Finding a bunch of like-minded board game buddies is hard work. Often, it isn’t enough just to find a group – you have to find the right group. After all, if you’re a hardened strategy game veteran and your potential club would much rather play a relaxing storytelling game (or vice versa), you’re in for a disappointment. Fortunately, an intrepid group of board game enjoyers has contributed to a sprawling, international directory for board game clubs that’s well worth a look.
In a post on BoardGameGeek, the enigmatic Karl D posted about a project intended to map out all the board game clubs in the UK. Initially posted on May 28, boardgameclubs.org has since snowballed to include clubs in Germany, the US, and even Australia. While Africa and Asia remain unaccounted for at this stage, the sheer amount of information on show is impressive.
The directory itself also includes numerous tags to help you find a board game club that best fits your needs. The “RPG”, “Wargames”, “TCG” and “Free” tags are especially helpful and give the user a more detailed rundown of what to expect from their potential club of choice.
Beyond helping you find pals with whom you might play the very best board games, boardgameclubs.org offers a fascinating look at board game club distributions across the Western world. It’s edifying to see such tangible evidence of the widespread, global appeal of our beloved hobby.
What impresses me most about the map, however, is how boardgameclubs.org began life as a small, independent project. This is not some marketing ploy from a massive entertainment company; rather, it is the organic, home-grown efforts of groups of board game fans across the world who wish to see their communities spread their roots and grow. The site is open source on GitHub, meaning that the guide is well and truly in the public domain.
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Source: Wargamer
