The Dice Box, Sneinton, hopes to open this spring

A new board gaming cafe is set to open its doors in Sneinton Avenues in spring with over 650 board games to choose from.

The Dice Box is a franchise of gaming cafes with seven branches across the country, with another seven opening over the next few months. The Nottingham branch, hoping to be the next to open, is being co-founded by a veteran of the board gaming scene, David Walden. He's working alongside co-founder Tom Masters, whose background is in high-quality hospitality.

"When you take on a franchise, you have to incorporate your own company. Ours is WaldMeister Games Limited - from our surnames, Walden and Masters - and we made it sound slightly German because of the board gaming aspect," David told the Morning Briefing. Germany is seen as the forefront of board gaming culture, with the prestigious Spiel des Jahres awarded from there. "We later found out there’s actually a game called WaldMeister."

WaldMeister likely won't be in the library straight away, but there will be hundreds of other titles. One of the benefits of opening a franchise is the support and standardised library that come from the flagship store. The franchise is providing 500 games for the library, with classics and more modern games. These have been topped up with even more from David's curated collection and contributions from others, including more niche titles.

With his experience in other board gaming shops, David is keenly aware of the parts of community building he likes, and parts which need more time and focus on.

"What we offer is an all-inclusive space - no hierarchy, no 'experts only' atmosphere. We're here to include everyone, whether they're new to the hobby or already into it."

"We'll have a wide range of games, and our staff are known within the franchise as 'game gurus.' They're not just serving food and drink - they're trained to know a certain number of games and to teach them."

With so many games, it can be intimidating for even an avid gamer to know where to start. He tells me those working at the cafe are given special training to help with this.

"It's about asking the right questions: What have you played before? Are you looking to compete or co-operate? That helps the game guru steer you toward something suitable, describe it, and then teach it properly."

Finding a home in Sneinton Market seemed a natural choice for David and Tom.

"I already knew and loved Sneinton. I'm really glad we chose it - our neighbours are amazing. Everyone here is creative, friendly, and wants the best for each other. That creativity and crossover really appealed to us."

Warp Miniatures, a couple of Avenues down, is an obvious collaborative effort that we're likely to see, with ArcWorlde games being a perfect size for the tables. The Forager's Kitchen has already been thought about when finding food to stock the kitchen with.

The food served will be made from a small kitchen, but not restricted because of that. Many dietary constraints will be accounted for. The venue is already fully licensed to sell alcohol too, and is set to have a full bar available. Mead is on the menu to properly set the atmosphere for a night of board games or roleplaying games.

David made it clear that The Dice Box is a board game-first venue, with a wide library and staff especially trained. TTRPG players are welcome too, but there're no immediate plans for a dedicated area for them. "There are other venues set up well for wargaming. Card gaming too: others have that covered." This might be a sigh of relief for many people who find it difficult to find a gaming table on certain nights elsewhere.

The Dice Box are currently recruiting for staff, ideally with experience in hospitality and a passion for board games.