Gamesboro Brings Role-Playing Gamers to Lanesboro

LANESBORO – Nine inches of snow on the last weekend of February was hardly noticed by the gamers occupying Lanesboro for what has now become an annual gaming get-together. 

Trudging through the snow while walking from venue to venue stopped no one, except for the occasional but painful slip and fall. Enthusiasm was high.

Three out of the past four years dozens have descended on Lanesboro to play, commune and collaborate on a wide variety of board and interactive games.

Outdoor seating for gamers at Sylvan Brewing. Most chose to move indoors. (Photo by Tom Brudvig)

Gamesboro was the brainchild of local and well-known artist Karl Unnasch. Karl has now stepped back, and the mantle has been passed to other well-known locals: Jonathen Levine, Jaclyn Johnson, Wyatt Seablom and Andy and Karen Heimdahl. 

Participation has been growing every year, and it is not hard to see why.

Gamers had a multitude of options to pick from – 28 choices as well as video games on the big screen at High Court Pub. This year’s other venues included Junipers, Sylvan Brewing, Commonweal Theatre, Lanesboro Market, Driftless Fiber Arts, The Raging Root Adventure Arcade and Coffee Street Inn. 

Each venue hosted multiple games throughout the weekend to give the 52 pre-registered gamers plenty to pick from.

Miniature World building in preparation for Battle. Strategy and imagination determine the winner. (Photo by Tom Brudvig)

The emphasis during this weekend is on Role-Playing-Games (RPGs).  RPGs are games centered around live story telling powered by imagination. 

Most games have a game board, cards and perhaps dice. Some of the game worlds created are also set up with miniature figures and objects to create a three-dimensional experience. 

The most familiar RPG game is the game of Dungeons and Dragons. Many gamers cut their teeth on this game at a young age.  

While it’s still popular, many more have been added to the game shelves including: Lost Mine of Phandelver; The Quiet Year; Carcassonne; Calico; Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage and many, many more. 

The rules of these games are lengthy and can be complex. Most ask players to create another world along with a player-character and then explore this new world creatively and strategically alone or often with cooperation or perhaps interference from fellow players. 

The most peaceful and quiet game in town. Luring cats to a quilt. How loud can that be? (Photo by Tom Brudvig)

The game of Calico somehow seemed different from others, as its objective is making a quilt and collecting buttons to attract cats. A very peaceful and meditative game, for cat lovers. Not a game for mean people!

Participants at Gamesboro describe the games as immersive, creative, absorbing and above all, fun. Each RPG has a “Gamemaster” who sets the stage, initiates the narrative for the game and assists with the flow by answering questions from the players and offering suggestions.  

Each game has rules, with some rule books being hundreds of pages long.  But few read them and instead just dive in and get their feet wet by watching and listening to those who have gone before and following the directions from the Gamemaster.

Jim Roettger was the oldest Gamemaster at Gamesboro and, at 70 years old, has been playing RPGs since his early 20s. One of the joys of Roettger’s life is getting together with six to eight of his friends once a month and absorbing themselves in a fantasy world. 

Roettger is masterful at setting up the scene for the game and explaining the world in which the characters will be operating. Some games will last an hour while others can last up to six hours. Roettger, as well as other competitors, cite the friendship, collaboration and comradery that keeps them playing. 

Who plays these games and why?  Our informal “research” at Gamesboro indicates an early family history of playing games got many started. As young adults, they’d often gather in coffee shops and dormitories to engage and challenge the brain. 

Mario Kart racing at HIgh Court Pub. Spectators were raucous and competition fierce. (Photo by Tom Brudvig)

An interesting discovery during the weekend was that a number of local Lanesboro theatre people, artists and former Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center staff are accomplished Gamers.

While “fun” was often used to describe the gaming, intellectual, creative and improvisational were also apt adjectives employed during the weekend.

Not to be outdone by the RPG group, Mario Kart, a Nintendo video racing game was a big hit at the High Court Pub. The big screen TV allowed four competitors to race their karts on split screens. This racing venue generated the largest and loudest spectator crowd at Gamesboro. (The winner resembled a Lanesboro school bus driver.) 

Sunday sustenance for gamers after hours of “play” and before their trip home. Served at Sylvan Brewing. (Photo by Tom Brudvig)

Gamesboro weekend concluded on Sunday morning at Sylvan Brewing. The hosts provided fruit, coffee and sweets to perhaps restore energy to the late-night competitors. 

However, this gathering for nourishment and “goodbyes” turned out to be another opportunity for some dedicated gamers to stretch their imagination, develop their characters and defeat their opponents.  

Gamesboro was a success all around.  A perfect indoor activity for a Southeast Minnesota wintry weekend.