From my first play of Settlers of Catan with a German family while living in Ethiopia to the casual matches of Munchkin with high school buddies, I was hooked on tabletop. I received my diploma from a small town outside of Austin, TX and moved three hours north to Fort Worth, TX to pursue a college degree. I wanted to find a community of like-minded board gamers to share dice rolling and kingdom building.
After doing some searching through forums I found a small group that met at a local coffee house. I showed up with anticipation and anxiety. Would these people play games I would enjoy? Did they play to have fun, not just to clobber the competition? Niagara, which I had never played before, was the first game we pulled out. The game and the small group gathered round it were great! Who could believe that this could start so well? Ken and Gail, the founders of the group, kept the evening rolling with a wide variety of titles, all of which were new to me. After a closing game of Himmelsstürmer, the balloon race game, I knew I had found my crowd.
Now, eight years later, I am living in Boston pursuing another degree and sharing my love of board gaming with my roommates and friends. Back home, Ken and Gail have married each other and spun off two other game groups. While I am far from home I know that during the summer and winter breaks I can return to Texas and join my old friends for some epic weekend gaming.
Image courtesy of: jchapiewsky
