A student hears the final bell and happily walks to Mr. Christian Cruze’s room. He plans to meet some friends and play a game during the Table Top Gaming Club.
The Table Top Gaming Club meets every Tuesday from 2:30-4p.m., and is the perfect opportunity to meet people with common interests and learn fun new games.
“Students should join the Table Top Gaming Club because it is a fun and chill place to hang out. Attendance isn’t mandatory so you can come in whenever you would like, which is unlike other club activities. There are a ton of various games to play and learn while also meeting new friends,” club sponsor Mr. Cruze said.
Mr. Cruze has enjoyed playing board games and card games all of his life but did not always have a group to play them with. The thought that some students may feel the same way caused him to sponsor the club.
“I always knew I liked playing games with friends. But I didn’t have a group to play with until I was in college. It was hard to find a group to play with in high school. And so when I became a teacher, I decided to make a club to help students find those friends to play games with,” Mr. Cruze said.
Sophomore Porter Murray is a member who finds it to be a fun and relaxing environment.
“One of my friends told me about the club last year, and I joined the game club because I thought it would be cool to play board games after school. It is also a nice place to have fun and relax without the stress of school,” Murray said.
One of the draws of Table Top Gaming Club is that it provides the space and opportunity to play any type of game that its members prefer.
“I joined the game club because I really like playing board games like Monopoly and TTRPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. TTRPG stands for Table Top Role Playing Game, and they are fun because you get to make up strategies with the people you are playing with. I like how different every game can be because all the decisions are up to you,” freshman Jack Brinker said.
Whether he is learning new, complex games or playing one of the classics, Murray always has a great time.
“My favorite thing to do at game club is play Monopoly or Magic to Gathering, which is a game I’ve learned to play. Magic the Gathering is a card game where you play as a wizard and try to defeat opponents. I like Monopoly because it’s a fun way to learn how to save money and spend money,”Murray said.
The club brought Brinker and Murray closer as they both share a love for Monopoly.
“Monopoly is my favorite game because I love the strategy involved in trading and buying properties from one another. It is a fun way to learn negotiation skills and how to manage money,” Brinker said.
The club does not have a large membership, but its current members would love to see new faces.
“I would love to see more people join the club because I can play Monopoly with more people. We only meet once a week until 4 p.m. so it is not a huge time commitment or anything. If you are interested at all, please come join us next Tuesday,” Brinker said.
The calm and inviting atmosphere created by the Table Top Gaming Club is something Murray said would draw in new members.
“I would recommend the game club to any and all students that are not afraid of making new friends and being themselves. It is a fun environment to get to know each other while also having fun,” Murray said.
