So Long and Thanks for all the Memories: A Tribute to The Malted Meeple
This weekend marks the end of an era for me and is a reminder that all good things must come to a close. The Malted Meeple, the board game cafe where I really came into my own as a Game Master, sadly is closing for good. Their last day of operation is Saturday, June 25th which you can read more about in this article. Today’s article is dedicated to all of the memories of The Malted Meeple and all the friends made along the way. For those who do not know, The Malted Meeple was Northeast Ohio’s first board game cafe and specialized in craft beer, board games, and handcrafted milkshakes.
I was honored to be the first employee of The Malted Meeple and its first Game Master. It was the first time I had run for clients who were paying to play at my table, an experience that I am forever thankful for as it gave me the confidence I would need to launch Open Heart Games.
At the peak of The Malted Meeple’s operations, there were over thirty volunteer Game Masters who ran games in nearly every system imaginable. At the time, this was the largest cadre of volunteer Game Masters outside of a convention in the state of Ohio (and likely the Midwest). I myself was running five games a week in four different systems at the time. The owner joked to me at one point and said “I thought we opened a board game cafe, not an RPG cafe!” The popularity of the roleplaying games run at The Malted Meeple cannot be overstated, as every Monday and Wednesday night saw tables filled with eager Dungeons & Dragons players.
The Malted Meeple truly captured lighting in a bottle as its opening coincided quite by coincidence with the release of the newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons, 5th edition. The release of the new edition attracted many like-minded game enthusiasts of all stripes who were brought together over their common love of roleplaying. New players shared tables, strewn with dice, miniatures, and milkshake cups, as master storytellers wove their enchanting narratives. It was truly magic and I am so honored to have been a part of it. It was at The Malted Meeple that I ran my first charity D&D Marathon which is a tradition that I have continued with Open Heart Games to this day. It was also at The Malted Meeple that one of my friends introduced us to Extra Life, a charity that we still support as you know.
Speaking of friends, I made so many wonderful friends and acquaintances in my tenure at The Malted Meeple. Some attended our wedding, many we keep in touch with regularly whenever we visit Ohio, and all of whom I appreciate. To each and every guest who I interacted with over the years, I thank you for the fond memories. I will always cherish them. When I left Ohio to move to Virginia four years after its opening, I was proud of what The Malted Meeple had become. We drastically increased the volume of our sales, tripled the size of our staff, and moved to a newer, larger location. Roleplaying games were happening nearly every night of the week and it was wonderful. I will forever be grateful to the opportunities that The Malted Meeple presented me. It was an opportunity to grow as a game master, as a leader, and as a person. I learned so much in my time there, made so many lasting friendships, and made so many wonderful memories. There will always be a little part of The Malted Meeple in my heart.
Take heart my fellow Meeples!
Karington Hess
Game Master and Founder of Open Heart Games
