Low Ping Crew: “Nobody queues alone”
I started Low Ping Crew so that people around Maitland who play together online could also sit in the same room. We meet on OCE servers on Tuesday and Thursday nights, run an amateur league through the year and gather in our club room on Elgin Street on the first Saturday of every month. Joining is free: no membership fee, no entry fee for the league and nothing to buy. The crew is for adults, 18 and over. If you own a headset and can be patient with newcomers, there is a seat waiting for you.
“Seven chairs and one extension lead”
Rule one at Low Ping Crew is short: nobody queues alone. If you log on and the lobby is empty, a squad leader will find you a seat, and if you walk into the club room on Elgin Street, someone will put down a controller and say hello. Everything else we do grows out of that one sentence.
The crew began as a handful of Hunter Valley players who had spent two seasons together on OCE servers without ever seeing each other's faces. The first meetup was held in a borrowed meeting room: seven people, three laptops, one extension lead and name tags that carried nicknames only. It took most of the afternoon to work out whose voice belonged to which face.
I was the one holding the extension lead. Since then the crew has found a club room of its own, outgrown the borrowed one and kept the habit of printing a nickname on every name tag. Real names come second, usually over a cup of tea.
Today the week runs mostly online, with squad nights on Tuesday and Thursday, and once a month we gather in person on the first Saturday. Taking part is free and for adults only. The only reward on offer is a nickname on the club-room board and the right to choose the next game night.
Online first
Squad nights on OCE servers; a wired connection and a headset are all you need.
In person monthly
The club room opens on the first Saturday, with tables for board games between matches.
Find the club room
Where
73 Elgin Street, Maitland NSW 2320
Call or write
+61 2 4933 5827 · crew@lowpingcrew.com
When
Club room: first Saturday of each month, 1 pm – 8 pm. Online squad nights: Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 pm – 10 pm
“Be good to the lobby”
Say hello when you join a voice channel and goodbye when you leave, even if the match was a short one.
Play to enjoy the game: no put-downs about anyone's skill, accent or connection quality, in voice or in text.
Wear a headset and keep your microphone muted when you are not speaking, so the whole squad can hear the plan.
Newcomers always get a second chance, and the first three matches with any squad count as practice.
Moderators have the final say in the chat server, and any appeal goes to the founder in writing.
In the club room, wipe the tables, return every box and cable to its shelf and leave the room as you found it.
“What do I need to know first?”
- Does it cost anything to take part?
- No. Joining is free, the league has no entry fee and the club room has no door charge. The crew is run by volunteers, nothing is sold and no one is ever asked for a donation.
- What connection and equipment do I need?
- A wired connection is best, and a ping under 40 milliseconds to the nearest OCE server is comfortable. You also need a headset and a gaming PC or console. Tell a moderator what you have and we will suggest a squad that suits it.
- Where is the club room and how do I get there?
- It is at 73 Elgin Street, Maitland. Maitland is on the Hunter railway line and buses run through town, so check the timetable for the day. If you drive, use the street parking nearby and please keep driveways clear.
- How old do I have to be?
- Everyone in the crew is 18 or over. We ask new members to confirm their age when they sign up, and the club room is for adults only.
- Do I need to bring my own computer to the club room?
- No. The room has a few shared PCs and consoles, and members are welcome to bring their own if they prefer. Bring a headset; we supply tables, power and tea.
- When do squad nights start and how long do they run?
- Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30 pm, finishing by 10 pm so that everyone can get to work the next morning in reasonable shape.
- What happens if my internet drops in the middle of a match?
- It happens in a valley with summer storms. Tell your squad leader in the text channel and the match is paused or replayed. Nobody is penalised for a dropout caused by weather or a power cut.
“What are we playing tonight?”
The crew plays by genre rather than by title, which keeps the nights open to anyone with a decent connection. Tuesday leans towards co-op survival and real-time strategy, where talking matters more than aim. Thursday is league night, with team tactics games refereed from the chat server and replayed if anything goes wrong.
On the first Saturday we turn some of the screens off. The club room has shelves of board games, and between matches players drift over to the tables for something that fits into an hour.
Co-op survival
Tuesday nights, with squads of four sharing one plan.
Real-time strategy
Slow builds, loud voice channels and very polite arguments.
Team tactics
League fixtures on Thursday, played to agreed rules.
Racing and sports
Short rounds for the last half hour of a night.
A few frames from the club room
Four buttons for a squad night
Every squad night runs on the same four buttons, pressed in the same order. Learn them and you already know the evening.
Press all four, in order, and the night looks after itself.
“Pull up a chair”
Tell us your name, your nickname and what you like to play, and a moderator will reply within a few days with a squad and a time.
Become a member