Charlotte-made board game Squabble Squares debuts with tournament
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Squabble Squares is a new strategy-based board game created by a Charlotte couple.
Why it matters: They're celebrating the game's launch with a public tournament at Resident Culture South End this Sunday, May 18.
Backstory: Founders Ben Moomaw and Heather Bard created Squabble Squares out of pandemic boredom.
- While staying in a mountain cabin one weekend, the two spontaneously made up a game using the tile squares on the kitchen countertop.
- What started as throwing dice on those squares turned into the building blocks of the game.
- Over the next year, they added more rules until they had something ready to debut.
- "I started bringing it out at house parties and people would play for hours." Moomaw tells Axios.
- The game has become a favorite among their friends, and they're hoping the tournament will make it a favorite among Charlotteans too.
What to expect: A fast-paced, interactive and tile-based tabletop game, Squabble Squares is very much an original, but it has elements of Trouble, Connect Four and Sorry, says Moomaw.
How it works: The object of the game is to roll your die onto the playing field and control the squares. The higher the value, the stronger the square.
You can win three ways.
- Bingo: Control four squares in a row — horizontal, vertical or diagonal.
- Domination: Control seven squares by having seven of your dice on the board.
- Four-of-a-kind: Complete four of a kind in any row, column or diagonal.
If you go: Registration will be open from 1–1:30pm. The tournament will start soon after.
- It's free to sign up and play. Walk-ins will be accommodated, but you can register here for an earlier spot.
Yes, and: 100 boards will be for sale at the tournament.
What's next: Though nothing is set in stone, plans for more tournaments are in the works, says Moomaw.