Board game enthusiasts restart regular gatherings

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A group of local board game enthusiasts are rebooting their regular meetings to host board game days at the Strathmore Municipal Library.

“We’re a local group who have been running these for about three to four years at the library,” said organizer Richard Bruce. “With COVID-19 happening we stopped for a bit but now that the rules are a little bit lighter, we are starting up again.” 

The idea is both for familiar faces to gather in a convenient space to play a wide assortment of games together, as well as to introduce those who may be curious to new games. 

According to Bruce, the group is primarily organized through social media aside from their regularly scheduled gathering that takes place once a month.

“Most of us have been playing in our houses but this is a great opportunity to get to play with friends that we didn’t see during the COVID-19 lockdown,” he said. “We always bring board games we’ve got a few people who are willing to teach and it’s just general fun.”

According to Bruce, the group regularly saw upwards of 30 to 40 people stopping by every month to play games prior to the onset of COVID-19 restrictions and the subsequent lockdowns.

“We were all just playing board games together at different locations, like over at our houses or at different places that were convenient, so we decided to try to make a central location – one that we could invite as many people as we could,” he said.

The events are free to attend and do not require a prior registration. Bruce simply encourages those who want to play and to learn something new to come out and do so. 

Many of the regular attendees bring their own games, though for anyone who wishes to come it’s not mandatory. 

“When people come, we open up and try and teach them and get them involved in a game,” said Bruce. “You don’t have to come knowing any rules, we’ll help you through it.” 

The group has also previously attracted the attention of local game designers as well as players from as far away as Edmonton. 

“We get a lot of local talent out here as well so it’s super fun,” said Bruce. “We got to playtest Chai before it was released … and a lot of people were able to become official play testers.”

Further details regarding future events and other games can be found on the group’s Facebook page.