Welcome to the brand new (or hopefully if things are going well – thriving aged) Assorted Meeples gaming blog! We’re a group that loves to game. We love to hang out, love to talk trash in our uniquely energetic way, and love gaming with others whether it’s online video game, board games, or a good day of tabletop RPG roleplaying.
Who Are You Guys?
We’re a bunch of friends who absolutely love gaming in its many forms. Our bi-weekly board game night started off mostly as a way for all of us to keep our sanity because of all the stress and stupidity of jobs, life, and that terrible thing known as “adulting.”
This tradition was something we looked forward to, and the number of friends, neighbors, and good-natured “randos” who have come by and enjoyed themselves through various game nights just made Thursdays all the better.
The conversations we had would be amazing and a blast, and utterly eclectic. They’d also cover any and everything under the umbrella of “nerd culture.” More than once the comment came up: “You guys really should be streaming this” or “You guys really should go on YouTube.”
Being the professional, quick-moving, non-procrastinating types we are, we jumped right on this and decided to give it a go. We didn’t like wait three years or anything to get started.*
*They procrastinated for four years before getting started. Also all bolded words in the previous paragraph should be read in a nervous self-depreciating tone.
So fast forward three/four years and here we are. Our little group has plenty of stories, incredible amounts of knowledge, and a lot of passion for all things gaming-related, and we want to share that passion with all of you.
What You Can Expect from the Assorted Meeples Gaming Blog
Your guess is as good as ours, especially when Chris “The Wild Card” a.k.a. Kingmaker is around. In all seriousness, we plan to play plenty of awesome and amazing games of all types, sharing our passion for board games, video games, and role playing games with anyone interested.
During that time there will be plenty of laughs, plenty of fun, and some really amazing games to boot. As we develop our site and channels (check us out on Twitch, YouTube or visit us on social media like Twitter) we’ll be reviewing D&D books, talking about new games and retro games alike, and creating a wide variety of really cool things.
We hope you’ll join us!
Board Game Nights (and Long-Game Days)
Starting out we’re going to be playing board games every single Thursday (excluding holidays) as well as a long-form game once a month. Thursday games will be streamed weekly on Twitch (make sure to subscribe to join us for the weekly fun and participate in the great chat!), while we’ll bring out long-form videos of some serious long games like Lords of Waterdeep (think Table Top format).
We love a wide variety of board games and chances are we’ll be breaking out some really incredible ones you have never played or may have never even heard of. Chaos and comedy will ensue, as well as some pretty intense crazy games!
As we get more funding we may look to expand on this and will even occasionally break out some brand new independent games. Add in a pretty great group of eclectic friends and gamers who will drop in and out over time and there’s going to be a ton of amazing content coming out on board games!
Video Game Streaming
There are five of us who have very different tastes in games, very different playing styles, and don’t mind talking trash whether it is in multi-player or in AI. Hearing Shane’s blow up rants about Attila the Hun or Shaka from Civ 5 are comedy gold, while Braden’s well-timed quips while causing chaos in multi-player online shooters will make for entertaining viewing and a great day.
Whatever your taste in video games or streaming styles, there will be an incredible amount of great content here showing great strategy, intense games, and occasionally a hilarious self-destructive screw up. Like a giant book store or your favorite beer bar, we’re sure to have something that suits your entertainment tastes.
D&D and Tabletop Role Playing Games
Plenty of 5e D&D going on with this group right now, but Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, Dresden + Fate System, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, as well as some vintage 3.5e D&D is still making an appearance here. There’s a lot to cover with all these truly incredible table top RPG games and we plan on literally hundreds of videos on this topic going forward.
We won’t only cover a lot of the major topics and class changes, but bring our unique take on unconventional builds & pathways, DMing tips and tricks the DMs in this group fall back on, as well as plenty of discussions, stories, and more going into the future.
There are a lot of ideas we’re excited to share here, and no doubt many more will continue to emerge in the future.
Future Creative Projects
Our biggest focus right now is on creating great videos of all types. Video game streams, board game days, D&D discussions, as well as the full array of beginner and advanced videos on game rules, different strategies/topics, and more!
We’ve also talked about things like comics, art demonstrations, writing genre fiction, and even future videos about the more amazing and/or hilarious moments from past games and role-playing campaigns. This will depend on time, funding, and more, but this is the advantage of having a group not only of gamers, but writers and artists, as well!
Fall 2023 Assorted Meeples Gaming Blog Update
UPDATE: Several years in and still going strong! We have a truly amazing community on our Patreon that me adore, and there’s no question that nearly 600 blog posts and 300 YouTube videos and 200 Twitch streams later – we’re definitely in this.
If you somehow have stumbled on this page we do recommend taking a look at our Home Page as it’s looking pretty snazzy and links to some of our best work in addition to our most recent published posts.
Some of Our Favorite TTRPG Articles
- Complete 5E Feats Guide
- Complete 5E Half Feats Guide
- 5E Half Casters Guide
- Lawful Good Alignment Guide
- Chaotic Evil Alignment Guide
- Monster of the Week Playbooks Reviewed
- Charismatic Barbarian Pathfinder Build
- 25 Best Alternatives to D&D
Some of Our Favorite MTG Articles
- How to Start Building Commander EDH Deck
- Magic’s Best Dual Lands Commander
- How to Remotely Play Magic Spelltable
- How to Play Magic Online Using Untap
- MTG Best Blue Tutors Commander
- MTG Best Red Board Wipes Commander
Some of Our Favorite Board Game Articles
- All Red Dragon Inn Decks Reviewed
- Gloomhaven Vs Descent
- Why Is Phase 10 Twist So Expensive?
- 7 Wonders 1st Edition vs 2nd Edition
- Best Expansions to Munchkin
- Best 12 Board Games with Cards
- God’s Forge Review
- Games Better Than Risk
Some of Our Favorite Video Game Articles
- Kingdom 80s Review
- Stardew Valley Beach Farm Guide
- Graveyard Keeper How to Get Blue Points
- What Tools Should I Upgrade First in Stardew Valley?
- Dredge Video Game Review
- Breath of the Wild Switch Vs Wii
- Stardew Valley How To Catch Eels
- My Time at Portia How to Make Money
Some of Our Best “Other” Gaming-Related Articles
- How to Set Up Link to the Past Randomizer
- How to Connect Nintendo Switch to a Laptop for Streaming
- Step-by-Step Building Your Gaming Shelves
- Are Screenshots Copyrighted?
- Can You Use Your Xbox Power Supply on Xbox One?
Some of Our Best “Table for Two” YouTube Episodes
- The Problem with the Everdell Complete Collection Insert
- Catapult Kingdoms 2-Player Playthrough
- Deblockle 2-Player Playthrough
- Hidden Leaders 2-Player Playthrough
- Dice Throne Season 2 Booster Update
Some of Our Best “Unqualified Experts” YouTube Episodes
- Roleplaying Tabaxi and Kenku Like a Pro YT Video
- Fighter Vs Barbarian YT Video
- Is Board Game Arena Worth It?
- 5E Component Pouch Vs Arcane Focus
- Best Co-Op Board Games
- 7 Wonders Strategy Guide
We’re working on creating a new gaming podcast, which we’ll surely link to once it’s kicked off, looking at kicking off a second YouTube channel, and
Thanks for Supporting Us!
Proud to embrace the locally created moniker of “Corrupt Overlord” from one of the all time great Lords of Waterdeep runs, Shane is one member of the Assorted Meeples crew and will be hard at work creating awesome content for the website. He is a long-time player of board games, one time semi-professional poker player, and tends to run to the quirky or RPG side of things when it comes to playing video games. He loves tabletop roleplaying systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Werewolf, Fate, and others, and not only has been a player but has run games as DM for years. You can find his other work in publications like Level Skip or Hobby Lark.