Space Alliance, as such it welcomes hobbyists, wargamers and roleplayers of all backgrounds and gives everyone a safe space in which to be treated equally without discrimination. If there is one thing we can (or should at least) all agree on is that our hobby is a hobby that only gets better with more creative minds than less and there has been no other club I have ever visited that has encapsulated that sense of community better than HATE.

Not only all this but the HATE club is also where I have been running all my crusade campaigns as I have volunteered my time to organising the narrative side of 40k within the club - there are other dedicated hobbyists who are running narrative campaigns for other systems as well such as Infinity and Necromunda, but 40k is currently under my care. In fact I have a huge series planned for this very blog that will cover the next crusade campaign starting in April/May so if you're in the area and want to get involved go check out their facebook page in the link at the bottom of this article!

Where and when is HATE club?

HATE club runs gaming sessions every Wednesday night between 6pm and 11pm (adults only), and every other Sunday between 12pm and 5pm (family friendly) at the Bethnal Green Working Man's Club. It is a 5-10 minute walk away from both Bethnal Green Overground and Underground stations and a short bus journey away from Liverpool Street Station on the bus (via the 8 or 388 towards Shoreditch).

What can you expect from the club?

The club runs its gaming days/nights in the main bar area of the BGWMC on the ground floor which supplies a large gaming space for multiple games (easily enough for at least nine 6' x 4' tables as well as several 4' x 4' tables on the side), a bar that sells a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, toilets for when you have a drink too many and variety of awesome terrain that is regularly recycled and updated by the club's amazing committee members - the snowy city scape terrain is a personal favourite of mine.

Actual photo of the club's snowy city scape terrain

Does it cost anything to turn up?

Whilst your first time is free of charge, unfortunately it does cost money for the committee to keep the  club running for everyone to enjoy and us such subsequent games will require payment. The prices are more than reasonable however and will only set you back £5 for games that utilise the club's terrain (which will be most games) and £2 for games that don't (such as roleplaying sessions or specialist games that use foldout boards).

Whilst club gaming sessions are pay on the day events, you will be required to book tickets in advance via eventbrite. Booking tickets is free, and links to the booking page can be found on the club's facebook page under the featured posts tab.

Where you can find out more

Full details for the club can be found on the club's facebook page which you can find by clicking the link below:

The HATE Club - Hackney Area Tabletop Enthusiasts | Facebook

If you do decide to check the club out I am always happy to play against new people and give you the chance to check out the miniatures I post on this blog for yourselves in person, and if you are interested taking part in the narrative 40k campaign I will be running then I recommend check out the club as soon as you can as sign up forms will be posted on the club's 40k page in the next month.

- D J Driver