Get your game out
Get Out
Get your
game on
By Meredith Goldstein
GLOBE STAFF
On a freezing weeknight, about 20 people huddle in Churchill's Lounge, a cigar bar across from Faneuil Hall. Through smoke clouds, they stare at small wooden tiles and struggle to think of words.
At one Scrabble table (there are two games going at the bar), a board is half-covered with simple terms such as ''acids" and ''toy."
But then, Greg Dinklenburg, a tourist from Chicago, drops a two-letter bomb.
''Xu," Dinklenburg says. ''A money unit in Vietnam."
Sure enough, ''Xu" is in the Scrabble dictionary brought by Downtown Game Night organizer Liz Roessler.
''Uh-oh. I'm playing with scholars," says Greg Pickett of Boston, who attended the board game event after seeing it advertised on craigslist.com.
This was the first installment of a new board game night started by Roessler, who coordinates social gatherings around town. On the last Monday in February, after two snowy weeks, Roessler managed to fill three tables at the cigar bar, mostly with people who found out about the night online.
Because of the success of her first game party, Roessler plans to host the night (which she's now calling Downtown Game Night) regularly at three bars -- Churchill's, Goody Glovers, and the Kinsale Irish Pub & Restaurant.
''I'm going to say monthly for now, but eventually maybe every other week," she says. ''Just a different thing to do downtown after work. A weeknight thing."
Already, board games have caught on in Boston. Long before Roessler hosted her party at the cigar bar, Susan ''Sooz" Kaup started an event called Exploit Boston Game Night. Kaup runs the website Exploit Boston (www.exploitboston.com), which highlights things to do around town and features an internet radio station with Boston bands.
She hosted her first board game party in Somerville last July at True Grounds, a coffee shop near her apartment at the time. When the activity grew, she moved it to the Paradise Lounge, where participants filled the venue -- they even played on the concert stage.
In February, she took the game night to the Common Ground in Allston. Now about 50 people gather every other Tuesday to play 1980s games such as Connect Four and Sorry, as well as newer games such as Apples to Apples, which participants say is the most popular game of the bunch.
Kaup describes Apples as a card game that inspires discussion among players. She says she directs the newcomers to tables with Apples to ensure they meet people.
''I jokingly say I'm the game yenta," she says.
The folks at Kaup's game night are usually in their late 20s to early 40s. Yes, many players are single, but regular gamer Abby Nardo says the game nights do not have a meat-market vibe.
''It doesn't have the feel of a meet-up place, which I like," she says. ''But I could see that happening because it's so casual and low-key."
You can check out both game nights this week. Exploit Boston Game Night will be held tonight at 7 at the Common Ground. Roessler's Downtown Game Night happens Thursday at 6 at Goody Glovers.
Exploit Boston Game Night: Common Ground, 85 Harvard Ave., Allston, 617-783-2071. www.exploitboston.com.
Downtown Game Night: Goody Glovers, 50 Salem St., 617-367-6444. www.goodyglovers.com. RSVP is required by calling 617-697-3011 or by e-mailing letteringbyliz@yahoo.com.
Meredith Goldstein's column on going out runs every Tuesday. E-mail her at mgoldstein@globe.com.
The games we play
Want to play while you eat, sip, and socialize? You don't have to attend a game night. Here are a few bars and restaurants that always have games on-hand for those who want to match wits while they're out on the town.
Our House West 1277 Commonwealth Ave., Brighton, 617-782-3228. www.myspace.com/ourhousewest
This Lower Allston college bar has everything a gamer might want, from Scrabble and Cranium, to Monopoly and Boggle. The bar even has Jenga, a trivia-free game that involves stacking blocks (best for when you're exhausted). Give the bar your ID, and you can play as long as you want.
Matt Murphy's 14 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-232-0188. www.mattmurphyspub.com
This former board game haven has been game-free because of renovations, but according to the staff, the fun will return when the new interior is finished. That should be within the next few weeks, so you'll be able to play nostalgic games once again in the Brookline Village tavern. Call for details.
Au Bon Pain 1360 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-9797. www. aubonpain.com
Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square is known as the place for outdoor chess in the summer, but staffers say the game is played all year, mostly after work and at night. Players bring their own boards to the coffee/sandwich spot, and often groups welcome strangers to their games.
Espresso Royale Caffe 286 Newbury St., 617-859-9515, www.espressoroyale.com
Sure, it's a trendy Back Bay coffee shop, but it's not too good for games. Besides coffee drinks, Espresso Royale offers customers access to Life, Checkers, chess, and a board game inspired by Harry Potter.
-- M.G.
