Julie M. Cohen
Mortal enemies brandished intimidating weapons, facing off in an epic clash of good against evil. While deadly skirmishes caused multiple casualties on the battlefield, there was nothing but camaraderie on the sidelines.
David Irons, leading a troop of miniature goblins, challenged Dillon Foley’s Lilliputian knights playing Warhammer: The Old World on a recent evening at the new tabletop game store, The Squabblin’ Goblin, located at Concord Avenue.
Warhammer veteran Jon Washer met Irons and Foley at the Concord Avenue shop’s game room to teach them how to play. As the trio positioned intricate characters on the high-standing table, they laughed and talked like old friends despite never meeting previously in person. Instead, they met through The Squabblin’ Goblin’s Discord (chat app) server, brought together by a love of gaming.
Store owner Tanner Braun, 24, seeks to create a community space for fellow enthusiasts and new learners.
“[Tabletop gaming is] something I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid,” he said. “It’s essentially make-believe with some rules.”
Braun studied cryptography (data privacy) at Boston University and found a job at a startup soon after graduation. Even with his post-college career launched, he wasn’t satisfied with the work.
Braun said he never dreamed of owning an independent business, but that changed in January when he opened the store. It allows him to make a living while sharing his gaming passion with others.
Creating new worlds
Like Irons and Foley, Braun said he enjoys table-top gaming’s world-building aspect, likening it to “bringing a diorama to life.”
There are myriad choices. Some, like the many versions of Warhammer, are strictly fantasy. In other games, like Bolt Action, players refight historic conflicts. Some, such as Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, are set in familiar universes, in this case, the world of The Lord of the Rings.
Regardless of the game, in most instances, preparation starts well before a single piece is placed on a table.
Players assemble and hand-paint figures and miniatures, creating individualized armies. While many color their figures at home, The Squabblin’ Goblin offers hobby and art nights, a time for warring factions to sit and create new legions.
“It makes it a much more social experience,” said Braun.
Being hands-on is better than being “all digital all the time,” according to Foley. He said he enjoys reading detailed histories, learning the elaborate instructions as well as crafting the miniature figures to his own specifications.
The tiny characters inhabit an equally detailed landscape scattered with pieces of “terrain,” often including forests, ramshackle buildings, and crumbling walls.
Irons was a fan when he was younger but only got back into tabletop gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he became so engrossed in the creative process of painting the miniatures and immersed in the rich details of the games that he “stopped thinking about how terrible the world is.”
Irons now runs the tabletop games club at the school where he teaches.
A Teaching Moment
Braun will set up ones from the store’s library for patrons curious about specific games so players can learn more. Those who purchase memberships can also use items from the collection, including games, figures, and pieces of terrain.
The Squabblin’ Goblin carries one trading card game called Star Wars: Unlimited, which is immensely popular, and fans gather in the game room almost every Friday to play. While Braun acknowledged most of the shop’s regular customers are adult men, he said some families participate in “Star Wars” nights.
Unsurprisingly, many younger players focus on video games. However, there has been a resurgence of interest in the classic tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons after it made a regular appearance in a hit Netflix series.
“‘Stranger Things’ definitely boosted its popularity again,” said Braun.
Hoping to encourage people from different backgrounds to visit the store, Braun will host “regular narrative, competitive, and introductory gaming events and provide a space for all types of gamers to thrive.”
The Squabblin’ Goblin is located at 93 Concord Ave., Suite G. For more information, visit https://www.squabblingoblin.com/
