Hello my fellow Meeple Jockeys and those checking out the club. At just over four months in we’ve had many fun Tuesday nights with lots of games played but no blog posts of any kind! Golf and the kids’ baseball season has really taken their toll on updates. Well, that changes now with an update on the club’s activities, current status, upcoming events, and what the future holds!
Current Status
Tuesday night games have been suspended right now as we are selling our home and moving. This of course comes with a ton of work to get the house ready and keep it that way for showings so we been forced to stop for now. Once we are settled into our new place regular game nights will commence again!
Club Activities
Since kicking off back in March MJGC has met for our weekly Tuesday game night nearly every time with two exceptions – once when I threw my back out (getting old sucks), and again for a scheduled trip out of town. Otherwise, our club members could count on a weekly game each and every Tuesday if they could make it out.
With (mostly) homemade baked goods, snacks and booze-free drinks aplenty we had lots of fun playing all manners of games. Some old classics, some modern gems and lots of new gaming experiences for all who came to the table. In no particular order, here’s a list of the games we played:
- Ticket to Ride
- Hey! That’s My Fish
- Hot Streak
- Flip 7
- Magical Athelete
- Bomb Busters
- King of Tokyo: Duel
- King of Tokyo
- Sagrada
- Chess (yup)
- It’s A Wonderful World
- Sea Salt & Paper
- Catan: Starfarers
- The Captain is Dead
- Onitama
- Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace – A Love Letter Game
- Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
- Rebel Princess
- Thunder Road: Vendetta
- Terraforming Mars
- Sinoda
- Welcome To Your Perfect Home
- Chez Geek
- Fireball Island
- Flamecraft
- Project L
- The Lord of the Rings: The Trick-Taking Game
- Comic Hunters
- Jaipur
Twenty-nine different games! Not a bad mix of style, complexity, mechanics and length either. Each night would start at 7 and wrap up around 10 with many of the night’s main games predetermined in our WhatsApp group. How to Play and review videos are shared with each week’s attendance poll so members can get familiar ahead of time if they like. Typically 3 to 5 (sometimes more) people would attend each night from a group of 15+ and growing.
Extracurricular Events
Tuesday night gaming isn’t MJGC’s only activities! Back on April 25th several members of MJGC attended the Catan regional qualifier held at FanCon 2026 in Fort Erie. We all had a great time playing in our first sanctioned gaming event like that. Of the members attending, I had the best result of the day, winning both of my first matches only to miss the final table by one point on aggregate with a vicious longest road swing at the end of the third round robin game. This was such a fun event and such a great learning experience. If you haven’t played in a tournament for your favourite games, I encourage you to give it a try. I learned a lot and enjoyed having something to compete for – lots of fun.
Speaking of lots of fun, FanCon 2026 – run by the District School Board of Niagara and held at the Greater Fort Erie High School – punched way above its weight class. The building is a very nice modern facility that blends a community center with a high school. Contained within the con was a makers market featuring gaming and related crafts, decor and other items. I bought an awesome wall-hanging chess board that always has a game going on our kitchen wall.
Pokemon and Magic tournaments were also held along with a cosplay contest. There were several other stations around the con for attendees to enjoy like various VR game stations, video game stations, open gaming and vendors. I had the pleasure of meeting Brent Beck of Grandpa Beck’s Games. We really enjoy The Bears and the Bees so sharing our good times with his game was a lot of fun.
Upcoming Events
Garden City Board Game Day
One of our very own Meeple Jockeys is running her own board game convention this September in St. Catharines. Amazing! Garden City Board Game Day kicks off on Sep. 26th at the Canadian Polish Society hall. It’s a day of welcoming open gaming where you can make new friends while playing games you brought or choosing from their library! 10am to 10pm at 43 Facer Street, St. Catharines. See you there!
Niagara Board Game Weekend
Not associated with any MJGC members other than as eager attendees, the big regional convention of the year is the Niagara Board Game Weekend which is running Jan 14-17, 2027 at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre. This is a fantastic four-day event (we go for three) of open gaming. This is a unique event in that there really are no vendors at all so it is just about the gaming. They run a fun “bring n’ buy” flea market on Saturday where attendees can submit used games for sale. This a great way to cull your collection a bit and/or find a gem or two that can be tough to find. We have booked our stay in one of the associated hotels this year as driving back and forth from Hamilton to the Falls each day was not as good an idea as I thought it was last year!
Future Plans
After we settle into our new home regular game nights will return! MJGC members can expect many nights of gaming to come in the future. Learning from the feedback of members, we will still have open nights for more casual gaming but now there will also be at least one night per month with a bigger game planned and a sign up sheet so people can plan for that. The details are evolving but that’s the idea so far.
That wraps it up for now. Enjoy your card board pursuits!
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