OUR STORY

We are so excited to be the one of the first board game cafes in the Southeast US!  What is a board game cafe?  It's a place you can go with family, friends, or even alone to choose from a selection of over 800 tabletop board and card games to play while you eat, drink, and be merry.  The Rook & Pawn will serve food, coffee, tea, and spirits to enjoy while you play Candyland, Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, Twilight Imperium, or whatever game you like!

We first conceived the idea of The Rook & Pawn in 2014, but our love for games started as kids.  We both loved playing board and card games with our families as children and have continued to do so with our own boys.  We had heard of board game cafe success in Europe and of a few starting up here in the US, and we thought it would be great if Athens had somewhere everyone could enjoy the camaraderie that board games give.  We wanted a place where you could put down your phone and really talk with your friends and family.  It can sometimes be difficult to disconnect, or even once you do to start a conversation with your growing kids.  Games give you a chance to really interact with the people you love while having fun!*

When you walk into The Rook & Pawn you will be entering into an old London shop, with a bar on the right, and the game shelf on the left with a small sitting area in front to play small games and relax.  Head over to the bar to ask the staff to help you pick out the perfect game.  A small charge (for ages 13 and up) will be added to your bill, and with that you will have access to every game in the cafe.  The staff will help you decide if you are new to gaming which would be the best one to start with. If you are just coming to eat or drink, you can order at the bar, have a seat, and enjoy.  We will have a few games at the bar you can play free of charge.  Once you pass through the game room into the back part of the cafe, you will be entering into a Victorian era alleyway where you can sit and play your game or enjoy your food and drink.  

*Hopefully you will leave after playing the games still liking the people you came with.  :)

KICKSTARTER THANK YOUS

A special thanks to our Kickstarter backers, including Dave Akins, Sean Holland, Marc Lancaster, Brad Luquire, Scott Hartman, Chris Brown, Daniel Norton, Katie, Amy Hernandez, Meeple Source, Patrick Yaggy, Eugene Bryant, Stewart MacWilliam, Jeremy Baugh, Peter Vaughan, Brian Henry, Trent Rosecrans, Maria Chappell, Jane Ullah, Josh Cattie, Darcy Hancock, Rachel, Margaret Christ, Patricia Miller, Jake Maas, Shannon Shipley, Rachel Steffens, John Dean, Jordan Sylvester, Matthew Freeman, Jane Gleissner, Jennifer Ziegenfuss, and Michael Johnson!