Meeples in your neighborhood: David Popoff

By Carmen Pauls Orthner

A single flute can perform alone and still create beautiful music, just as a board game can be played solo and still be a great experience. But as both a musician and a gamer, David Popoff would choose the group experience every time – call it “Mr. Popoff’s Opus”.

David, who’s the new editor of Table Talk, is a band teacher and a professional musician. He teaches middle school band, and he plays flute in the Regina Symphony Orchestra. You may also have heard him playing woodwind instruments in local musical theatre productions.

In 2024, David started attending the ChewsDay Challenge game nights at Boston Pizza North Albert, which he’s really enjoyed.

“It’s been great to expand my board gaming circle and get to play some more complicated games that my family might balk at a bit,” David said. “The Tuesday events have been great, as you get to play games you don’t own or haven’t tried, and you get to play them with folks who are as excited about board games as you are!”

He encourages anyone who’s thought about attending a ChewsDay game night to come and give it a try – and either before or after your first time, ask for help using the PwYF community site.

“It’s a great way to sign for up a game so you don’t feel like you need to arrive and just lurk,” David said. “You can arrive and jump in a game right away!”

David’s fondness for board games goes all the way back to his childhood. One of his lasting regrets is having gotten rid of his original copies of Fireball Island and Hero Quest, two games that have since been remastered. His family loves games too, so a Sunday dinner will often end off with a board or card game or two.

When it comes to choosing games, David – who’s also a graphic designer – says he’s drawn first by a solid theme and great artwork.

“I’m definitely someone who enjoys a good story and premise in a game. Something that tells a fun story and has a great narrative is always great,” he says. “Those medium weight games that take a couple of hours are a blast. You get to visit with some friends and enjoy a game!”

David learned about Play with Your Food by coming out to the ChewsDay Challenge nights, and he was impressed by the passion and organization of the people involved.

“They have a plan, they get to work, and they have amazing successes,” he says. “I love how friendly everyone is, and how committed they are to the cause of Carmichael Outreach and to the promotion of a great board gaming community in Regina! It’s a win-win!”

David is also a proud member of the LGBTQ2S+ community. He and his husband Brett live in Regina’s Cathedral Village area, sharing their home with a dog named Harmon and a cat named Malcolm.

“One of my goals is to help PwYF get more traction in our Queer community here in Regina,” David said. “We LOVE games!”

For PwYF’s 2024-25 campaign, David reached out to several friends in that community about forming a team. They were on-board, but registering required a team name.

“I asked ChatGPT to give me a whole bunch of LGBTQ2S+, pun-filled name, and we picked the one we liked the best! I think ‘Catan’t Even’ was clever, and it suited our team well,” David said.

“We’re a fun group and can’t wait to get some fundraising and awareness-building going this year. The event itself is a lot of fun too, although getting our second wind around 5:00 in the morning was tricky,” he added. “Raising money for such a deserving and important organization is amazing, and having fun doing it is the icing on the cake.”

After this year’s 24-Hour Event, David volunteered to help with PwYF’s communications efforts. He’ll be designing and coordinating the newsletter content and helping the communications team get the good word about PwYF out to the masses.

“We’ve got such a great thing going here in Regina that I can’t wait to help it expand and build the gaming community as well as support such a great cause! Who knows what kind of cool things we can do in the future?” David said.

“I think there’s so much potential and so many gaps in the western provinces! Who knows what we could do? A YouTube channel? A convention? A games swap meet? The potential is endless!”