Couple' of innovative concepts who hosts regular weekend game sessions

While your idea of unwinding may probably be basking in the sun on the tranquil beaches of Goa — there’s nothing like a cozy evening with some warm cuppa and board games amidst great company.

Banking on a similar ideology, Pradyot Anand, a management consultant at an IT firm, and his wife Tavleen started out with Waterfront Board Gaming, an unconventional venture that hosts regular weekend game sessions for adults in the city.

They tell us about how it all started. “I’ve been into board gaming since 2012.When Tavleen and I got together, we bonded a lot over these games.

That’s when we then realised that this is a good unwinding idea. Last June, after moving to Bengaluru, we started this venture to share our hobby with other like-minded adults here.

We’ve been hosting regular weekend game sessions at our home, near Padmanabha Nagar ever since. Entry is free. We are newcomer friendly and explain game rules before a game starts,” states Pradyot.

The couple have hosted over 33 sessions till now. Elucidating on the games on board, Pradyot says “We have about 150 board games in our collection. Some of the very popular games in the house are Dutch Blitz Cash N’ Guns Tzolk’in and Caylus Forbidden Island and Tikal.”

While the concept started out in last year, Tavleen admits that the idea is seeing more takers now with majority of responses coming from their Facebook page. “We get more inquiries from varied age groups, which is indeed refreshing.”

On an average, Waterfront hosts about 4-5 sessions a month. Each session has two to three spotlight games and a number of lighter games.

“The sessions are also accompanied by theatre hours/ stand-up comedy acts and occasional reading,” she mentions.

While partying and clubbing are characteristic of the pub capital, the founders of the city’s first board gaming initiative seem least perturbed by competition from the usual unwinding activities.

“Bengaluru has a vibrant party scene but such games have a charm of its own. Socialising over a game enables you to meet new people and helps in egging face-to-face social interaction, while breaking the digital screen addiction.

"Moreover, these sessions are punctuated by laughter, good natured banter, and deep thought depending on the game being played. We hope to get more people under one roof to unwind the old school way,” he adds.