Operation: Game Night
Travis Smith, Jared Erickson, and Clay Gable get together to discuss the latest and greatest in board games in this weekly podcast. What's hot, what's hitting the table, featured discussions about board games and the board gaming culture, and the primary mission objective- to play more board games!
Operation: Game Night
OTF: Moving, Metro Riding, and the Magic of Free Board Games
We reunite with co-host Jared Erickson as he settles into life after his PCS move to the DC area, discussing the challenges of unpacking and establishing a new home while exploring local attractions.
• Living in "Box City" during the transition period of a military move
• Navigating DC traffic and becoming a regular metro rider
• Finding community through local events like Montgomery Biscuits baseball games
• Discovering free board games through "Buy Nothing" Facebook groups
• The unexpected application of professional military education in everyday conversations
• Getting back to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training at a new gym
• Maintaining connections with military friends despite geographic separation
• Planning future game nights and dealing with potential scheduling conflicts
If you've enjoyed this episode, look out for more Operation Game Night content coming soon, now with official Public Affairs approval!
As always, come interact with us online, let us know if you have any feedback, and leave us a review/comment anywhere you get your favorite podcasts!
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Welcome to the Operation Game Night podcast. Back and better than ever. Joining me today is my co-host and co-captain of the ship, jared Erickson. How are you, jared?
Speaker 2:Absolutely fabulous. I had buy one, get one pizzas tonight at my local pizza store. Pizza shop pizzeria. I'm feeling fine and fresh. How about yourself, travis?
Speaker 1:I'm a little. I'm a little bummed because today is today being 29. July is, in fact, national chicken wing day, oh my gosh. And they had all sorts of deals at these different chicken wing places where you could like get one free, whatever. Took no advantage of any of that, but I managed to get some chicken strips at huey magoo's so, oh, that was pretty good. Got some leftovers in the fridge. You're gonna heat that up afterwards. So I'm getting hungry. Yes, the other day rachel was kind of flipping through our feed and she was like Jared hasn't been on in a while and the listeners miss you. It's not your fault, it's okay. We're all settling into the new normal, I know, but we want to hear what you've been up to. Tell the world what's going on in Jared land.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 2:So let's be real, guys. I am still in the box city here. It's boxed up. Oh my gosh, I'm grabbing the wrong. I forgot that we are having camera issues, so we're actually on the phone camera. I'm surrounded by boxes here. We're still in the middle of PCS season here at Erickson headquarters. We just had a lovely time with my mother-in-law and my niece Allie she's about to be a senior back in Utah and had her come out and had a lovely time. We've been unpacking boxes, setting things up, but you know it's always the toughest thing is getting those dang pictures up whenever you move to a new place.
Speaker 2:I'm actually quite impressed over your, your left shoulder there. You got your singlet up and you're you. Your already putting things on the wall. Yeah, there's behind you. You're just almost there. Oh my gosh, he's got the basketball team Dio going away Gifts up there. He's got Germany gifts going up. I got Baron walls over here. Okay, um. So I do apologize for my absences. I am the last of the OGN Team, ogn to make the move and timelines have been. They've been struggling a little bit. We are doing it a little bit late. You know, got the baby monitor going. Yeah, we got. We got the. We got the family in the in the room trying to get get put, put the baby to sleep. But now things are going well. Um, how are you?
Speaker 1:how are you like in the dc area? What's the? Have you been in partaking in the food scene there?
Speaker 2:I know you haven't been there long, but I mean, like today we went to, uh, I went to the local pizza shop. That was good. We got, uh, we've been having a lot of chicken strips. Uh, speaking of speaking of chicken strips, we survive on chicken strips, that'll be for sure. I'll tell you DC traffic no joke, but you do run into a lot of people on the metro. You'd be surprised. Are you a metro rider?
Speaker 1:now.
Speaker 2:I am. That is the modus of travel. Are you a metro rider? Now I am. That is the modus of travel. I do ride a scooter every now and then to the metro.
Speaker 1:I hope it's like a push scooter, like a Razor, yeah.
Speaker 2:No, it's one of them, you know one of them lime scooters. Sometimes I take the bus to the metro, sometimes I just take the bus. I've been taking this. We've been here a month now and I've taken like as many different ways I can to work and I've I've enjoyed it, so figured my way out. But I also have done a very critical thing, and this is for you know, for you as a fellow co-creator of the podcast, and also for the listeners I did get pa approval, approval with my new unit and organization. They have reviewed Operation Game Night and have given it the the uh, the Pope's blessing to continue operations and, uh, continue operation security. To you know, we do a pretty decent job on operation game night, to not go too specific about what we do, how we do it. So, uh, I'm proud of us, you know, except for Clay he's, he's a civilian now, so he, you know, he can, just, he can talk about whatever, whatever the heck he wants.
Speaker 1:So, but To a certain extent. But just to be clear, you asked PA, the public affairs office, like hey, can I continue to appear on this podcast?
Speaker 2:I said, I was wondering if you could give a pa recommendation for me and my boys, who sometimes talk about board games but have a military flavor. I mean, we'd like to go over the fence every now and then, like we are right now. This is one of my favorite times of the podcast when we can free flow the over the fencing.
Speaker 1:Interesting.
Speaker 2:Which Travis? By the way, I've heard you've been rolling around lately, Just once, and just today, Just once. Do you think you'll continue the rolling?
Speaker 1:Man, if this gym was closer to the house, I would be there far more often.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, checked out NXG Combat Sports here in Montgomery and I'm not affiliated, not getting sponsored by them. In fact, I'm paying them for the pleasure. Yes, yes, that's right, shout out, they could be. Um, yeah, it was a good class. I you know I'm a little rusty got back in there, got back on the mats. Um, made a huge mistake day one. I packed up my bag, I got in the car, I drove all the way there and I'm getting all suited up for my like trial class. Forgot my belt, oh, forgot my gi belt, like an idiot. So, not a big deal. It seemed like people. I went to like the beginners class. Um, needed to get back into a little bit and, uh, yeah, I rolled with a guy that was like 325 pounds, big, defensive lineman, and he and his legs were like tree trunks as big as my torso. But it was good to get back in there. Highly recommend jiu-jitsu to everyone. It's a cool skill, it's a cool workout.
Speaker 1:It's something different that you will probably not get anywhere else. So yeah, I did a little bit of that Kind of exploring around Montgomery a little bit. We went to our first biscuits game, the minor league team. That was pretty fun, uh it was very hot.
Speaker 2:Was it a theme? Was it a theme night?
Speaker 1:it was just hot, sweaty night yeah, uh, no, no, theme night not that I'm aware of I, but people get up for it. Like I was surprised we were standing outside waiting. Uh, we were meeting, uh, one of Rachel's old bosses actually, and he people were walking in with like biscuits and jerseys and all these like different theme night jerseys and hats and and like rally towels and stuff. People get up for the biscuits, oh yeah, and they have some great food at the ballpark not tons of options, but like you can find some pretty decent food. Uh, I think during the seventh inning stretch they throw biscuits into the crowd.
Speaker 2:I was up, I was loving that so you did get a biscuit at the biscuits game though.
Speaker 1:Uh, I did not, I was like way down the way down the line, so I was not thrown a biscuit, which was disappointing but you could still order a biscuit you could like.
Speaker 1:They got savory biscuits and sweet biscuits at the concession stance well, this weekend they're having another specialty night where the whole class is going, so I might have to partake in several biscuits to make up for my missed biscuit. Biscuit with interest, oh, biscuits, yeah, uh. But yeah, life carries on here in Montgomery. Uh, getting into this swing of classes. Uh, it's a lot more reading than I am prepared for, but, uh, I got a good team in my flight and they are helping everybody out. Nobody is hoarding their notes, everyone's free-flowing information, which is great. So, yeah, life is good.
Speaker 2:Good. I did have a wild experience at work where my professional military education kicked in and I started discussing the pros and cons of weaponizing space and um I was like whoa, acsc done, trained me up, so don't sleep on. Uh, your, your PME boys and girls. Um, no, I, I was like dang, I really maybe I did learn a thing or two, um, about escalation and uh, game theory and things like that.
Speaker 1:So, um, that's what we're all about here at OGN. All our board games are about escalation and game theory, so you should be well-versed even without the DME.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right. I mean, it just kind of builds on each other, that's right. That's why we're going to be tracking also on over the fences, your uh class ranking, making sure that you make a distinguished graduate, as I was not, um, unfortunately, but I actually was DG.
Speaker 1:I done, graduated, done, that's all that matters, that's right, uh, can I ask something that is quasi related to board games? A hundred percent. So the FBI for years has been telling me that free movies and free music is illegal. Okay, you wouldn't download a car, you wouldn't steal an airplane, uh, but somehow you walked away with two free games.
Speaker 2:talk to me about that, yeah, actually this is a big, this is something big. Okay, I left a little teaser in the group chat today a picture of me holding a bag with my name on it. This is how cool the community I live in. Uh, here in Virginia I joined a Facebook group called buy nothing, have you?
Speaker 1:ever heard of this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the whole thing. Is it across America? Yeah, I think it's like a, I mean shoot. They even have one in.
Speaker 1:heard of this yeah, the whole thing, is it across america? Yeah, I think it's like uh, I mean, shoot, they even have one in germany. But yeah, basically it's like people get rid of the most random stuff and they just post it on there and people will find uses for it, and it's gone.
Speaker 2:It's amazing, okay, you know what the wildest thing is that I saw on there this week? Uh, tape dispensers without the tape. Okay, okay, I'm talking, you know, like, um, like masking tape or not, masking tape like the clear, like just a clear little tape thing, like tape dispensers, two of them.
Speaker 2:They were gone in 10 minutes, okay, um. But today, as I was eating lunch, uh, I saw someone posted like a big, it was like 30 pictures. So I was like, well, let me just let me just skim through these. I saw two very interesting pictures. Uh, carcassonne, is that how you say it? Carcassonne and Hanabi. Hanabi is still in the cellophane. And Carcassonne, is that how you say it? Carcassonne and Hanabi Hanabi is still in the Silithane. And Carcassonne.
Speaker 2:They said they played it once yes, buy nothing, it's free. I just said, hi, I would like to be considered for this item. And they put it in a bag and wrote my name on it and I left it on their porch with like 20 other bags with people's names on it and they said, just please come pick it up today before nine o'clock. And that's the only instructions that I was given and I was given their address. I drove up to their house, I walked over there and I got two free games right off their dang, right off their stoop. Um, so I might have to pay it forward, I don't know, but first I need to play them I'm sure you will find plenty of stuff to get rid of as you unpack.
Speaker 2:Oh my, gosh yeah, as I'm still surrounded by the boxes here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those buy nothing groups are cool.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, a lot of times there's some really weird stuff on there, like people are getting rid of underwear or whatever but, it depends on the community right, like I'm sure in DC, you get like a whole swath of things, from the really weird and gross all the way up to like the how the heck are they giving this away for free? Um, I've heard tales of like you know, people in san francisco are like giving away arcade cabinets, like full-on standing, like pac-man, donkey kong, whatever and a lot of times they're like it doesn't work and I've heard, I've listened to podcasts where people will go pick those up and literally plug it in and it lights right up.
Speaker 1:So yeah, check out your local buy nothing group, because you can find some killer stuff on there sometimes.
Speaker 2:Absolute bangers.
Speaker 1:You just have to be one to sift through a lot of garbage, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got to look through this dispensers to find the board games. But yeah, I got two. I had procurements. I mean, wow, I have no plays though. Um, that's okay, I do have a, a, uh, a dining table, luckily. You know that's something to be said, that was, and you got your.
Speaker 1:You got your play mat to roll out.
Speaker 2:I have a circular table now I no longer have that big wooden. I do have the card table, though, the um, oh yeah, no, the, what do you call it? The folding table, the foldy table? So yeah, hmm, do they make the circular mouse pad, uh, game, I'm sure somebody does, I.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure if uh like board game tables are now all play, I'm not sure if they but.
Speaker 2:But a circular table is not super conducive to getting some hardcore gaming. I feel like not too many board games have circular play mats. You know? Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:No, I don't know what, what game? If you're out there and you're listening to this, what is your favorite game that involves a circular play mat, or would be best played on a circular play mat Does?
Speaker 2:does a dune that that one dune game.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:have a circular playmat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the board or the, it doesn't have a circular playmat, but the board is definitely circular. You're looking like down at the, the picture of dune with a circular board. Yeah, that's true. Good, good, shout out.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I yeah, I've been thinking about that game since you pitched it to me that we want to play as a group, especially now that Vic and Mike are going. We should definitely start strategizing which ones we want to get to the table when we're not cheering you on.
Speaker 2:I know, I know, I, I, I do, I do have a confession. I might have a TDY. What no we're figuring it out.
Speaker 1:Just make it to the 820th.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we'll figure it out. We're going to figure it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're going to figure it out, he went to Vegas and take some leaving route. Yep, oh man, I can't wait to see this podcast like on the cover of the air force times, now that we're PA endorsed.
Speaker 2:Now that we have endorsement, um, and I don't know if a team's message from a tech sergeant counts, but he said he listened and he liked it. So I was like I clicked around on it, he, he was mostly concerned about, uh, us wearing our uniforms and talking specifically about like what we do, very specifically about what we do, or like what my base is at and what my building is and what I do there and I don't know what.
Speaker 1:I couldn't tell you those details, even if I had them, great. Well, I can't wait to be on the cover of the air force times and I can't wait to read intermittent ads throughout our episodes brought to you by the united states air force they used to have a rock band.
Speaker 2:So yeah, also. Um, I do have a slight update. I have sent out another email to a vip, oh, and I'm still fishing for vips. So if you're out there and you have an email from me, please respond. Whoever you are out there, yeah, come on, reiner canizia.
Speaker 1:Yeah, get back to jared. What are you doing? Come on, reiner fire department's out there. Okay, now is the good time, isn't it, to break it? It's time for break it off.
Speaker 2:Let's put on our nightgowns.
Speaker 1:We went over the fence. We're going back inside the fence. I have been Travis. He has been Jared. This has been OGN and we're out. Thank you.
