Following a couple of successful taster sessions, a new, family-orientated board games club has begun a permanent residence in Bishop Auckland Market Place, writes Luke Dunmore.
Cakes and Ladders is held every Sunday from 12noon until 4pm at Mrs M’s, at No.1 Market Place. Chris Corrigan, of Age Of Nerd Ltd, which sells tabletop games online, started the Sunday afternoon club in the hopes of creating a safe and friendly atmosphere for anyone and everyone to enjoy playing the games they love and, hopefully, discover some new favourites.
Just as all are welcome, a large variety of games will be available to play: family favourites, games for younger children, fantasy, horror and superhero-themed board games will all be available.
There will also be a selection of single player games for anyone who would like to go but has nobody to accompany them and maybe doesn’t yet feel comfortable playing with strangers.
“I want Cakes and Ladders to be a safe, enjoyable space,” enthuses Chris. “All of these games are so much fun to play. I love all aspects of geek culture but sometimes it can have the appearance of being insular and cliquey. Here, I really want people to feel like they can be a part of it.”
Chris also runs the Age Of Nerd website which sells a wide range of what he calls ‘nerdy boardgames’, many of which will be available to play at Cake and Ladders.
“Obviously, I’d love it if someone who came along bought a copy of, say, Thanos Rising or Ticket To Ride or any of the other wide range of board games I sell, as I have a business to run, but that’s not what this about. I just want people to come and have fun.
“We don’t currently have any Magic: The Gathering in stock but, last week, some people brought their own decks and asked if they were okay to play. I said ‘of course’, and they stayed for the whole session.”
Chris and his associates will also be teaching young children and their parents how to play Pokémon: The Card Game.
As he explains; “A lot of kids collect these cards but have no idea what to actually do with them.
“They also might not know how rare, or even valuable, some of these cards are. We want to try and help both the kids and their parents learn more about what they have and get even more enjoyment out of them.”
As the name implies, there will be cake – as well as tea, coffee and other refreshments – available to purchase from venue staff.
For more information visit the Cakes & Ladders – Bishop Auckland Board Games Club Facebook page.
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