A Game Night went WRONG
11 00pm.
Applying antibiotic cream to my scratched-up arm, as I brace myself to clean the soaked-up, ruined game pieces scattered across the table.
How did it come to this?
Did the game night turn into a WWE showdown? Not quite. I wish. That would have been fun.
Let’s go back in time to see how my much-anticipated game night went hilariously wrong.
Prologue
It’s 7 pm and I am pumped! After pulling off a fantastic game night with friends, I dared to host yet another one- this time with workmates. They heard great things about the game night I had with my friends (kudos to a friend who vlogged and shared the whole event) and were eager to give it a try themselves.
So like a good host, I took all the necessary actions to maintain my good record;
-A few easy and catchy PnP games lock and loaded on the gaming table
-Snacks and soda, enough to last the night
-Special LED lights to woo the guests!
What can go wrong, am I right?
Scene 1 | Unexpected
The doorbell rings, and to my delight, everyone is here on time. That is, 5 of my work buddies, and along with them came an uninvited guest– a cat. I have nothing against pets, but the aspect of having to keep an eye out for a sassy creature while trying my best to brainwash my colleagues into my gaming habit seemed to be challenging.
Ah, it’s okay. It’s just a cat! They’re mostly introverts. It will mind its own business, right?
Scene 2 | Shock
After a bit of small talk, I invited everyone to my state-of-the-art gaming table. With everyone taking their seats, relatively excited, I got all giddy as I started unpacking a fresh pair of dice that just arrived today. I ordered these premium dice specifically for the game night. It’s time to woo our to-be game enthusiasts!
But to my utter surprise, the unexplainable had to happen- one of the dice is UNEQUAL!
Meaning, the 6 sides are not of the same size.
How is this even possible? This rarest of events had to happen with me on the very day I am hosting a game night?!
Controlling my emotions, I didn’t let it bother the guests as I quickly switched the dice with my regular go-to. Phew, crisis averted.
Or so I thought!
Scene 3 | Distractions
I started the game night by explaining how to play Escape of the Dead. A game I consider to be a must-have for print-and-play beginners. Easy to learn, easy to play. Repeatable. Why not? We started the game.
While the majority were showing keen interest, one of them decided to challenge his multi-tasking skills by playing the game while doom-scrolling reels. As if that was not enough of a problem, in comes the uninvited guest- who suddenly acquired the need for affection from his mommy.
Now keep in mind, these are grown-up adults we are talking about. I can’t just snatch someone’s mobile phone, or take their pet away. I do that, and I become the stickler game host who’s not fun. Who wants that?!
Being a good host, I tried to make the best out of the situation. Even though my blood is gradually nearing the boiling point.
Scene 4 | The Last Resort
As we passed the one-hour mark, with 3 participants fully engaged and the other 2 distracted between their phones and a cat, we moved on to our second game of the night—Lantern.
And this time, for maximum traction from participants, I unleash my weapon- food and drinks!
Scared of food ruining game pieces? Scared of drinks spilling all over the table to ruin the game night? I’m not. This is exactly why I laminated Lantern, to be accident-proof. A big-brain moment on my part!
Lantern has certainly made a good first impression on the participants. That and its combination with food & drinks. Even the cat is enchanted by the sound of rolling 5 to 6 dice in every round of the game. My doom-scrolling buddy also caught a glance of the game, which says something.
It’s going great, I thought to myself. Let this night be remembered for the origin of my very own game club!
Till the inevitable happened.
Scene 5 | The inevitable
Munching on chips. Rolling dice. All eyes are on the game. About to encounter the final boss.
And that is the moment when the God of Lamination decides to not have mercy on you. And pop opens the lamination of the game!
While none of the participants were bothered about it, my whole face turned red. Not only was I pissed off, but I also knew what the implications were. With a little spillage of soda here and there, and chips all over the table- this might turn ugly. So I casually wiped a portion of the table clean and placed the print of Lantern. Fingers crossed. All I have to do is to see this game through and make sure no spillage comes its way.
But life has its way of surprising you. Life has its way of making you learn about yourself more than anything else. While my patience and temper were getting tested by my doom-scrolling buddy, an invited cat, an unequal dice, and an exposed game sheet- the least I expected was my ego to be my bane.
All it needed was one line to strike my ego:
Hey, I think you got this part wrong.
Said a colleague who was invested in the game night all this time.
As he started suggesting that I recheck something from the manual, he implied that the game master of this event was wrong! How dare he?! Does he not know I played this game 8 times already?!
I don’t know what came over me after this. I could have been more composed, but I rather started contesting his doubts. In no time, a mere suggestion started shaping towards a possible argument. 2 of the contestants believed in me, while 2 claimed I was making a mistake. The doom-scrolling guy had no say in this.
While a fully-fledged argument was in the making, the 6th contestant (cat) stepped onto the table. We all stopped talking as the cat stood right at the center of the gaming table, demanding some attention.
To ease the tension, I gave the cat a gentle pat and said “It’s 2-2 kitty. Tell us what you feel and break the tie!”
It worked. Everyone laughed.
And for some God-awful reason, the cat startled, and out came a loud MEOW.
Paws out.
Claws unleashed.
A big scratch on my arm.
I jumped up.
I toppled the gaming table.
Drinks spilled all over the table.
Lantern’s print fully ruined.
All of this happened in a split second. And my worst fear came true.
As everyone got busy looking after my newly formed injury (barring the doom-scroll guy), I activated my inner Zen and chose not to take the path of lashing out at my colleagues. It’s okay. Just a bad day.
I meant the worst day of my life!
But as everyone left early and I took out the antibiotic cream, I asked myself this- Should I dare to give Game Nights another go?
The answer without any hesitation was a Yes. But with newly administered rules!
No pets. No scrolling of phones. And no one dares to question the Game Master!
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
