About us
Join us in real life, on Discord, Board Game Arena, and Board Game Geek! Meet other board gamers and play games of all kinds! Exercise your brain, have fun, meet new people, and share your love of games with other enthusiasts! Our events take place at board game cafés, public libraries, and hobby shops across Essex County, MA and beyond! Though our group plays a lot of board games, we welcome and encourage gaming of all kinds--cards, Backgammon, TTRPGs, etc. We welcome new event hosts if you're interesting in running your own events--reach out to the Leadership Team to ask how! We look forward to seeing you at the gaming table!
Featured event
Annual No-Ship Game Sale/Auction on BGG
Do you need to make room for more games by selling games? Or do you love a deal on a game for your collection? Maybe you need a new adventure to embark on with your party? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this is the GeekList for you! Full details on how to participate are on the Board Game Geek sale/auction GeekList.
To make sales more economical for sellers and buyers, this GeekList is a no-ship sale/auction where buyers and sellers will meet at the Salem Community Life Center (401 Bridge St, Salem, MA 01970) on November 21, 2026 between 11 AM - 4 PM to exchange cash and games during the Essex County Gamers' Game Day & Annual Member Appreciation Extravaganza event. You do not have to attend that event to participate in the sale/auction, but if you want to do both, please RSVP to this and the other event.
Upcoming events
7
11/19 Weekly Heavy Gaming
The Castle, 140 Rantoul Street,, Beverly, MA, USIMPORTANT: RSVPing is only part of the process. You must also respond to the hosts' direct messages, join ECG's Discord server, and read all of the information below.
Because we play heavy games, which we define as games weighted 2.5 or higher on BoardGameGeek.com, we have a some rules to maximize everyone’s enjoyment. If this is your first time, read How Thursday Heavy Gaming Works and all messages from the hosts to help you understand how the group functions.
Here are the main things you need to know:
- RSVP on Meetup by 2 PM Sunday.
- At 2 PM Sunday, planning moves to Essex County Gamer’s Thursday-Heavy-Gaming Discord Channel. You must join the Discord server.
- Game pickers post games in the Thursday-Heavy-Gaming Discord Channel by 7 PM on Sunday.
- Seat selection starts on Monday at 7 PM SHARP in the Thursday-Heavy-Gaming Discord Channel.
- LEARN THE RULES OF YOUR GAME BEFORE THE EVENT.
- Arrive to The Castle no later than 6 PM.
Other Relevant Information
- The Castle charges a $6 gaming fee per visit. We encourage you to eat and drink at The Castle during the event!
- Read the How Thursday Heavy Gaming Works Google Doc
- Check the Pick List tab on the above Google Doc
- Join the Heavy Game Thursdays guild on BoardGameGeek.com to see other regulars' game collections. We often will bring games for each other if arranged beforehand!
- Please note that games vary in time length. Some games only last 2 hrs while others can be 4-5hrs.
3 attendees
Game Day & Annual Member Appreciation Extravaganza
Salem Community Life Center, 401 Bridge St, Salem, ma, USWe are excited to partner with Salem Park, Recreation and Community Services again to host our annual game day and member appreciation extravaganza event at the Salem Community Life Center.
For this event, the Essex County Gamers Meetup group is welcoming its members and the public to celebrate our group's love of games, the hard work of our hosts and organizers, and the generosity of our members. Whether it's your first time playing contemporary board games or you are an experienced gamer, all are welcome!
Here's what to expect:
- Pizza, snacks, and drinks
- Games taught at the tables by our dedicated members
- Fabulous door prizes (Recent Spiel des Jahres winner and nominee games, gaming paraphernalia, 2027 Saga Con tickets, and more!)
- An optional no-ship game sale/auction on BGG with the game/money exchange during the event. Additional sales/purchases may also be negotiated at the event for anyone wishing to bring a game to sell.
- Leave-a-Game/Take-a-Game table where you can leave or take games for free
The location has plenty of seating and circular tables that will work with most games, even table hogs. Bring any game you would like to play at the event, but be prepared to teach them. Coordination for longer games may take place in the event chat beforehand, so we encourage everyone to RSVP. This event is for those aged 18+, though families with children are welcome to come (childcare is not provided).
Games of varying difficulty are played with each game featuring a teacher. Games played can be anything from quick and easy light games to multi-hour, brain-burner strategy games. If you plan to arrive late, we recommend posting your estimated arrival time in the event chat. Game clean up needs to start around 5:15 PM for a hard exit by 6 PM.
35 attendeesAnnual No-Ship Game Sale/Auction on BGG
Salem Community Life Center, 401 Bridge St, Salem, ma, USDo you need to make room for more games by selling games? Or do you love a deal on a game for your collection? Maybe you need a new adventure to embark on with your party? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this is the GeekList for you! Full details on how to participate are on the Board Game Geek sale/auction GeekList.
To make sales more economical for sellers and buyers, this GeekList is a no-ship sale/auction where buyers and sellers will meet at the Salem Community Life Center (401 Bridge St, Salem, MA 01970) on November 21, 2026 between 11 AM - 4 PM to exchange cash and games during the Essex County Gamers' Game Day & Annual Member Appreciation Extravaganza event. You do not have to attend that event to participate in the sale/auction, but if you want to do both, please RSVP to this and the other event.
5 attendees
Past events
516
