Open Gaming Meet

I had no idea what an OGM was until I read this article - sounds like a lot of fun.  I wonder if they have such things around here???

Back to board games at the Open Gaming Meet
By REGINA LAYUG - ROSERO
10/27/2010 | 10:10 AM

When you think of your childhood, usually you think of the games you used to play. Whether it was taguan or patintero, Chinese garter or checkers, Snakes & Ladders or Sorry, Games of the Generals or chess, you’ll always associate after-school afternoons with fun and games with friends, neighbors, and siblings. And then you grew up, you went to college, got a job, and stopped playing games.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. Many grown men and women find much amusement in games of all sorts nowadays. For some, it’s a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game like World of Warcraft or Guild Wars. Others prefer PC games like StarCraft or Call of Duty.

Personally I prefer consoles: my husband has an Xbox, and a rewards program got us a free Playstation 3. I know a lot of people who play all sorts of CCGs—collectible card games, like Magic: The Gathering, The Legend of the Five Rings, and Fight Klub.

Now everything’s digital, but when you were a kid, most of your games were analog, offline. Don’t you find yourself wishing for the good old days sometimes? You could just go out and play with your friends; no need for batteries, high-powered computers, the Internet, surround sound. Well, you can still do that. Just visit the monthly AEGIS OGM.

AEGIS OGM defined

AEGIS stands for Alliance of Eclectic Gamers and Interactive Storytellers, a band of merry men and women of varying ages who all love offline gaming in all its forms. From classic board games like Monopoly and Scrabble to more recent releases like the Battlestar Galactica board game, AEGIS men and women devour role-playing, board and card games with the hunger of a growing adolescent.

OGM stands for Open Gaming Meet. Some people have swap meets, other people meet up to show off their cars or their bikes; these gamers have gaming meets! According to one of the current organizers, Vic Cabazor, “The OGM's objective is to allow people to try out various tabletop games that they don't own, share their love of the hobby to those not familiar with it, and to have a good time."

Back in the day

Initially called the Open Meets, these events were created by Adrian Martinez, one of the founding members of AEGIS. It was intended to encourage AEGIS members and friends to meet up regularly and socialize, “to have the various Game Masters meet and discuss anything and everything about RPGs (role playing games) — from narrative techniques to adventure ideas. It later expanded to running RPGs during the event."



Live social interaction - what a concept!

 Nathalie Lim, another of the OGM organizers, says that offline gaming, or analog gaming, or whatever you want to call it, is the central idea at the OGM. “We insist on it being unplugged so as to promote face-to-face interactions. Socializing is becoming a lost art, even more so for geeks—este, gamers," she says with a grin.

The first open meet was held in May 2002, at a cafe on Jupiter St. in Makati. Later meets were held at various food courts, coffee shops, even function rooms of various condos and commercial establishments, as the open meets grew not only in attendance, but also in scope. Adrian recalls, “It was Vic who thought it was a good idea to invite the allied hobbies of boardgames, card games and miniatures games as well."

“At that time, the Internet was not as pervasive as it is now, and the sites we take for granted like Facebook and Plurk or Twitter were not around yet. So I thought that it would be good for people who are into the RPG hobby to have an event to meet others who share the same passion as they," Adrian says.

It also helped that AEGIS was a member of the New Worlds Alliance, a caucus of fan groups interested in science fiction and fantasy of all sorts—Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Buffy, HP Lovecraft, the list goes on. While some members wanted to ally with gamers of different genres (like wargamers), others suggested inviting other geeks to simply try out RPGs with a game related to their favorite book, movie or TV show.

Thus the Open Gaming Meets were born, and are still going strong after eight years.

True believers

Adam, a member of AEGIS and an RPG veteran, is an American trainer who has been working for various call centers since he first came to the Philippine several years ago. He recounts, “I had discovered them on the Internet, so I just showed up. I'm glad I did, because I've met many wonderful friends with similar interests through the people at the OGM."

Games as a way to make new friends? Kind of sounds like your childhood, doesn’t it? Adam says, “I originally went due to my interest in RPGs. Being new to the country, I was looking for other people who shared interest in the hobby and found AEGIS by doing a Google search. From there, I went to the OGM as well as the New Worlds Scifi/Fantasy Convention and got introduced to a host of people. So at least one draw for me is the social aspect. Now I go pretty much every month and often bring various role playing games such as 7th Sea, DC Heroes or others with me. I'll play board games or card games if there's not an RPG being run at the time."

Alex, another AEGIS member, remembers the early days. “It was really open to anyone interested, but due to our early success with recruiting gamers from the Anime fandom by getting demo booths at anime-related events, we tried to showcase RPGs related to some of the other TV shows and movies popular in fandom. It wasn’t that hard, since we were fans too and had a good collection of said games."

OGM: Open to the Gamer Masses

Few groups and events have the stamina to last a whole year, much less near a decade, and can still have the capacity to grow and evolve. Fortunately for those seeking amusement of the non-electronic kind, the OGM is here to stay.

Worried that you won’t fit in? Fear not! Gamers—and people who don’t realize they’re gamers—of all shapes and sizes come to the OGM. The monthly gathering now has an average attendance of 30 people, coming and going at various times within the day-long event. While fewer in number, female gamers do attend, whether to play or simply to tag along with friends and family. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating them: whether they’re newbies or veterans, they can be deadly, ruthless players.

According to Nathalie, the regulars include, “Students, call center people, professionals, bums, the gamut!"

And if you’re worried about being too old for games, you worry in vain. Adrian and Vic say the youngest attendee they’ve had was only 5 years old. Adam says, “I've seen people at the OGM ranging from their teens into their 80s. It's really for anyone who enjoys games."

So bring your dice, shuffle your cards, polish off your miniatures, dust off the rulebooks, and get yourself to the next OGM! - GMANews.TV

The Open Gaming Meets are held in the function rooms of Regalia Park Towers along P. Tuazon in Cubao, Quezon City, from 3:00 PM to midnight. Tentative dates for the next OGM are November 27 and December 11. An entrance fee of P100 per person is charged to cover the rental of the venue. Stay tuned to the OGM Facebook group or newworlds.ph for announcements.

Games Other Than Chess: A Little News

I found both of these articles of interest. APSU artist releases book of paper chess pieces October 30, 2009 (Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee) “When I was 5 years old, my dad had worked at the New York World’s Fair, and he had gone to the Dutch Pavilion and he bought this kit – make your own medieval village,” Black said. “One night after supper, we cleared the dining room table and cut everything out and glued everything together. It was like magic. I thought, ‘wow, I want to do that.’” Entrepreneurs roll the dice on board game industry Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 by Erin Donaghue Staff Writer Xtreme Takeover - a game that looks like chess and checkers, but isn't

Board Games Benefit from Bad Economy

Story from boston.com Downturn could be boon for board-game makers Bloomberg News / February 22, 2009 NEW YORK - Monopoly (image from Online Board Games) gave Americans a cheap way to entertain the family at the height of the Great Depression, and Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc. are betting board games will stage a comeback in the current crisis. Mattel and Hasbro unveiled retooled versions of perennial favorites including Candy Land, Trivial Pursuit, and Monopoly at last week's American International Toy Fair. US sales of board games rose 6 percent to $794 million last year, while total toy sales declined 3 percent, according to researcher NPD Group Inc. Game sales have risen since last summer, when dwindling disposable income made the "staycation" a popular alternative to holiday travel, according to Reyne Rice, a consultant at the Toy Industry Association Inc. in New York. "When you buy a $20 game, it can last," Rice said in an interview. "You can pull it out year after year." The worst US unemployment in 16 years and a global recession have trimmed consumer spending, handing both toymakers revenue declines in the fourth quarter of 2008: Retail sales fell each of the last six months of 2008 and climbed 1 percent last month, according to the Commerce Department. "When you get into this type of economy, where the consumer does not have the kind of spendable income that they had previously, they tend to do more things as a family," Neil Friedman, president of Mattel brands, said in a telephone interview. "That tends to be games." Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, Pa., invented the Monopoly real estate game in 1934. Parker Brothers started selling the game in 1935, when the US jobless rate stood at 20 percent. It was the bestselling board game in America that year, according to the website of Hasbro, which now owns Parker Brothers. Mattel has added the $24.99 Apples to Apples to its line of games for families and friends. Puzzle game Blokus goes for $29.99 and UNO Moo!, a preschool version of the card game, will come out in the second half of 2009 for $19.99. "We certainly focused on those family-oriented things a little more than perhaps we would normally have," Friedman said. Hasbro will promote "family game night" for children, parents, and grandparents this year, said Phil Jackson, head of the Pawtucket, R.I., company's game division. "Family game night is probably the single most important thing that we're focusing on in 2009," Jackson said in a telephone interview. "People are staying home more and looking for in-home entertainment more than ever." Hasbro's Candy Land Sweet Celebration comes out in the second half of the year. The new version of the 1949 game lets players adjust their path and collect treats. In Monopoly City, also due in the second half, players buy entire districts and build three-dimensional properties. It will retail for $34.99. Hasbro's fourth-quarter revenue dropped 5.1 percent to $1.23 billion. Board game and puzzles sales rose 2 percent in 2008, according to Patricia Riso, a spokeswoman. "Some people have even said, 'Staying in is the new going out,' " Jackson said. © Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.