Apparently the Waterstones board game night and keeping my title of undefeated champion of Castles of Burgundy the night before was not enough board games for me so Saturday found me walking to Game On on Broad Street.

Game On, Broad Street is held at The Square opposite the Cineworld, the second Saturday of the month, it was a bit of a palarva trying to find the door we needed to go through but after banging on a window we  finally found the magic 8 door that we needed to open, which was round to the right of the building rather than through the middle.

It’s not an event I have been to before but its slightly different as children are actively encouraged to attend with their humans. I like this idea as although i am not a breeder myself it must be difficult to find child storage when you want to leave the house. I assume that kids could go to other events but ive never seen it advertised before. There was only about 3 kids there but it was quite refreshing to see an 8 year old playing Ticket to Ride and it meant there was a selection of kids games like Kerplunk. 

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We had arrived late so every one was already involved in a game , we had a wander round and then had a look at what games were available. A new Andy arrived and joined us to play. He was very friendly and stayed with Kitty and I throughout the afternoon.

There were tons of games to choose from and I picked the one with the brightest colours, a game called Taluva which was a simple strategy game of building plastic temples on land. For such a simple game I struggled with the rules and was tempted to flip the table at one point.

After Taluva we attempted to play Lewis and Clark but after setting up and reading half the rules we decided to pack it away and play some games we knew the rules too.

We had brought Spender and Seven Wonders so that kept us busy until we needed to leave.

 

Overall it was a great afternoon. Lots of board games to choose from as well as a group who were playing D+D. A good amount of space and tables to play on and it’s usually a whole day event and apparently can run to 11pm at night.

Rankings in comparison to Roller Derby

Fun – Great selection of games, good amount of people and lots of time so you can play long games if you choose too.

Value for money – Free, if you choose to make a donation this goes to the charity that supplies the room. Snack table includes biscuits, crisps and cheese. 

Join-ability–  If you can find your way into the building then it’s pretty easy to join in. We turned up late so although no one greeted us and introduced us around, everyone was mid game so this was our fault. However during the day people were asked if anyone wanted to join in when spare spaces became available so if you hang around long enough you will get a game if you turn up late.

It’s only on once a month however other nights are ran by Game On.

Spam-ability – I think this is a really good games event. Very inclusive, lots of games and nice people. I would definitely recommend this event and will probably return if i am free.

Total of  14/20 – If you like board games you should give it a go.

As well as this event they have:  

Game On – Gunmakers Arms, Game On – Erdington and Game On – Wylde Green. Full details can be found on their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Game-On-1462743520690614

Andy Hopwood – Erdington is in a family friendly cafe, Wylde green is in a cafe bar, and the new one at the gunmakers arms will be a pub setting so not really a family thing.

Response from organisers:

Game On Thanks for the review Becki. Yesterday was less than ideal as we couldn’t find the keys; hence the kafkaesque method of finding out how to get in. With hindsight a sign on the main door may have helped.
I apologise for the lack of a greeting, it is something that one of us would normally do, but we were a little caught up in our games this week. You seemed a nice couple and I do hope to see you again.
Entrance is actually free as the room is supplied to us free of charge by the Keir Neighbourhood Scheme. Donations are entirely optional, we don’t mind if people do not donate as we want to keep the event accessible. All the money donated goes to the charity.
The buffet is also free. It’s not organised, people just started spontaneously bringing food and put it on the centre table for people to help themselves. Most people bring a little something, but again this is entirely optional, and not bringing something doesn’t stop people being welcome to tuck in.
In fairness to you if one of us had taken the time to greet you we’d have explained this, and we will be more mindful of this in future. – David T

 

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