About this Meetup

Meeting locations and times:
We several times a month at various locations spread out across the city. We're currently working on a downtown location and a SW location and should have those up and running by the end of March. I am always looking for additional locations to hold Meetups. If you know of any venues that you'd like to host a regular gaming day/night at, please let us know.

Occasionally when the mood strikes, members of the group may also host gaming nights from their house or other locations such as pubs and coffee houses. Should you wish to host your own boardgame night, please contact Jasen and he'll post a new event to the group site. Smoking, drinking and eating rules are at the discretion of the host.


Who can come?

The core of the group consists of young-to-middle-aged professionals and university/college students, the game nights are open to all individuals. Attendance is generally around 30% women, 70% guys - I'm aiming for parity!Essentially if you have any interest in playing board or card games, there's room for you in our group. Friends and family members are always encouraged to join us as well.

We do ask that you come with an open mind, a good attitude and an attention to sportsmanlike conduct. Good natured ribbing/teasing is most welcome but open insults and general bad behaviour will not be tolerated.

Teenagers 12-years-old and older are welcome as long as they are well-behaved and are not easily distracted (i.e. can focus on a game for 1 hour or more). If you have younger kids you want to bring along, please check with the host prior to the event. Adult accompaniment is required in these cases: we are not a babysitting service.


What games do you play?

The games we play are supplied by attendees. So if there's anything in particular you feel like playing (Scrabble, Euchre, Monopoly, etc.), by all means bring it along.

That being said, the games we play the most tend to be *new* family-friendly strategy card and board games (also known as "eurogames"). Many of these games originate from Germany where there is a rich tradition of playing board games in a family setting. The games tend to be short (~1 hr), easy to teach, easy to play and focus on strategy rather than luck. They also generally do not revolve around dice-rolling or player elimination meaning players are always involved in meaningful decisions throughout the game. Most people familiar with the typical North American games (Sorry, Monopoly, Risk, etc.) are quite surprised by how much more fun, interactive and quick these "eurogames" tend to be. Some of the more popular games in this genre include Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Bohnanza. For more information on these boardgames, please visit this excellent website.


Where can I find these games?

Unfortunately, most of these games can only be found in specialty game stores. In Calgary, I'd recommend checking out Revolution (CDs and games) and the Sentry Box (the largest game store in Calgary). There are also a number of online retailers worth considering. We are currently being sponsore by the Sentry Box.


Contact info

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the boardgame meetup group, please do not hesitate to email Jasen @ jasen DOT r AT gmail DOT com.