It has been a month since our first ever Autumn All Day Gaming which, despite the colder weather starting to set in, was a roaring success!

With 31 members (and a cat) joining in for even more games, it was lovely to see not only so many returning members, but at least a half dozen new members joining for the first time. Overspilling into the smoking area, it was brilliant to get see this website actually having an impact, with people checking that they had gone too far by visiting the Tardis and turning back to make sure they were in the right place.

No birthday surprises or secret murmurings of Pirate cosplay moving forward came out of conversation this time around (at least while I was present), but there was a cat who made themselves very much at home coming in to investigate all the boxes to see if they fits and may sits.

As with the Summer Gaming it was wonderful to see so many games, tables and chairs brought in droves. Although, I must admit my personal highlight was a surprise gift from a friend and meeting some pretty cool new people.

And on a side note, it was lovely to see that despite the 12 hours of gaming, we were still able to get as many as 21 of you coming along to the following Wednesday for our regular MAB, on a week that one could be forgiven for being a little bored of games – pun intentional, insult to Board games, not. It was also a joy to see that gamers took to the Facebook page to share their experiences and photos of games taken throughout the day.

Thank You!

And while it goes without saying, quite literally in the sense of former posts on this website, a massive THANK YOU!

Not only to our wonderful administrators, who ensured everything went smoothly and giving us a space to embrace our nerdum.

Not only to the 30 of you who came along and enjoyed themselves, bringing your own games and ensuring we all have something to play.

But also, to everyone who runs the Style and Winch.

From opening an hour early so we could get a head start on games, to serving drinks and collecting glasses throughout the day and introducing cat so we had some mindfulness as well. As the club continues to have an increasing successful year with growing members each month, and more All-Dayers planned for the future, we are forever grateful for your continued support – we literally wouldn’t have anywhere to play without you!

Games Played

Despite arriving late and leaving early I was able to get in 5 games, including my absolute favourite Secret Hitler and a brand-new to me Lets Go to Japan which has shot to the top of my to buy list, once I am able to budget for Board Games again.

Just One

Always the best starter game for a day of gaming to get the brain running. A nice word association game that helps you get thinking about the way the other players think, without making you feel stupid if you don’t get it even with the maximum clues.

Secret Hitler

It’s rare that you can get enough people around a table to play Secret Hitler, and even rarer that you can get enough people who play board games that want to play Social Deduction games, particularly at MAB! So naturally the moment it was suggested I jumped at the opportunity to get this game on the go, and. Naturally. Immediately messed up the set up of the game by failing to reveal myself as one of the Fascists to my fellow Fascists! This led to some grand hilarity when Kev went to ask for my role card later on, I suddenly saw my mistake, while revealing to Kev that I was in fact a Fascist, which all of my fellow Fascists completely dismissed, because I had not previously revealed myself.

As one of the first games that personally go me into the Board Gaming space, long before d&d or actually getting to a physical table, Secret Hitler will always hold a special place in my heart. For those unaware of Secret Hitler, works around the idea of trying to pass Liberal or Fascist policies before either, the Fascists succeed in electing Hitler as Chancellor or the Liberal shot Hitler. The fun of this comes from the Liberals being none the wiser on who’s who and Hitler not knowing who his fellow Fascists are, hence Social Deduction commence. With a new President/Chancellor combination elected each turn, there are opportunities for hung parliaments and meme votes of Nein, which really and to the reality of playing politics. Like many of the Board Games in the world, this is one that sounds far more complicated than it is, but you will pick up quickly enough to love. Another than would be on my to buy list, if I did not already own it.

Let’s Go to Japan!

This was a first time playing for me on this gorgeously mindful game about planning a holiday to Japan, something I have been wanting to do for nearly two years now! Effectively an Engine Builder based around Drafting Mechanics, where you take events and activities, that take place in either at Tokyo and Kyoto and set out days of the week when you will carry of these activities. Keeping in mind that you will need to get the train between the two cities, and different type of activities score different points depending on which day you use, I loved this game! There is a brilliant story about its creation – the creator was planning on going to Japan, but when Covid struck and they were stuck at home, they found a way of making it into a board game – Genius! As with all great games that are made with true dedication, the activities are filled with facts about what the activities mean in reality and why they are special to Japanese culture, as well as gorgeous artwork which really adds to the aesthetic of the game! Of course, my love for this game has nothing to do with the fact that I won. But in all seriousness, this game was the won I have most fun playing and if I had the budget for it I would have bought it already.

Cockroach Poker

It always nice to have a breath of fresh air in between longer games and Cockroach Poker is one of those nice simple games that can be explained in a single paragraph, picked up in 3 rounds and understood very quickly by everyone. Give someone a card, claim, truthfully or falsely, that it is a certain type of card. When they receive the card, they can either call you a liar or that you are telling the truth or look at it and pass it along to someone else, making a claim of their own. If you trick someone, they get the card. If they are not tricked, you get the card. If you get 4 of the same type of card, you lose. Brilliant Game for all play levels that I am happy to have picked up at UK Game Expo, and with it’s low-price point, I would definitely recommend getting your hands on a copy.

The Quest for El Derado: The Golden Temples

Second time playing this brilliant Deckbuilding Race Games for the 3 gems at the 3 different temples of El Derado. Effectively you have the standard deckbuilding mechanics of playing, buying and binning cards to get the most efficient deck possible. The purpose of these cards it to get across different terrain; forests, caves, oceans and desserts, while avoiding gargoyles that may benefit you or your opponents. The end goal is to get back to the base camp with the 3 different gems, before the other players, allowing player interaction where you can prevent others from taking the most efficient route, or buying cards before other player can. I would 100% play this a third time and again, is high on my too buy list.

What’s Next?

The Next All Day Gaming is planned for March/April time, so if you have missed this one, please look out for updates on the Facebook Page or here on the blog when we have more details about dates, etc.

Autumn All Day Gaming 2025 Report!