Category Archives: Next Meeting

Next Meeting, 3rd February 2026

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 3^rd February 2026. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. The pub is likely only doing “basket meals”, due to ongoing problems with their cooking facilities.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be the Out of the Oubliette! expansion for Castle Combo (base game rules, review, how to play video; expansion review). Castle Combo is a fairly light, tile-laying type game where players combine cards to build an array. It has been very popular within the group, and we are excited to see what difference the expansion makes.

– Image from boardGOATS

And speaking of oubliettes…

Jeff had been fired… yet again. This time, he had been working as a medieval guard at a tourist attraction in Carcassonne. Problem was, he kept losing things, the latest was the key to the oubliette. Jeff was particularly aggrieved when he was given his marching orders though, as nobody could remember what was in it anyway.

Next Meeting, 20th January 2026

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 20^th January 2026. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. The pub is likely only doing “basket meals”, due to ongoing problems with their cooking facilities.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Formaggio (rules, review & two-player tutorial video), which is the shiny new sequel to Fromage which won the Golden GOAT award just before Christmas. The game play is much the same as the original, with players simultaneously placing their Workers and gathering resources from their section of the board, before the board rotates, ageing any cheese that was made, and presenting each player with a new quadrant to place Workers on. The main difference is the scoring segments, and as such Formaggio is also an expansion to Fromage as these pieces can be swapped between the games, though we won’t be mixing them this time.

– Image from kickstarter.com

And speaking of cheese…

Jeff was driving through Germany with a truck full of sausages when another truck containing cheese pulled out in front of him. Unable to stop, Jeff swerved and clipped the second waggon, causing both to shed their load over the Autobahn. The German police described it as it a würste käse scenario…

Next Meeting, 6th January 2026

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 6^th January 2026. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. The pub is NOT doing food tonight, due to problems with their cooking facilities.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Taxi Derby (rules & video review) which is a “pick up and deliver” game where players are trying to take passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible without getting caught speeding.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of getting nicked by the fuzz…

A policeman saw Jeff driving incredibly slowly on the motorway, so they pulled alongside and, as they did so, they saw he was knitting. As they watched, Jeff remained focused on the road and kept knitting and driving.

The policeman in the passenger seat waved to get his attention, but Jeff was oblivious and carried on, driving and knitting.

Getting more frustrated, the policeman driving turned on his “blues and twos” and, as Jeff finally noticed, the copper in the passenger seat signalled for him to wind the window down.

After a moment or two, Jeff finally lowered the window and the incensed policeman yelled, “PULL OVER!”

“Oh, no,” Jeff replied. “It’s a scarf, see?”

Next Meeting, 23rd December 2025

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 23^rd December 2025. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. Please note, the pub is NOT DOING FOOD.

As this is likely to be a very quiet evening (aside from the live music party in the next room), we will be playing some of our favourite games from the year or maybe some of the Christmas and winter themed games like Waddle, Jokkmokk, Santa’s Workshop, Christmas Tree, Snow Tails and Gingerbread House.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of Christmas…

Jeff had run out of time to buy Christmas presents and the only gift he’d bought for Joe was a pack of very sticky playing cards. He knew he’d find that very hard to deal with…

Next Meeting, 25th Movember 2025

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 25^th Movember 2025. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. The pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Waddle which is an Essen release where players try to collect fish and build waddles of penguins (rules; review). This is a quick game which should leave plenty of time to play other new aquisitions.

– Image from allplay.com

And speaking of penguins…

Jeff stumbled through the door into the Horse and Jockey. As he staggered to the bar, the landlord took one look at his face and asked, “What on earth’s wrong?”

Jeff simply asked, “How tall is a penguin?”

The landlord paused for a minute, and then replied, “About three or four foot I think.”

Jeff groaned and burried his head in his hands saying, “Damn, I think I just ran over a nun…”

Next Meeting, 11th Movember 2025

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 11^th Movember 2025. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. The pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Origin Story which is a recent release from Stonemaier whose games are very popular within the group and have won an unprecedented three GoldenGOAT Awards for Wingspan, Tapestry and Stamp Swap (in 2019, 2023 & 2024 respectively). Their latest game, Origin Story (rules, review and video tutorial) is a trick-taking and tableau-building game where players play tricks to develop their inner superhero.

– Image from stonemaiergames.com

And speaking of superheroes…

Jeff and Joe were at the Jockey talking about films they’d like to see.

“I really want to watch the new Iron Man film,” said Jeff, “It’s got the Silver Surfer in it.”

“Are they working together?” asked Joe.

“Well,” replied Jeff, “They sort of start on opposite sides, but by the end of the film they become alloys…”

Next Meeting, 28th October 2025

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 28^th October 2025. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. The pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor which is a new Essen release (rules, review, video review and tutorial, auto translated tutorial). Coupled with the Hound of the Baskerville promo card, this is also suitably spooky to mark the run up to Halloween, while leaving scope for other suitably-themed games like Ghostel and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of spooky…

Jeff had just moved house and was talking to his new housemate.

“It’s a really old house,” said Jeff, “And sometimes I find it rather spooky. In fact, the other day I thought I saw a ghost.”

“Really?” came the reply. “I’ve never seen one and I’ve lived here for three hundred and forty-five years…”

Next Meeting, 14th October 2025

Happy Birthday to Us!

Our next meeting will be Tuesday 14^th October 2025, when we will be celebrating our thirteenth birthday. We will be eating together to celebrate at 7pm, with cake and games afterwards.

As is now traditional on our birthday, the “Feature Game” will be Crappy Birthday. This is a party game where players give each other comedy birthday presents and the recipient has to decide who gave the best and worst gifts.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of birthdays…

Jeff was at the surgery. “Doctor, I get heartburn every time I eat birthday cake,” he explained.

The doctor asked him to open his mouth and say “Ahhh.”

After a few moments examination, the doctor said, “Next time, take the candles off.”

Next Meeting, 30th September 2025

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 30^th September 2025. As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer. The pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be The Traveler expansion to Altiplano (base game rules, base game review, base game instructional video, expansion rules, expansion review, expansion overview and instructional video). Altiplano is a “bag building” game where players develop their alpaca farms in the highlands of Peru and was the first game to receive the coveted Golden GOAT Award in 2018.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of alpacas…

Jeff was at Millets Farm with his wife and, after visiting the Falconry, they were admiring the animals. They were looking at the alpacas, when Jeff commented, “They look a bit scary, do you think they might bite?”

His wife replied, “Oh no, they are quite friendly, there’s no cause for a llama…!”

Next Meeting, 9th December 2025

Our next meeting will be Tuesday 9^th December 2025 at the Horse and Jockey pub in Stanford-in-the-Vale.

As this is our Christmas party we will be meeting early from 6.30pm
with food at around 7pm followed by Christmas festivities.

After eating we will be playing a range of Christmas and winter themed games like Jokkmokk: The Winter Market, Santa’s Workshop, Christmas Tree, Snow Tails, Carcassonne: Winter Edition, Gingerbread House and Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries, or any party games we have time for after eating and voting on the annual GOAT Awards.

– Image by boardGOATS

Speaking of Christmas…

Jeff had just bought himself a Christmas jumper (so he could get an extra vote for the Golden GOAT), but it kept picking up static electricity. In the end, he took it back and exchanged it for another one – free of charge…