We're having a HUGE Black Friday Sale—biggest sale ever on our memberships and board games! This sale is in support of our fabulous gaming library. The more you buy, the more games we can add and share with you!

9:00 a.m.–noon:

• 50% OFF ANNUAL FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS
• BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE ANNUAL INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP!

From noon until close: buy one year-long membership and get one 50% off! All day: buy one non-recurring month-long membership and get one free (limit two)! Alas, these special sales do not include the Day Passes that normally accompany our membership plans. If you're already a member, you also have the opportunity to buy games from our store for 30%–50% off from 9:00 a.m.–noon!

Black Friday sale on board games in our store!

Calling All Jewel Crafters and Gem Hoarders!

Trading gems, building mines, and influencing nobles has never been more satisfying! Spielbound will host its first ever tournament for one of our most popular games, Splendor, on November 14th. The tournament is open to players of all skill levels, and since Splendor is one of our most player-friendly games, don't be shy. There's no cost to enter except for the usual day pass or membership fee. We'll have prizes for the top players, and the cafe counter will offer our full menu throughout the day. Get ready to settle in and use your keen eye for jewels and fun!

Registration will be available at the door, but to ensure a smooth experience we ask you to please pre-register. Send an email to [email protected] and keep an eye on the Facebook page for any updates.

On October 30th and December 22nd, Spielbound will be hosting a day-long board game camp for middle school students. Board games can be an instrumental tool to grow and encourage skills in spatial reasoning, math, critical thinking, group work and cooperation. Throughout the day, students will have an opportunity to learn games from multiple genres with the help of Spielbound staff and volunteers. The games selected for the camp will give students a comprehensive understanding of the skills and fun to be gained through collaboration and play. Lunch will be provided, please send any dietary needs and limitations to the contact address below.

Time: 9am-3pm, October 30th and December 22nd

Location:
Spielbound Board Game Cafe
3229 Harney Street
Omaha, NE 68131

Cost: $30

Contact: greg [at] spielbound.org

Registration: Spielbound's First Board Game Day Camp @ EventBrite

Ticket to Ride Tournament!

Calling All Tycoons for a Tournament of Champions!

One year ago, Spielbound celebrated its grand opening and what a journey it has been! Come help us celebrate the momentous occasion by crafting your own journey in a Ticket to Ride tournament. In the game of Ticket to Ride, players compete to build a network of train routes connecting various destinations. A mix of long-term strategy, quick tactical decisions, and just a bit of luck are all you need to win.

The tournament will be held Saturday, October 10th at 10 am. Any skill level of player is welcome and prizes will given not only for wins, but also for participation and good sportsmanship. There will be no cost for tournament participation other than the day pass or membership normally needed to play our games. Registration will be available at the door, but to ensure a smooth experience we ask you to please pre-register. Send an email to [email protected] or call 402.763.8444 to RSVP. Think you have what it takes to be the next Vanderbilt, Pullman, or Gould? Sign up for the tournament today!

Werewolf Official League of Fun

Think you have the skills to be the alpha wolf? Come join us every Thursday in October for W.O.L.F. (Werewolf Official League of Fun) starting at 8 pm!

Werewolf is a game of deduction and deception; only the sharpest minds and wits will come out victorious. Try your hand as an innocent villager, a lying werewolf, or one of the many other fun characters. After every game, players will get a point for participating, points for being on the winning team, and points may also be awarded for special accomplishments. Of course, a lot of fun will had along the way, not to mention prizes will be given out weekly and at the end of the month. So, what are you waiting for? All you need is a day pass or membership, some guile, and maybe the help of the full moon. Come join us Thursdays at 8 pm for a howling good time!

Spielmasons 'Power Barons' Challenge!

Hi all!

The Spielmasons announce a new design challenge. The Spielmasons ‘Power Barons’ challenge is a component challenge in which the only requirement is that components from the 1986 Milton Bradley game ‘Power Barons’ are utilized in the design.

In addition to our standard post-assessment scoring, entries will be scored on the proportion of Power Barons components that play a significant role in the design. All entries will be scored during our November 4th and November 18th meetings.

The winner of this challenge will have their version grace the shelves of the Spielbound library with their picture on the box!

Join the Spielmasons at our next meeting on September 23rd from 8PM to 11PM at Spielbound.

Neil

I finally took the plunge last year and got a smartphone. It has had a big impact on my life. I now have my calendar wherever I go and can get back to students and colleagues that email me about classwork or professional development much faster. I am definitely a more efficient professional!

Smart phones are prevalent in today's social scene.

Components for Floyd's 'The Big Payback'.

'The Big Payback' design challenge results!

Congratulations to Floyd Pretz and his design for winning Spielmason’s ‘The Big Payback’ design challenge! Floyd’s ‘Sidekicks Big Payback’ design and theme achieved the highest scoring in post-test assessments among a field of challenge entries.

From Floyd: Sidekicks Big Payback is a set-collection, hand-management, take-that, strategy card game that is all about one-upping each other. You are the sidekick flunky of a famous adventurer. She gets all the glory and the gold, and you don't get squat. Who washes goblin blood out of her clothes? You! Who is constantly refilling her mana vials? You! Who has to wash troll poop out her hair? You! You and your fellow squires all finally decide that enough is enough. Tonight you will get your … Big Payback.

Spielmasons Meeple Jam!

This Saturday marks the inaugural Spielmasons Meeple Jam!

Where: Omaha Code School at 1258 S 13th St, Omaha

When: This Saturday, August 15th at 10 AM until around 8PM

What To Bring: Anything that you feel will assist in game design as well as some snacks/drinks

Details: A theme and mechanics for a design will be randomly generated on Saturday morning. Designers have until 5PM to create a game based on the theme and mechanics. Designers may work in groups or individually. At 5PM game testers will arrive to test the games and share in the snacking.

Who To Invite: A few people you know who can arrive at 5PM and be part of testing the games designed during this awesome event.

Please contact myself or Marcus Ross with any questions.

Thanks,

Neil

Prototype Meters for gameplay in the classroom.

Happy Summer, readers of Spielbound.org!

I hope that all of the teachers in the audience are recharging their batteries for next school year. But, if we're honest, many teachers are spending at least part of their summer making enhancements to their curricula. I'm no exception.

This summer I'm spending several weeks designing, writing, and building a game for my classroom. Why do this from scratch? I have several reasons that I want to share.

The beauty of incorporating gameplay into a classroom is that there is no one "right" way to do it, so long as a teacher has an educative rationale. Maybe you'll use a game purchased at a discount through Spielbound to help students keep their math proficiency sharp. Maybe you need a historical game to really help students do some deep thinking about the expansion of railroads during the Industrial Revolution or help them think about city planning. If a pre-existing game fits your objectives, go for it! Unfortunately, there aren't always games that fit all objectives and this is where I am taking matters into my own hands. This helps me target the exact ideas that I need to make good use of my curricular time, and also gives me the freedom to write the game with the needs of my own students in mind.

I have a few objectives in my science classroom that I'm trying to help students meet and exceed. The topic is global climate change, a set of required Nebraska State Standards for my science class. Students need to understand the wide body of evidence and ethical dilemmas surrounding the study of this scientific fact. I also want to use this as an opportunity to practice rich thinking in cooperation with their peers. Students can use those interactions to develop breadth and depth in their construction of understanding. Those are big goals, to be sure, but calculated risks are what drive really rich learning. I've already put about ten days in. So where did I start?