It has been 6 months of running Tabletop Paint and Play programs, and we would like to go over some of the highlights of our past programs as they match our larger goal at the Dekalb Library, to enrich, inform, entertain, and inspire.
A game of Battletech: Alpha Strike being held in the Bilder Family Room
Enrich
A terrain setup used for Flames of Orion
Every time we open the doors for Tabletop Paint and Play, somebody new and different walks in. A pair of brothers huddled over the chess set in our teen lounge found the opportunity to take their game to the next level, ordering groups of giant robots around ancient ruins with Flames of Orion’s ruleset and the terrain set crafted from the parts of an old library computer destined for a scrapyard.
Various Miniatures used for Tabletop Paint and Play events
We have hosted veteran gamers who lend their insights, playing prototypes and sharing their wisdom, and swarms of children ready to play. Everybody involved has always brought their best attitude and an open mind, making our programs an enriching experience for everybody involved.
Inform
Racing in Folkrace 1:64
Working on tabletop games exercises the creative and logical sides of our brains. What can you imagine, and how can you make it? Is it fun? Is it interesting? What can be done to improve it? Is it worth improving? These are questions everyone faces in their day to day lives, and this program offers a chance to practice answering them, by asking us to be thoughtful and playful, to learn about ourselves and others through our artwork.
Miniature painting is also an important activity during the program.
Last month, we played a game invented by Matthew, a patron who regularly came to 3d-print miniatures for his skirmish game, where players move a party of melee and ranged warriors to victory, but hopefully don’t awaken slumbering beasts scattered across the map with their conflict. Matthew had only played it with his brother, so he played against me and his friend Dominic in the game. We pushed the game quite a bit, introducing logical dilemmas and questions of context Matthew maybe was not anticipating. The important lesson is to write down your rules and write down notes in the heat of the moment, so you can come back later after the heat of the moment and remember important details.
Entertain
How to design a game and how to make something fun is a principal interest at Tabletop Paint and Play. We searched for and shared prototype games to try at some of these programs, and the experience of explaining rules and ideas on what to do or how to play. This kind of work helps people make, design, and play better games.
People invariably say “oh, like Dungeons and Dragons?” or “Oh, like Warhammer?” when they ask about the models and games. Yes, like those, but so much more! We focused on independent wargames produced outside of Games Workshop and Wizards of the Coast because they represent a great attitude towards wargaming that revolves around making cool art and figuring out ways to play with it. These are luxuries that can be made with trash, a glue gun, and a will to imagine and play, something worth developing at any age.
Folkrace 1:64 (https://3gbg-games.itch.io/folkrace164) is a racing game inspired by Finnish backroads racing, but we used what scenery was available to make a racetrack!
We playtested Flames of Orion (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flames-of-orion/flames-of-orion) in January and March (a game of Giant robots, when one is knocked down you can send the pilot out to run around as well!) You can find a copy of the current rules at this link.
The major objective of Flames of Orion is to grab these piles of scrap and see what treasure lurks within, and to grab them before the other team does!
Inspire
We painted lots of cool minis: Mechs, Goblins, Ruins, and Dragons galore. We always have models available for painting during the program; the idea is to paint and/or play!
A Dwarven ruin painted by an art student from Kishwaukee College!
Finished Dwarf and Orc, respectively.
There is a whole world of indie tabletop games to explore, with new games being released almost every day if you know where to look (places like itch.io or wargaming subreddits are great places to start searching). We hope to see you at future Tabletop Paint and Play programs, miniature painting, or any of the myriad art and craft programs we present at the Dekalb Public Library!
Check out our Events Calendar to look for upcoming events!