Ottawa Strategy Games

Ottawa Strategy Games is for anyone with a passion for playing tabletop strategy games, or a curiosity to learn more about the hobby. Players of all experience levels are welcome and all of our events are completely free.

We launched in 2021 as "Ottawa Terra Mystica" but have since branched out to include other games. About half of our events are still Terra Mystica game nights, and the other half showcase a variety of other popular strategy games, such as Barrage, Great Western Trail, Root, Brass and others.

The purpose of this group is to bring together board game enthusiasts to:

• Have fun playing games together in a warm, welcoming environment.
• Learn the rules to a variety of strategy games. We hold monthly "Learn to Play" events where you can come with zero experience, learn the rules, and jump into a game with other first time players.
• Help players deepen their understanding of various games, over time, by discussing strategy openly throughout games.

This Meetup is held weekly on Monday evenings and follows this approximate schedule:

• Learn to Play: These events are held once per month (usually the first Monday of each month) and each event often showcases 2 games (ex. Terra Mystica and Brass). When you RSVP, you simply specify which of the games you're interested in learning that evening, which helps us with planning and table configurations. During the event, you'll be taught the core game ruleset and coached through your first game, along with other brand new players. No experience is required.

• Terra Mystica game night: We started as a Terra Mystica Meetup and still play a lot of it! On average, we hold 1-2 Terra Mystica game nights per month for people who already know the rules to the game. Please note, that you do not need to be a seasoned player to participate by any means—in fact, most event attendees are fairly new to the game. The only requirement is that you come with enough knowledge of the game rules to join a table and start playing without further rules explanation. If you’re unfamiliar with the rules, you’re more than welcome to attend a Learn to Play night for Terra Mystica.

• Barrage/Great Western Trail/Root/Brass (or other games): On average, we hold 1-2 game nights per month that showcase another strategy game such as Barrage, Great Western Trail, Root, Brass, etc. Every few months, we add another medium to heavy strategy game into the rotation. Similar to our Terra Mystica game nights, you do not need to be a seasoned player to participate in these events—the only requirement is that you come with enough knowledge to join a table without further rules explanation.