Roll for initiative: Table Top Warfare brings community gaming to the CBD
A community-minded specialist gaming shop is opening its first city store tomorrow, and the magic extends beyond RPGs and trading cards.
Jeff Broad and Paul Slann were both introduced to Table Top Warfare because they love board games.
Paul, the manager of their newest store on Pirie Street, says he’s “one of the OGs”.
He first experienced the brand’s magic over three years ago as a customer when a friend introduced him to Warhammer. From hanging out in their existing Gawler or Prospect stores, he’s played plenty of games but says trading cards have his heart.
“I’m definitely a trading card man,” Paul says.
“Whether it be Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic [The Gathering] or One Piece, those are probably my three big ones, otherwise I kind of dabble in everything.”
You’ll find trading cards galore in storeBut, for many South Australians, it’s more than just a place to buy a game or play a few rounds.
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“For some people, and particularly as you go through high school, some people just don’t find a home or a place where they belong,” Jeff says.
“And we offer that for people that don’t play footy on Saturday, you know?
“We offer that for people that might not have developed really strong social skills over their formative years, but they come here and then they absolutely love the people that they’re playing with.”
There are plenty of spots to bring your mates and get competitive, plus TV screens to aid gameplayTable Top Warfare strives to be as inclusive as possible and attracts many players including those who might struggle with traditional social situations, be neurodiverse or have support workers.
Paul and Jeff say they’ve seen the positive impact being a part of gaming communities can have.
“There’s one young man that goes to Prospect, he comes with a support worker and she’s like, ‘car ride there, I can’t get him to talk’,” Paul says.
“As soon as he gets in there with all us goobers, he’s just having a blast and talking and then the drive home he is much more receptive to having a chat and telling his support worker about the night.”
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Jeff says community building is a credit to the Table Top Warfare staff as all of them are passionate about one game system or another, or multiple like Paul.
“So often they’ve already been ingrained to that community in one way or another and often they’ll help drive the growth of that community,” Jeff says.
Beyond the cult-classics, Paul says there are plenty of good, easy game concepts executed really well and you can find something for anyone aged eight to 80.“Customers, I think, love our store because we do offer both and we’re not just about like that retail side where you come in, it’s just the hard sell of ‘just take this item, scan it, pay for it and then walk out the store’,” Jeff says.
“They know that we are really community-focused, and we have nightly events and so I think people feel a real loyalty to stores that do that they become that friendly local game store and they just fall in love with your brand and what you do.”
When CityMag asked if it was tough to draw the crowd back in-store after Covid when everyone got so used to playing via the social platform Discord, Paul said they don’t feel like they compete with online gaming.
“We were all itching to get back in store,” Paul says.
“I definitely find it’s a lot easier face-to-face gaming because I feel like when you’re behind a screen, there’s, you know, a bit of angst behind it.
“Especially if it’s just typing, you don’t really have that tone getting conveyed, you can’t really have as much of a joke, but face to face, you can definitely have that vibe and be like ‘okay, I can know what they’re doing and I can see what type of person they are in real life’ rather than behind a keyboard or over a microphone.”
For the die-hards, collectors or learners, there’s plenty of reading materialTable Top Warfare offers learn-to-play experiences for newbies who want to understand new game systems, including an Adventurers League to introduce brand new players to Dungeons & Dragons with experienced players to help set up character sheets and teach you the rolling rules.
“We are super welcoming for new players and we spend the time sitting down with them and teaching them new games or introducing them to the community,” Jeff says.
“For us, it’s a really big deal that people find a home here.”
Table Top Warfare officially opens on Pirie Street on Saturday, July 20. Visit their Facebook event for details of their grand opening plans, which include board game giveaway offers.