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Five days and four nights of writing, reading, and preparing presentations for this spring!

I spent the majority of my time working on Braggart and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the serials previously posted on Kindle Vella.

My thoughts drifted back to past visits to the retreat center. I feel very fortunate for these quarterly opportunities to recharge and have the time to focus heavily on my writing.

I’ve set goals for the next couple months that feel fairly reasonable and am excited for the upcoming Read Across America events!

Over the last three years I’ve toured 50 different libraries across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota. I started off with a goal to visit four surrounding locations and donate copies of my latest book. What happened next was an adventure that changed my life.

I’d like to start off with how surprising it was to discover that all 50 libraries (both public and school) each had their own look and unique cultures. Some buildings were smaller than expected while others appeared recently remodeled. Staffing levels, hours, and programs varied.

I’m also thankful to point out that I felt welcome at all but two locations. The two exceptions weren’t terrible experiences, yet they definitely could’ve been more positive with just a little added customer service.

Meeting people passionate about literacy and community development continues to inspire my hope for our country’s continued educational growth and creative nourishment.

I spent a good amount of time over these three years conversing with locals, volunteers, and library staff. I saw firsthand how coffee hours, art shows, book clubs, film festivals, puzzle nooks, farmer markets, photography clubs, and even cake pan collections can enrich our lives.

Last November I had a special opportunity to visit and sell my books at an author event at the Council Bluffs Public Library. It felt like a homecoming of sorts due to spending the majority of my childhood in Council Bluffs. I enjoyed participating in their event and seeing the “new” building (built during my college years), but couldn’t help missing the former building I knew so well. However, I’m happy the old building has been repurposed into a fantastic railroad museum.

I’m particularly fond of the Lied Lincoln Township Library located in Wausa, Nebraska. I first heard of this town when I was asked to cover their annual Smorgasbord event when working for The Cedar County News. It wasn’t until six years later that I would be googling the library’s hours and finding myself “lost” in their small town. My son and I eventually found our way to what we thought was the front door. Unfortunately, the door was locked and the lights were turned off.

I remember getting back into the car and feeling discouraged when my son said, “We should drive around the block.” I’m glad I listened since his adventurous advice revealed an entirely different entrance. We still joke how this fancy new building magically appeared like something out of a fairy tale.

Three years have come and gone since I first walked into that library and was amazed by the cleverly artistic decorations, incredible selection of materials available for public use, and activities for all ages! I’ve met magicians, learned about art and illustration from a children’s author, grown seeds in a garden, learned how to do 3D printing, witnessed a solar eclipse, played around with virtual reality, painted on tiny canvases, taught my son about circuits and coding, watched classic monster movies, and been inspired to help form a board game club for their community.

I credit a lot of these great experiences to their librarian, who understands her community’s needs, challenges them creatively, and sincerely wants to provide a positive environment where all are welcome to improve their lives.

Tell me about your favorite library experiences. Was there a librarian that made a difference in your life? What sort of programs do you wish to see at your local library? Please share your thoughts below.

Role playing has continued to be the most popular activity I’ve provided since starting our community game club.

We use our imaginations, acting, strategy, and math skills to tell different types of collaborative stories. Some of our favorite themes have included Marvel Heroes, Mouse Guard, and Deadlands (Weird Wild West). Each of the 11- to 22-game sessions usually runs about two hours. We’ve even incorporated a role-playing element to some of our annual events such as Magician Academy.

Shows like Stranger Things have recently renewed interest in the hobby. The gaming industry has not only made RPGs easier to find out in the world (Target and Walmart), but also has made the rules easier for everyone to understand. They’ve even made online and solo adventuring a possibility!

I’ve played with all types and sizes of groups over the last 35 years. I’ve made new friends too. Some of my fondest memories have come from putting together a story with complete strangers during one-shot scenarios. I’ve even enjoyed playing in a worldwide LARP experience (like a murder mystery dinner party) where our characters’ actions could make a difference across the globe.

I first learned about the hobby when visiting a friend’s house back in sixth grade. His older brother was at the kitchen table running a superhero story for four other players. I was immediately curious and started asking questions about the unusual shaped dice and how to make a character.

The next weekend I had a few friends over and ran a very simple 80s action scenario with cops and gangsters. The weekend after that we played a sci-fi idea with aliens and space soldiers.

Thankfully my parents’ love for reading and theater helped me find an appreciation for storytelling and fantasy at a young age. Some of my fondest memories from childhood were talking about hobbits and dragons with my dad. Tolkien, Lewis, and other such authors gave us vivid worlds to dream about. Oddly enough, though, I never did much with Dungeons and Dragons besides watching the Saturday morning cartoon and reading a few of their Choose Your Own Adventure books that I found at the library.

In seventh grade I tried to teach a group how to create characters for a TMNT game in study hall. Unfortunately our teacher wasn’t thrilled about the idea and had a limited understanding of role playing. She told my mom that she didn’t want us thinking we were superheroes or transforming into actual ninja turtles.

In high school I ran my first real campaign during junior year. We played TSR’s Top Secret, which I found and bought at a favorite used book store for $10. The boxed set wasn’t in the best shape but it had all the books we needed to play. This game gave us a chance to play as James Bond and Carmen Sandiego styled characters while learning a ton about the Cold War, geography, and politics.

It wasn’t until my senior year that I discovered various horror titles that my group wanted to try. I’ve been a fan of Chaosium, White Wolf, and Pinnacle ever since. These game publishers did more than offer entertainment and the ability to expand our imagination. They also taught us to seek out new forms of music, films, and classic literature. I attribute much of my appreciation for learning world history, art, and philosophy to my time spent running and playing in these games.

I’ve sponsored an annual creative writing contest over the last six years for my local community and board game club members. The goal has been to inspire and reward creativity. I’m now extending this contest in the hopes for larger participation throughout Nebraska and beyond. Writers can be professionals, hobbyists, or students of any level.

Author Peter R. Talley and the Hartington/Wausa Board Game Club is sponsoring our seventh annual creative writing contest this spring. Interested writers will be able to submit short stories, poetry, and essays.

Adults and children are both encouraged to participate and will be judged in separate categories. Top spots in each category will receive these awards:

Grand Prize: $50
Second Place: $30
Third Place: $20

Contest Guidelines:

1) This contest is open to anyone interested in writing about their enjoyment of playing games with friends and family. Subjects could include favorite board game reviews, funny stories from around the gaming table, living inside a board game for a day, or examples of being a good winner/loser.

2) Please include your name and contact information with your submission, and specify whether you’re submitting to the kids or adults category.

3) Length of submission is not of concern. I’m looking to reward effort and creativity. Have fun with this contest!

4) Eligible participants will submit original work by 3/31/2025 to the following address: Opete77@yahoo.com.

* Scans or photos of handwritten work are acceptable. Just be sure they’re legible.

** I will also be glad to receive contest submissions during our scheduled gaming sessions at the Hartington and Lied Lincoln Township Libraries.

3) Winners and Prizes will be announced in April.

* Submissions will not be returned.

We all have our favorite games to play that are familiar and fun. Switching things up, however, can help a board game club stay fresh and exciting.

I’ve found that rotating themes can give us a chance to look forward to new opportunities. We have to remember not every game title or special event may be popular for everyone at our gaming table. Variety is a good thing. Offer new experiences and know that it’s also okay to revisit your club’s more popular themes. Your players will appreciate a diverse but familiar routine.

Having a plan for each quarter of the calendar year has really helped my club develop a better appreciation of the hobby.

I encourage you to run annual tournaments, single-day challenges, and even two- to three-month-long special events.

Have you considered alternating your larger themed events and offering them on an every-other-year schedule? This way helps your community from feeling fatigued. It also gives your core group of players something to look forward to in the future.

Finding the right balance can be challenging. You have lots to think about when it comes to age ranges, maturity, levels of rule complexity, competing schedules, and space.

The best advice I’d like to share is that there truly isn’t a right or wrong way to run your club. You just need to find what makes your players comfortable and have fun.

Here’s an example of what the Hartington/Wausa Board Game Club’s year looks like:

January – Car Wars Tournament and Vehicle Design Contest.

February – Love Letter and Boffer Building.

March, April, May – Rotating Special Event (Mechs and Kaiju). Coloring and Creative Writing Contests.

June, July, August – RPG Camp and Rotating Special Event (Star Trek).

September and October – Magician Academy (Special Event) and Random Game Demonstrations.

November – Fairy Tale Fantasy Football and HeroClix.

December – Open Table Gaming.

Is winning all that important? Sure it feels good. Isn’t it the best way to show off your skills and prove you had fun?

We live in a world where school activities such as band, speech, and theater have become pressured to adopt a sports-like mentality just to stay relevant, understood, and funded.

Competition can be found almost everywhere. We like to prove our worth. We have an engrained need to step into whatever arenas life offers and rise up as celebrated champions.

I often joke that I’ve lost more games than I’ve won. I especially like to stress this when hosting games for younger players. It gives us a chance to talk about why I like playing games differently and that winning and losing aren’t always the most fulfilling part of the experience.

Have you ever purposely lost a game? I’ve done so for a few different reasons. It most often happens while I’m teaching a game to a room of new players. I find it more important to learn rules and different strategies to play. I’ll even admit here that I’ve also thrown a few games for the sake of keeping old friendships. Some people REALLY have a hard time with not winning.

Winning should be celebrated. Being able to lose well is also an important life lesson. Try your best to build an environment where your players want to come back and play again.

I’ve found cooperative gaming is a solid way where everyone can appreciate having fun. We can all win or lose together. I prefer the types of games where we’re all working together to beat the game itself. I’ve also been known to set up experiences where it’s a team of players going against just me. At the end of these game sessions I feel like we’ve all won because we’ve had shared fun.

We’re all here to have fun, right?

Rigid expectations can wreck a gaming community just as easily as having no commitment or scheduling requirements.

I’ve seen gaming groups struggle with this topic many times. Fortunately there’s an easy solution. You need to communicate and reach a consensus on what’s important to the majority of your regular attending players.

Offering a casual gaming style may seem the easiest route when starting out. All you need are some board games and a place to play, right? Well that might work for one-and-done types of events. It won’t, however, help a program to grow or build a feeling of community.

Asking for a commitment from your players can be difficult in this current age of constant busyness. Families have accepted a culture where they’re constantly moving from one activity to the next. Some try too hard to do everything and need firm scheduling boundaries to help them maintain these patterns.

Encouraging active support and participation is essential if you are looking to have well-attended events. People are busy. Help them make your club a priority by offering the best program you can. Stay consistent with scheduling and be enthusiastic.

Remember that big numbers don’t necessarily mean a good event. Success is how you define it. I feel it is important to note that some of my favorite gaming memories are from when we had a lower attendance. This gave us an opportunity to really teach and enjoy the games.

Ultimately you have to decide what sort of gaming culture you want to grow. There are many ways to offer a great community game club. There are also a few stumbling blocks that can get in the way early on. Let me help navigate those frustrations and work with you to make your club a success. Please reach out for consultation or to have me kickstart a program with a special event.

1. Be respectful of each other. We may be different ages, attend different schools, or like other types of games. What matters is that we’re all here to have fun together.
2. Be respectful of the gaming materials. Share dice, keep food and drink away from the gaming table, don’t bend cards, be gentle when helping unbox or store games. Explain how we want to be able to play these games for many years.
3. Be respectful of your game club’s location. Leave the area the way you found it (or better) by cleaning up trash, turning off lights, and pushing in chairs. It’s also a good idea to remind players that other people in the area may be trying to play other games, talk, read, or study. We should try to keep our noise at a reasonable level.

Knowing what your members want is important in helping you create and run a successful board game club.

I’ve found there are primarily four types of game club participants. Each should feel welcome around your gaming table.

1. The Curious – Those who might be timid about rules, game content, or looking for something new to try.
2. The Consumer – Those who attend for prizes or because they want to feel included.
3. The Excited – Those who look forward to special events and having fun.
4. The Competitive – Those who are there because of a want to win.

A healthy goal to work towards is finding balance for each of these participant types.

You will want to keep in mind that most of your group will start off as casual gamers. It can take time to build a gaming community. Encourage feedback, keep enthusiastic, and realize not everyone may attend on a regular basis. You will always have stragglers joining in or dropping out. In time though, you will also have formed a core group of reliable players.

1. Know what level of commitment you expect from the members.
2. Keep a consistent schedule. Specify starting and finishing times.
3. Be clear about your club’s rules. Review them at the start of your gaming sessions. Keep them simple and few.
4. Special events are great but don’t underestimate the fun of having casual gaming days.
5. Be excited and actively participate in the program you offer.
6. Learn what your club likes to play but don’t be afraid to try new options.
7. Rotating themes can be very effective for keeping game sessions fresh.
8. Offer games that are cooperative and competitive.
9. Realize there is more to board gaming than just the classic old titles gathering dust on your shelves.
10. Be consistent and fair with how you interpret game rules.

I’ll be writing about each of these and other points in the next few weeks. Please subscribe to my blog so you stay updated on all I have to offer.