Battles and board games

New Tabletop Gaming Club seeks new games and members

photo credit: Adrian Diaz

Roll initiative \\ Playing games with friends, sophomore James Hyden checks his paper in order to decide what to do next. The club plays games every Tuesday and Thursday in room 224 during lunch. “My favorite things about the Tabletop Gaming Club are the people and the connections we have because it’s very familiar and we play around with each other,” Hyden said.

writer: Heath Hadley, Editor in Chief

With a roll of die or draw of a card, fate can be decided. You can take over the world, become a knight in shining armor, prove your strategic might, or just have fun with some new friends.

The new Tabletop Gaming Club provides an outlet for students to play all sorts of games together.

“We generally have at least one D&D campaign running, and other students will play board games, card games or classic strategy games,” club sponsor Mrs. Amy May said.

The club currently has games like Risk, Carcassonne, Go, Chess, Mancala, Munchkin, Uno, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, and others in the room, and is consistently adding new games over time.

“The club was started in the last days of my 10th-grade year,” junior and club co-president Tobi Olugbenga said. “Amy May, our sponsor, gave me the idea and I went with it.”

The club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch in room 224.

“The other co-leader [Braeden] and I review the games that we’ll be playing ahead of time and decide whether or not to move it, to keep it, or to scrap it entirely,” Olugbenga said. “We also inform the club members of information that we think they might need to know.”

The students teach each other how to play new games whenever they get them.

“I want [the club] to help bring together people who enjoy playing games, and those who want to learn new games. We all need a fun way to connect with others and enjoy some downtime,” Mrs. May said. “Plus, many strategy games can actually make you better at critical thinking and problem solving even while you are laughing and having a good time, and I’m all for ways to make my brain smarter while having fun.”

Students can still join the club if they attend.

“My favorite moments from the club come from us playing Uno with plus stacks and the unpredictable nature of is there a +2 card,” junior co-president Braeden Madler said. “We have a lot of fun and with more people, the more games we can have going.”

The club is also looking to expand their gaming library, and will take any donations, but are looking specifically for strategy tabletop games. To donate, take the game to room 224.

“We want to create a space where students can be free to role-play in school without the fear of embarrassment holding them back,” Olugbenga said. “This is especially important to me, as I feel that no one should be ashamed of what they love, and spreading this message was the goal I had in mind when starting this club.”

All of this information and more is available on the Wylie East website: https://www.wylieisd.net/domain/465#TTGaming