Playing Games

If you think of checkers, Monopoly, and Parcheesi when I mention board games, you’re going to be amazed. Starting in January, I’ll be hosting a twice-a-month board game afternoon here in Livermore. We’ll be playing a few (and maybe more than a few) of the great games that have appeared in recent years. Here are the details:

Where/When: First and third Sunday afternoon of every month, starting at 2:00 and running until 4:30 or 5:00, in the Tot Green Room at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Livermore (UUCiL). The church is on Vasco Road in Livermore, 3/4 mile north of 580. Our first meeting will be January 5, 2020. (You may want to plan on arriving on time in order to avoid getting left out as we’re separating into groups and starting to play.)

Who: You don’t have to be a member of the church to show up and play, but if you’re not a member it would be nice if you’d send me an email (midiguru23 [at] gmail [dot] com) letting me know you’ll attend. If you’re a church member and want to bring a friend, that would be great, but I’d suggest you plan to attend with them the first time they come, so you can introduce them to us.

There will be no organized child care, but we’ll surely have a game or two available that an intelligent 8-year-old could enjoy. Also, please don’t bring finger food; we don’t want to get the cards and other game pieces messy. Beverages may or may not be provided; that remains to be seen.

What: I’ll bring a tub of assorted games — Catan, Dominion, Tiny Epic Galaxies, 7 Wonders, Five Tribes, Splendor, Paperback, Azul, and maybe a few other things. (Rumor has it a friend of mine will be bringing Wingspan.) I’ll also have a few classic games on hand, including Scrabble, Othello, backgammon, and a set of dominoes, but I’m hoping people will be eager to learn a few of the newer games.

Feel free to bring your own favorites, and be prepared to teach them to people. But please be warned: If you bring Monopoly, people will give you peculiar looks, and you’ll probably end up sitting at a table by yourself, mumbling, “Atlantic Avenue? Boardwalk?” Also, the church already has a monthly mah jongg night and a monthly Mexican Train dominoes night, so there’s not a pressing need for either of those games. There are, to be sure, other things you can do with dominoes, and those would be welcome.

Will it always be the same four people always playing the same game? Will it be a madhouse with twenty people and six new games to choose from every time? Who knows? If you’re there, you can help steer.