Hey guys, welcome to episode 119. I'm Maple to Maple. I am PJ. Today we're gonna talk about community unity and I have with me Laura. Laura, how are you? I am good. How are you PJ? I'm exhausted. I think we all are right. It's. Yeah, I'm good, but I'm also exhausted, that's true. I thought it was interesting we
would talk about community. For those of you who maybe watched my short last night, I kind of laid out the beginnings of my thesis going forward for the podcast, for all the content I'm going to create. And it's all about building community in the wake of all the discord that is coming out as a result of tariffs and fears and just everything.
So we want to be positive because the beauty is is even if we can't afford board games anymore, first of all, we have a whole bunch of them we haven't played right. What are you talking about? Not me. Right. And then and then and secondly, we are, we make up this community. Without us, then board games wouldn't be made. So yeah. So I thought it was cool. So thanks for joining me. Yeah. I, I actually watched that this morning and I, I really appreciate the sentiment behind it, right?
Like, and it's what brought me into this space to begin with. As I know we've discussed before and, and I think you're right. We have to remember that we are a community with some of us just talk board games. And there is nothing wrong with that. That is a wonderful way to bond. That is a great way to have a sense of community.
But many of us have developed through that relationships that go beyond that where we talk on the side, we meet up in real life, we, you know, meet up as families and see are in each other's homes and things like that. And I think that is something that it comes down to the human connection, which is what is so often forgotten in many of many turbulent times. Yes, what is missed is the human
connection. People are human and whether you agree with them or disagree with them, they are humans. Whether you are getting something from them, they are humans. I think it's the perfect time to remind us that community is a focus. So I appreciate that that is something you articulated for yourself, something that I know is important to you. But it's nice to always hear someone. Right. Yeah. Say that out loud and remind everybody and help us focus on
that. Yeah. And to be to be clear, I think that that message starts with me. Mm hmm. I fully recognize that I too am human and I'm I am a fallen creature who has made mistakes, some big and some small, early on. I've definitely ruffled feathers in, in, in stupid ways in the board game community. I was not always, I don't know, sometimes like, you know, I don't know if you feel this way. I get in my own way, you know, I just, I get, I get too excited or I, I don't, I don't know.
I just, I think I can do all the things and then I get blinders and whoops, I'm not looking at the family right in front of me, you know? Yeah. I think, I think we all can do that, you know, in our own ways. It might look different for me than it does for you, but I think that's very easy for all of us to do. Very, very easy. But I think the place to start
is with self-awareness. And yeah, yeah, being able to acknowledge when you do that and being able to also receive feedback and and try to learn and grow. And again, that does not happen in a business transaction. That happens in a community, right of people, right? Exactly. And that's what I was thinking
about. So everyone was everyone was chiming in with the situation with tariffs, whether you agree or disagree, but the reality is that there will be a financial impact to the products that we'd love that have brought us together. And I know there's a lot of. Fear already has been impact to games that have been signed. Right. Games contracts that have been made, they have, they're dropping like there's yeah, it's not just future. It's already happening to people
in the industry, yeah. It is right because you've got, I'm going to be interviewing a group of a group of individuals who just started their own gaming company, publishing company. And so they're entering the community right now in this. So that's coming up. That's so that's going to be a whole new way of looking at community. Yeah. So I was, I was thinking about, I was thinking about not to explain what tariffs are, because I feel like everybody's done that. But you can't tax my
relationships, right? You can't tax that. You know, my relationship with you is independent of any financial tax, right? So, so, so it starts with me, starts with my relationship with you, starts with our relationship with everyone else. And that's why I said it's like we're responsible for nurturing this sense of community. I get it. I get the fear, I get the anger. I share a lot of it. But in the end of the day, why do you go to the game table, right?
I can't speak for anyone else, but I go to the game table to see your smiling face because that's what it is for me. It's, it's for the people and and that's just a shared experience at the table. Not to say that we could substitute that with something else, which of course we could. It just would be less fun because we both have this love for this, this shared experience. And I don't, I don't want to forget that for me. And I genuinely think that that message is, is impactful for
most of us within the hobby. And I felt like it needed to be said like, you know, I hope so it got response, got some positive response. And so we want to be positive. So yeah. Yeah, well, especially right now there, there's so little anyone can actually do to impact the situation, right. And and a lot of times what that leads to is what we have been seeing and what you mentioned, which is everyone is talking about it. And that's not at all a bad thing.
I think discussion and idea sharing is important and education is important. But when you move beyond constructive conversation to arguing, to worrying, to obsessing about things that you don't have control over, that's when it becomes unhelpful and unhealthy. And I think it's very hard for, at least for myself, I have a history of having a hard time not laboring over and ruminating over things I can't control in all areas of my life, right? This is no exception. Right.
And so I, I appreciate the, the call to, OK, what can we do? This is in our control. This is in our control. We can figure out how are we going to foster the community that we love and that we find ourselves in as it goes through these turbulent times. And gosh, I think that's a great way to channel that energy that a lot of us have because there is good to that energy. We don't want to just like ignore what's happening and bury your head in the sand.
That's not helpful. So I love the concrete kind of call to action or focus that you you have brought us to well. Thanks. Yeah, I think it starts with, and I've had this conversation with several people lately, which kind of like I had to ruminate. I ruminated it for two weeks and we're about to talk about. So it all started two weeks ago. This key this weekend of crazy. Yeah, it. Feels like it's been a very long time. It does and we'll get to that for sure. But also it's ruminating over
this. And one of the things that came up is all this starts with each individual being willing to be vulnerable. And I figured it's nice for us to sit at a game table or in a car on a six hour drive from where or, you know, on the phone or on the podcast. It's one thing to say, well, you've got to be vulnerable. And so I thought it's got to start with me, just like you just said, this is what we can control. So I was like, OK, well, I need to be vulnerable.
And that's kind of what I was hoping to convey last night when I posted that thesis. And we're going to talk community. Every episode of the podcast is going to be somehow tied to this theme of community and how we can build community going forward. And I hope that, you know, yeah, I hope it resonates. Let me take a minute to say I think you've been doing that.
Something I've been appreciating about your videos that I've been watching recently is you have not just been inviting people to hear about their board games, but you are you're learning about them as people. You're learning about them as their story and their stories that have brought them to where they are. And I think that invitation to allow people to be vulnerable by sharing their stories and to receive them with kindness and acceptance, that's, that is part
of the whole process. So I think you have been doing it and I'm excited to see how you continue doing it as well. And what thank you, what changes you make as you continue to dive into that even? Right, because I need to get better. Like I said, there been mistakes in the past and so it's important to recognize that and then move forward. I hope so. And and I hope that that comes through. So thanks for that. So the beginning of this whole idea, right? So we mentioned just a few
minutes ago, two weeks ago. So as far as I know, two weeks ago there were at least three small gaming conventions going on simultaneously. Here's the difficult part about our community. I can't be in three places at the scene. Where's my transporter technology? So, Adam, Tabletop vibes and I drove 6 hours to Nashville and went to Tennessee Game Days where we met up with, you know, a group of beloved content creators and gamers and it was awesome.
You and your husband. And did you took kids too, right? Yes. Yeah. OK. I can't wait to hear about that. You drove. What was it 6 hours for you as well? Yes, yes, we it was tacked on to the end of our spring break, but the drive home was a little over six hours. Yeah. And you went to Lincoln, NE? Yes, we did. For what was it called? Great. Plains, Great Plains, Great Plains Games Festival, where you met up with a another fantastic group of content creators and games.
Yeah. And I was, I was, I was a little jealous. Well, so was I I wanted to be both places at once, right. I was actually hoping to go to Tennessee Game Days, and they were sold out by the time I went to get a ticket, so I was very happy to find out about that. Mandy told me about Great Plains Game Festival and that I could go there. So I it was kind of nice having the decision made for me. Yeah, I didn't have to pick between. Two, I'm glad you went.
Groups of people, yeah. I'm glad you went cuz at least someone in our our group got to go to to Lincoln. Yeah. And then in Milwaukee, WI, there was Nerd Fest, which was, let's say a previous guest where we talked about community unintentionally was Shelly Michiana, board Gamer. She listened to Episode 117 where she built a community where they don't have a local game store or I. Didn't realize that's why I haven't haven't been able to watch that one yet.
But I didn't realize that was why she formed that group. But I've I've watched her over the past couple years post she is constantly gaming with people out places and it's. Constantly. Always something I've admired. And from her she was really good. So I speaking in building community we had her, her husband and their 8 year old daughter stay with us for the weekend. They drove down to Michigan and they stayed and we played all the games.
She had a list of games, and she talks about that. But it was the second episode where I was in person with someone. Uh huh. And I learned a valuable lesson not to put my laptop on the game table because you know me. I like to talk with my hands. Do you knock it off? No, I hit the table. And if you're watching the episode, it's constantly shaking. And I'm like, there was some watching again in Springfield. No, no. And I'm like that's I got to. Do better.
That's fine. Well, you gotta learn somehow. How else are you gonna learn? It's fine. It's it is, it is true and it's very true. But anyway, so she was there along with another board game podcast group, the gamecasters they frequent Nerdfest. So, yeah, so it's like all these little gaming conventions, they're focused on gaming, which is what we're all about, right? I mean, there's the Essen and the Gen. Con and you know, they're more, I think they're more gaming
industry. They're more Expos now. I don't think Gen. Con is the best four days in gaming anymore. I think it maybe is the best four days in gaming industry. But it's not like, you know, I'm going to go and I'm going to be so busy doing stuff and I'm going to I'm going to hope that the famous Laura from the Best with Board Games can pencil me in between all of her meetings at Gen. Con. You'll chase. Me down next time.
I will. I'll be there the whole time this year, so it's gonna be great. But yeah. So why don't you tell me what? Let me tell me about. Tell me about the Great Plains. Great Plains. Great Plains, Great Plains Game Festival. Yes. And who did you see and what did you do and how did it go? It was a great game festival. My husband and I took our two kids, they are five and seven, yes, five and seven, with a lot
of energy. And it was, as I mentioned, tacked on to the end of our spring break, so already very tired from a vacation. So I will admit my kids were not ready. It was stressful on that end. However, it was a great game festival. We met tons of nice people. It was busy, but it didn't feel overwhelming as the small cons typically are where you have a smaller group focused on gaming. It's not.
You're not dealing with the crowds like you are at Gen. Con or PAX or other bigger cons like that. And everyone was so kind and friendly that I was never made to feel bad about having kids who were a little wild wanting to run in circles. Literally no one makes you feel bad about that. And I, we were only one of multiple families who had kids there, OK. And so my kids got to meet other content creators kids and play together. And it was it was actually
really neat. Won't take them again for probably another couple years. OK, and maybe not at the end of a vacation, but. OK. It was great. I mentioned earlier Mandy Happy Maples. She is the one who reached out to me to let me know. Hey, do you wanna come? She and Nick were there with their kiddo Milo. I was sad I didn't get to meet their baby, but that's OK. The. Baby's too, too small, right? I mean, yeah, just a few months ago, yeah.
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I don't know, she put up her first tutorial yesterday though, I think it was yesterday. Yeah, true. You should go check it out if you haven't yet. Yeah, you definitely check it out. Yeah, she's adorable. Let's see Allison and Brock from Better half reviews Ian and Sabrina from our family. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. Our family games together, our family gaming together. I'll. Have to look it up right? Megan from board game paints and
hand stands I believe. It is. Megan was there. Yeah, she was there. Man, that's good. Chris board at home, he was there. Sarah and her husband drew from Sarah always loses. She and her kids were there. I am so jealous. I I was so excited to finally meet her because it's been a very long time. I mean, I connected her with her fairly early on, I feel like. And she, I love what she and her husband are doing with both Instagram and YouTube. They're doing some great work and beautiful. Yeah.
So it was really great. We got to meet with them. And you know, it's not just gaming. They have, of course, the library. They have a very large play to win library. So you're and every time you check it out, you're entered to win it at the end of the weekend. Yes. They also have giant games like oversized games so they had Caputo sumo from all play which I thought was super. It looked super cool. They had giant connect fours which our kids loved.
Someone brought out Patchwork. A. Zool, it was just a bunch of oversized large games. Carcassonne I think was out there at some. Point. Wow. And you could like check out several different ones from the library. So I thought that was really unique. I haven't seen. I've seen some giant games like I saw a boop. In like a show. Floor at Gen. Con one year maybe or. Right. And I saw a fishing Cats from CGE. OK, I've seen a couple of giant games, but they were just kind
of solo. So to have a whole lobby area full of them was really cool. And that a lot of the kids congregated there and were playing, but adults too. I mean, it was really fun. That's cool. Yeah, they had a few vendors, so I got to, you know, check out some handmade dice and some coffee. And then they also had Designer's Row, which I unfortunately didn't get to check out much.
I wish I could have spent time there to actually hear what people who presumably local, what games they're designing and what games they have coming out, play their games. You could provide feedback and, you know, potentially see games that will be coming in the future. And I just think that's so cool. Yeah, I think that's I think especially if you live around there.
And I feel this way when I go to Geek Way, which is right by right by me. You get to see designers who are local and who maybe are just starting out or maybe even they're not local, but you get to see them and see what they're creating and and what they're bringing to the community. And it's always so cool to see fresh perspectives and what they bring in and, and how that generates new energy and new ideas. And I don't know, I just, I love that part, right? Cons and the gaming world and
yeah, so much creativity. I'm gonna tell you, you got the better end of the deal. Did I? You, you did in terms of in terms of organized events and gameplay, I think you got the better end of the deal. Now while we were in Nashville, TN game days is pretty well established and they have a fall and a spring. And I've never been to the fall which is in November. I've only ever been to the spring which they just made the cut in spring like spring and. Yeah, it was barely, barely
spring. So we get there and of course we saw May Ameritrash talk and her husband Josh and their player 3. So they were children. We got to see TJ. TJ plays our formerly. Seen. Former from him in a long time. Formerly formerly TJ plays legally invisible meeple or something but we got to play with him and random meeple who I call Randy who has like. I discovered Randy has like 8 different names. I know of him as Raziel, right? I think that's how you say it. I. Believe his name is Raziel.
I believe that's the correct pronunciation. I'm I don't rule my R as well, but that's it. And so people call him Roz for sure when I first met him he's random nipple. I abbreviated that to Randy and the guys loved it. So it's funny I was. Wondering how you got that? That makes sense. Yeah, so I'm sitting at a table and everyone's like, hey, Roz, hey Roz, Roz, Roz. And I'm like, who the hell is Roz? They mean Randy, right? And then of course, Adam Tabletop vibes.
And we met Jerry from Tabletop Worldwide who came up from Atlanta, learned a valuable lesson. People from Atlanta do not like it when we call it Hot Lanta. Well, good thing he doesn't know like high school, college, me, because I was definitely calling it hot. Lana, that was. Genuinely did not know that and now I know and will. We'll respect that. I love Jerry. Jerry's great. No. And then we saw on Steven Nashville board game and Daniel, who is the Huzah king, the two
of them. Right, Yes. Did you? I have to assume the answer to this is yes. But did Steven teach you a game? Just any game. He did. He did, yes. I had the privilege of meeting Steven a couple weeks ago at the Atom retreat and he, I thought he was one of the most engaging game teachers I've ever experienced. And so I just, I love him. I think he is fantastic. That's amazing. Look at that, Steven. I hope that you're listening.
I told him this, I've told him this and I genuinely, I'm not, I'm not gonna say something like that, that I don't mean I'm I'm. Not that kind of person. Now you're telling the world. Telling everybody. There you go. He is great game teacher and he's so and I think he embodies exactly the theme that we're talking about, community. I feel like he oozes community and acceptance. He is creating an experience. At least when he taught me a game, he's creating an experience.
He's drawing everybody in. He is wanting to make it the best time possible. He's probably printed and laminated player aids for the game that he's teaching you. He's got upgraded bits, you know, like he just oozes that sense of welcoming and makes you want to be there and makes you
excited to be there. You know, he is not the only one of that group that you mentioned that I feel that way about, but he is the most recent of that group for that I have met in person and you know, I just, I feel like I have to give him a shout out. It was great. You do great. You do. He is. He is a wonderful individual. His wife is amazing. She is very accommodating.
She is very, she too is very welcoming as not much of A gamer herself, but she's like, yeah, all these gamers can just come into my house and stay up till three. That's amazing. I can't do that anymore. I can't for very many days in a row and I can't when I have kids on my watch because they will wake me up at or before 6:00. Yeah. 3:00 AM Yeah, that's. Nope. Yep. Yeah, it's just, you know, it's not something to do, but you know, we, we played a few games,
so the group will. Stay up late, too. They yeah, yeah. And I'm like, why? Why are we making ourselves miserable? Like we could go to sleep and then we could get up at 6:00 AM, shower, have a massively awesome breakfast. The details. Starts the day. They're like, no, they feel miserable. I'm like, no, no you. Know I don't think, I don't think all of them do feel miserable.
It's pretty impressive to me when I've been at other cons with them, they will stay up that late and just still seem like they have more energy than me the next day. But I know how to read their body language, and if you listen, they can't. They can't complete sentences. Their thoughts are wandering. It just turns into nonsense. Yeah, yeah, that's just that compulsion. That compulsion that I have to stay up all night. Like I don't like. That's not necessary.
I can get in. Katie and I have easily gotten in teen games in a single day. Still going to bed at 10 A 10:00 PM and waking up at 6:00 AM Mm Hmm. You know, so I'm just saying, but that's me. So the game that I saw that y'all played or I don't know if you played, I believe you did. People in Lincoln were playing it, people in Nashville were playing it, people in Wisconsin were playing. It was just kind of crazy and that was Moon, moon, moon colony moon.
We were not playing that I. At least didn't play that there. I played it at Adam. OK? Did I have played it? Steven taught it to me. Of course he did. He taught us that too. That that game really, I was like, wow, like everyone's playing this game. It's a game I never heard of. Had you? Had you? Were you aware of the game before you went to the Gamers
Ranch and played it? I had just seen something from Board game Buzz Carly. She had just posted how she loved it and had gotten like a box from Rio Grande Games. That's like 6. It was like 6 copies of the game and she was like, so I had just seen that but I didn't know anything really about it and I thought it was, I really enjoyed it. I was like, they're like, we're gonna play this game. I'm like OK. Yeah. What did you think? I thought it was amazing. I thought it was incredible.
This. It's not. I mean, a deck builder where we have one communal deck that we're building. Yep, yeah. It's fascinating. And you can add negative cards and you can add positive cards. So I went into it cuz the whole idea right? Like you're, you've got your colony and you're trying to build up your population. Bad things are gonna happen and you just have to outlast your
opponents. So I had decided I'm just going to treat my people as resources and just eradicate them as quickly as possible because I was like, I don't really know. I didn't. I don't want to. Trying to lose. Yeah, I won. You won. That is crazy. It's it's. Nuts. I don't I don't know. I. Don't know. So from now on, maybe take the least obvious strategy and give that a whirl and maybe you'll win. Yeah, give it a try. OK, Let's be fair, it'll never work again.
Probably not. That was a one time. One time thing. But that was a that's a unique experience, right? And the so the cool thing is what I liked about that particular game, it's less about the game than it is the shared experience. In that moment was the conversations that I had with the people at the table, which I get into all the time. When I first met Shelley at Origins a few years ago, she was with her husband and her friends from Michigan.
We were playing Gartenbaugh, and I would take my turn, and then I would turn to Shelley's husband, Lance. So Lance, tell me how you and Shelley met. I can't turn it off so. You're the reason the games last longer. Well, but my turn's but I'm. Not saying that's a bad thing. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I need to, I need to. I'm more interested. I'm more interested in the you, you know, like you. Are. You know, because so it's interesting, a lot of people
play solo games. And I'm going to have an episode here in a couple of weeks with a content creator from Europe. We're going to talk about solo gaming and tie that to community. I don't play solo games because when I was growing up as a kid and of course back in the 80s, right, So there weren't a whole lot of options. You had Monopoly, you had Scrabble, you had to make things up on your own. So I played a lot of board games by myself without solo variance. That was not a thing that
existed. And that made me feel terrible about myself, right? I it, it, it amplified my loneliness, right. And into in a degree, some despair as well. But I came out of my my childhood and here I am now almost almost 50. I'm going to be 50 next month. It's coming up soon, yes. So I don't like solo games, but I respect the fact that solo gaming people are in the solo gaming. I recognize that the solo variant, I wish the solo variants existed when I was a kid.
My problem is I set up a game on my table. I get ready to play and then all of a sudden these emotions when I was a kid came up and I'm like, I don't want to play this, you know? Yeah. But so, yeah, there's there's that. So I'm really for me, I got into modern gaming to interact with people and it was, you know, it is the you of the world that I love. I love the shared experience as well. But yeah, you know, it's a it's
a great conversations. And some of those conversations got pretty deep over the weekend in Nashville, so that was pretty terrific. Did you have any non gaming community building experiences while you were in Lincoln? That was tough to do, mostly because of the kids schedules. Yes. So in Lincoln we didn't really have that, but we have at other cons. I mean, geek way. Last year, before it even started, several of us met up and went to dinner together.
Yeah. You know, so we didn't get to do that. And that was one of the saddest things, I think, to me was that I felt like I couldn't be as present and flexible as I wanted to be. And as I have had the privilege of being at every other con I've gone to. But that's just, you know, that's the challenge of the time of life that I'm at where I have really young kids and, you know, trying to learn to roll with that and still have lots of great time with other people.
Even though it wasn't outside of board gaming, You know, it was outside of board gaming in that we weren't always playing games. Right. I mean, one thing I forgot to mention is they had a very large and successful swap meet there.
And so, you know, part of the time it was just walking around with each other in the swap meet room, looking at the different games that are for sale and chatting about them and, you know, hearing other people's perspectives or just chatting about random things while we were walking around. So, yeah. But I, I do love when that does get to happen at Conn's, but not so much for me. What about you guys? Were you mostly gaming focused or did you guys do anything outside?
Of there was, there was, I mean, we had meals, OK, So the restaurant, the Marriott where we were, where the convention was, there's a bar restaurant in the lobby and I had an amazing salad. Nice. It was huge and delicious and just incredible. And, you know, Adam is so health conscious and I need to be. So I just followed his lead. Yep. I followed his lead and had a delicious, you know, salad. Yeah. But now we had some, we had some really very, very, very deep and meaningful conversation.
There were a select few who were, although I don't know that they would, I mean, I think looking back, they would articulate it like this. They weren't afraid to be vulnerable and, you know, open up. There were, I mean, some of these conversations got really intense in ways I was not anticipating. And you know, I thank God for that because that's great. I want to create that safe space for whatever it is you want to share or not share, right? So yeah, it was, it was really
good. I'm also because I grew up with a lot of female cousins and aunts. I grew up with a lot of women in my family growing up. I'm still surprised when I'm in a group with a bunch of guys. I'm like, I feel like an imposter. Do I belong here? I mean, obviously I belong here, but. It's funny, I'm the opposite. I tend to feel that way in groups of women, and I was around more women at the Great Plains Game Festival, and so I also kind of felt that way. Yeah, OK, good.
Yeah, it's not just me. No, yeah. And I think we all, a lot of people I think have a history of who they're, who they tend to be most comfortable with for whatever reason, whether it's family they were raised with or people they just had as friends in middle school, high school, whatever. I think that's normal. So let's really quickly about some organized stuff at Tennessee game days. They have a play and win. It's less than impressive. I'm just.
Could use some work. It really needs some organization and obviously it needs some donors. I saw some video from Lincoln. I don't know if it was you or Mandy that posted. It was a lot of games. They had a. Lot and they had a lot of good games. Like good games? Yes they had like 3 or 4 of each one I think. Which Geek Way Mini and Geek Way do the same thing which we love,
right? Katie and I always start every year with Geek Way Mini. We want a copy of Civilution and Men Never. Oh my gosh, yeah. You didn't tell me that you need to schedule me for a weekend up to Springfield. Now I have to make it happen. You you do you do. And and Shelley Shelley talked about how Katie is such a good and to be fair, Katie's gotten really good at this. You want to talk about teaching. So organized and effort is a heavy lift.
There's a lot of things going on and she just organized. That does not surprise me. Yeah, that does not surprise me at all. Exactly. So, so, yeah. So we, we started our year that way and then Tennessee game days, just the games they had, I either owned them or I didn't want to own them. Gotcha. And they only had one copy of everything and it's paper and a little cup. And it was just like I was like, wow. But I noticed that Great Plains had the little tablets for you
to type in your. I wasn't qualified for it cuz I had a media badge but. Okay. It looked like the same thing they had at Geek Way. Yeah. It's what it looked like, which was cool. So then the main hall, which is just straight up open gaming, there's no vendor hall at all. But what they do is they line up tables around the four walls and people sell their games. So you play a game and then you take a break and you walk the perimeter and you look, see what
you want. And they've got like a piece of paper with their Venmo or their PayPal QR code. And you just you buy, you type, you send of money done right. That's that's kind of I like the way you're down, son. It is. Oh, it is. Jerry had a couple of games that got stolen. Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, there were games he did not want anymore, right. So you can kind of right. Let.
It go, but that's disappointing. But the reality is is people walked away with, you know, a couple games that he, you know, so at Geek way mini Katie and I, not in the play to win, but in the game library play Luxor by Queen Games. Older, older game, right. We had never played it before and we just thought it was so much fun. And it's like, where are we ever going to find a copy?
There was a guy selling a copy for like, yeah, he was selling, he was selling it. And I'm like, well, I'm going to buy this now right then. And I do my little Venmo and get it over. But yeah, there was some there was some interesting things being sold. The unsettled whole bundle was being sold. The Masters of the Universe $500 fully painted miniature game was was a sale. Lords of Hell lost the whole bundle with all the expansions and age contrived.
The all in bundle set was I mean, it was just some crazy things. I was like, wow, they really are selling this. Yeah. And so. So that was cool. And there's a games library, which is really nice. There's some great games to play, but you don't get to win them. I love the play to win. Geek way spoiled me. Yeah, in the in the play to win. Of I mean, I love Geek Way and I'm very sad you weren't going
to be there this year. I know I. Love Geek Way and I it's, it just is a step up from Great Plains Game Festival. So Great Plains Game Festival has about 1000 people there, I think and geek way. So it I mean, it's not tiny. It's not. No, it's and they're hoping to grow. So I mean like it's it's. Tennessee Tennessee Game days. Checking out. Tennessee game days was 740. Yeah. So this is just a little bit bigger. Yeah, but Geek Way is a step up from that. It's two 3000 people.
I thought it was 5 last year, no? Nope. I could have torn us off 5000, but I. Don't think so. I mean, I could be wrong, I could be wrong. You're right, I'm wrong. Let's be honest. And and that could be not including, you know, orders or vendors who are coming in. So I don't really know. I know it's close to 3000 as far as badges they were selling for this coming year. So take that however you want it. And then then there's Geek Geek Way Mini, which I just talked about.
It's like 300 or 400 badges. Yes, yes. And they sell out within an hour. Yes, I found that out the hard way. Geek way. I think it may already be sold out for this year. I think they were down. To like 80 badges when I, well, they sold out and then they put out like 100 more badges or 150 more badges and they were down to 80 like a week ago. But I'm wish they could grow or
like sell more badges. I don't know if that's that they're confined to the space of the Convention Center that they're in or I'm not sure what that is. But I feel like there's room for it to grow with them shelling out so far in advance. Yes, you know, But I do love Geek way. It's probably my favorite of the small ones, but it is. It also has that extra level of organization too. It does. It definitely does. They have a few events.
There's a small vendor plays and demos and things like that. Absolutely it is. It is the more intimate Origins Game Fair is that's, you know, game Fair is like the next step from geek way, you know. So Great Plains Game Festival also had scheduled events and demos and tournaments and things like that. Is that not something that Tennessee Game Day says? OK. It's just. No open hall games.
Open gaming now, Ivy. Yeah. So it's like, that's a totally, that's a pretty different thing from what, yes, Great Plains is. It certainly is Ivy Studios, which is based in Nashville. They have like, they have a night where they invite a bunch of people to their studio and it's just like, it's just gaming. It's just gaming. But they also have like, I don't know how they organize it, but they have a room. It's like a smaller meeting room where all their games are and
you can, you know, go in there. Lily, who's their social media marketing guru of Awesome. I don't know Lily's title, but I know that she's new to the podcast and listening and I hope to have her on soon, but she's just so delightful. She was kind enough to invite us all to the Ivy Studios room at the Game at the hotel for pizza, and that was really exciting because they had a lot of pizza and I don't know, it's pretty, pretty fantastic pizza. Nice. OK. So yeah, it was great.
There's a lot of a lot of community building, a lot of families. You saw a lot of kids playing games together, so yeah, that was exciting. I got to play Power Grid for the first time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't like power. Grid. Now you know, now that question that's been burning in the back of your mind. Do you like power grid? Would I like it? Now you have the answer to. It I'm like, no, not really.
That's one of the things I love about experiences like that is you get to try things before you invest in them and. It's. Even better when you know someone or meet someone who is able to teach it to you. Yes, rather than slogging through the learning yourself and and then. Realizing me, I don't. Like this? Yeah, I was like, I'm not. Now I own it and don't want to play it and spent all that time teaching myself. Yeah, the beauty.
The did did Tennessee Game Days have the thing that Geek Way does and Great Plains does where they have like meatballs that you set on your table if you are looking for players or if you OK
are. One and you teach a game one and a teacher yeah sometimes OK so there was one night one night there's a there was this guy walking around he's holding the box lid for a game and he's got the players wanted me and he's walking around right because you don't want it because if you put it on the table that's kind of passive so he was looking for. They were looking for one more. It's OK. Aldara, do you know this game? I don't think so.
If you take the box and you stand it up lengthwise, it's like 4 feet tall. It's this box is. Taller than my child or as tall as my child? I mean maybe 3 feet but like this game. Yeah. ALDARA. Anyway, TJ went and played. He said it was like a combat focused kind of like Twilight Imperium, but not a 12 hour ordeal. I don't know. But it was like I've never seen like game box. He did. He did like it. I had not seen a box this big before and I was like, what is that? Yeah, yeah.
So it's. Fun. The things you get to find. I was walking around the swap meet and I found someone was who had apparently been collecting games from different cultures and stuff, and I was. Like that? Let me take a look at these cuz that's very much something I'm interested in. And so I got to buy a few different things. And then I found another game that's themed on birds. And I was like, Oh my goodness, my child would love this because we're obsessed with birds as much as we are games.
And so, yeah, it's, it's fun. The little treasures you find, little and apparently giant treasures you find, right, that you didn't even know existed despite having been in this world for so long. Yeah, you know, there's so many games that you and I don't even know about yet, so it's.
True, it's true. Hey, Speaking of other cultures, I don't know if you got to listen to last week's episode, episode 118, but you put me in contact with Ahmad from from Perth, Australia. We had a great conversation and we talked about you a whole lot right there on the. Oh, you did. Yeah, cuz you brought I only. Listened to the first. I only listened to the first little bit this morning before we decided to start this earlier, so I'll have to go back and listen to the.
Rest yeah. So it was really interesting because I liken it to episode 111 and another person you introduced me to and that was Pagan. You're welcome. From Bangalore, India. And it's funny, Pagan's getting I mentioned him pretty much in every episode. It's an episode sense I'm like, give him a shout out. It's because that was such a popular episode. It it got the most views on our YouTube channel and it's in the top 10 on Spotify from our listeners. So that's really exciting.
But it was interesting to hear Ahmad talk about not just Australia, but Oceania and then and then we got to dive into how his game who solely was received in a Muslim community. So it's love how that conversation unintentionally supporting my thesis. We were talking about gaming community, but we were talking about a religious community and introducing that community into the gaming community because community and community. Yeah. Community. Was it?
Can I assume that it was well received within the Muslim community? It was, it was, it was he had positive feedback at work. It's obviously some concerns, but yeah, sure. So if if those of you have are listening to this and you haven't listened to episode 118, go check it out and I have to go listen. To. It yeah, it was so cool. I feel like you and I, whether we intentionally, I don't know.
I don't know that we were intentional about this concept of community, but we were definitely intentional. As you and I have really fallen into this routine. You seem to be meeting these designers and people from outside of the United States, and then you just kind of hook them up with me and then I can introduce them to the world. Yeah, I, I don't, I know that you are doing a podcast and have been, you know, at least have been looking for people.
I don't know if you still need people or not, but, you know, I think these people deserve to have a voice with an American audience. And, you know, if I would tell, I would refer them to any podcast that I knew, to be quite frank. But I'm always obviously happy to send them your way because I know you and, you know, we're friends. But yeah, it's been really great the ways that I I've just kind of fallen into meeting some of these people or in some cases intentionally sought them out.
You know, the Usoli game I saw in a Facebook group and I noticed not many other people had, you know, volunteered to review it. And I thought, you know, I have experienced, I have in my previous life, I worked as an interfaith hospital chaplain. So I have worked with Muslim people and somewhat familiar with their practices and can it can respect it for what it is. And so I figured, why not me? Yeah. And I, I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it as a as a game.
It's not a super heavy game. It's not a big game, right? But I really appreciated it for what it was and what it brings to the community and the educational aspect, right. And so I feel like it's worth sharing. And I feel like so many people who are worried by things like that that are not familiar to them that are. Not part. Of their belief system or their worldview. I feel like that can be scary. It can be. For a, it can be whether I think it should be or not, it doesn't matter.
It, it can be scary, right? And so I think a game that is just a game, but where you're also kind of learning about what that religion is like. It's a very accessible way to learn about it. And it's much less intimidating than, say reading a textbook or, you know, going and visiting a mosque or, you know, it's it's much it's a much gentler introduction. And so I think why not have that be a starting point for some people?
Why not have it at least be a way that you know someone can come play and and take a peek and realize, OK. It's not that. Bad. I, I can, I can interact with this and still be safe. And you know, I don't know. I just think it's great. He's sending me a copy of Usoli and I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, I'm looking forward to playing it cuz it's like he's talking about him. Like this just sounds amazing.
And one thing that surprised me, you had posted some pictures of it on your Instagram feed weeks ago. I didn't realize how small the box. Small the box is. It's very small. Yeah, he held it up on screen. I'm like, whoa, like that. OK, yeah, yeah. It kind of was giving me having not played it, it gave me Castle combo vibes. Yeah, I could see that. But you're not building a tableau. Right. Yeah, you're picking cards up from the tableau. Yeah. But still you're.
Yeah, figuring out what move. Yeah. Yeah, I could see that. So once I get a copy and then we'll play it, we'll have to organize a time. You'll come up to Springfield, I'll come down to Saint Louis. Sounds good. And we'll play and that'll be great. And then and then of course, Palga and his games. So we got Chai Garam. Holy cow, guys, that game is amazing. It's so good. That game is incredible. And that that was a really interesting episode too.
The way he talked about the manufacturing like you can order a game and have it delivered like in an hour and it's and they make it from scratch it. Was unbelievable. I know also in light of the tariffs and the manufacturing things going on, like, Yep, how unbelievable would that be and how wonderful is it for them and their community that they have that access to that? Yes. And you know my my hope in this time. Is that? Things here are going to take a hit. They've already taken a hit,
right? Like they're just going to in the American portion of the board game industry. And I think the American board game industry has been the majority, or at least a very large part of the board game industry, right? I think think so. I don't have numbers in front of me, but I think that's. Right. A lot of the games are coming from America, American designers and publishers.
Granted, there's plenty in the Europe and things like that and then, but now here comes Mosaic from India and you have people from Australia who exist, whether we know it or not, have
access to their games or not. And so my hope is that as we find our footing in the American board gaming industry, that right places publishers like Mosaic from India and other countries will be able to hopefully have their games also seen more, whether that's from Americans or other countries just getting into the board gaming world so that we can have more diversity within the games that we're playing, the games that we're sharing, the games that we're seeing online, right?
Yep. I think that I'm hopeful that that might be a side effect of this and that I feel is a positive that I can agree at least be thankful for. I agree. It was like my closing statement in my thesis short yesterday. Our diversity is our strength. I firmly believe that. Mm hmm. I think that's what it makes us stronger as a community. Yeah, that's just. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, yeah, right. I don't. I agree. I'm like, yeah.
I agree. And I think, I think that it is very easy, especially here in America, the way things have been, it has been easy up to this point to stay very insulated in our board games. You have to seek out games and intentionally buy games that are from other countries such as India that now Mosaic has a warehouse here. So you can at least get it more easily than you used to. But it's it's hard to find a, a truly diverse collection of games unless you are looking for it.
And I think, you know, we can't go back in the past and change what we've done up till now, but we can make it a point to start seeking out diverse designers, diverse themes, diverse publishers, and hopefully, you know, continue making our tables and our collections and the things that we gather around to talk about and interact about making that more diverse, which then, you know, leads to new conversations. And yeah, continues to build that community to a deeper
extent. Right. Yeah. And all of that requires you. You. Not you, Laura, but you. Well, you, Laura. But yeah, all of us to be vulnerable, to be willing to be vulnerable and let people see you for who you are. And the thing The thing is, is like I'm a firm believer, and we've talked about this a lot, is people's worldview, whatever it is, it influences and it governs how they approach problem solving and puzzles, IE
the board game in front of them. So the way that you play a board game, your worldview informs that somehow. So you can't separate the player from the game, you know? It's true. I mean, even just thinking about the way you talked about strategizing for Blood Moon colony bloodbath or the moon colony bloodbath, right? You know, I never would have thought these, these colony, what are they called? These people here that I'm supposed to be keeping alive, They're expendable.
And a lot of that is because of my world view of OK, the thing we want to to have the most of is the thing we need to protect and horror. Right, like. Yeah. And you know, I'm sure there are plenty of ways we could psychoanalyze that, but. Oh yeah. But it's interesting that you're exactly right, our world view does dictate how we strategize about games and the games that we even can conceive of making. That's true. And yeah, it is 100% true.
And the strategies that we could work around new game mechanics, those are all gonna come from other perspectives or the meeting of different perspectives, right, with one another. And exactly, you know, some of the great, some fantastic games come about from two different designers coming together. And a meeting of the minds creates something new and beautiful that would not otherwise have existed. The same is true for cultures
and people. And so, yeah, I'm, I am here for it. I am here for the diversity. I am here for intentionally seeking it out. Because if we don't, it will not happen, right? And and that requires a vulnerability on our part, not only to be not only to share ourselves with people, but also to be open to receiving new things. Yep. It requires both. It does. It does, and I haven't always been good at the latter. I think I've gotten better but.
Especially Americans have been trained, been taught and, and, and American Christians, that's the background I come from. We have been trained and taught that that is not a safe thing to do. And I think I think that we have to find a way where we can be open to experience new things
without thinking. That means we're taking it on for ourselves or but there is a way to be vulnerable and interact with the different, the other that is healthy and not dangerous and in fact wonderful and life giving. The old community, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. Thank you, Laura. Yeah, Thank you so much. So tell everyone where they can find you if they don't already. If you don't already know. Laura, come on. If you don't know me, I am primarily on Instagram right now.
My handle is obsessed with board games, which everyone jokes. I'm obsessed with board games too. And yes, we all are. But I have the names. I have the. Official name. So yes, and I think. It's right exactly. Right here under my face. It's just the board games. That's where you can find me. Yep, perfect. Thank you so much guys don't forget to like smash that subscribe button send us comments. You know, we all have to nurture this community.
We all have to nurture the concept of diversity, the concept of unity so that we can survive just like moon colony bloodbath. Do we survive through whatever the future may hold? Post Comments Share Share this video We'll be looking for more. We're going to be talking about community more and more as the next few months roll by. Thanks a lot guys.