Kickstart This: Save the Fairlee Drive In

This kickstarter has appeared before, and now they’re trying again:

We are an iconic drive-in theater searching for a way to pay for the movie industry’s switch from 35mm film to digital.

We are an iconic motel/drive-in theater serving small rural communities in the Upper Valley of the Connecticut River, in Vermont and New Hampshire, searching for a way to pay for the movie industry’s switch from 35mm film to digital.

We’re one of only two motel/drive-ins left in America — and we’re looking for you to help save an incredibly rare species: us.

Our drive-in & motel also has the unique addition of a snack shack open during movie times that serves our own “Thunderburgers” made from beef from our own cows. Yes, our family, the Trapps, own a farm just across the river from Fairlee, and when we’re not busy with the motel or theater, we raise our own cattle. Even the coffee, butter, and whipped cream we serve is from Vermont.

They’ve got a goal of $27,595, and so far, they’ve raised $13,560. Their previous goal was $55k, and they raised the $27$, which is now their new goal. They’ve got 12 days to go. Pledge here.

Reminder: International Tabletop Day is Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, Tabletop day descends across the world, and there’s a handful of events taking place throughout Vermont. The following locations will be hosting games throughout the day:

Burlington

• Brap’s Magic offers a slate of scheduled games — Android: Netrunner, Dominion, Magic: the Gathering tourneys in particular — plus open gaming. They’ve also committed to being open for Tabletop Day from 12:01am to midnight.
• Quarterstaff Games hosts two Tabletop Day events. At the store itself on Church Street, you’ll find open gaming. At the Holiday Inn on Williston Road, competitive Magic players can join in the fall 2015 pro tour qualifier and Star City Games invitational tournament.

Danby

• Chaos in the Valley is a brand new tabletop convention, based at the Silas Griffith Inn in the southwest corner of Vermont. The innkeepers, gamers themselves, host a full weekend of tabletop fun at their establishment. Check their Facebook page to find out about registering in advance.

Fairlee

• The Fairlee public library offers their own game collection plus snacks, and invites everyone to bring their own games to share as well.

Winooski

• The Winooski public library hosts tabletop gaming from 10am to 5pm on Saturday the 5th.

For full details, go here.

International Tabletop Day 2014 in Vermont

International Tabletop Day 2014 is this Saturday. Founded by the team behind the web series Tabletop, in which Wil Wheaton and his friends show how much fun board games are to the denizens of Youtube. In addition to introducing cool games to new players, the show is a hoot. International Tabletop is a natural extension of the series’ “play more games” ethos, encouraging friends to get together for the day, as well as seeking out hosted events at local game stores, libraries and more to meet new folks and try new games.

In Vermont, we’ve got a few options already on the rolls, collected below for your convenience. If you’re not able to make it out to a public event, host your own Tabletop Day! The official website offers some free downloads to spruce up your event’s venue, including a printable trophy in honor of the one Wil bestows upon — and promptly takes away from — each episode’s winner.

Burlington

Brap’s Magic offers a slate of scheduled games — Android: Netrunner, Dominion, Magic: the Gathering tourneys in particular — plus open gaming. They’ve also committed to being open for Tabletop Day from 12:01am to midnight.

Quarterstaff Games hosts two Tabletop Day events. At the store itself on Church Street, you’ll find open gaming. At the Holiday Inn on Williston Road, competitive Magic players can join in the fall 2015 pro tour qualifier and Star City Games invitational tournament.

Danby

Chaos in the Valley is a brand new tabletop convention, based at the Silas Griffith Inn in the southwest corner of Vermont. The innkeepers, gamers themselves, host a full weekend of tabletop fun at their establishment. Check their Facebook page to find out about registering in advance.

Fairlee

The Fairlee public library offers their own game collection plus snacks, and invites everyone to bring their own games to share as well.

Winooski

The Winooski public library hosts tabletop gaming from 10am to 5pm on Saturday the 5th.

And that’s just what’s happening in Vermont. For details on events in neighboring states and nations — hi, Montreal! — visit Tabletop Day’s web site for a complete listing.

MEGA Meltdown Game Day

The Settlers of Catan. Photo by gadl. CC BY-SA 2.0

Green Mountain Gamers host their annual Spring Meltdown game day, now MEGA-fied, on April 12th at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont. The MEGA Meltdown runs from 9:00 in the morning to midnight on the 12th, giving tabletop enthusiasts from all over Vermont and beyond the opportunity to share their favorite games and try out some new ones. In addition to the usual potluck mix of games people bring, MEGA Meltdown offers the Play and Win library for the first time, populated with games donated by publishers, which will be raffled off to people who play them during the day. A silent auction of donated games and more will raise funds to be donated to the Vermont Foodbank, as well. To find out more about the MEGA Meltdown and the Green Mountain Gamers, you can visit their website. Also, vice president of the club, Alex Clay, recently appeared on Carnagecast to spread the good word.

Your gadabout tabletop correspondent will be there as well, so say hi!

Vermont Tabletop Gaming Round-up

A Game of Thrones board game. Photo by François Philipp.

There must be something in the weather, because new opportunities to get out, meet new people and play tabletop games are springing up all over the state. Let’s take a look at the state of play in open gaming events as it currently stands, divided up by regions of the state.

Central Vermont

• The Book Garden hosts Magic: The Gathering Friday Night Magic events regularly, along with occasional board game and clix-centric events.
• Winter Weirdness is the Green Mountain Gamers‘ annual winter game day, traditionally held in Barre in January.^[1]

Northeast Kingdom

• Border Board Games meets monthly at the Derby Line village hall for an evening of friendly gaming, usually on the third Saturday.
• Parker Pie in West Glover hosts a Tuesday night game gathering, according to a recent Facebook update from Green Mountain Gamers.

Northwestern Vermont

• Bakuretsucon, Vermont’s anime convention, includes an open gaming space as part of the festivities.
• Fall-loha is a Burlington area game day hosted by Green Mountain Gamers at some point in the fall.
• Quarterstaff Games hosts themed game nights all week long in downtown Burlington. Area of focus include board games, Magic: The Gathering, Legend of the 5 Rings, other card games, Warhammer, Warmachine, Dungeons & Dragons and the Pathfinder Society living role-playing campaign.
• Vermont Gaming Community is a new Facebook community based out of Winooski. They regularly host Magic and board game nights at the moment, with occasional LAN parties.
• Westford Strategy Board Gaming meets periodically in the Westford area.

Southwestern Vermont

• Gamers Grotto in Bennington has a full calendar of daily gaming activities. They cover tabletop and video games, with the analog focusing on Magic, Naruto and Warhammer.

Statewide

• 802 MTG is a Facebook group serving as an access point for Magic players all around Vermont.
• Green Mountain Gamers is an independent social network for Vermont gamers to meet each other and share news of what’s going on. They also host a series of game days around the state.
• Tru Gaming VT connects players via events and Facebook.

Upper Valley

• Carnage is an annual weekend convention of gaming, convening in Killington, Vermont in early November.
• The Colatina Exit in Bradford sees the playing of board games every third Monday. The organizer advertises them via Facebook.
• Fairlee Public Library‘s after school programming includes gaming on Thursdays. Tonight, May 24th, they’re experimenting with a evening board game night, too.
• MEGA Spring Meltdown recently became the Green Mountain Gamers’ longest event, held at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee.^[1]
• Triple Play, a hop over the Connecticut River in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, offers in-store gaming most nights of the week, offering board games, miniatures, card games and more.

Have we missed something? Let us know in the comments.

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^[1] Green Mountain Gamers also host two game days that float around Vermont. Visit their website for details.

Last Day to Preregister for MEGA Spring Meltdown

Bethany Creaser of the Green Mountain Gamers reminds us all that Saturday the 20th is the last day to get the preregistration rate for MEGA Spring Meltdown game day at Lake Morey Resort on the 27th:

Tomorrow is the last day to pre-register for the Spring Meltdown. Pre-register to save $5. That $5 will mean you will have more money to use to bid on items at the silent auction.

The silent auction, of course, benefits the Vermont Food Bank. Among the games donated by publishers, retailers and local donors, you’ll also find unique offerings like a custom Dominion storage case, pictured to the left, with laminated dividers and a compiled rulebook covering Dominion expansions published to date.

MEGA Spring Meltdown Game Day is Heating Up

The Green Mountain Gamers’ mega game day, MEGA Spring Meltdown, is now less than two weeks away. Preregistration closes on April 20th, so save yourself some cash.

In addition to the usual open play of a game day, Green Mountain Gamers have organized a Warmachine and Hordes tournament, an Android: Netrunner tournament, a day-long Call of Cthulhu adventure, plus a silent auction to benefit the Vermont Food Bank. Items up for auction include new games donated by Fantasy Flight Games, Asmodee Games, Cool Stuff Inc. and local gamers, too.

MEGA Spring Meltdown runs all day on April 27th at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont. For more details, visit the Green Mountain Gamers’ website. Admission is $10 by April 20th, $15 after the 20th and at the door.

Mega Spring Meltdown Offers More Than Ever Before

Green Mountain Gamers updated the event listing for Mega Spring Meltdown yesterday. As it currently stands:

• Warmachine/Hordes tournament – 35pt Warmachine/Hordes tournament, two lists required. Character restriction applies. No reinforcements or specialists will be used. The top 3 players will win Steamroller coins, and anyone who plays at least one fully painted list will be entered into a drawing for a special prize. Registration begins at 10am, and the tournament starts at 11am sharp. Prize support provided by Triple Play Games.
• RPG “Extinction” – Call of Cthulhu – 9AM to 5PM – 6 Players – GM James Davenport -”You fight back nausea as you push yourself slowly up to your knees. What happened? Just as you were achieving a victory against horror you are pulled…ripped…to here… The hairs on the back of your neck bristle with danger. This place. It’s not like anyplace on earth. Or is it?”Extinction is a Call of Cthulhu adventure designed with a continuing “revolving door” concept in which players can play for however long they choose, drop out, and even return later to an open seat. The entire game will run for 8 hours (with breaks). No experience is necessary. Summary game information and characters will be provided. Recommended for mature role-players.
• Netrunner tournament – 1:00PM – Event format: Aiming at a swiss 3 rounds with a final showdown between the top 2. Will adjust according to the number of participants, if needed.FFG tournament rules 1.1 will be applied. Deck format: multiple core sets and all datapacks up to “A study in static” will be allowed. April’s datapack “Humanity’s shadow” will be allowed only if released earlier than April 20th giving at least a complete week for the players to adjust their decks. Cost: free, but must have paid the convention registration fees. Prizes: A total of $50 in gift certificates to winner’s choice of our main FLGS: Triple Play, Book Garden or Quarterstaff… $25 for the winner and a random $25 between the participants that cannot be won by the winner.

Additionally, there is the silent auction as previously reported, with donated board games and a special, one of a kind Doctor Who bag crafted by Green Mountain Gamers’ own Bethany Creaser. A preview picture of the bag — lining to be added — has gone up on the Mega Spring Meltdown Facebook event page, so go head over there to check that out and RSVP to the big day.

Mega Spring Meltdown runs from 10:00am to midnight on Saturday, April 27th at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont. Tickets are $10.50 in advance via Paypal and $15 at the door. Read more about the day’s doings at the Green Mountain Gamers web site.

Run and Play Role-Playing Games at Mega Spring Meltdown

Green Mountain Gamers want to host role-playing games at their next event, Mega Spring Meltdown at Lake Morey Resort in April. This weekend, they put the call out:

Calling all RPG GM’s! At Spring Meltdown, we have four 6-foot round tables that can be reserved for roleplaying games. If you wish to run an RPG, please let us know what time periods you want to reserve the tables for (i.e 9AM to 1PM). And, give us the details of the game so we can add the info to our Spring Meltdown page to help promote it.

If you’ve got a role-playing adventure to run, reach out to Green Mountain Gamers via their contact page. Mega Spring Meltdown is just under two months away!

[Via the NNEG mailing list.]

Mega Spring Meltdown Mega-fied

Green Mountain Gamers posted updates this morning expanding the fun at their Mega Spring Meltdown game day, held April 27th at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee:

Silent Auction to Benefit the Vermont Foodbank

Event-goers have the opportunity to bid silently on games and game-related accessories to benefit the Vermont Foodbank. Current items for bidding include shiny new games donated by Cool Stuff Inc., Eagle/Gryphon Games and Fantasy Flight Games, plus a “handmade Doctor Who bag” from organizer Bethany Creaser. Green Mountain Gamers is also accepting donations

Every $25 raised provides 150 meals to hungry Vermonters. Bid early and often!

Mega Minis Tournament

Triple Play will host a 35 point Warmachine / Hordes tournament. Players fielding fully painted armies enter a drawing for a special prize, in addition to the top three players winning Steamroller coins. For full details, visit the Mega Spring Meltdown page.

Abyss of Insanity

Area game designer Nik Palmer plans to run his newly published role-playing adventure, Abyss of Insanity, in which the collapse of an antarctic ice shelf triggers an expedition into unknown frozen depths.

[Tip via Green Mountain Gamers.]