The Florida Suncoast Gamers

Over the past few years I have gotten to play and enjoy a few "euro" type games with Bethany and some friends. However, just as my curiousity for trying new games increased, Bethany's desire to play games and getting together with friends has decreased. Being pregnant has both physically limited her involvement and changed her short term priorities. Simply put, she is rarely in the mood to play games.

In order to help fill this void, I sought out some other outlet and came across a Yahoo! group called the New Tampa Gamers. This group was very active and was meeting weekly on Wednesday nights at Hobbytown in Brandon as well as hosting game nights at their own residences. Normally Wednesday night is soccer night, but on a off-night when there was no soccer, I decided to attend. It was a little awkward at first, but I had a good time and learned a new game. The core group of guys involved are very easy going and share my passion for gaming. Since then, I attended some Wednesday night sessions over the Christmas break as well as got together with some of them at their own events.

Over the last few months, I have got exposed to even a wider variety of games, some of which I would never think about playing because they are more heavy on the rules sides of things, but great games nonetheless. One in particular, Caylus, I was especially impressed with and it is my highest rated game to date.

The New Tampa Gamers recently merged with other gaming groups in the Tampa Bay Area to form the Florida Suncoast Gamers. The website is an outlet for us to discuss various games and schedule events. A new Saturday event scheduled at Hobbytown on a monthly basis started in January and I plan on attending each month since I normally can't make the Wednesday night sessions.

Next on Boardgames... I talk about why I decided to design my own "euro" game and the progress I have made to date.