I can’t believe we’re almost done with the Clank! League. Join us when we go live this Tuesday at 1pm PST over on Twitch for the final game! In the meantime, here’s last week’s game.
Author: Ruel
Clank! League Week 6
Another fun dive into the second side of the Clank! Sunken Treasures expansion. Check out the replay of our live stream below. And don’t forget to join us every Tuesday at 1pm PST for Renegade Game Studios’ Clank! League.
Clank! League Week 5
I love playing Clank! with Victor and Gary. We always have a lot of laughs and this time there was something that absolutely killed me. Check out the replay of our live stream below and be sure to join us next Tuesday 1pm PST as we play another game of Clank!
Clank! League Week 4
Here’s the replay of Clank! League Week 4. This is my favorite episode so far. 🙂
The Five By: January 29, 2020
Proud to be part of The Five By team. New episode of our bi-weekly podcast is now available for your listening pleasure! Five-minute board game reviews from five different reviewers. I talked about Heroes of Land, Air, & Sea from Gamelyn Games, a fun 4X game!
Humans of the Tabletop: Amanda Wong
After meeting Amanda “Panda” Wong last year via social media, I learned that we were fellow foodies and I soon learned of Amanda’s amazing baking skills. Her cookies were a lifesaver during the long hours of convention gaming at Strategicon. We’ve played several games and shared several meals since then.
Amanda Wong grew up with board games in her home, but as an only child whose family moved often, she didn’t always have a playing partner. Although an extrovert, Amanda sometimes didn’t make friends easily, either.
“I feel it’s even harder as an adult. I don’t drink a lot of alcohol or go on causal dates so meeting new people has been tough,” she said. “But gaming has been a great way to meet new friends and keep in touch with old ones. It also keeps my mind sharp. I love trying to solve the puzzles and hone my strategist skills.”
After watching Wil Wheaton on Tabletop nine years ago, Amanda binged on YouTube board game videos, devouring episodes of Watch It Played and Rahdo Runs Through before buying her first modern board game: Caverna.Â
When she heard about Game Haus Cafe’s Kickstarter and subsequent grand opening, Amanda brought her friend Ruby to the Los Angeles area’s first board game cafe and connected with the community of gamers there.
“I didn’t own a lot of games and this was a great way to try new-to-me games,” she said. “I found some great geeky girls to play board games with and never looked back. Ruby and I went every Saturday. [Game Haus owners] Robert and Terry were both so welcoming.”
During the gaming cafe’s early days, Amanda, Ruby, and friends were one of the few groups comprised of all women gamers, which led them to being interviewed by podcasts and blogs.
“I guess it was a novelty,” she said. “I didn’t realize how unconventional it was for women to play board games until I started looking into board game conventions.”
Ruby eventually moved away and Amanda stopped going every Saturday, but still visits regularly. “Everyone I’ve met has been really nice. There are other places to play games in the area but they didn’t feel as welcome and comfortable.”
Game Haus has not only been a place to play games both old and new, but to foster relationships in a safe space.
“I love seeing families inside playing games,” she said. “Game Haus has a great, warm atmosphere. And there’s such a variety of games and players that I don’t think there’s really any judgement on what type of game you like to play.”
Nowadays, Amanda plays a wide variety of tabletop games, from classics like gin rummy and mah jong to modern favorites like Lords of Waterdeep and Star Realms. She always enjoys a game of Takenoko (“If you have a panda in a games, I will definitely be interested”) and worker placement games such as Asking for Trobils are also beloved (“It’s really easy to learn and not as ‘mean’ because you are not blocked from any placement spots”).
When she’s not gaming, Amanda enjoys crafting items by hand and her Instagram is filled with photos of her latest creations. “I know how to knit, crochet, jewelry designing, 3D beading, cross stitching, origami, and right now I am mainly card-making.”
Her love of pandas is also well known; at the gaming table or on social media she’s often referred to as Amanda Panda.
“As I get older, the more panda-like I get,” she laughed. “You know, someone that just wants to eat, play, and sleep.”
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, Humans of the Tabletop is an ongoing series about the people I’ve played games with. Click here for past Humans of the Tabletop.
Clank! League Week 3
Yesterday’s Clank! League live stream was a blast! Here’s the replay:
Clank! League Week 2
From yesterday’s live stream at Renegade Game Studios: Will Victor and I beat Gary in Clank!? Or will Gary repeat as the Week 1 champion? Watch below to find out!
Clank! League Week 1
365 Day Board Game Challenge
Happy New Year, friends! I’m doing a 365 Day Board Game Challenge. Every day in 2020 I’m posting about #boardgames: a blog, a photo, a video, a podcast, etc. As long as it’s about a #boardgame, I’ll post it with the #gameaday and #2020challenge hashtags. Join me! pic.twitter.com/8JqhlknzwK
— Ruel Gaviola 🎲 🇺🇸 🇵🇠(@RuelGaviola) January 2, 2020