The day started early, when Eric and I went to the KOMO 1000 studios to appear on Charlie Harger‘s radio show. We talked about SmiteFest, trends in gaming, trends in church, and how the nature of community is changing in the 21st century. At Charlie’s urging I also once again challenged the Lutherans to come to SmiteFest and show the Episcopalians how they roll.

We met again at noon in the undercroft at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. Eric and Stephanie came loaded with roughly a gazillion games:

After setting up, we kicked off eight hours of gaming! About 20 people showed up (including a couple of Third Place Gamers) to play games such as Sarcophagus, Dominion, Cribbage, Blokus, El Grande, Risk, and many more.

You can find a full list of what we played (with commentary) at BoardGame Geek.

We had pizza from Pagliacci, fresh-baked cookies, and just generally had a blast. We can’t wait to do it again.

(It’s also quite likely the only gaming event held in a Seattle-area Episcopal church, but let’s not quibble over details.)

SmiteFest 2 is a free, all-ages day of games and awesomeness taking place in the Undercroft at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore. This follow-up to last year’s successful event is being organized with the able assistance of Eric Franklin of the Talking Game blog. Donations go to support Child’s Play.

The smiting runs from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., with pizza served at around 5 or 6. A list of available games is here, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own favorites.

There’s no “churchy” stuff at SmiteFest, but the interested and/or curious are welcome to come upstairs at 7:00 for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a weekly half-hour service of quiet prayer and contemplation.

You can RSVP here, and add the event on Facebook. If you have any questions, email info@smitefest.org.