Six men bent intently over a board on a recent Saturday in a church meeting room, concentrating on the game in front of them.
Rather than pitting players against each other, Arkham Horror -- based on H.P. Lovecraft's horror novels -- is designed to foil the group's strategy. After failing previously, this time, the players succeeded in beating the game.
"The more players that are playing it, the less chance that luck plays a factor," said Jeff Hyams, 33, of Squirrel Hill, one of the players.
"We were able to control two key locations very early," added Mike Hasko, 27, of Shadyside.
The six were among about 75 people who show up on the second Saturday of each month at the First Baptist in Church in Moon as members of Gaming Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania, or GASP.
The group, which has about 120 members, will host its eighth annual GASP convention from 7 a.m. Nov. 3 to 10 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Best Western Parkway Center Inn, Greentree Road, Green Tree. Gamers can register and pay $20 for 36 hours of gaming, or $25 at the door. A one-day registration entrance fee of $10 or a $15 fee at the door are other options.
While gamers at GASP meetings can play impromptu games, the convention will have structured time periods for various gaming types.
"We're filling a gap in the Pittsburgh area, really, in the tri-state area," said Don McCalmon, 36, of Ohio Township, the head or "king" of GASP. Officers' names have a medieval theme and range from Royal Brewmaster (hospitality) to Tax Collector (treasurer).
The group had its roots in 1989 at Penn State Beaver, where then-students McCalmon and Jim Robertson, 36, of Scott and a native of Center, Beaver County, formed a gaming club called Crossed Swords.
Remembering in 1999 the good times and fellowship they had, the two revived the gaming group and met in a couple of other area locations until they outgrew their previous space.
Enter the Rev. Mark Egli, 42, pastor of the First Baptist, who had just joined the group. Egli received permission from the church elders for GASP members to play their games there. The club makes twice-yearly donations to First Baptist for the use of the space.
Membership is free, although some pay $20 annually for benefits, including reduced pizza costs at meetings and a convention fee discount. Gamers are primarily from the region, with some from West Virginia and Ohio. A teenager once came in from Vermont.
McCalmon said GASP members, who range in age from 8 into their 60s, play one or more of four types of games: board games such as Risk, or Ra, a bidding game; miniature games, which use tiny game pieces that can be custom-painted; role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, where players must solve problems; and collectible card games, such as Magic the Gathering, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Because members bring in games and rule books, there is little need to buy new ones to try them.
The majority of GASP members are male, though several females, including Christy Gervais, 30, of Washington, attended the September meeting. Gervais attributed the smaller numbers of female gamers to a violently chauvinistic picture of a woman circulated among gamers more than a decade ago. "And Dungeons & Dragons got a bad rap for demon worship," McCalmon said.
"I'm a geek and proud of it; I don't care," Gervais said.
Many of the gamers are engineers, information technology specialists or students who claim a technological bent. So in an Internet world filled with gaming formats, why don't these folks just use computer or video games they can play at home?
"You don't have that personal interaction," McCalmon said. "Here, you get to meet new people and play new games." McCalmon said the experience is useful for both adults and younger members, including his sons Tyler, 15, and Dakotah, 13: "You can develop social skills -- learn how to lose gracefully and win gracefully -- and develop math skills."
Said student Devin Rattenni, 18, of Robinson: "It's helped me overcome my obsession with the computer."
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