On Tuesday nights, a dozen dedicated board-game enthusiasts gather at West Philadelphia gaming store Redcap’s Corner for the long-running LGBTQIA Board Game Night, one of the few LGBT gaming events in the city. Now, Events Manager Kris Zwack is also hoping to engage the women-identified community with Women, Trans and Femme (WTF) Magic Night.
“I started working here two years ago, and I kept suggesting so many events they eventually made me events manager.” Zwack said. “I asked the owners if I could hold an LGBTQ-oriented game night and they loved the idea. After that, it just really took off.
“I’ve become close friends with a lot of the people who come here regularly,” Zwack added. “I’ve met so many good friends; I even met my drag parent here.”
Redcap’s Corner has been a West Philadelphia staple since opening its doors in 2009. The shop specializes in board games, fantasy role-playing and tabletop games. The Lancaster Avenue space boasts miniature painting and play space alongside the extensive collection of games and gaming accessories for sale on the first floor. The second floor is the primary play space — a sunny room full of long, sturdy tables and shelves full of board games available for free play, with free gaming events almost nightly.
At an average LGBTQIA Board Game Night, a dozen regulars sit down with games ranging from strategy-heavy “European-style” challenges like Castles of Burgundy to sillier, more social games like Love Letter and Sushi Go. Some gamers bring snacks to share, and there is no entrance fee.
Zwack emphasized the importance of running a respectful and inclusive event.
“We always try to make sure when we break off into groups everyone introduces themselves with their names and pronouns because it’s important to make sure everyone feels safe.”
Although most players are serious gamers, including one who keeps multi-sided dice in an impressive handcrafted leather and wood box, the atmosphere is friendly. Through the night, people stand up and ask, “Is anyone not playing a game? Want to join us?” By the end of the evening, this reporter hwas invited to a Vampire: the Requiem group.
William Way LGBT Community Center also holds a regular board-game night for the LGBT community, though Redcap’s Corner offers an enormous selection of games that are difficult to find anywhere else in the city.
Benn Roe, one of Redcap’s Corner’s two owners, said that diverse programming has been a goal for the store since day one. He and his partners always envisioned Redcap’s as an event space for Philly gamers to meet.
“We started [Redcap’s Corner] with the goal of being a homebase of the city’s gaming community,” he said. “There are a lot of geeky sorts in the LGBT community, but there’s also a lot of general prejudice, so I understand that people are looking for a welcoming place. We haven’t always been as successful as I’d like to be, but that is one of our primary goals.
“It is such a welcoming community, it even astounded me,” Roe added. “You can just sit down and people say hi, ask your name, your pronouns and it’s just such an encouraging sort of environment. And I say that as a heterosexual guy! I still appreciated it.”
Rev is one of the gamers who has been coming to LGBTQIA Board Game Night since the beginning.
“When my partner and I moved to the city, we didn’t know anyone in Philly. We started coming to Redcap’s to get out of the house and make friends. We’ve met so many great people. Kris has worked so hard to carve out a friendly space in our community.”
Zwack’s and Redcap’s Corner’s next goal is to grow Women, Trans and Femme (affectionately nicknamed WTF) Magic Night into another regular Tuesday event.
“We were going to start WTF Magic at our Baltimore location, but sadly that had to close,” Zwack noted. “So, we know it’s a little more of a niche program than Board Game Night, but we’re excited and hopeful about it.”
Rev added, “The gaming community, in general, is so cis-white-man-centric, being here is such a nice break from that.”
“Coming to [LGBTQIA Board Game Night] is great alternative space for socializing,” Zwack said. “I know for me personally, a lot of LGBT events are in bars or clubs where things are loud and crowded. That’s just totally not what I’m looking for in a social experience, so I came up with this event to be a counterpoint to that whole scene.”
Redcap’s Corner holds LGBTQIA Board Game Night and Women, Trans and Femme Magic Night 6 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, or to suggest inclusive events at any Redcap’s Corner location, email Benn Roe at [email protected].