A new and improved gaming café will be opened in Basingstoke.
The Tavern, a new rebrand of the Dice Tower in The Red Lion Hotel, is launching on April 4.
The owner of Basingstoke’s first and only gaming café, Martin Robertson wants The Tavern to be ‘the cultural centre of Basingstoke.’
Martin said: “Our primary focus is on the connections in the community through gaming, it's such a good medium to connect people
“I think of the medieval period, Robin Hood, the whole world as a larger place, and the undertone of The Tavern is medieval and mystical and magical.”
The venue will still host regular Dungeons and Dragons sessions and trading card games, but will be ‘more uniform, more presentable and more consistent’, including through the new booking system.
Martin said they are providing a new professional hospitality aspect, creating a larger experience for visitors.
Throughout the process, Martin has felt the support of the community in creating these changes, which has made him feel like he’s ‘won the lottery.’
He said: “The community has rallied around me to be able to make this possible, it's genuinely the most humbling experience of my whole life.
“The community’s fingerprints are all over the company, it's formed by the community. I’m just the idiot at the top just trying to keep the lights on. Ideas for the layout and the games we run and the content we’re providing are all from the community.”
The rebranded café is emphasising that it is a space for everyone, not just gamers and ‘you don’t just have to play D and D to come.”
Martin has thanked Leo, his seven-year-old son, who is his ‘best friend’ and the reason Martin does everything.
The launch party, which is now sold out, will see fans gathered to celebrate, dressed in medieval fantasy outfits.
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