Trading Card Games

At long last, construction work at Arlington Central Library is complete, at least in the area that’s most important to AARGGH: the auditorium. The librarians are delighted to welcome us back for the first Grand Gaming Melee there in nearly three years. As in pre-construction days, we’ll have board games, card games, dice games, tile games, and just about every other kind of game that can be played on a tabletop. Bring games you want to play, or come without games and play what others bring. If you see a new one you want to try, there will be plenty of people eager to teach you. Don’t forget snacks! You’ll need to replenish your energy during the day, so please bring something delicious to share. Cookies, crackers, and pretzels are popular options, as are sodas and juices. Some people bring doughnuts, cupcakes, or other substantial sweets; these are always appreciated and disappear quickly. Others may provide healthy treats of fruit and vegetables – we appreciate everything you bring to share! **AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTE:** While the library welcomes us with open arms, it does not offer us an open refrigerator. Due to remodeling in the building, we no longer have access to a kitchen. **If you bring any drinks or foods that should remain chilled, you must bring a cooler for them.** Your host – as always – will bring a couple of coolers filled with freshly brewed iced tea and excellent store-bought lemonade. Undoubtedly there will be demand for more drinks than he can carry, so a few attendees should heed the call of the thirsty. If you bring something else to drink, please provide cold storage for it. You may want to coordinate such an effort with your fellow players to supply maximum variety of beverages with a minimum of containers; feel free to post comments on this page for this purpose. Food and drink will be deployed on the stage at the front of the auditorium to separate it from the playing area. Official start time is 10:30am, but you may arrive as early as 10:00am to help with setup. Cleanup begins around 4:00pm (or whenever you decide that you can’t squeeze in one more game before the end of the event). The librarians appreciate our vacating the auditorium by 4:30pm, and by “appreciate” they mean that our compliance determines whether we’ll be invited back for another Grand Gaming Melee. Arlington Central cleanup instructions: * Place all trash in the bins provided. Make sure that no scraps of paper, cardboard, or food remain on the floor. * Leave the tables and chairs where you used them. The next group can deal with setup the same way we did.

Please join us on **Sunday, June 28 from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm** as we head back to **[Mookie's BBQ](https://www.mookiesbbq.com/index.html)**, a venue in Virginia, in support of a fellow meetup member. This is a bonus meetup outside of our normal weekday meetups. **Please RSVP to indicate your attendance and HONOR YOUR RSVP**. If your plans change and you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP, particularly since this venue has limited space. Regular no-show or late notices may get you dropped from the group. It is important that we are able to provide an accurate count to the venue and that all people who want to AND are able to attend are able to do so. **We ask all attendees to pay $1 to participate in the meetup.** This money helps maintain our meetup membership & cover various meetup costs that arise. You can pay $1 on Venmo @amanda-uherek, via Pay-Pal, or in-person (please choose paying friend/family not a business, good or service). **REMINDER:** everyone is responsible for their own tabs. If you have questions / comments / suggestions please message us. We'll have hand sanitizer & decks of cards on hand. Cheers - Amanda

**FOR BEGINNERS** If you've ever seen Korean movies or shows, you may have seen characters play with small red cards decorated with flowers and animals. Those cards are called "hwatu" or flower cards. During this next Hwatu Hangout (Peony Edition!), we will be playing Seotda, a popular Korean card game! \*\*\* **ETIQUETTE** Please update your RSVP at least 48 hours before the event to ensure that those on the waitlist have a chance to come. It's the nice thing to do! \*\*\* **THE PLAN** • **1:00p - 1:10p**: Introductions • **1:10p - 2:45p**: Learn how to play & demo game • **2:45p - 3:30p**: Game play • **3:30p - 4:00p:** Socialize **THE LOCATION** **The Board Room DC** \| Game Bar & Brewery 1737 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009 **Parking:** limited street parking **Public Transportation:** Dupont Circle (Red line); 5 minute walk to the Board Room \*\*\* **Questions?** Feel free to DM me or send an email to hwatuhangout (at) gmail (dot) com. Hope to see you there! Eunice

**Dust off those old classics in your binders and experience Yu-Gi-Oh! as it never was.** **Cookie-cutter deck lists, begone! Constant board wipes, begone! Tier-1 tyranny, begone! Get ready for the format you never knew you needed. If you’ve been utterly overwhelmed by the speed of the modern metagame, rejoice! If you’ve long suppressed the itch to bamboozle your buddies with obscure Traps none of them have heard of, your time has finally come! If you’ve always wondered what a format with 100 viable decks looked like, then prepared to be amazed, utterly.** **The AINW card pool contains every release originally printed before the TCG set, Duelist Alliance. Please note, this is not a true Retro format. We’ll be using updated card text for many cards formerly on Konami's Forbidden & Limited List. The inclusion of newer errata is not meant to tarnish the legacy of certain cards. Their inclusion is meant to maximize the number of viable options whilst preventing dangerous sequences such as Divine Wind FTK.** **Click the link to view the rules and restrictions below:** **[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sW3SkG5XNor-W-gRvwuvCWwuWeMelt-KkwpHYpOOwO4/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sW3SkG5XNor-W-gRvwuvCWwuWeMelt-KkwpHYpOOwO4/edit?usp=sharing)** **Many of these parameters you’ll likely find surprising, sacrilegious even. Just keep an open mind and give my format a try. I think you’ll be surprised by the sheer number of strategies that are actually viable. I didn’t set out to create a list that was perfect. But, I do believe I have succeeded in crafting one that is actually CONSISENT in what it bans, something that Konami's Forbidden & Limited list has never been.**

Young Professionals Social Club: Nationals Home Game Socials (20s & 30s) ​Are you in your 20s or 30s looking to expand your social circle, grab a drink, and catch some live baseball without breaking the bank? This is the group for you! ​We are a vibrant community of local young professionals who meet up for every single Nats home game. Whether you are a die-hard baseball fan or just in it for the social scene, you’ll fit right in. If the Nats are playing at home, we are there! ​What We Are About ​Our events focus on high-energy, low-stress environments. We love utilizing standing room only tickets and affordable season passes to keep things budget-friendly, but regular ticket holders are always welcome! ​Standing room areas (like the outfield bars and concourse decks) give us the freedom to move around, mingle, and actually talk to each other—no being stuck in a single stadium seat all night. ​Every Home Game: No guessing when the next meetup is. If there is a game at the stadium, we are gathering. ​Socialize: Meet new friends, network with fellow local professionals, and find your crowd. ​Eat & Drink: We always kick things off with pre-game drinks or hang out at the stadium's best social spaces. ​Zero Pressure: You don’t need to be a baseball expert. Come for the game, stay for the conversations. ​Who Should Join? ​If you are in your 20s or 30s, live in the area, and want a fun, consistent way to get out after work or on the weekends, hit that "Join" button. ​Check the schedule, grab your tickets, and we'll see you at the ballpark!

Open gaming at Panera! New players welcome. We have many games on hand or you can bring your own. We are happy to teach or learn one of yours.