Tabletop gaming has long since shed its image as a niche past-time and has evolved into a lucrative and exciting industry across the world. More and more local communities are continuing to grow, introducing new and exciting games to the masses.
Dale Bashir
Malaysia’s own tabletop growth has been steadily rising thanks to the efforts of such groups, and KakiTabletop is one of the most respected in the country. As clearly stated on their website, the group covers four tabletop experiences: board games, miniature wargames, role-playing games, and trading card games.
So whether you are a newbie or looking for new friends to play Warhammer or the Pokémon trading card game with, KakiTabletop is sure to accommodate with their community events happening in Kuala Lumpur.
To learn more about the Malaysian tabletop community, IGN Southeast Asia spoke to Gray Ham, the founder and curator of KakiTabletop and a renowned Dungeon Master in the local Dungeons & Dragons community.
Introduce yourself and your role in the tabletop community.
I’m Gray, the founder and curator of KakiTabletop.com, a blog, directory, and the hub of a wider network of tabletop gaming groups. I’m also an event organizer for the local tabletop gaming community and industries.
How did you begin your tabletop gaming journey?
It’s difficult to point to a specific moment, as I picked up chess and scrabble in primary school, Magic: The Gathering in high school, designer a.k.a. Euro-games in college, Dungeons & Dragons in university.
I started the foundations of Kakitabletop in 2014, with D&DMY, which snowballed into RPGMY, merged with my previous competitive gaming life through MtGMY, helping friendly board game cafés through BGMY, and eventually supporting miniature wargaming.
The term KakiTabletop was coined to bring everything under the same umbrella during my inaugural inter-state trip, stringing together a number of meetups in various cities.
How would you describe the tabletop gaming community in
Malaysia and Southeast Asia as a whole?
I haven’t gone around most of Southease Asia, beyond my personal experience in Malaysia and Singapore, as well as my research across the internet to build my directory of every tabletop gaming store in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia.
I think the hobby is generally misunderstood, as it is globally. Tabletop gaming inspired the creation of modern video games but didn’t benefit as the latter was aligned with the general growth of computing as the desire for digital entertainment helped drive the need for better digital devices.
While tabletop games were analogue, it remained in the minds of many as child’s play (literally, when I hosted an event in a mall, parents tried to leave their kids with me thinking it’s all simple games in a nursery!)
What needs to happen is a grassroots movement to make people realize that in a hyperconnected society, meeting people in-person can help alleviate some social stresses. We also need to realize that there’s more to gaming than mere competitive tournaments, but the intangible benefit of simply bringing society together in an engaging way. A meeting of minds.
What did you think about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
and what would you like to see in a sequel?
The movie was simply a fantastic fantasy film. As a gamer, there were lots of references, but as a regular moviegoer, I felt it has the spirit of fun as the movie didn’t take itself too seriously. For the sequel, it depends if we’re remaining on the same plane/world.
If we are, then perhaps introduce Drizzt’s daughter with a quick cameo from the Drow, sorta like how Logan’s story was told; that would be enough for old fans, and literally introduce the next generation of D&D fans to the next generation of heroes.
If we want to explore other planes, I hope they leave sufficient breadcrumbs to build an inter-connected story about an actual inter-planar threat: Vecna.
What makes a good campaign in your opinion?
I’ve seen lots of groups stress about buying all the miniatures, maps, etc. and over-planning their campaign’s story, but it’s about how it begins: the expectations of each player regarding their commitment, the campaign’s themes, the characters they build, and their shared sense of humour.
Some good campaigns come to an abrupt stop when real life intervenes and changes a player’s ability to attend. Some players’ sense of involvement in the story, and how edgy they want to be, can interfere with the story.
Players and the Dungeon Masters need to realise that the story they’re trying to weave together is a collaborative one, and must be guided through mutual respect and discussion. True team building and negotiation skills are honed, instead of merely agreeing to disagree, and kicking the ball down the hallway. Common goals and collaboration are key.
What advice would you give to those who want to be Dungeon Masters?
Don’t ask how to be a better Dungeon Master. Go watch some movies, listen to podcasts, go to a museum, then ask the question: how did they make this, and what were the people who used this thing like? Whatever your answer was: turn it up to 110% and string it together with every other wild idea you’ve had. Learn to articulate without sticking to a script too strictly. Gesticulate. Take long pauses for yourself and for dramatic effect. Buy a hand puppet and make funny voices.
DM Gray
What is your favourite D&D class?
I used to play a multiclass Druid-Monk. Transform into other animals, with Kung-Fu!
What games would you recommend to people
looking to get into tabletop gaming? Any hidden gems?
Try at least one game from each of the four game genres: board games, trading card games, miniature wargames, and roleplaying games. Games that bend your mind out of its comfort box, but it’s fine to stick to the most mainstream of each: Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and Warhammer 40,000.
Don’t depend on a Game Master, but pick up the manual after your first go at the game. The most interesting board games I’ve ever played include Laser Chess, Photosynthesis, Splendor, Jaipur, and Hnefatafl.