Even more people came to check out GameTime Afterhours tonight at the Randolph Street Argo Tea.  Renea, Herb, Dick and I played a few rounds of gin to warm up - get it, rounds of gin to warm up.  As more guests arrived, we split into a couple games - one game of Scrabble and one big game of Settlers of Catan.  Greg, a new arrival introduced to GameTime Afterhours by Renea, turned out to be a huge Settlers fan.  He helped bring Renea up to speed for her first game of Settlers ever and she almost came out victorious, just short by one point when the dust settled.

It's such a great experience to get together and play games with friends and to make new friends over games.  Greg even had an epiphany of an economic persuasion when he determined that, all other things being equal, it was almost always better to upgrade a settlement to a city than to buy a development card.  Like The Richest Man in Babylon, the idea of putting your valuable resources to use to earn more resources was not lost on the man of many voices.

Night #2 of the week of games at Argo Tea on Randolph Street has passed and with it, another fun night of games.  There was something for everybody as players participated in Spades, Scrabble and Backgammon.  I had the privilege of reintroducing a hopeful Chicago transplant to the game of backgammon as we brainstormed ways to provide games and fun to the armed forces - an entirely new idea that I hadn't even considered.

A couple of the Argo hospitality are getting intrigued as well - it wouldn't surprise me if we had a couple of them joining in the games later this week during their days off.  I even had the privilege of meeting the visionary who founded Argo Tea - we have plans later in the week to talk, entrepreneur to entrepreneur.  I'm excited...

As I walked south from Foster through the blanket of fog toward my home, I took a moment to reflect on tonight's game activities.  The main attraction of the night turned out to be a little known card game called Fluxx.  To explain the rules would be impossible, as the rules change while you play.  Not unlike Calvinball, albeit a little more structured, half a dozen of us were playing Fluxx at any given point throughout the night, discarding, picking up, resetting rules and the like.  I'm definitely eager to play that game again as soon as I can.  Perhaps Renea will be cordial enough to bring it on Thursday when she will be returning to GameTime Afterhours.

Several of us took a break from Fluxx to play a game of Scrabble.  The most memorable word combination of the night was "LIAR", where the 'R' also turned "BONE" into "BONER".  Dick, ironically, had the most to say about that word pairing.

Ray and I also had a chance to play a few head-to-head games of backgammon.  He was a most worthy and cordial opponent and I look forward to matching wits with him in the future.

Thanks to all who came out for the evening.  There were some strong personalities that helped make the games even more exciting.  Also, special thanks to Argo Tea - they were the most accomodating venue providers I have had the privilege to work with in some time.  We look forward to seeing you again every night this week for more GameTime Afterhours!

Want to unwind after a long day at work?  Do you prefer Scrabble over sitcoms, euchre over football, or just love to play games?  Or maybe you just missed your Metra by a few minutes?  Whatever your reason, we've organized GameTime Afterhours as an opportunity for you to roll out of the office and relax with fun and games, whatever your fancy.

• Who: Anyone who loves to play games - table games, card games, puzzles, word games... you name it!
• What: B.Y.O.G. (Bring Your Own Games) game night in the Loop
• Where: Argo Tea, 16 W. Randolph St. (upstairs on the mezzanine level) - centrally located within 2 blocks of all major CTA trains and downtown express busses
• When: Monday-Friday, from 4pm ‘til close, starting Monday, February 4
• Why: You love to socialize, play games and meet new people
• How: Stop in at the mezzanine level of Argo Tea at 16 W. Randolph St.