The Weekly Grind - October 20th, 2025 Newsletter

Critical Grind Gaming
1 day ago
4 min read

12 Days until Lodge Con!!

UPDATES

Lodge Con is just around the corner! We're only 12 days away and we are SO excited to see this year's growth. Make sure you mark your calendars to come out and visit us! The vendor hall is completely free and the game hall convention passes are only $5/day.

Click Here to see the full events schedule for Lodge Con!

Thank you to everyone who made our 3rd Murder Mystery Dinner such a success!

Our players showed up in character and dived in to the unique structure of this event quickly. It was so much fun to see everyone mingling, colluding, and collaborating.

We are discussing doing these more than once a year, so if you missed out, stay tuned for the next one!

NEW STOCK

More Blind Boxes are in! The ones with the gold trim are sharp-edge resin and absolutely stunning.

Sean is showing off the new resin sets from 1985 Games.

We received the standard book and limited edition versions of The Crooked Moon (D&D 5e & 2024 supplement)

And the new Dungeons & Dragons Welcome to the Hellfire Club: Stranger Things Box Set

SOUP!

On any given day we have different soups! They pair great with a toast and a refresher for lunch!

SPECIAL EVENTS!

Next Monday will be October's Fabulous BINGO, benefitting the Will County Humane Society!

RPG Event Updates!

--> KIDS RPG NIGHT

I will be emailing the parents directly every week a few days before Kid's RPG Night with the link for sign-ups and session descriptions. So if you are a Kid's RPG Night parent, please fill out this form .(if you haven't already)

Please remember Kid's RPG Night is only the 2nd and 4th Fridays.

--> Discord Looking For Party

Join our Discord and find your next gaming group.

Tip: When you join, go to Rules to get verified. Then, VERY IMPORTANTLY: go to Roles-and-Info to select your interests. This is what will unlock the channels.

TCG Event Updates!

Our Magic the Gathering League is going. This is round 2 but you can join any time! Played in timed pods with points awarded for place at the end of the game, and various play goals which will rotate every 4 weeks. Promos and Packs will be given as prizes each week.

Lorcana League is back for Set 9. Lots of ways to earn points, packs, and prizes. Join our discord to see the different play goals for each round.

All of our upcoming Magic Events all the way through October!

Board Game Event Updates!

Wednesday Open Play <--

We are currently offering Free Play on Wednesdays. Stop by anytime on a Wednesday and play any of the games in our library. (*this doesn't include any special events or tournaments*)

October's Mini Painting Contest

Stop buy to pick up your monthly paint pass and get the October mini! Limited number available.

Minis are due back Sunday!

Whether you're participating in our contests or just looking for a space to hang out and paint, stop by any Tuesday or Wednesday for our Mini-Painting drop-in between 3pm & 8pm. $5 for all you can paint, access to our brushes, and paints, and a free figure to practice on. Or pick up additional figures for only $5 each.

Critical Podcast

Click the image or HERE to find us on Podbean! Or search for us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Let's just say the podcast is on a bit of a hiatus. I haven't given up on this but I need to pace myself.

Thank you all for understanding.

Catch up now on Spotify, Podbean, and Apple Podcasts.

Are you interested in being a guest on the podcast? Fill out this form.

On a related note, I was recently a guest on "From Scratch" and I'm excited for the release of that episode. Looks like it's going to come out in a couple months.

Pop-Up Events!

Did You Know!?

We have a Kommunity Chest fund for players on fixed income who want to come play but can't afford the pay-to-play structure.

This Month's Calendar & Specials

OCTOBER SPECIALS --

Apple & Butter Rum Latte: Enjoy Hot or Iced. Or try it as a Chai or Matcha.

Olde Fashioned Cream Soda: Tastes like a classic cream soda. Butter Rum Italian Soda & Vanilla Cold Foam

Cinna-Berry Smoothie: Mixed Berry Smoothie with Cinnamon

Cookie Butter Cheesecake Toast: Cream Cheese, Cookie Butter, Graham Crackers, and Cinnamon

Happy Harvest Toast: Hummus, Sliced Apple, Strawberry Balsamic, and Cinnamon

This Week's Event Highlights

This is a quick look at this week's events. And of course any day is Game Day at Critical Grind. Just stop in anytime and find your next favorite game.

Follow our newsletter and socials to never miss an event!

Every link you need to follow us is right here:

LINKTREE

SPECIAL EVENTS OF NOTE THIS WEEK: