While tabletop gaming may conjure images of students hunched over tables and lost to fictitious worlds, the reality is the Auburn Tabletop Gaming Club is an organization dedicated to uniting students from all over campus to pursue their interests and spend time with friends.
The club was founded four years ago by Andrew Adkins, the club’s former president and current community representative.
Adkins started the club during his freshman year because he said he couldn’t find any clubs in Auburn for his hobbies and interests.
“I wanted a place for a whole bunch of nerds to get together to paint and play tabletop games and play board games,” Adkins said. “It ended up turning into a giant [Dungeons and Dragons] club, but that’s not bad.”
Adkins’ favorite part of the club is having a community of people who share his interests and want to hang out in a social setting and play games.
“That’s what I enjoy, the ability to come together to either collaboratively tell a story or have fun and just really enjoy being who we are and what we like to do,” said Brandon Ball, vice president of the club.
There are usually two rooms open for club meetings. One is reserved for role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons and Shadowrun, while the other is reserved for war and board games like Warhammer 40,000.
“My favorite thing is definitely that a lot of these role-playing games are very much a collaborative experience,” Ball said. “It’s working together to either tell a story or do a bunch of really, really lame jokes that make us laugh no matter what.”
The Tabletop Gaming Club can be contacted through its AU Involve page, and the club encourages anyone who is curious to attend a meeting.
The club has an open game policy, so if someone finds a game they want to play, the club will play it with them or teach them how to play.
“We’re all about having fun as a group,” Ball said. “If you’re looking for something to spend seven hours late at night on a Saturday to do or just want to try something that is not mainstream, not as popular as other things, then definitely come and see what we’re all about.”
To those who are unsure about whether the club is the place for them, Adkins said if anyone likes playing cards and games, building models, watching movies or even just sharing memes, this is the place for them.
“(If) you find people who share your interests, share your passions and you create memories with them together, then this club as a whole has done its job,” Ball said.
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