chase all over the east, west, and south sides, seeking the perfect game emporium? ” ShAKer LIFE | SUMMER 2015 63 Scene in Shaker eurogames at the van Aken district? by beth FrIedMAn-rOMeLL Remember my case of G.A.S. – Guitar Acquisition Syndrome? Now another family member has contracted a mutation of this virus, known as Game Acquisition Syndrome. And it appears to be highly contagious. My son has drawn us into gaming – and I don’t mean videos, slots, or the ponies. We have joined the proud subculture of board game geeks. It’s not what you’re thinking. Forget about Monopoly, Sorry, or most of the other mass-market games you grew up with. And I’m not talking about what gamers term “Ameritrash” either: arcanely complicated, theme-based games that take hours to resolve, feature player-to-player conflict, and rely heavily on luck. I’ve become a fan of Eurogames, which get high marks for design, materials, and “game mechanics,” a.k.a., how they work. Luck plays little or no part in the outcome; strategy and knowing your opponents’ playing styles count for much more. The game designers’ names are proclaimed on the beautifully rendered boxes. They are the rock stars of the board game world, autographing copies of their work at international conventions. We need a board game café in the new Van Aken District, appealing to millennials and young families alike. In an age when screens command far too much of our attention, board games allow us to slow down, communicate face-to-face, and stimulate our brains and imaginations. Some of these games are cooperative, requiring that players combine forces to defeat a foe or save the world. But watch out – some of these will also have a “defector,” a player secretly out to sabotage the group. In other games, you may compete for resources, empires, or even the biggest laugh. Today’s games involve trading, betting, story-telling, deck-building, tile and/or worker placement, and more. The settings are historical, exotic, or fantastical. There’s a game for every mood and every amount of time. I’m usually drawn Who’d “a thunk I’d to games in which I can accomplish at least some of the goals before the end, even if I don’t win. Which makes me a lousy player against my son. I also dig the silly and fanciful: lobbing monsters at buildings and gobbling up people (Rampage); pitching the zaniest two-word products to a customer (Snake Oil); or inventing the most plausible definition for an obscure word (Balderdash). Who’d a thunk I’d chase all over the east, west, and south sides, seeking the perfect game emporium? Or insist on checking out the local game shop when I visited my brother’s family in Virginia? (“Aunt Beth wants to go to the nerd store!” my niece chortled.) And who’d a thunk I’d be sufficiently drawn into this world to plan and bankroll a family trip to a board game convention at a fake medieval castle? This past February, we went on a pilgrimage to Castle Ravenwood, a Hocking Hills bed-and-breakfast dedicated to gamers. At first, I felt like an outsider to this tribe of mostly 20- and 30-something guys (plus a few gals) with superhero t-shirts and intense focus. Unlike, well, a “conventional” convention, there was no chit-chat or sharing of personal backgrounds. I was practically the only one to leave the castle for a hike or a change of scene for four days. But gradually our amiable hosts/resident serfs Dina and Zac drew us into the group. I found myself playing new games with new people into the wee hours, and we left eager to return. Meanwhile, our family won a year’s membership to The Malted Meeple, a new board game establishment opened in Hudson by the castle’s owner, Jim Reed. At the Meeple (geekspeak for a small, person shaped player token), you can enjoy craft beer or homemade milkshakes (that’s the “malted” part) while playing a variety of games from their large library. Jim hopes to attract both families and dedicated gamers, a concept that has succeeded in other cities from Toronto to Columbus. But it’s so far from Shaker! So how about it, entrepreneurs? Don’t make us keep driving hither and yon for our meeple fix! SL
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