Summer Tips - With Friends and Family

It's that time again! The season of sweaty t-shirts, traffic jams, and vacations. Suddenly, the city is full of bored kids. Luckily, they tend to hang around shopping malls these days, leaving the parks and nature in peace. Everyone handles this season differently. Experience shows that the best solution is to leave everything behind for a while and escape. Humans are social creatures, so it's no surprise that most people choose to spend their vacation with family or friends.

A Cabin in the Woods Full of Friends

At first glance, this option seems ideal. The advantage of friends is that you get to choose them. You don't have to spend time with some jerk just because they married your sister. You pick the ones you actually like, pack enough supplies, something for entertainment, and head off to a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods. Fun, peace, and the scent of the forest await. But we, as sci-fi, fantasy, and horror fans, don't let ourselves be fooled. We know that such trips regularly end in the worst possible way:

• The car runs out of gas, and naturally, the only thing nearby is a suspicious farm with the sound of a chainsaw starting up in the basement…
• It's perfectly normal to find a mysterious book in the basement that accidentally summons ancient gods bent on destroying the world.
• And if the rent for your dream cabin seems suspiciously cheap, you can be sure there's at least an old, burnt-out asylum nearby.

It's clear that you need to prepare properly for such a vacation.




Tabletop Fun for Long Evenings

If you want to make sure your friends don't get into trouble, keep them busy with a board game. A huge hit even in our office is Klask, a fast-paced action game slightly reminiscent of table football or air hockey, controlled by magnets. Perfect for hosting tournaments. Among the timeless classics, we must include the card game Codenames, which tests cooperation and understanding between players.




Individuals who love suspense and the supernatural will certainly appreciate Mysterium, where you investigate a mysterious murder at an even more mysterious manor. And if things do go wrong, it's not a bad idea to practice the right way to retreat, for example with an Escape Room game, which will give your brain cells a fun workout.

A proper board game can't do without a proper social lubricant in the form of a good drink. Of course, everything must be stylish and verified. For these occasions, we've set a trap for you in the form of a varied selection of original sodas, ciders, and craft beers.

A Little Movement Never Killed Anyone

This tired cliché contradicts the reality that most injuries and deaths happen during physical activity, but let's leave that aside for now. It's hard to satisfy the more energetic among us by just sitting at a table with a board game. We need some action! Plus, fans of teen slasher movies know well that only the best-prepared survive such a vacation.

You can approach survival in the wild based on your favorite film or literary genre. Some love post-apo and get by with a good knife, a waterskin, and a tarp. For heroes of the end of the world, we offer gear for bushcraft. In contrast, noble elves don't need the inventions of woodsmen to survive; they actually live off nature! They are usually helped by their knowledge of medicinal herbs, they can move silently through forest terrain, they usually don't smell (weird, right…), and they are also excellent with a bow.

For these cases, we have a wide range of equipment for small and big archers, where besides bows, crossbows, and arrows, you will find other accessories. If you are looking for a basic, easy-to-handle bow to start with, or just want to see if you'll enjoy archery, consider getting our wooden bow. We have it in 3 sizes: for adults, hobbits, and even smaller hobbits. Anyone who wants the essentials in one package can get the entire archery set.




If you are a bit more serious about shooting, we recommend one of the recurve bows, which offer greater accuracy and range. When there isn't a basilisk or cockatrice lounging in your garden, or any other beast nearby to shoot, targets and target stands will come in handy. However, don't forget proper protective gear. A nasty string slap on your arm can discourage an Olympic shooting career. That's what finger tabs and arm guards are for.

Don't Forget to Recharge Your Batteries

You get hungry after sports, especially when moving in the fresh air. The braver among us will forage for mushrooms, roots, and suspicious-looking berries while trekking through the forest. Those who prefer cooking their food and are willing to spend some time on it will choose to sit by a fire or grill. Even outdoor cooking in a cauldron has its unique charm. We are, of course, ready to satisfy these cravings too.




That's why you can also find fire pits, grilling equipment, cookware, and original aprons with us. And in case of an apocalypse, don't forget a fire starter! You can find inspiration for preparing a unique menu worthy of film and gaming fans in our varied selection of cookbooks.

author Karel Krajča