Wednesday Evenings @ 401 Games Downtown​

​​​Our group has been getting together at 401 Games on Wednesday evenings since 2009, providing the Toronto community with an opportunity to try an endless variety of games and meet other local players.
​The game schedule is organized in advance in the week leading up to the event through these steps:​
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​​RSVP Details
If you would like to attend this event, be sure to:
  1. Read the event details on this page, the general Meetup Information and ​our Code of Conduct
  2. Join the event waitlist up to one week in advance by finding the event on the Meetup calendar
  3. Submit the game selection survey for the coming week, usually created on Friday morning

Confirmations: You will be moved from the waitlist to attending when added to the game schedule beginning Sunday morning. Priority on spots will be given to people who demonstrate behaviours consistent with our code of conduct.
  • If you are still on the waitlist after the schedule is posted, watch your notifications in case you are moved to attending to fill a cancellation

Start Time: Arrive between 5:45 and 6:00pm and join your game host at their table if they are already there, or check in with the event host to be directed to your table. Arriving before 5:45pm allows time to settle in at your table, browse the store, chat with other players, or play a quick game. Arriving after the start time may forfeit your spot at that table and future events.

End Time: All games must be packed up and all players out of the store before 9pm. The retail store closes at 8pm, so any purchases or pick ups should be done on the way in.

Cancellations: If your ability to attend changes before you are scheduled in a game, remove yourself from the waitlist. If you need to cancel after you've been scheduled in a game, remove your RSVP and message the host of your game and the event hosts as early as possible.

Walk-ins: Last minute spots may be available if there are open seats, late cancellations or late arrivals. 
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Guests: Each attendee requires their own meetup account.
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Venue Details
Address: 750 Yonge Street, south of Bloor Street on the west side of Yonge

Website: store.401games.ca

​​​Transit: Just south of Bloor-Yonge station. Reference: TTC alerts

Bike Share: 3 docks within a block: east side of Yonge to the north, in the Green P garage to the east, and west of Yonge on Charles.

Parking: Green P garage east of Yonge, between Hayden and Charles.

Find Us: We're at the very back of the main floor, past the pick up area.
Covid-19 Protocols: Masks are optional; vaccines encouraged.

Accessibility: The play space is on the main floor, with no stairs or curbs along the route.
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Noise Level: Anyone sensitive to noise will probably not enjoy this event as it can be quite loud, especially while multiple games are being taught. All participants are encouraged to keep their voice at a level where they can be heard only by the people at their table. 
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Food & Drinks
Food: You may bring or purchase snacks that keep your fingers, and all game components, clean. Meals can be brought and consumed before the start of the event at a reasonable distance from all games.

Drinks: You may bring or purchase drinks for consumption during the event, but ensure open drinks are not left on the table. There is a dispenser to refill water bottles at the back of the play space. 
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​Game Details
All games are scheduled in advance, allowing interested attendees to research and choose from a range of games with different mechanics, themes and complexities within the scope of our group.

Survey: After joining the meetup waitlist, complete the Game Selection Survey to express interest in specific games for the upcoming event. The survey is manually updated, usually on Friday morning but subject to my schedule. Surveys received by Sunday morning will determine the games selected and create the schedule below. Please double check this schedule before the event in case of changes.

Experience: No experience is necessary to attend. Most games are taught and these do not require any knowledge about the game, though you may find it helpful to watching a review or read about the game before completing the survey. Games with longer playtimes or more complex rules may require players to learn the game rules in advance of the event but this will be clearly explained in the description.

Requests: If there is a particular game you've been looking to try, feel free to post on our BGG forum to try to make arrangements for a future event. 

We've had more than 350 different titles offered in 2023, but the most frequently hosted games have been:
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Game Hosts
Firstly, THANK YOU for offering to host a game! This event, and this group, is only possible because of people being willing to volunteer their games and time to host.
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To offer a game, post the following information in the meetup discussion for that event:
  • the name of the game(s)
  • the player count you prefer, and the range you would accept if different
  • whether or not you will be providing a teach, considering the 3 hour event limit
  • information about the theme, mechanics, or expansions/variants that will be included
  • links to learning videos or rulebooks if you're asking players to learn in advance
​Expectation: This event is best maintained if everyone who has attended at least 10 events offers to host a game at least once every 5 times they attend.

Timing: Post offers on or before the Thursday prior to the event. If fewer than 11 games are offered, please message me if you would like a game added to the survey or include a note on your survey if you could host a second table of a game already on the survey.

Multiple Offers: Most games offered have enough interest to run, but if you really can't choose one to offer, you may offer a choice between 2 games with each offer in a separate post.​ Please do not offer more than 2 options as they make the schedule creation more difficult.

Survey: Complete the Game Selection Survey even if you've offered to host so that you can be scheduled into a different game if your game isn't selected. Please select "Excited" or "Willing" for your own game. 

Selection: If there are more games offered than supportable because of table space or demand, games will be selected based on popularity, complexity, willingness to teach, and other requirements.

Saving Spots for specific players is generally discouraged. 
  • To co-host, include both hosts in your post as "[Meetup Name] and I would like to host...."
  • If your offer is in response to a specific request, message me or include those details in your survey

Borrowing games from our collection is an option if we have a game that you'd like to host.
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​Event Hosts

Sara VanderWal ​(she/her)
I've hosted this weekly event at 401 Games since its creation in Sept 2009, handling all the administration for this event and group. Message me with questions or comments.

Favourite games:
  • Sagrada
  • ​Grand Austria Hotel​
Picture
This 2010 photo may be old, but it will still help you recognize us!
Duncan McGregor (he/him)
Duncan helps with the on site logistics for this event every week. He started attending in Jan 2010, and has become my primary proofreader and sounding board.

Favourite games:
  • Terraforming Mars
  • Concordia
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​​Event History

​We began playing boardgames at 401 Games every Wednesday evening in Sept 2009. The event has steadily grown along with the facility as 401 Games made multiple moves to expand with the hobby. 

​401 Yonge St, 3rd floor - Sept 2009 to July 2013
This weekly event began at the original 401 Games location where the gaming space was on the 3rd floor, accessible by a narrow, rickety staircase. It was a drop-in structure where games were picked onsite. 

There was only space for 30 players and we were reaching that regularly after a few years. A lottery system was implemented to determine who attended each week. Since the attendance list was known in advance, many players started pre-planning their games through the Meetup discussion.
518 Yonge St, basement - Aug 2013 to Nov 2014
We were very excited when 401 Games moved to a more spacious location up the street because the increased play space meant the attendance could grow again. The play space was in the basement, split between multiple rooms, with low ceilings and some low-hanging overhead pipes which made it tough to socialize and decide games together at the start of the event, so advanced planning became more common until we had a fully scheduled event. 
518 Yonge St, 2nd floor - November 2014 to July 2018
After about a year, 401 Games also leased the space above them as a dedicated play space. The first week was spent assembling the new Ikea tables before we could sit down to play, but the ceiling height and space between tables felt luxurious and we never had to worry about an attendance limit. 
​2782 Yonge St @ Lawrence - ​August to November 2018
There was a brief period when 401 Games closed their downtown store and moved to midtown. Like the loyal gamers we are, we made the trek every week to continue our event, though attendance dropped substantially.
518 Yonge St, 2nd floor - November 2018 to August 2019
After a few months, 401 Games moved back to the location near Wellesley Street. We returned to the 2nd floor and it truly felt like coming home! The front room, with floor-to-ceiling windows and fancier tables, became dedicated to boardgames so we could use the space anytime without interfering with card players or tournaments. They even had a boardgame library that you could borrow from for a small rental fee.
750 Yonge St - August 2019 to present
At their current location, the gaming space on the main floor feels more connected to the store and improves accessibility. 

The event was paused for nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used that time to improve the game scheduling process and returned with the current survey system in February 2022, which gives everyone the chance to join games they are excited about without constantly monitoring alerts.
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