Malcolm (Admin)

Here's a little history of the Group.

It is 2020. A colleague introduced me to what I like to call Tabletop Games or Modern Board Games. These aren’t your standard Monopoly or Scrabble; they include games like Wingspan, Carcassonne, and Ticket To Ride, among others. We frequently played during lunch breaks and sometimes visited the local board game cafe, Dice.

I began to amass my own collection, including games like Incan Gold, Celestia, Camel Up, and Deep Sea Adventure, but had few people to play with aside from my coworkers. My collection expanded to larger games inspired by games such as Fallout, Skyrim, and Deep Rock Galactic. Some games take just few minutes to play, while others can last for hours, accommodating players from solo enthusiasts to groups of up to 99 people, with varying levels of complexity.

One day, a post in a local Fareham Facebook group sparked the idea of forming a local board game group. After chatting with Heather, I reached out to various halls and spaces to find a venue for a three-hour monthly meetup. Just when I was about to give up due to costs and availability, Catisfield Memorial Hall responded with an available slot—fantastic news!

I created a group called 'Fareham & Gosport Board Game Lounge' and promoted it within the local pages, watching our numbers grow from 2 to 20, then 40, and beyond.

We held our first official meetup in November 2021, coinciding with the easing of Covid restrictions. The hall can accommodate over 60 people, and while only 8 attended, it turned out to be the best gaming night I've ever had. Those 8 strangers bonded over our shared passion, playing games and enjoying each other's company.

The next month 13, then 20. More and more each month. Soon I was able to offer raffle prizes of brand new games to give away at the end of the night (another incentive to get people to come along). We have strong links with Dice in Portsmouth (They are donating some raffle prizes) and a local online board game Shop, Kienda, based in Fareham who have been supporting us for over a year and a half now with raffle prizes and discounts. I also offer a loyalty card scheme, stamp 5 times and your 6th visit is free.

Currently, we often welcome between 40 and 70 'Meeples' of varying ages, from 18 to over 70+, with experience levels ranging from to several years.

We host a few beginner tables to ease newcomers into the hobby, focusing shorter, lighter games that highlight the fun this hobby offers.

It's truly heartwarming to witness the community spirit, friendliness, eagerness to help each other, as well as the socializing and friendships that flourish during our meet-ups, both in person and online.

3 years later, May 2025, we have over 1600 members in the facebook group and 200 from other social media sites.

We meet at Catisfield Memorial Hall, Fareham on the 2nd Friday of the month and then on the 3rd Friday at Bridgemary School Community Hall, Gosport. There are two Admins - Myself, Malcolm and Cate as well as many, MANY regulars that are able to offer guidance and help should you need any.