(Today’s article is by contributing writer K.W. (Keith) Leonard. Leonard, an English teacher with Knox County Schools, has called Knoxville home for more than thirty-five years, most of which he’s spent in South Knoxville.)
Most of us have played a board or card game, whether with friends or family. Over the past few years, the board game market in the United States has grown significantly with revenues at $930 million in 2017, $2.12 billion in 2022, and a projected $3.5 billion by 2027 (source: Statista). Knoxville, like many other U.S. cities, has seen a growth in events centered on gaming, like Rocky Top Gaming Convention and Fun K-Town.
Board Game Days Knoxville recently held their ninth convention with growth that matches the national trends. Hosted in Awaken Coffee’s space in the Old City, Board Game Days offers a unique setting for board game developers and players. I attended two days of the event as a follow-up to a story from 2022 by Knoxville Urban Guy and was able to speak with the founder as well as the new owner.
Connor Cole, founder of Board Game Days, who moved away from Knoxville but returns for the event, aid attendance has grown from 35 in the beginning to 168 last year, drawing people from an increasingly wide area. At the Saturday evening event, I spoke with one attendee, Chris Morton, who had driven four hours from Huntsville, Alabama.
Cole said the pandemic helped spur growth in board gaming as people sought ways to fill the time and turned to board games at home with small groups of friends or family. As the pandemic waned, interest continued to grow.
Rachel Davidson, the current owner, assumed responsibilities from Cole and has worked to grow it. The 2024 event finished with a total of 220 attendees, well above projections. Davidson also works with both Rocky Top Gaming Convention and Fanboy Expo in Knoxville as Ms. Information (her convention persona).
Davidson said that she wants Board Game Days to be an inclusive space for people. Some attendees come with their regular gaming groups, while many come alone to meet and game with others. One attendee, Natalie Tyler, moved to Knoxville in 2023 and attended last year. She was back for her second convention, noting that she likes board games and wanted to find people who shared her interest in her new home.
Davidson noted that Board Game Days offers a quieter space for gamers. At other events like GenCon, the major gaming convention in Indianapolis, the pace and intensity is much faster and features multiple vendors vying for attention. Board Game Days does have vendors; however, the pace and structure are more conducive to exploring the games. Davidson said both introverts and extroverts have a space at Board Game Days.
The focus remains allowing people to discover games and network with others who love to play. Awaken Coffee’s space helps promote this relaxed atmosphere. The back room with exposed brick and beautiful wooden floors was nearly filled, as was an upstairs space, while additional groups played at tables in the front.
Cole said that the foot traffic in the Old City drew in people for the event. Attendees can purchase food and drinks from Awaken during their regular business hours, making it a perfect spot. Board Game Days leases the space and wants to keep the event as local as possible, though a new venue might be required if they continue to grow.
Thursday evening is reserved for a special event for developers and experienced board game testers. Friday through Sunday events include a mixture of opportunities for game play and discovery. I was able to attend Thursday night and to experience the game play days Saturday evening.
Developer Night
Both Davidson and Cole emphasized the importance of networking as part of the event, and the Thursday evening special session focused opportunities for game developers to meet with experienced beta players (testers) and fellow developers to receive feedback on their games. One mantra expressed during the evening was to “fail faster to improve the game faster.”
I sat in on a couple of sessions with the developers and beta players observing prototype games, including dice, cards and rules books being played through. Current iterations of games ranged from hand drawn cards and boards to fully 3D printed systems. Testers gave notes on game play, color schemes and visibility. Sometimes developers’ expectations played out perfectly in the live game.
Some games are near ready for pitches to larger gaming companies and others are close to being prepared for crowdfunding. Cole noted that the crowdfunding model was starting to shift from Kickstarter campaigns to such resources as the website Gamefound.
Jesse Dranger and Tristan Helmink both tested their games on Thursday. Jesse developed his game, Contender, while in high school detention when he was 16. He moved to Knoxville from Washington State where he discovered Board Game Days. Now fourteen years in, his game cards were first developed on high school laptops and the first game board was made of plywood with a spray-painted grid. Dranger wanted to create a game deck that younger children could enjoy.
Tristan Helmink enjoys the engineering and puzzle solving of games and enjoys giving feedback as much as receiving it. He is employed as an over the road driver and enjoys Board Game Days. Tristan said that community was important, and Board Game Days gave him an “excuse to do something I enjoy anyways.” Jesse said he is also looking for an artist to help him create a comic book to accompany his game.
Board Game Days also supports Protospiel, another downtown event focused on game design, development and testing. Typically held in late March or early April, Protospiel is hosted at the Maker Exchange located inside The Tennessean at World’s Fair Park.
Game Play Days
From Friday to Sunday, Board Game Day shifts to playing various board games, including an on-site library of over 200 games. Some vendors attend, and unique opportunities are presented to convention goers. Participants learn about games on a published schedule, including how to play, and then choose to play the game in spaces throughout Awaken.
Players can also participate in Play to Win sessions. Play to Win events feature a game that players are taught and then must play through to the end. At the end of the evening, a player’s name is drawn, and the winner takes the game home as a prize.
Board Game Days has also added a unique position to the event called a game sommelier. Like a wine sommelier, these experts have an encyclopedic knowledge of board games. The sommeliers take on a persona at conventions, both observing and interacting with board game players. Tim Copley started the sommelier position after seeing people struggle to select at the game libraries. He also watched as some selected a game and became frustrated after a few minutes of play.
He developed the sommelier function and persona to meet the “need and want to know how to play.” Logan Tremaine, who was enhancing her skills as a sommelier, worked with Tim. Sommeliers help people, she noted, who may go into an “analysis paralysis” looking at libraries of over 600 games at the events.
They can discuss games that are similar based on group size and type of game. For example, if a player likes Settlers of Catan with a specific number of players, he can recommend other games and provide a quick five-minute rundown on game play. Tim also created a game menu, including a “Kids Menu” for younger players, for Board Game Days which guides users based on game types and players.
Vendors on Game Play Days included board game designers and custom merchandise sellers. Cheyne Clark of Dragon Armor Games set up during the weekend for his second year. Cheyne, a local vendor, makes custom wooden gaming accessories, including dice towers, trays and vaults. He also sells additional accessories that he sources. He’s also a regular vendor at the Market Square Farmers Market each Saturday. He likes the opportunity to connect with the Knoxville and regional gaming community and “really enjoyed the chill environment” of Board Game Days.
Tom Royalty of Moratia Games in Spring Hill, TN was set up with his Moratia Card Quest Game. He funded the game on KickStarter, found Board Game Days on a local gaming message board, met Davidson, and attended for his third year to promote his open quest game.
To increase the fun, a Scavenger Hunt runs throughout the weekend. As attendees complete the tasks, they qualify for prizes including pens, stickers, special die, a dice tray, and more. Downtown area sponsors and gaming stores drew for prizes such as gift cards and even a tea set from the Kraken’s Cup tearoom.
Future Events
Aside from Protospiel, a smaller event that includes 10-20 playthroughs for around 40 total attendees, Davidson noted that the next event Board Game Days will sponsor is Play to Win session at the Kraken’s Cup Tea Room on North Broadway, October 5 from 12 – 5. At that event, one player will walk away with a copy of Elfenroads.
Board Game Days returns with its tenth event in its ninth year, next summer in Knoxville. More information about these events can be found at their website, https://www.bgdknx.com/.