Playopolis Board Game Cafe is situated in Historic Rochester high street in Kent. Established since 2016. Originally set up by brother and sister duo Rebekah and Daniel, since Daniel left to explore other ventures Rebekah has been running the cafe since 2020. In fact, it was 1 day before lockdown that the business actually changed ownership which caused a whole heap of problems with it technically counting as a new business! Fortunately through a lot of hard work and a whole lock down of streamed online quizzes to create revenue, Playopolis made it through!
The idea behind Playopolis (affectionately known as Playop) was to create a space where you could feel welcomed whoever you were, with whatever knowledge or experiences of the board gaming world you had.
The cafe itself consists of a bright and airy top floor with huge windows that can let you watch the world go by, on this floor you will also find a dedicated room for the games library, which now stands at well over 1000 games and is added to practically every week, with no regard for the finite space to fit them all in! Follow the twisty stairs down to the basement area of Playopolis, lined with huge tables perfect for D&D and twinkly fairy lights to give off a cosy homely vibe. Plus, in the basement level there is a cute sofa corner lined with retro games, and even a switch dock.
Games vary from dexterity games like Rhino Hero and Getting Packing for the really little ones, then all your classic modern board games like Ticket to Ride, Wingspan, and Catan. A whole shelf dedicated to the rude party games perfect for a night out. A whole wall of the library is filled to the brim with the more heavy board games, think Frost Punk and Dead of Winter. Plus everything in between. You can find a Playopolis games list on BGG (https://boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/PlayopolisCafe)
The menu is all ordered via a meeple themed QR code directly to your table, so you don’t need to worry about interrupting your game. Highlights of the menu include freshly made sourdough pizzas, massive nachos, as well as an impressive cocktail and mocktail collection all themed around your nerdy favourites. A big hit is the Pikachu mocktail and Bulbasaur cocktail which come with your very own pokemon card to keep.
The cafe runs regular events, including a Blood on the Clocktower event that spans four different games across floors and rooms! With dedicated storytellers each month, it's a brilliant night for newbies and seasoned social deduction players alike. You can also expect things like switch night, D&D socials, book clubs, and a social night every Tuesday from 7pm for people to meet like minded gamers in the area.
The cover charge is just £4.50 per person for up to three hours of gameplay. The cafe also offers a membership for regular visitors. Lots of Playopolis customers are friends who come to use the space for a whole host of board games, RPG, and tabletop multiple times a week.
Tables do go quickly but can be booked easily online at letsbookfor.com/playopolis and you can even select your floor preference with this. This is also where the events are posted for the month coming up.
Open Tuesday 5-10pm
Wednesday-Saturday 12pm-10pm
Sundays 12pm–10pm
Check our Playopolis Board Game Cafes socials at facebook.com/playopolis and instagram.com/playopolis
