The Weekly Grind - September 2nd 2025 Newsletter

Critical Grind Gaming
Sep 2, 2025
5 min read

We had a fantastic time at The Renaissance Faire yesterday! We hope you all had a safe holiday weekend.

Thanks to everyone who joined us at Ren Faire!

Let's do it again next year!

SPECIAL EVENTS!

NEW ITEMS & RESTOCKS for retail

NEW board games and items from Final Score Games, CMYK, Cardboard Alchemy, Blue Orange Games, Days of Wonder, and Gamegenic.

Ink ($44.99) by Final Score Games Combining tile placement, resource and hand management, and pattern recognition, Ink challenges players to complete high-value contracts by carefully placing ink tiles to form harmonious patterns. The trick lies in balancing spontaneity with planning, every move you make affects not only your current canvas, but the options you'll have in future turns.

Quacks ($44.99) by CMYK In Quacks, which was first released as The Quacks of Quedlinburg, players are charlatans — or quack doctors — each making their own secret brew by adding ingredients one at a time. Take care with what you add, though, for a pinch too much of this or that will spoil the whole mixture!

Star Wars: Battle of Hoth ($59.99) by Days of Wonder is a game of heroic and fast-paced battles of miniatures that's set on the ice planet Hoth and reenacts one of the most famous scenes of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

Spot it! Bluey ($10.99 each) by Blue Orange Games Race to find the one matching symbol between any two cards in this fast-paced observation game featuring Bluey & friends.

RESTOCK

Flamecraft ($44.99) by Cardboard Alchemy Artisan dragons, the smaller and magically talented versions of their larger (and destructive) cousins, are sought by shopkeepers so that they may delight customers with their flamecraft. You are a Flamekeeper, skilled in the art of conversing with dragons, placing them in their ideal home and using enchantments to entice them to produce wondrous things. Your reputation will grow as you aid the dragons and shopkeepers, and the Flamekeeper with the most reputation will be known as the Master of Flamecraft.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

We are now offering our Hot Foods Menu every weekday starting at 5pm and weekends starting at 11am.

(Soup is coming soon...)

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 Highlights

These are some RPGs being mentioned in our Discord that people are looking to get together and play.

Dungeons & Dragons, Paranoia, Starfinder, Daggerheart, and probably some others. Join the discord and don't miss the tables.

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 started on Monday, August 18th. This will be 4 weeks per round. 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.

**Our Lorcana Sealed Tournaments include 5 packs to crack and play with what you pull!**

We've officially started accepting Pre-Orders for the next Magic Set: Spider-Man

All prices are based on MSRP and TCGPlayer Median.

Pre-Order your Items or Start signing up for the events!!

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*)

--> Gayme Night

The 1st Monday of every month is Gayme Night. It's open to any and all who would like to come play some board games and meet new people. While this event is intended for the LGBTQ+ community, it is open to all allies as well.

August's Mini Painting Contest - WINNER!

Congratulations to our winner!! William C!!

August mini: Morgan, Young Apprentice.

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.

September Mini will be announced soon! Pay attention to our socials.

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!

Critical Grind will be at Joliet Pride Fest on Saturday, September 20th!

Did You Know!?

Critical Grind Tumblers are $30 each and come in a variety of colors.

Every time you bring it back you'll get 10% off the cafe beverage that goes in it!

This Month's Calendar & Specials

SEPTEMBER SPECIALS --

Banana Lunar Chai: Banana & Toasted Marshmallow Chai Latte. (Take flavor inspiration and use Banana and Toasted Marshmallow in a latte or Italian soda)

Jolly Rancher Refresher: Watermelon Kiwi Refresher with Cherry Syrup.

Orange Smoothius: Pineapple Smoothie with Orange Juice, topped with Vanilla Cold Foam.

Banana Pudding Toast: Cream Cheese, Bananas, Nilla Cookies, and Butterscotch Syrup.

Campfire Toast: Ricotta, Walnuts, Espresso Grounds, Cinnamon, and Maple Syrup.

Get through that mid-week drab with some gaming! Every Wednesday is a FREE Open Gaming at Critical Grind. Cafe Purchase Required. This doesn't include any special events or tournaments. Only Open Play.

**WE NOW OFFER HOT FOODS MONDAY - FRIDAY AFTER 5PM AND ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AFTER 11AM!**

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: