Winter 2009 Irregular Newsletter

We're quickly approaching the club's 5th anniversary! Yes, the meetup page says we've been around since November 2003, but for the first six months, that meant Chris-Rachael and Chaz sat in a coffee shop with a box of games and a smile, waiting to meet our first members. For those of you interested in forming clubs of your own, the Louisville Boardgames Meetup is proof a lot of advertising and a little patience goes a long way. We now have over 200 online members and our meetings average 35-40 people.

In fact, we've grown so much, it's time to talk spin-offs.

Settlers of Catan

This game is so well loved we've had meetups where 3 groups played it at the same time. If you're interested in setting up a Settler's Night, let me know and I'll announce it at the club, put it on the Boardgames Meetup calendar, and send out a group email announcing it. All you have to do is pick your time and place.

Longer Games

Our group specializes in games that can be played in 45 minutes or less. This gives people a chance to play 2 - 4 games in a single afternoon plus mix in plenty of time for socializing. However, there is a lot of fun to be had spending two or three hours on one very involved game. If you've got a gem or three that are too long to bring to the club, Billy's kindly said he's interested in setting up an occasional day for longer games. Just like with Settlers, once it's set up, I'll spread the word.

If you're interested, add a comment to this Meetup thread.

Card Games

Deena and Kevin are organizing their own traditional card games club! This is for games played with an old school traditional deck of cards, not collectible trading card games. Check out their meetup page for more information.


More Boardgaming Across Louisville

Cant' get enough gaming? There are several other boardgames clubs here in Louisville.

Falls of the Ohio Gamers
A group focusing on strategy games

Strategy Gamers of Louisville
1st and 3rd Wednesday in Oxmoor Mall outside Something To Do

The Louisville Game Shop
Multiple game nights every month - see their website for more details.


Big Gaming Events

Louisville happens to be incredibly close to two of the biggest boardgaming events in the world.

Origins June 24 - 28

Gencon August 13-16

Miscelania

* Lately dues have slipped under the cost of maintaining the club. From now on, it's $2 per person, even if you bring a game. This goes to pay for our meetup site, name badges, pens, dice, and the occasional purchase of new games.
* Deena and Kevin's copy of Settlers is missing it's orange and yellow pieces. If anyone happens to find a spare set of those in your Settler's box, please bring them to the next meetup.
* My copy of Settlers has gone missing. If you've accidentally taken it home, please bring it to the next meetup.

I'd be down for a Settlers night and/or longer games -- I know Billy and I have talked about it in the past, I've just been sick and travelling a lot since the holidays and have been unable to act on it. So sign me up for those.

Regarding the Strategy Gamers of Louisville, I've attended that several times. Something 2 Do's game room is a good size and could pretty much accomodate the whole Meetup group. I'm not suggesting it move there or anything, just saying there's plenty of space, good tables, and no pesky people getting in the way actually wanting to read a book in a book store (the nerve of some people....). It's a small gathering though. Usually there's 4 guys who are there every single week, then a small handfull who come every once in awhile. I know Something 2 Do has been wanting to expand it, get more people out there. They were astonished when I told the person working that the Barnes n Nobles has 30-50 people attending. Also, they do meet on any 5th Wednesday of the month when those occur, in addition to every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. They're very welcoming, so don't be shy about showing up, alone or with a group. They usually get started around 6:00-6:15, give or take.

Further, if you are a regular around Something 2 Do, they'll give you a 10% discount on most things in their store - Just make sure you mention you're a member of the Strategy Gamers club when you go up to the register.

I would love to tackle a longer game some night. My schedule is very hit or miss however making it hard to tell when I will be available for anything that is regularly scheduled. I was reading over Android on boardgamegeek.com and that looks interesting but definatly needs a large table and a serious time commitment to learn and play.

I'm interested for either/both!

I'm also going to try the strategy group at Oxmoor. I had heard about it from my kids (who sometimes play in the MtG tournaments there) but they didn't remember the timing.

I'm also interested in either/both settlers/longer games. Unfortunately the card group is a little bit out of my driving area.

I just remembered we played Cities and Knights of Catan a month ago and I had to borrow someone's basic Catan set. I just checked, and I have a set of Orange pieces that are not mine, so I guess I'm the culprit here. Sorry Deena and Kevin! We were all cleaning up after that game, so in the confusion I guess it just got thrown in the wrong box.

If you guys are anxious to get your pieces back soon, let me know and we can meet up somewhere or something to give them back. I live in the Lyndon area (not far from Barnes n Nobles) Otherwise I will bring them to the next meetup in March.


Also, to reiterate what I said in my long post above -- The Oxmoor group who meets at Something 2 Do gets together on the first, third, and fifth Wednesdays of every month at 6:00.