The Santa Cruz
Gamer Gaggle
2nd Saturday of each Month
2pm - 4pm
Abbott Square
Secret Garden (in the back)
725 Cooper Street
Downtown Santa Cruz
What is the Santa Cruz Gamer Gaggle?
It’s a salon-style gathering of tabletop roleplaying game enthusiasts who live in Santa Cruz County.
Salon: Noun
: a fashionable assemblage of notables
Salons go back to about 1610 and were first organized as literary events where books, art, music, and philosophy and games were shared.
Basically, a salon is a fancy term for people getting together to geek out about their favorite subjects.
So, that’s what we do, chat about TTRPGs with fellow gamers from across Santa Cruz County.
Each Gaggle starts with an ice-breaker topic and then expands into an ‘Open Gaggle’ where people chat about whatever gaming stuff they wanna talk about.
Some questions we think potential attendees might want answered.
Q: WILL THERE BE GAMING AT THE GAGGLE?
A: No. The hosts will open up some discussion topics and we’ll take it from there. Think of it as a lightly organized conversation with fellow gamers.
Q: WILL YOU BE FORMING GAMING GROUPS?
A: We’re not actively aiming to form gaming groups. If you meet people you want to game with, feel free to ask them if they have an opening in their group or want to form a group. Be cool and please don’t try to force yourself into a group.
Q: WHAT THE GOAL OF THE SANTA CRUZ GAMER GAGGLE?
A: To build an in-person TTRPG community of Santa Cruz County locals. We know from our own experiences that there are a lot of gamers in the area, but they are disconnected and isolated. Currently there’s no central place for gamers to meet and hang out in person. We would love to change that.
Q: WILL THERE BE FUTURE GAGGLES?
A: Yes! Our Gaggles have been a rousing success. We hold a Gaggle on the Second Saturday of each month. Please use the form below to get on our mailing list using the form below to get notified about future Gaggles.
Q: ARE YOU WORKING WITH THE SANTA CRUZ ROLEPLAYING GAMES MEETUP GROUP?
A: Yes. The hosts have become the co-organizers of that group in order to grow in-person events across Sata Cruz County.
Got additional questions? Email Matt to get answers.
Q&A
YOUR HOSTS
The Santa Cruz Gamer gaggle is organized and hosted by local Santa Cruz County gamers Erick Schmidt and Matt Steele. We’re just friends who miss having a local community of gamers to sit down and talk gaming every once in awhile. So, we decided to do something about it.We both connect with other gamers online and game regularly, in person, online, and at game conventions, but there’s nothing like sitting across the table from someone and talking about the latest release or industry controversy or favorite setting or rules set. We want a little more of that in our lives, and think that there are other folks in Santa Cruz County who feel the same.
Below are short bios below and links to our gaming sites. Hope to see you soon. 
Erik Schmidt
Erik is a veteran GM and long-time writer on many aspects of the TTRPG hobby. His site, Unpossible Journeys, is designed for anyone who has an interest in tabletop roleplaying games. There you can:
Find out how to find the right game and Start playing
Get the scoop on dozens of games, from fantasy to sci-fi to horror to humor
Learn how to improve your game sessions
Check out game and game-related reviews
Peruse the blog archives
Chat about tabletop roleplaying in the UJ Discord
Matt Steele
Matt started gaming in Jr. High, waaay back in the late 1970s as a way of telling stories with friends. He runs games online and in person, at game conventions, and in game stores. He loves helping fellow GMs improve their Gaming chops.
He puts on seminars and workshops at game conventions aimed at sharing his experience with GMs and Players interested in improving the experiences at their game tables.
He’s a regular at game conventions across the SF Bay Area and is best known for hosting an invitation-only horror-themed boutique gamer gathering in the dead of winter.
More on his website: The Great Rabbit
VENUEABBOT SQUARE MARKET
Located in Downtown Santa Cruz adjacent to the Museum of Art & History (MAH), Abbott Square boasts seven restaurants and two bars. We’re meeting in this community center so you can come and go as you please over the course of two hours and grab a bite or a drink if you want one.
We’ll pull a few tables together and set up table cards so that we’re easy to find.
CAN’T MAKE IT, but want to attend future gaggles?
Want to attend the next Santa Cruz Gamer Gaggle?
Want to suggest a topic to discuss?
Let us know.
We’ll make sure you get notified. Plus we’ll be able to see what people want to chat about.