FANTASTICAL lands and legendary creatures will make Union Street home this weekend, when the Thistle Tavern Games Hub officially opens its doors to the public.
A new immersive hub and retail space for tabletop roleplay gamers and trading card enthusiasts, the venue is located in the former Virgin Money bank at 395 Union Street.
Friends and former colleagues Stuart Robb and Andrew Rayner have expanded into physical premises after successfully trading online for more than a year and branching out to include board games and Dungeons and Dragons miniatures.
Alongside Andrew’s work as a senior business analyst for a payroll firm and Stuart’s role as a senior product manager for a recruitment technology company, the pair travel around the world competing in lucrative trading card tournaments, including the Flesh and Blood UK national championships which were held in Liverpool last weekend.
Of only 160 people to qualify to play in the UK national championships, Andrew managed to come fourth, winning USD $600 and an invitation to the World Championships in Osaka, Japan, later this year.
Their aim is to bring together like-minded enthusiasts who are also keen to play at national and international level.
“There is a very active gaming and trading card community in Aberdeen and there’s considerable demand for a gaming hub,” said Stuart. “We will be open seven days a week until late in the evening to appeal to both gaming professionals and those who already play but want to get better and meet new players who are into the same games.
“We’ve put together a calendar of events, including open board game nights, with something that will hopefully appeal to gamers of all ages and abilities.”
The shop has retail space at the front, with rooms for hire at the back of the store for trading and gaming.
Thistle Tavern has finalised its gaming calendar ahead of opening on Saturday, with more information available on its Discord community.
The weekly schedule will start on Monday, July 1 and evening events will start at 6.30pm, with scope to join in later if gamers are likely to arrive late.
Mondays will include Flesh and Blood – Classic Constructed (£7), Magic the Gathering – Draft (£20) and One Piece – Constructed (£8), all from 6.30pm.
Tuesday evenings will host Lorcana – Constructed (£7.50), Magic the Gathering – Standard (£8.50), and Star Wars Unlimited – Constructed (£7.50).
On Wednesdays there’s Flesh and Blood – Blitz (£7) and Magic the Gathering – Modern, while on Thursdays it’s Magic the Gathering – Commander (£5.50), and Flesh and Blood – Draft (£16), as well as a board game night at £5 per person for non-members.
On Fridays, gamers can choose from Magic the Gathering – Pioneer (£8.50), Pokemon – Constructed (£7.50) and Digimon – Constructed (£8), alongside another board game night at £5 per person for non-members and £2.50 for members.
Saturday afternoons will host Yu-Gi-Oh – Constructed (£8) at 12:30pm, then Lorcana – Draft (£22.50) from 1pm.
On Sundays, there’s Lorcana – Casual Play (£5) from 1pm and then Reset Aberdeen – Fighting Games.
A private room is also available for hire by Dungeons and Dragons groups on weeknights.
Stuart and Andrew secured two £20,000 Start Up Loans from the British Business Bank and DSL Business Finance, plus support from Our Union Street, Business Gateway and Aberdeen City Council’s Union Street Empty Shops Grant Scheme, a £1million fund available to enable reoccupation of vacant units.
Our Union Street is being funded by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen City Council, Shell, AB15 Ltd and Opportunity North East, with additional support from the Scottish Government.
As more than £100million is invested to regenerate the city centre, Our Union Street has put together a package of incentives in order to attract new businesses, as well and rent and rates relief.
The British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme has supported more than 480 entrepreneurs and delivered more than £5.4 million in loans to new business owners in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire since it began in 2012.
- Thistle Tavern Games Hub will be open from 4-11pm during the week, 11am to 10pm on Saturdays and 12pm to 10pm on Sundays. Visit https://thistletavern.com/ for more information.