Meeples in your neighborhood: Nathan Johnson
Board gaming is clearly very serious business at the Johnson house – until you start looking more closely!
Nathan Johnson was only looking to buy some card expansions from a stranger online, but he ended up with something far more valuable. While making the purchase, Nathan noticed a wall of board games in the seller’s living room. The two men quickly decided it would be great to play a game together some time. That purchase was the spark for Nathan’s friendship with Mick Rissling – and the start of many game nights since then.
Their connection is what led Nathan to join Mick’s Play with Your Food (PwYF) fundraising team, The Grim Reaples. It also sparked an innovative fundraising idea: The Reapling, an interactive game of “Assassin”, played with nerf guns. “The idea was something I have had for years, and the stars aligned that this was my chance to make it a reality,” Nathan says.
The initial Reapling in 2023 featured nine straight days of nerf gun sneak attacks – all in the name of fun and (competitive) bonding – and helped Nathan and his team improve the event for 2024. It’s too late to join The Reapling 2.0 (it started Sept. 13), but this year, the Grim Reaples are offering spectator spots. A $5 donation to their team provides access to a private Facebook group to watch the hijinks unfold from afar. (Email elainerissling@gmail.com if you’d like to join in!)
When he’s not at home with his family and two dogs – or plotting nerf gun “assassinations” of fellow board gamers – Nathan can generally be found at his day job: providing air traffic services to three airports around the province. In his own words, “I basically just make sure the planes don’t hit each other!” (He has yet to play the 2024 Spiel des Jahres winning-game Sky Team – but he would probably be very good at it.)
While he greatly enjoys time with adult gamers, Nathan also loves hanging out with a trio of younger players: his children, ages 11, 9, and 7. His family’s favourites include Just One, Azul, Love Letter, Exploding Kittens, Telestrations, Splendor, and Guess Who: Star Wars Edition. He’s also taught the older two kids to play Ark Nova, which he says is “probably our favourite game.”
“My favourite things are solving puzzles and making others laugh. Board gaming is a great intersection for these, which is why I spend so much time doing it, especially with my family,” Nathan adds. “We love to make silly videos, including promotions for The Reapling. If I can make someone laugh, then I have succeeded – even if I lose the game.”
He somehow also finds time for several other hobbies: sharing memes with his wife; baking; cooking; video games; running; biking; jiu jitsu; and pickleball. And this year, he’s one of Play with Your Food’s Team Coaches, so he will be helping guide other teams. So if you find a message in your inbox from Nathan, take the lesson from Mick and Nathan’s first meeting: it’s a good idea to accept the request, because you never know where that first contact will lead you!
