Meeple in your Neighborhood: Racquel Mohr Halland

When Racquel Mohr Halland first heard about Play With Your Food (PwYF), she saw a perfect match: “Carmichael Outreach is one of my mom’s preferred charities,” she said. “So when I saw that I could play board games AND support them, it was a no-brainer.”

Originally from Saskatchewan, Racquel now lives in Virden, Manitoba, but her ties to the province and to its thriving gaming community run deep. “I’m originally from Saskatchewan and still have a lot of family there,” she explained. “We often play board games when I’m home visiting, sometimes going to board game cafés or escape rooms.” When a family member mentioned a Wingspan tournament hosted by Chelsea, Henrik, and the rest of the PwYF team, Racquel was intrigued. “I signed up and started following PwYF on Facebook to find out about other events.”

That spark led to what has become a rewarding connection with both PwYF and the broader gaming world. Although she lives three hours away, Racquel has been involved with PwYF for about three years. “This summer I decided to ask my board game group if they’d like to make a team, and they all agreed,” she said. “So this is my first time on this side of an event.”

For Racquel, community is at the heart of it all. “I love board games and I love community members helping each other,” she said. “Carmichael Outreach is a wonderful facility that does important work, and I’m proud to be able to support them however I can.”

The Teacher, Harpist, Gardener and Game Designer

A long-time teacher, harpist, and certified Manitoba Master Gardener, she’s spent more than two decades in education and community service. “This year has been very exciting for me,” she said with a laugh. “I was awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal for contributions to my community in the field of education, celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary, and had my first board game expansion officially released!”

Yes, you read that right! Racquel is not just a gamer; she’s a published designer in the Wingspan universe.

Her love affair with Wingspan began in 2019 when a friend’s board game café received a copy of the then-hard-to-find title. “I played it the night it arrived and was hooked! The theme! The mechanics! All of the unique cards! The beautiful illustrations!” she recalled. When she couldn’t find her own copy, her friends sold her theirs so she could keep playing.

From there, Racquel’s creativity took flight. She began designing small additions, “new end-round goals, formatted in Excel, shaded grey, the whole bit,” she laughed—and sharing them in online groups. To her delight, Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave noticed. “Elizabeth commented on my post and encouraged me,” Racquel said. “She said she remembered making her own tiles for Race for the Galaxy. I was thrilled.”

That encouragement opened the door to a remarkable collaboration. Another fan designer, Travis Willse, invited Racquel to join “The Ornithology Lab,” a group dedicated to Wingspan fan expansions. “We became friends,” she said. “I helped him with editing, proofreading, and playtesting his first fan expansion, Frogmouths.”

Her work didn’t go unnoticed. When Wingspan: Oceania was released, Racquel discovered that Elizabeth Hargrave had mentioned her in the rulebook acknowledgments. “I was THRILLED,” she said. “Amy [my sister] even got me an autographed copy of the rulebook, which is of course framed and on my living room wall.”

Taking Flight with Birds of Canada

Eventually, Travis and Racquel co-created a new fan pack: Birds of Canada. “Of course I was interested!” she said. “We decided to start with the official provincial and territorial birds who hadn’t been included in the base game, then added missing endemic species and rounded it out with iconic Canadian birds.”

The design process was as meticulous as it was fun. “There’s a lot of research that goes into creating the cards,” Racquel explained. “Finding accurate wingspans, diets, nesting habits, conservation status, clutch size, and more. Then you have to check the balance, do we have too many forest birds with cup nests? What power fits the species thematically?”

Their careful work paid off. Earlier this year, Wingspan publisher Stonemaier Games reached out. “Jamey Stegmaier messaged me and said he’d seen our pack and would I be interested in having them officially produced? OF COURSE I WOULD!” she said. After months of editing and collaboration, her Birds of Canada pack is now officially part of the Wingspan world, a dream come true.

The Joy of Play

For all her achievements, Racquel’s love of gaming remains rooted in connection. “I play A LOT of Wingspan with my sister, Amy, mostly over Zoom,” she said. “In person, I play with my friends Lance and Janice, they’re very competitive, and with my gaming ladies, Jen, Marcy, and Janice, in a much less competitive atmosphere. We spend as much time visiting and laughing as we do playing.”

That same spirit of camaraderie is what keeps her coming back to Play with Your Food. “I’ve met some really wonderful people who are all passionate about making a difference in their community,” she said.

As for her advice to aspiring game creators? Racquel keeps it simple: “Don’t be afraid to show off what you’ve created. Interact with fan pages because companies are paying attention. Make connections, enjoy yourself, but create for the joy of creating.”

And, in true Saskatchewan fashion, she couldn’t resist ending with a smile and one final cheer: “Go Riders!”