The Oakland University Gaming Guild is a club that meets every Friday night in the Oakland Center, giving students access to several board games as well as people to play them with. From strategy games to social games, there is a game for just about everyone.
The Gaming Guild’s secretary, Sophia Vecchi, talks about what game she recommends for newcomers.
“We always pull out The Red Dragon Inn,” Vecchi said. “It’s a great game. It’s sort of a drinking card game, but of course, you don’t actually drink. It’s great because you’re just always talking and always socializing while playing it. It’s also pretty simple, like all of the returning members always know how to play it, so it’s easy to start new people on it.”
Mark Lacey, the Gaming Guild’s vice president, explains how the game works.
“Pretty much, you start out with zero alcohol 20 health,” Lacey said. “What you have to do is you start giving all your friends drinks and try to get their alcohol higher than their life. Once that happens, they get knocked out, and they’re out of the game.”
Jason Rosenkranz, the treasurer of the club, recommends a strategic game to newcomers.
“I like recommending new people to Catan,” Jason said. “It’s a really easy way to get people interacting with each other, and I think that’s a really big part of what happens.”
Erik Rosenkranz, Jason’s twin and the club’s president, recommends another game.
“I’d probably recommend a more social game,” Erik said. “Something like Skull or like One Night Ultimate Werewolf, just so people can probably get into the groove of not only board games but also, like, communicating with other people as well. You’re not just thinking about some deep strategy or something, so probably something more social.”
When it comes to the board’s favorite aspect of the club, the most common answer is the connections they make with the club members.
“I made friends with a lot of people, and I felt my niche here,” Erik said. “Going into college, I didn’t know if I was going to find a social group quite like I had in high school, but that was proven wrong.”
Lacey shares his favorite part of the Gaming Guild.
“I really didn’t think I was gonna fit in college,” Lacey said. “I’m a little older, but since coming here, this is my family.”
Jason emphasizes the importance of community.
“I think the direction that society is going, like, we’re able to do more stuff on our own, isolated from each other,” Jason said. “I think it’s really important to have stuff like this on campus.”
While she enjoys the people she meets at the Gaming Guild, Vecchi’s favorite aspect is more about the stress relief the club gives her at the end of each week.
“It’s nice that it’s on a Friday night,” Vecchi said. “It’s great to come here and have fun, play board games, and just slip into a fantasy world for a few hours after being in the harsh, cruel, real world for a whole week.”
For students interested in getting involved with the Oakland University Gaming Guild, check out their GrizzOrgs webpage or contact them at [email protected] for more information.
