Although I’ve always loved board games, I had fallen out of the habit of playing. And even back when I was playing, most of my games consisted of Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble combined with the occasional Risk. That all changed when author extraordinare and occasional co-conspirator Paul Miles invited me to join him and his brother Jonathan for their Great Hall Games Friday night sessions.
With a friendly staff and an impressive selection, Great Hall Games functions as meeting place for a large swath of the Austin, TX board gaming community. (Incredibly, Austin also supports two other large and busy shops that feature board games: Dragon’s Lair and Battleforge Games.) The back half of the shop is two large rooms dedicated for game play. The space plays host to a variety of different types of groups depending on the day.
TUESDAY
Go Night, Host Austin Go Club, 6:30-midnight
WEDNESDAY
Chess Night, Host Gene Kohnitz, 6:30-10:00
THURSDAY
Historical Miniatures, paint & talk militaria and wargame rules, Host Lone Star Historical Miniatures, 6:30-10:00,
FRIDAY
Evening Boardgames, 6:30-Midnight
SATURDAY
Afternoon Boardgames, Host Austin Boardgame Group, Noon-8:00
SUNDAY
Historical Miniatures Battles, Host Lone Star Historical Miniatures, 12:30-6:00
1st Sunday: 20th Century
2nd Sunday: Horse and Musket
3rd Sunday: Ancients & Medievals
4th & 5th Sundays: open
By 7, the Friday night meetings are often standing room only with 10-12 games going on.
The first time I joined the Brothers Miles, they introduced me to Nexus Ops and Citadels. Soon after Paul showed me the amazing Cold War simulation Twilight Struggle. I was hooked! Before long, we were meeting twice monthly and then I joined the social networking community Board Game Geek.
BGG supplies a forum for game enthusiasts to exchange views on games including reviews, a ratings system, FAQs, hacks, and a way to record individual plays. They host contests and giveaways. (I won a copy of Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943)
Additionally, the site facilitates trades between users. I began cleaning out my closets as well as trolling used bookstores and thrift shops looking for some older games to trade. Now, I’m an almost daily visitor (my BGG profile).
As if baseball, comics, books, apes, movies, and Linux weren’t enough, I can now count board games among my obsessions. Thanks, Paul.
