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ILoveQatar.net
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- ILoveQatar.net
Meet Abdulrahman Al-Homaid - board game creator behind Court of Cards Cafe & Majlis Shabab
Tabletop games are the cornerstone of gaming and are very much alive and thriving in the gaming community in Qatar. Board and card games have been an excellent way for communities to come together physically to play, engage, and connect, offering something that digital video games can sometimes fall short of. There is something special about a group of friends and family coming together to sit down and play. On this edition of ILQ Level Up, we reached out to Abdulrahman Al-Homaid, Founder & CEO of board game company Majlis Shabab and the owner of Court of Cards board game cafe, to talk about the art of tabletop games and the tabletop gaming community in Qatar. ILQ: Please tell us about yourself and what you do. Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: My name is Abdulrahman Al-Homaid, and I am the Founder and CEO of Majlis Shabab. Majlis Shabab is a board game company that develops, publishes, and distributes board games and card games. ILQ: Can you tell us how your love for board and card games started? Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: I've been playing board games since I was a child, starting with games like Monopoly and Risk. I'm also a chess player. Even into adulthood, I still love and play board games. ILQ: What are your personal top 5 board/card games and why? Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: At the moment, my top games are Lost Ruins of Arnak, Dune, and the Everdell series. The preference changes from time to time, depending on the year. But most of the games that I like have a competitive nature to them. The games I listed have such a nature, in addition to some of my favourite game mechanics like work placement and deck building. ILQ: What is the most interesting or unique board/card game you own? Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: One of my favourite games is Everdell. Therefore, I bought the complete edition of the game, and it is really huge. I don't think a standard-sized board game table would be enough to fit the entire game. Sometimes, I hesitate to carry it from place to place due to its size. ILQ: How did Majlis Shabab start? Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: Majlis Shabab started with the idea of bringing an Arabic game to the public. We wanted to pursue the board game industry since we saw it growing around us, thus we created Majlis Shabab to produce our own board games. Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: Moder Kaber is the first game we made back in 2019 at Majlis Shabab. It's a card game that encourages players to use their persuasion and convincing skills. The discussion element is a big part of the game. ILQ: Which of the games you've created has been your personal favourite and why Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: I can't pick a favourite, as I consider them to be like my children. But with each game we created, we learn so much from it, and we intend to improve it in the next product. We also aim to include a wide range of genres in our product portfolio. The last two games we launched were Recruit Madness and DAMA. Recruit Madness is a social deduction party game, and DAMA is an abstract game. ILQ: Are you working on a new game or project that you can share some details about with us? Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: Currently, I have a few ideas that I've been testing with a play test group. As a board game designer, you can have many ideas at a time and test them, but you can only proceed and go forward with one. This process always takes time. You can expect a new game sometime next year. Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: When we looked at the board game scene in Qatar, we understood that it is a niche compared to other hobbies. So, we decided to start such a project and grow the board game community in Qatar by having a place and a platform where people can come, gather, play, enjoy their time, and create memories in the Court of Cards Café. We have created a welcoming place with specially designed board game tables and gaming chairs where you can sit comfortably for a long time. ILQ: Can you tell us about the Court of Cards community? Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: We have many communities within the Court of Cards. We started small and continued to grow from there. Right now, we have board game teaching sessions, ladies board game nights, Dungeons and Dragons groups, Blood of the Clocktower nights, trivia nights, LEGO gathering, and more. Abdulrahman Al-Homaid: I always encourage people around me to sit, relax, and play board games. This hobby brings happiness, bonds friends and family together, relieves stress, and reduces your daily pressure. Details:
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Vadodara: 130 MSU students hospitalised after suspected food poisoning; university terminates caterer's services
At least 130 students of Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), all women, were admitted to SSG Hospital during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday and later in the day, following suspected food poisoning, hospital authorities said. Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, a few hours after dinner at the Girl's Hostel Mess at Sarojini Devi Hall at MSU, students began complaining of severe stomach ache, vomiting and diarrhoea, sources said. The first set of patients began arriving at the SSG Hospital around 1.45 am Wednesday and at least 20 students were admitted during the early hours. By mid-morning, 130 students were admitted, said Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Hitendra Chauhan. The University has terminated 'the hiring of catering services' from the caterers, citing negligence on the part of the agency concerned. According to a statement from the hospital on Wednesday, 'All patients have been admitted to various medicine wards at SSG Hospital where immediate symptomatic and specific medication and intravenous fluid therapy was initiated as per patients' clinical conditions. As of now, a majority of the patients are in stable condition. However, a few students require monitoring and treatment. Necessary investigation (has begun)… stool samples have been sent for ascertaining the cause.' By Wednesday evening, 27 students still remained admitted while others were either discharged by doctors or had taken Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA), said officials. A statement from MSU on Wednesday, issued by Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Public Relations and Communication, Prof Hitesh Raviya, said, 'In context of the recent incident of mass food poisoning at Girls' Hostel Mess, the University has terminated the hiring of catering services from Shilpa Caterers due to the negligence on the part of the agency leading to severe health issues of the students in the University campus and also the concerned agency shall not be considered eligible in the University in future as well.' The hospital statement, meanwhile, said, 'A detailed investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the illness. Hospital authorities are closely coordinating with university officials and public health departments to ensure that appropriate containment and preventive measures are in place.' Sources told The Indian Express that primarily, the cause of the suspected food poisoning could be the milk-based items consumed by students during dinner. No complaint has been filed in the matter yet.
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Gujarat's active Covid tally crosses 1,200 mark; 1 death reported officially, hospitals confirm 4 more
The number of active Covid cases in Gujarat reached 1,227 on Tuesday, just a day after it crossed the 1,000 mark. Meanwhile, while the state health department has officially reported just one Covid death, at least four other patients with comorbidities have lost their lives during the latest surge in cases. A total of 105 patients were discharged on Tuesday. Of the active cases, 23 patients have been admitted to various hospitals, while 1,204 are in home isolation. While four women have recently died due to Covid in Ahmedabad, a man admitted to Rajkot Civil Hospital died on Tuesday, confirmed the hospital administration. The state government, however, has confirmed only one death in Ahmedabad after the fresh spate of cases. The five deaths and co-morbidities The 55-year-old man who died on Tuesday, had been suffering from hypertension since the last one year. There was a recent detection of diabetes. He had been admitted to Rajkot Civil Hospital after he complained of breathlessness along with fever. He was also a patient of acute leukemia (blood cancer). The patient, who was under treatment at a private hospital initially, was later transferred to AIIMS Rajkot after doctors conducted an HRCT scan. AIIMS Rajkot then referred him to Rajkot Civil Hospital, where he died on Tuesday. Notably, the man had taken all three doses of Covid vaccination. Ahmedabad's LG Hospital has reported deaths of two Covid patients with comorbidities. One 47-year-old woman from Danilimda with hypertension was admitted on May 23. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, suffering septiscemia, leading to further complications and death on May 28. Another was an 18-year-old who had delivered a child just a week before being admitted to the hospital on May 30. She was said to have developed cardiomyopathy and died at the hospital on June 2. Two other patients, who were admitted at GMERS Sola Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, also lost their lives. A 20-year-old Covid patient, who was admitted on May 13, delivered a pre-term baby in the seventh month of her pregnancy on May 27, and was kept on BiPAP oxygen support. On May 30, while she tested negative for Covid, her three-day-old child tested positive. On June 3, the woman suddenly left the hospital with her child, taking Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA). She died at her residence later that day. This is the only Covid death to have been confirmed and reported by the state government during the recent spike in cases. The second patient to have died at GMERS Sola Civil Hospital was a 16-year-old girl from Sabarkantha, who was admitted on June 4. Medical tests confirmed that she had tested positive for Covid-19 and Hepatitis B virus. She died during treatment on June 8.
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Two Covid patients die due to comorbidities in Ahmedabad: AMC
Two Covid positive women, aged 18 and 47, who were admitted to LG hospital have reportedly died due to comorbidities in Ahmedabad's Maninagar area, confirmed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officials. The deaths took place within the past week at the hospital even as the Gujarat government on Monday evening in its daily Covid bulletin shared no information about the deceased persons. Sharing details, AMC Medical Officer of Health (MoH), Dr Bhavin Solanki said, 'Two Covid positive patients were admitted to LG hospital. One patient was a 47-year-old woman from Danilimda, who was suffering from hypertension, while the other was an 18-year-old recent mother who had severe cardiac problems. Both passed away due to comorbidities.' The Indian Express has learnt that the middle-aged woman, who was admitted to the hospital on May 23 with hypertension suffered from septiscemia (blood poisoning), following which her health deteriorated rapidly, leading to further complications and subsequent death on May 28. Meanwhile, doctors said that the 18-year-old woman had delivered a baby just a week before being admitted to the hospital on May 30. She is said to have developed cardiomyopathy and died on June 2, according to sources. As of now, about 40-50 new Covid cases are being reported in Ahmedabad city per day, according to sources. On June 3, till the filing of this report, the city had recorded 241 active Covid cases, said Dr Solanki but warned against panic, stating that 'vulnerable members of the population such as the elderly, people with comorbidities, children and pregnant women need to observe caution and report to a hospital if they have sustained fever or other symptoms for more than 2-3 days'. Currently, most patients are in home isolation while only a few patients have been admitted to civic-body run hospitals, according to sources. Serious patients are being admitted to LG Hospital, Shardaben Hospital and SVP Hospital, said the sources. Notably, doctors at GMERS Sola Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad were a worried lot on Tuesday after the 20-year-old Covid patient who delivered a preterm baby in the seventh month of her pregnancy and was still on oxygen support, suddenly left the hospital with her child, taking Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA), according to souces. The woman's child had been tested positive for Covid three days after he was born on May 30 and was also in treatment along with his mother. Till Monday evening, the state reported 95 new Covid cases, taking the tally to 433 cases, according to the Health Department. Of the total cases, 397 are active cases, out of which 22 patients have been admitted to hospital while 375 were in home isolation. At least 36 patients have been discharged so far, according to the department.
