Asgard Games UK - Walsall's Tabletop Gaming Hub!
Over the past year or so I've been hearing a lot about this place that had opened by the bus station in Walsall... a gaming shop, but not the type of gaming I'm used to. No consoles here, Sir (although a few gaming computers were present!)
We're going back to traditional table top gaming, we're rolling dice and role playing, we're talking face to face, no headsets required... if you're going to insult another gamer's mother in this setting, you're going to have to do it within face punching distance, I'm afraid. Gaming 'shop' is the wrong name for this place, though. The better way to describe it would be a gaming community within four walls, a location where you meet, play a good old game of D & D, have a drink and a laugh, and leave wondering why on earth you didn't have a go at this sooner. Welcome to Asgard Games. [breakout title="Joanne Kendrick" align="right"]Joanne Kendrick is a gaming blogger, and will cover news and reviews from the gaming world. She has written for the gaming websites Ready Up and Made2Game, as well as PlayGamer magazine. She is also a music blogger, you can read her writing on the Midlands music scene at MidlandsMosh.com [/breakout]
I got to talk to Vincent Connolly, the owner of Asgard Games and quite frankly a lovely chap. He told me a bit about what they do, and what he hoped to achieve with Asgard Games. 'We are steadily gaining new people in here and there's always new interest. Games such as Magic have always been popular, and well known video games like The Witcher, and World of Warcraft, they originated from traditional gaming'. As he was chatting to me, the shop, far from empty when I entered, was filling at a steady pace. It was Friday, and along with other themed nights held during the week, tonight was to hold their weekly Magic the Gathering… gathering. I noted that Asgard Games made me feel welcome from the moment I walked in, and, after admitting that I was completely new to this side of gaming, Vincent briefly showed me a beginner's card game called Forbidden Island, and after observing the mechanics and listening to the rules for a couple of minutes, I could see how easy it was to be drawn into it.
Vincent also explained how newcomers are welcomed into the community with open arms, and that despite these games maybe looking rather complicated and difficult to get into, the more experienced gamers made it much easier for them to get the hang of playing, and the new players usually found themselves enjoying the experience relatively quickly. 'I feel we are definitely moving in the right direction. We have games for all levels, introductory games like Forbidden Island and games that are a lot of fun such as Ca$h n Gun$. For lot of people, when you mention board games, they think of the old, done to death games like Monopoly and we want to show people that there are a lot more interesting games out there ' He's right. Browsing through what he had in stock, the market has certainly upped its game. There's even a Game of Thrones one!
The themed nights are also growing in popularity. Asgard Games is open late four nights a week, and Vincent told me a little about the events that he holds, 'On Tuesdays we have the Tabletop, Wednesdays is Historical gaming, Wednesdays our RPG night and Friday, of course, is our Magic night so we have a lot on.' They also have 'beer and pretzel' evenings, with Gornal supplier Fownes Brewing Company providing their Dwarven Ales, and they work together with local businesses such as Southcart Books (who are currently running this campaign http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-southcart-big-move/) and Bennetts (a fantastic memorabilia shop) to help promote one another and get the word about. The one thing that stuck out when talking to Vincent was how much he stressed the importance of that sense of community and working together. Asgard also run charity days and have recently raised £35 for the NSPCC! You can find their Facebook page here (https://www.facebook.com/AsgardGamesUk) and a website is on the way soon.
So after a lovely afternoon talking about gaming, I decided to try it out for myself. A few regulars suggested the card game Ca$h n Gun$ and we sat down and started to play. As they walked me through it, they were very friendly, explained the rules well and even when I made a couple of mistakes throughout, it was taken in good jest and I ended up having a really good time! So If you've ever found yourself venturing past this place and been a little curious about the whole thing, I suggest you check it out. Fair warning, though… you may not want to leave.
