Call the Gamekeeper (Just for Fun)

Call the Gamekeeper (Just for Fun)

by Cari Romm Nazeer

Stacked on the shelves at Queen & Rook Game Cafe (607 S. 2nd St.) are games for nostalgia seekers (Clue, Operation) and die-hard enthusiasts (Terraforming Mars, Betrayal at House on the Hill). There are games for families, for bachelor parties and birthday parties, for casual weeknight gatherings—more than 1,200 in all, with new titles arriving weekly and a retail selection of around 200.

Those looking to play something new over vegetarian plates and a beer can flag down one of the gamekeepers–employees trained to help customers through any of the cafe’s offerings and offer recommendations for the uncertain.

“It’s like having a sommelier,” says co-owner Edward Garcia, who founded Queen & Rook with his partner, Jeannie Wong. “You don’t know much about wine, but you know you like a dry red, so what fits that? We do the same thing with games.” Ultimately, though, many customers turn to the pleasure of a classic: By a long shot, he says, the most popular game is Battleship. ■