MOOSE JAW — Board game, fantasy, and role-play hobbyists attended the returning Gamers Association Expo (GAX) hosted by Moose Jaw Gamers Association that has become a cornerstone for gaming enthusiasts in the community earlier this month.
The expo ran from Feb. 7 to 9 at the Moose Jaw Centre for Arts and Culture (MJCAC) and organizers hoped to spread word of the group and perhaps bring on a few additional members.
“The easiest way to know if you’re a good fit (for the Moose Jaw Gamers) is to come out to one of the events, because it shows exactly what we’re about — having fun and raising money for a good cause,” said Brooks Nancarrow, president of the Moose Jaw Gamers.
The Gamers choose a children’s charity to support at each yearly expo, and Hunger in Moose Jaw was chosen in 2025.
“Hunger in Moose Jaw is important because they do all the lunch programs for the elementary schools in town, and that is definitely (crucial) with the rising costs of everything. Having kids be able to access a lunch consistently is definitely something important,” he said.
The annual expo is typically held in early February. Following the post-pandemic reopening, scheduling challenges and increased summer travel led to the cancellation of the summer counterpart that was held previously.
“(We) started off as a bunch of guys just getting together back before the internet was good enough to play online… consistently,” Nancarrow reminisced. “We would get together… for a Local Area Network (LAN) party and gradually kept growing. More and more people showed up until (we) realized we don’t have enough room in one person’s house.”
From there, the group began renting halls with financial support from its members.
“After that first time, they realized they had a bunch of money left over. So, they were like, ‘Well, we don’t feel right keeping this money for ourselves because everyone is pitching in.’ So, they decided, ‘Let’s donate.’ That’s where the Gamers Association started, and the yearly event turned into what GAX is now.”
The recent expo featured a Super Smash Bros. tournament, a Flames of War tournament, Settlers of Catan boardgames and more, with vendors attending over three days. Among these vendors were Weyburn-based Stranger Danger Candy Co. specializing in rare candy imported from 17 countries, SlyFoxx Design, Samurai Sam Limited, and The Three Creators Collective.
In the basement of the MJCAC amidst role playing and Pokémon card games, Flames of War tournaments were held including Flames of War (FoW) Regina Rifles, a tabletop gaming team with naming permission granted by the Royal Regina Rifles.
“We currently play out of the basement of the Lumsden Legion Hall, which is an amazing place to play a war game based on World War Two,” said Matt Valgardson, a member of FOW Regina Rifles.
Despite no major changes to the expo’s format, Nancarrow said the event saw more vendors than previously with seven attending to provide snacks, gaming dice, and 3D printed goodies.
“Other than that, I would like to give a shout out to Déjà vu Café, because they donated our door prize, which is the Barad-dûr Lego set,” Nancarrow said.
The Moose Jaw Gamers are currently seeking a few additional board members and are recruiting new members in general. With a few more in its ranks, the group hopes to bring back its “Sunday Fun Days” on the third Sunday of each month where members meet at a given local restaurant to play board games during the afternoon.
For more information visit MJGA.ca or ‘Moose Jaw Gamers’ on Facebook.
