September Grand Gaming Melee (rescheduled from September 14)

With any luck the summer heat wave will end by mid-September, and people will be tempted to play outdoors. This may sound like fun, but if you don’t want your meeples stolen by marauding squirrels, cards nibbled by termites, and boards dive-bombed by pigeons, you should join us indoors for the Grand Gaming Melee at Beatley Central Library. As always, there’ll be board games, dice games, card games, tile games, and just about every other kind of game that can be played on a tabletop. You’re encouraged to bring some of your favorites and teach them to new players, but feel free to come without any and play the games others bring. If you see one you’d like to try, there’ll be someone eager to teach you.

Playing indoors also keeps your snacks safe from pests ranging from ants to bears to coyotes to… well, rather than rummage through the entire alphabet, we’ll skip to zebras. To maintain everyone’s stamina during this all-day event, please bring something delicious to share. Popular delicious items include bags of chips, pretzels, crackers, and cookies. Some people bring a package of doughnuts or cupcakes; these are always popular and disappear quickly (and are a particular favorite of zebras, as those who witnessed the notorious Games at the Zoo incident know only too well). Savory snacks like olives, vegetables with dip, or cheese appeal to players who don’t want to spend the entire day snacking on sweets. A few creative types may even bring something homemade; these contributions are even more appreciated. A refrigerator is available to store drinks and other items that should be kept chilled.

Official start time is 10:30am. You can come and go at any time, but your host appreciates anyone who arrives as early as 10:00am (the library’s opening time) to help with setup. Many hands make light work! Cleanup begins around 4:00pm (or whenever you decide that you can’t squeeze in one more game before the end of the event). Remember, whoever starts cleanup first gets the best choice of leftover snacks to take home!

As always, leave the room clean and tidy. Please observe these rules regarding cleanup at Beatley library:

• Please ensure that food scraps, crumbs, and bits of packaging are not strewn in the kitchen or auditorium. The library closes shortly after our event ends, so anything edible left on the floor or counters will attract vermin overnight. Night vermin are the worst!
• Please fold most of the tables and stack them under the coat rack – a few may remain where they were used – but DO NOT FOLD THE CHAIRS. Leave them out in any configuration that lets people walk around them easily. Many chairs are needed for programs the following day, so by folding them you only make more work for the organizers. On the other hand, more than a few tables left standing only impede the next day’s activities.