From Pancho Peacemaker from another thread:
Similiar situation here in Texas. There is a VERY strong SASS presence in the DFW/North Texas Area with some 10+ clubs within a 90 minute drive of the DFW metro area. I am not anti-SASS by any means, but some shooters are growing weary of the super-close target arrays and the repetitive "10-10-4" order of fire that is the common stage scenario in SASS.
The spearhead of our NCOWS efforts was our SASS TG. He presented NCOWS not as a competing entity, but an alternative shooting style. Our club ran some "NCOWS based" matches to gauge interest. The matches were spread by word of mouth and email. We emphasized the target array (longer distances, more accuracy based) and more challenging order of fire. We also addressed the "authenticity dogma" by emphasizing NCOWS "one year to authenticity" rule. We also emphasized the working cowboy class which appeals to lots of folks, especially the newer shooters who don't have "all the guns" yet.
Some mythology we disspelled right off the top:
1) Yes you can use gun carts (Most folks "heard" NCOWS outlaws them which is untrue)
2) Yes you can use Rugers (Again folks "heard" NCOWS outlaws Rugers. You do need to explain the problems with the modern features of the Blackhawk and the "bisley" frame they sell.)
3) No, there will be no "clothing police" checking you over at the parking lot. Dress like you usually do for SASS when you come out. Just remember that there is no "B-Western" class here.
Over the first year we became "official", folks who took to NCOWS have made the appropriate changes in their gear, leather, and attire to achieve the Level 1 authenticity. It didn't take any arm twisting. Shooters who wanted to be in the NCOWS game did the reading, asked questions, and made some changes (most of them very minor.)
The ideals of NCOWS took for about 80% of our club membership. I would say that the emphasis on accuracy and the "fun" factor at each stage was the draw for most. Our club stage writers always have you throwing a knife, shooting a bow, or rescuing a maiden in distress at each match.
Most of our members still shoot SASS as well. We do our NCOWS matches on different days than SASS, so we have not dropped any match dates. We do have a few hard corp folks that will only shoot SASS and a few that will only shoot NCOWS, but most will attend either. No one was "robbed" of members.