2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the world’s most famous fantasy RPG. How are you celebrating? You could stream Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves to watch druids turn into owlbears and Chris Pine playing a lute. Or, you could treat yourself to this awesome new D&D LEGO set for a mindful afternoon of building. But let’s face it, the best way is to get together for an in-person D&D game!
Whether you are a beginner Dungeons & Dragons player or an experienced DM, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite places in London to play D&D and other RPGs– and others that we’re looking forward to trying out!
Perfect for: An ImmersiveExperience
Blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, the Arcanist’s Tavern is an immersive board game café. After crowdfunding on Kickstarter, the venue opened its doors in March 2024. The upstairs Apothecary area contains a retail space, board game library, café and bar, while the downstairs Guild Hall is dedicated to wargaming tables. You’ll find us in the Archives, an area with custom-made TTRPG booths and tables. If you didn’t already have a one-shot idea to hand, you can explore their regularly changing 5E Quest Board. Even the RPG-themed menu has hidden lore to discover, “because who says that a cheese toastie can't have backstory?”
Location: Shoreditch - 87-91 Hackney Rd, London E2 8FE
Learn more: arcaniststavern.uk
Perfect for: Cosy Community Sessions
Ludoquist is Sam and Kay’s local board game café, so they’ve spent many, many fun hours here! The Ludoquist team run a variety of drop-in sessions every week, for gamers of all experience levels.
If you’re interested in Dungeons & Dragons, sign-up for one of their Tuesday D&D sessions, where “no dice or books are needed, just you and your imagination!” Alternatively, book a table and run your own game while enjoying their tasty pizza and bar snacks. You can even pick up a from their well-stocked game library, and tuck it behind your GM screen to help with improvisation and inspiration while you play!
Location: Croydon - 63-67 High St, Croydon CR0 1QE
Learn more: theludoquist.com
Perfect for: Varied RPG and Wargaming
Sam used to be a regular GM at LWG, and it's also where he met his current homegame party! Offering wargaming and RPG sessions, the Guild offer a huge number of regular games for their 1000+ members, so there’s sure to be something to enjoy. They pride themselves on “keeping it friendly, fun, and honourable”, hence the club moto – “Victis Honor!” or “Honour to the vanquished!”. Check out their events page for the next open D&D session.
Location: Covent Garden - The Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LA
Learn more: meetup.com/The-London-Warhammer-Gaming-Guild
Perfect for: Joining A Regular Campaign
Role Play Haven offers the chance to sign up for 6 or 12-week long D&D campaigns, ideal if you’re looking to commit to more regular games. In addition to running popular Dungeons & Dragons 5E adventures such as Icewind Dale, Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos and Candlekeep Mysteries, there’s also the option to try a game in a different RPG system, such as Call of Cthulhu, Blades in the Dark or Tales from the Loop. With volunteer-run branches in every corner of the city, check out each group’s individual calendars for upcoming sign-ups. The best news? Your first session is free!
Location: Archway, Hammersmith, Lewisham, Stratford
Learn more: rphaven.co.uk
Perfect for: Hosting a Home Game
Take the stress out of hosting your home game by booking a table at Draughts board game café. With two central London locations, it's perfect for scheduling an after-work gaming session for a group who live in different spots around the city. We would strongly recommend their nachos – the perfect fuel for any epic encounter. You’ll need to run your own session, but that’s easy with one of the quick and easy to prepare one-shots for Dungeons & Dragons contained in our new book One-Shot Wonders.
Location: Waterloo and Hackney
Learn more: draughtslondon.com
Perfect for: Epic and Accessible Gaming
Bad Moon Café’s mission is to “create an inviting, comfortable and enjoyable experience for tabletop gamers”, and aims to be a venue accessible to all. The venue is open every day of the week, but we’re tempted to go along on a weekend or Wednesday to try out one of their 15 custom gaming tables. Each one is 6 foot long and features custom-built thematic terrain to bring your RPG adventures to life! Keep an eye out on Bad Moon Cafe’s social media for one of their special events, such as “Learn to Play Dungeons & Dragons”.
Location: Borough - 159A Great Dover Street, London SE1 4GZ
Learn more: badmooncafe.co.uk
Perfect for: Friday Night Social Games
With a history going back nearly 20 years, Dragons Keep Roleplay Club is a firmly established RPG community that welcomes new members to their regular Friday-night game sessions. New members play for free, with reasonable fees for regular members to cover venue and equipment costs. Whether it is D&D or one of the other RPGs being run, the Club make sure there is a space in every game for new members to join! If you can’t make Fridays, the Club also runs regular game day events and other socials throughout the year.
Location: Chislehurst - Coldharbour Community Hall, Chislehurst SE9 3JD
Learn more: dragonskeep.co.uk
Whatever London location for playing Dungeons & Dragons you decide on, you’re sure to have a great time! Just don’t forget your D&D gaming essentials, like dice, rule books and notebooks.
