In 2013 as my board game addiction began to take off I started a small private FB group for my gaming friends and I called KC Board Game Enthusiasts. We used it to discuss games that were coming out and to plan get togethers. It eventually grew to include people I knew but who didn’t leave locally yet were big into board games. I began to get request to join from friends of friends and while I didn’t know them well they were on the fringes of my social bubble and were gamers so I let them in.
Eventually we got to more than 100 people and I decided it would be fun to start hosting gaming events at various local game stores around town. We began at The Geekery and expanded to Tabletop, Game Café, Pawn and Pint and 31st Century games (now closed) with the occasional private residence hosting. Each month we would play an array of games with one being the "official" whos results would contribute to the year long event. The winner(s) of that game would earn points towards the overall trophy/year end prize. The rules were as follows:
1. At each event 1 game will be selected to count towards the trophy race.
2. A different game is selected each month.
3. The winner (or winners if in group play) will have their name temporarily placed on the trophy until the next event.
4. Each win is a point towards the championship for the year.
5. If there is a tie in points at the end of the year the tied players will choose one game to play for the title.
6. The winner will have their name placed permanently on the trophy and will get to keep it.
7. In addition, the winner will be allowed to select 1 game as their prize valued up to $100.
I would track the results and update them on the group website each month (here is a Google sheets version). The problem with it is that although anyone was free to play and there was no cost we had a statistical advantage since my family attended every single event while other people would come and go from month to month. Ultimately my wife and son won the trophies the two years we did this and these still adorn our mantle to this day. We stopped having regular events but the group continues to grow and I've made more gaming friends as a result.
04/10/2021
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