We're going to talk games and Zach Poloski is here along with Janet Poloski from the
Sanctum Tabletap Gaming Emporium right here in Racine's right on the Highway 20 at
the corner of Ohio and the old Schwim place at the Ohio in the 20, which you said I remember
I bought a bike there. Everybody bought a Schwim there. It was it was around for a long time
when people come in they they always say, you know, I haven't been here since you know
1994 when I when I bought a bike a little different. Okay, so let's talk a little bit
about the little key of the story and then we're going to talk about the reason you're
here. What what now you said games? Are we talking board games video games? So we're you
know, tabletop gaming. So it's it's board games, card games. So think more monopoly and
Pokemon than you know, Mario or something. I will tell you in our closet, stacked or
all these board games. My wife loves board games. I sometimes I have no patience for
it whatsoever. I just don't. But we play games and some of them are pretty good. We play
not Uno. It's a Uno. What's the other one? The card game where you got to match up the
colors. There's a whole bunch of card games we have. Then we've got the the life. We've
got the clue. We've got it. But we got all these board games in there. The one we don't
have what she likes is operation. I remember that one with a little tweezers and we do have
a copy of that operation. We do we do we do have operation. But nowadays there's over
4,000 board games that come out every year. But we really play board games anymore. It
is other than my house. They do. And it's it's different than you know, it's different
than the candy landed operation. You know that we kind of focus on now. I like
candy. There's games. There's games like there's games like Katana is one of the more
famous ones or wingspan that came out a couple years ago during the pandemic. We have
battle battleship. We have that one. Sure. Yeah. I don't think we have a copy of battleship
in now. A lot of those games are this is more of the enthusiast hobby games. Now
monopoly is the granddaddy of them all. There are a lot of copies and things of monopoly
out there. But monopoly changed because now you can get horse
opoly. You can get farmopoly. You can get recene. We have oh before you leave here we
got a monopoly board for recene hanging on the wall over there. Oh nice. If they made
it with all the businesses in recene, it was a monopoly board. And we were on there.
So we have we framed a copy sitting up there from years ago from the 90s. But monopoly
everything. I don't know. They still play monopoly today because I grew up my family.
That's the only game my family played together that and generally and poker my family got
together. We don't. I mean, there's people that do. But if you think monopolies don't
come out. You know, it's like when's the last time you watch the Shirley Temple movie?
That's that's kind of like monopoly era. Oh really? So yeah. So when you're thinking
of, you know, when you're thinking of that nowadays, like I said, there's tons of new
games about all different kinds of things, newer mechanics that are more modernized.
You know, I'm a mouse trap. Mouse traps, you know, another one of the
mask bar games. I believe we do have a copy of the mouse trap.
I have no patience for that game. It doesn't really work. I know it doesn't work.
You put the whole thing together and hit the thing and get stuck. It's a great it's a great
concept. It's fun, especially for kids, but it's it's not it's I mean, it's a
Rube Goldberg machine. I know what it worked on the TV commercial so well in a big
Mac looks delicious on a TV commercial. I feel you get it. It's all squished up and
terrible. Yeah, a little little little different between the advertising and in reality
there. Yeah. Yeah. I'm anopoly. I love that. We have a game monopoly. Now it's tough
to play with two people, but you got to play with four. And the problem is people get
real angry at you when they land on your property and you got four houses or a hotel
and they can't pay up. They said, well, I'll give you this. I don't want to deal you
out of the game. No, no, no, you have to deal with me. I'll give you I'll give you the
Baltic and Mediterranean, which are the cheapest properties. You can't make any money off them,
but sometimes you deal. Sometimes you don't, but when you start dealing properties,
the game's over for you because you're not going to you gave away all your properties. How
you going to make one more land on a property in the game's over and they don't want to be out
of the game. And that's why, you know, for a lot of games now, player elimination is not
nearly is is common. And when player elimination is does happen, it's normally in a in a game
that lasts 10 minutes and not one that lasts 17 hours, but they always have monopoly. The
board is thrown on the floor. The community chess cards are laying all over the place. The
money, the hotels, the houses laying everywhere because somebody get I'm not playing. They flip the
board over. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the for people with, you know, you know, that competitive streak,
I don't really recommend cooperative games. There's a lot of there's a lot of board games now that
are cooperative where you're working together against the game in some in some way.
What was the game we played? Was it clue? We had to go to different rooms. I'm trying to remember
the game. Well, clue is the deduction game where you have to figure out if it, you know,
Colonel mustard in the observatory with the lead pipe or whatever, but yeah, there's there's
a bunch of different deduction games. I just have my patience for my wife. We've had a stack
in the closet. All these board games. The one we don't have is Yatsi because I remember with my family,
if it was a gambling game in my house, we all played it. Gen Robbie poker. It's nothing like
getting a six year old learning how to play poker. That's where I learned to play when I was
six years old, you know, looking at people's eyes and stuff. Yatsi's such a great game to play
with the family. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yatsi works. There's a bunch of variations, you know, on that
dice rolling, you know, theme nowadays with a lot with more than, you know, a lot of games will have
different themes. So there's some that there's one called dice thrown that I call battle Yatsi. We
even have events for it where people come in and it's a tournament where you have a character that
is like hit points and things. And you're rolling the dice and matching them up like basically like
Yatsi. And if you match so many symbols, you get to do this power to attack another character.
Do they play the game to your Emporium or that just buy them? No, we have, we have, we have,
we have, we have, we have about 15 tables, three of them are rooms. So it's a mixture. Some are,
some people are playing board games. Others are playing miniatures games like Warhammer,
card games like Magic or Pokemon or some of the rooms are mostly designed for like role playing
games like Dungeons and Dragons or things like that. Yeah, that's never getting the Dungeons and
Dragons. Oh, but it was before me because I'm a little older. It's D&D's been around for 50 years,
now 51. Really? And it was, it was created just down the street in Lake Geneva. Really? Dungeons and
Dragons. Yeah, that's, so yeah, that's why the big game convention Genkan used to be in Milwaukee.
Was that was that part was in Lake Geneva was at Parkside was in Milwaukee. Now it's in Indiana,
but that's like 72,000 people go to go to that. So I hold on a line here. Hold on just say,
Zach Polowski is here along with Jenna Polowski. We will get her to talk before the
Zooler I guarantee I get anybody to talk. If you're thinking everywhere without talking,
it's not going to happen. And they own the sanctum tabletap gaming Emporium. It's right at the
corner of close to the corner of Highway 20 and Ohio here in Racine. We talked about all the gaming,
but for the first time, you're doing a charity event. Let's talk about that. Yeah, we, our employees
were really excited and about do something called extra life, which started as a video game charity
and has worked its way into board games as well. And it's a charity for children's
miracle network hospital. So they've raised about $132 million since 2008. And so we decided to do
an event this coming weekend where we're having a bunch of games and things and that money is going
toward toward the charity. And some of the we're selling some different things and some of the
you know profits from the from the store being nice. How did you pick that charity? It's
association with gaming. It's, you know, it's well known in gaming circles. And a lot of times
it will be done in 24 hour marathon. So you'll have someone who's, you know, like playing a video
game on Twitch for 24 hours. 24 hours. Yeah. And that's, and that's the point is 24 hours. We thought,
oh, we could do a 24 hour marathon. And then we thought, well, at three in the morning, no one's
coming into the store that's going to be playing a board game with us or something like that,
or at least no one would probably want in the store at, you know, at that time. So shady
character. Yeah, just walking out the street. Well, you can do 24 hours to do in 12 hour.
No, that's what we're doing is we're going to, well, it's going to be the hours of the event
are going to be from six to 10 on Friday. We're open an hour early on Saturday. So it's 10 to 10
on Saturday and then 10 to six on on Sunday. So we have a variety of different types of games
going on on then. So role playing games, board games. In fact, for board games, one of our employees
was wanted to do the 24 hour marathon is going to do all 24 hours. She's going to come there and
she's going to be playing different board games, teaching people how to play board games. So
people can come in. This is other than video games. This is pretty neat because my wife is the
biggest board game person out there. I mean, you can't believe what's in her. I wanted to get
try to get her on the phone to list all the board games we have. Sure. Some of them I never heard
before and I don't want to learn something new because she's an expert at it, which means I'm
not going to be. That's why you that's why you got to play cooperative games. So you're working
together against the against the game and then you get to win together. We bought this game or
our son bought it for us and I don't know the name of but it's got different rooms set up on the
on the thing and each person's got different clues about themselves. It's not not a famous game.
Okay. I got to find out what the name of the game is and unfortunately she's not picking up
the phone. She's doing something worthless like getting ready for work and I can't get a
haul liver. Well, this is neat. So give us the dates again. So it's November 7th through 9th
and the hours for the actual it's it's 6 to 10 on on Friday 10 to 10 on Saturday and 10 to 6 on
Sunday and our website. We have a listing of all the different types of activities. Some of them
it's advisable to you know reserve in advance if you can. You can do that from our website.
The sanctum dot games because there's limited seating because there's only like five people that
can play a role playing game at at one time. We have other games like Star Wars Legion where we're
hoping to have as many people coming with the miniature miniatures and you know roll some dice and
you know play the play stuff like that. So that's kind of neat. You big board game person Janet.
Oh, well, yes, I do like to play board games. Is that how you guys met? No, no, no, we we
we hit you two guys playing some board game together and falling in love over some
Dolby game like Candyland or something. No, no, no, not not quite that. No, but we did play a lot
of board games while we were dating. So that's the common thing between you two board games.
One of those. Yeah, it's one of those things. Yeah, wow. But but yes, so we do quite a few events
at the store and activities like we're doing for extra life this coming weekend and and so
one of the other regular events that that I lead is in every other Wednesday women's board
game night and and so our employee who is doing the board game marathon all weekend this coming
weekend. She and I teach different board games each week and it's a very fun time for the ladies.
The game I couldn't remember was phase 10. No, we played a lot because it's simple. I could
understand it. Anybody can understand it. You pick a card. If it matches, you you get it.
So I can understand that some of the other board games. I just don't have the patience to learn
because my wife knows it already. So now I got to learn more than she does about the game.
I'm going to win and I'm not going to catch up to her because she's got so much knowledge on
these games and she goes to secondhand stores sometimes to buy these games and she brings them back
and missing a piece. Well, I mean, you buy, you know, some of these games somebody, you know,
lost the pieces to it, but you make, you know, you can make around that chess. I know how to play
chess. I know how to play checkers. I know how to play backgammon. Love backgammon. Sure.
And backgammon is a good game. That's one of those games that
where people come up roadblocks, you know, on you and you get mad at them and you're talking about
divorce over a game. I thought you loved me. Now I found out you don't love me because you
put my piece back to the beginning of the game and now it's all over and you get your attorney.
I'll get my attorney over backgammon, but I got a real nice leather case backgammon game.
I bought years ago and it's one of those games you can just lay in bed and play because it's very
simple and, you know, roll the dice and you know, it's out of the dice game. That was dice
involving games. The dice is common dice and cards. It depends. There's normally, you know,
you know, chess is pure, pure strategy. It doesn't change, but a lot of games have luck
components to them. See, I don't know any of the strategic moves in chess. I just keep moving
pieces until I can get their pieces out. And I play with other people that don't have any,
it's not like, oh, this is the board's basketball move. This is the Bobby, whatever move with Bobby
Fisher move that he made at the famous 1972 chess game. This is the one. I don't know any of that
stuff. I mean, I mean, either that's why I didn't last too long in the parkside university
chess club back in the 90s when the guy beat me in four moves and I said, oh, I guess I'm not good
at chess. Isn't this the Bobby Fisher move? Maybe he's just out slower with Eddie Fisher and
wake away after Bobby Fisher. But yeah, our high school had a chess club. I never understood why,
but these kids were good at it. And they met every once a week and they played chess in the afternoon
for a couple of hours and we had a chess club. And nowadays, a lot of schools have D&D clubs.
Oh, D&D's and Dragon's. Yeah, Dungeons and Dragons clubs. So you know, it went from, you know,
the Satanic Panic in the 80s to now having. What was it was, you know, D&D was going to, you know,
was, you know, they called the Satanic Panic for Dungeons and Dragons and groups that were,
you know, opposed to it because it was, you know, evil in some way. And now it's now it's
something that we have a summer camp for kids. I know for D&D. So it's like all of
them in Hayland records. We're all Satanic. Yeah, it's in Mega Death. And we'll make a death
maybe. Well, we have their song. There were something that are, yeah. Ronnie Dio,
remember Ronnie Dio always had those devilish logo for his thing. But hey, now we play him on
Hey, it's a dope contemporary music. Here's Van Halen. Yeah. And here's Def Leopard. Okay,
so one more time is to run through it. This is the sanctum tabletop gaming Emporium. It's right
there on Highway 20 at the corner of where you actually the coin shop right there. The coin shop.
Yeah, we're, we're a little bit used to the coin coin shop two two doors down from that on
Washington. Yeah, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, used to be the old twin place. I see you got a great sign.
It's just passed it yesterday. And the gaming is board games, maidly. Yeah, board games,
you know, card game roleplay games. Oh, card games still. Yeah, well, it's, well, card games,
card games might be different than what you're thinking. I'm thinking of like magic, the gathering.
Oh, see, I'm thinking of like a backroom where poker turn of it's going on.
Where it's a $1,000 buy-in to the game. I mean, we have had people come in and, you know,
rent the table and play and play poker. But it's, it's, it's the rarity. It's a, it's a different
enthusiast crowd than the poker crowd. How about the reason you hear is coming up November,
give me the dates again. November 7th or 9th, we're doing charity events for extra life. So,
you know, the money we're raising from the games that we're running is going to
Children's Miracle Hospital Network. That's great. Yeah. And one thing I didn't mention is it's not
just games. So, we also have a couple of different events on Sunday, a craft and chat brunch,
and a map making session. So, it's not, even if you're not a gamer, there's other things that's,
you know, our activities for people to do. Well, good luck with the business. Sounds like you
found out something you're passionate about. And, you know, it's like me opening up a bookstore
wouldn't work. Sure. Anyway, I told they get you to talk, Janet. I told you, saying people
have tried. They tried to be here and not say a word. It never works. Janet and Zach Palowski
from Sanctum Tabletap Gaming Emporium. Thank you guys for coming in. And good luck with this.
Hope you raise a lot of money. So, so do we. Thanks for having us. Okay, no problem.