Local gaming groups of the San Francisco Bay Area

Role-playing games, board games, miniatures, wargames, LARPs, card games, and whatever.

We are happy to list any and all such local groups. Be specific, and email pierre@rahul.net. Not all these groups are open to all. Groups may be closed at this time, may be private with very selective admission, may have age limits, whatever they want. The page is here to help players and groups find each other. Last updated: 2012-10 (Thanks Brian!)

Greater Bay Area

+Bay Area Role Playing Society
RPGs so far, aims to cover also board games and electronic games. Mostly ads of people looking for more players and games.
+Bay Area DnD / Critical Miss
A discussion forum for Bay Area D&D players. Includes players and groups looking for more people, also for non-D&D games. ("Critical Hit" blew up ca. 200809 and survivors now hang out at Critical Miss.)
+Silicon Valley Advanced Squad Leader Wargamers
Plays ASL, a squad level combat boardgame, meets monthly in Santa Clara at Game Kastle.
+Bay Area Diplomacy Association
Plays Diplomacy face to face, with games all over the Bay Area monthly as well as 3-4 tournaments a year. See the Yahoo Group or contact BayAreaDip@yahoogroups.com or adam.silverman@gmail.com.
+Meetup groups
Looks like Meetup may be a useful resource if you are looking for a specific game in a specific location. You might not find a game quickly but you might find other people interested and eventually start a game. For example you can start around San Francisco, looking for Games > Role Playing Games > Call Of Cthulhu, and broaden your search from there.
+sfbay-stratgame (Yahoo group gone as of 2012-10)
a mailing list for strategy gamers. Including board games like Settlers and El Grande, classics like Diplomacy, beer-n-pretzels, etc..
+Bay Area Gamers (email gone as of 2010-05)
RPGs, board and war games, conventions.

San Francisco

+SF Games
Card games and board games. Settlers of Catan, Acquire, Scrabble, Taboo, etc... Tuesday card games. Friday all games.
+The SF Bay Area Boardgames Group
A San Francisco Meetup group.
+San Francisco Settlers of Catan
Very specialized Meetup group.
+Always Comes Evening (site gone as of 2008-11)
A live-action (LARP) roleplaying game. Every other Friday night about Justin Hermann Plaza.

Peninsula, West and South Bay

+Stafnord RolePlayers (inactive)
RPGs only, on the Peninsula, from San Jose to San Francisco included. Inactive currently except for still hosting this page.
+ChaosMedia Games Board Gaming Night
Store/games closed for now. Pacifica game retailer hosts Friday night strategy board and card games. Also occasional miniatures gaming on Saturday nights.
+Mr. Games & Co
Weekly, closed and discriminating RPG group periodically recruiting players: see Mr. Games & Co for info
+Boardgame Addicts of the Peninsula (BAP)
Into boardgames ("Eurogames", Settlers of Cataan...), card games (Family Business, etc), wargames (Glory, ASL...)
+Silicon Valley Boardgamers (SVB)
Open sessions some evenings at the Mountain View Community Center, at 201 S. Rengstorff Ave. Mostly for strategy boardgames of all kinds, also wargames and card games. They also have a Yahoo Group.
+40k Lords of War
A South Bay club that plays Warhammer 40k usually on Tuesdays and Sundays in San Jose or Santa Clara.
+SouthBayWargames
Warhammer 40K and other wargamers who want to meet regularly. Plays in Santa Clara at Game Kastle.
+South Bay Boardgamers
Board gaming group that meets at Yahoo! cafeteria in Sunnyvale Mondays at 6:30pm. Games played tend to be light, "family" strategy games. You need to go through Yahoo Security, see details at the web site.
+Bay Area Masquerade (BAM)
A live-action (LARP) vampire roleplaying game in downtown Mountain View. The game is based on the old World of Darkness LARP "Vampire: The Masquerade" with a modified Minds Eye Theater system.
+Gaslight
Weekend-long LARP at a camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The characters are werewolves, fera, vampires, mages, normal humans, etc, in Warrington, England, 150 years ago. Players join a community-driven game for a 40+ hour continuous session. The primary focus is roleplay - with a rule system intended to stay out of the way - but boffer combat and packets are used when required. This is based on old World of Darkness, and the Shadow Accord game in Seattle. As of 2012, $35/$40 fee.
+Bay Area Games Day
Occasional (but over 50 so far) weekend convention-style game days at the Los Altos library for strategy boardgames of all kinds. They also have a Yahoo Group.
+The Bay Area Dungeon's & Dragons Meetup Group
A Meetup group also. Not clear where they meet, perhaps Fremont, perhaps not.
+Santa Carla by Night ((site gone as of 2012-10)
A long running LARP (Live Action Role-Playing Game), based on Vampire the Masquerade, in Santa Cruz.
+Santa Cruz by Night (site gone as of 2010-04)
A live-action (LARP) vampire roleplaying game in downtown Santa Cruz.
+Warhammer Fantasy Gaming Group (site gone as of 2008-07)
A long running Warhammer fantasy campaign, with most of the players in the San Jose area.
+Pandemonium San Jose RPG & LARP Club (site gone as of 2006-10)
Silicon Valley-centered, plays RPGs, LARPs, among other things, currently RPG tuesday nights, and LARP once a month.

East Bay

+EBGD · East Bay Games Day
Strategy board games. Used to have a separate web site, but now meets at EndGame in Oakland and uses their online calendar.
+The Misanthropic Gamer
Intelligent, creative, boardgames, RPG's, cards. 6 hours Saturday evenings in El Sobrante. Quirks, flavor, anything, democratic, easygoing, casual, non-hardcore, nude, insects, snacks, latex, dice, come, play, with, us, NOW.
+Super Action Oakland D&D Group
We are are well built, sexy bunch of tattooed and pierced Rock and/or Roll types who, weekly, travel to The Forgotten Realms and accomplish all kinds of exciting things. The current adventuring party (Team Awesome-Sauce) plays 4th eddition, but we are not limited to this system. Occasionaly accept/look for new members. Interested in organizing new groups.
+EndGame events
EndGame is a game store in Oakland with a game room and a nice, eclectic schedule of "event nights" and weekend themes.
+Black Diamond Games events
Concord game store with busy demo, for-pay and game night calendar. In the calendar, "Game center" means the store.
+East Bay Strategy Games Club (site gone as of 2012-10)
Strategic board games: Tigris & Euphrates, Medici, Settlers of Catan, Cosmic Encounter, etc. Meets at EndGame in Oakland.
+Berkeley Area Social Gamers (site gone as of 2012-10)
Board, card and word games in Berkeley, Albany and Oakland.
+Contra Costa Game Club (emails unanswered 2011-04)
Meets once a month on Friday night in the Concord / Walnut Creek area mostly for strategic board and card-type games. From 30 minutes to 4 hours to play. For example, Formula Dé, Settlers of Cataan, Chrononauts. Occasionally plays something longer as a special event. No role-playing games like D&D. Contact Kevin at kevinwm0@sbcglobal.net
+Calaveras Gamers (email gone as of 2011-04)
RPGs and other games (Skyrealms of Jorune, Champions, AD&D, Albedo) with a leaning toward obscure games in Milpitas. Contact harold@svpal.org
+East Bay Offbeat (email gone as of 2011-04)
RPGs (Skyrealms of Jorune, Over the Edge, Space: 1889, who knows what else...), Joe is back! (as of Feb 2000 anyway) contact mercury@norcov.com
+Berkeley Flexibles (email gone as of 2010-05)
Highly flexible AD&D players for modified system with lots of dice.
+Berkeley Board Gamers (site gone as of 2010-04)
Strategy board and card games ... in Berkeley. A Meetup group.
+Wasting the Dawn (site gone as of 2008-11)
A live-action (LARP) vampire roleplaying game in Berkeley. Every other Friday night.