A tabletop game tradition is being revived on Sunday after being tabled by COVID-19.
Till about three years ago, a group of board game lovers gathered every weekend at the River Market to unwind, network and, well, play some games.
The group was started in 2013 by Kirby Kreelov, who ran the board game store Board Game Warriors (now permanently closed) in New West, said Marc Stas, co-host of the board gaming meetup event.
The group helped foster new friendships and gathered a loyal group of players like Edward Dela Luna, a teacher by profession, who joined the meetups right before they had to be paused due to the pandemic.
The gaming session was his way of meeting new people when he first moved to New West three years ago; it was also a “stress-reliever” that he could bank on every Sunday, he said.
The Sunday meetups, as he recalled, used to see a floating crowd, sometimes of as many as 50 people, try their hand at a board game — some days, the meetups ran from noon till the market's closing time, 8 p.m.
When the pandemic hit, some tried transitioning to virtual board games, kept in touch on the platform Discord, and organized small board gaming sessions at their homes. But almost everyone, including Dela Luna, awaited the day the group could play together again.
Now, the wait is finally over.
Return to the River Market
On Sunday, July 16, the group will set up their board games on the top floor of the River Market and get playing — just as they did pre-pandemic.
The group recently received a $590 grant from the City of New Westminster to continue their social meetup sessions. The money will cover their insurance costs, as per Dela Luna, who will co-host the event along with Stas.
The return to the space, besides bringing back the Sunday social afternoons for the gamers, will also help the local businesses in the market, he said.
Oftentimes, players who hang out at the meetup browse the market for food and drink options, and the collection of board games at Rain City Games, a game store in the retail complex, said Dela Luna.
“And I have lost track of how many times people had the buzzers from the Re-Up BBQ waiting to get their poutines, and head downstairs to grab their food,” he added.
The gamut of games
The informal meetup session welcomes players of all skill levels. They can play the games that are provided by the organizers or bring their own; they can learn to play a new game or discover one that they like.
Dela Luna is eager to tell newcomers about the resurgence that board games and board game designs have seen in the recent years — one that has spawned an entire new genre called Euro Games.
Euro Games, referring to games designed in Germany, are a shift from the American games where luck and conflict are ranked higher. Euro Games, such as Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan and others, rely more on strategy, have multiple paths to scoring points, and flaunt a well-done design, as per Board Game Geek.
At the free event, people can explore cooperative games such as Mechanics, Forbidden Island or Pandemic, where the players, as a group, have to try and beat the game; Takenoko, where players need to cultivate bamboos to feed pandas; Viticulture, which's all about making wine; and Stone Age, where the ones who are good at breaking stones, collecting wood and expanding their village win, he said.
Each of these games, he said, not only involve a ton of strategy, but also a chance to learn important life lessons — they teach you social skills, honesty, integrity and that “losing is a part of life.”
And while the same games can be played online, as Dela Luna said, “nothing beats just being around the table, holding real cards, throwing real dice ..."
"And just sitting with friends, talking and hanging out.”
The board game sessions will take place every Sunday at noon, starting July 16, on the second floor of the River Market. Register at the Friendship Club Gaming meetup event to participate.
