On a brisk fall afternoon, a small wedding party makes its way from Olbrich Gardens to Garver Feed Mill. Dressed in traditional Indian wedding attire, Sunita (Nandi) Nandihalli and her wife, Hannah, lead their friends and family through the industrial space to a small board game café tucked in the corner.
Inside, the staff have prepared a self-serve boba bar and a trivia game based entirely around the newlywed couple. For Nandi and Hannah, this is not just a quirky choice. It is a celebration in the space where they had built community, laughed until their faces hurt and had grown closer to each other over games, trivia and food.
Since opening its doors in 2019, Roll Play has strived to stand out among Madison’s tabletop gaming spaces. Originally located on State Street, the restaurant-cum-gaming-space moved to the Garver Feed Mill in 2022.
While Roll Play spent the pandemic years primarily as a takeout kitchen, the owners and staff have since reaffirmed that Roll Play is more than a restaurant. It is a third space built on intention, accessibility and community.
Play in practice
Most days of the week, patrons access board games with a small purchase from the food menu. On Wednesday evenings, however, Roll Play hosts a social game night. No entry fee, no pressure — just fun. Regulars pour into the space, often bringing new friends along. They choose their games from the library and get going. According to assistant manager Sam Miskowski, while Roll Play has a wide assortment of games to pick from, it has evolved into a place where people feel comfortable bringing their own games and finding others in the community who will play with them.
“Sometimes people bring their own games. They’re like, ‘I just got this one. I’ve been wanting to play it, but I don’t have a group,’” Miskowski said.
In addition to board games, Roll Play also offers games like Jackbox Games, a collection of party games you can set up on a TV, and trivia. Chy Klitzke, the barista and events manager at Roll Play, hosts these monthly trivia nights herself. Topics have ranged from specific themes like Pokémon to more general themes like music, though there is a strong preference for niche.
“In general, I would say the themes are typically a bit more nerdy,” Klitzke said. “That’s what we’re into…Most places you go to trivia night and it’s sports questions.”
Trivia tends to pack the house at Roll Play.
“We’ve had to start ticketing [trivia] because it’s become so popular,” Miskowski said.
Other ticketed events include a summer Board Game League, which sees participants competing in various board games over the course of eight weeks. Each week features a different game, like “Settlers of Catan” or “Wingspan.” The top two highest scorers at the end of the eight weeks take home a cash prize.
Miskowski says there are plans to introduce patrons to new kinds of events soon.
A place for everyone
There are other places around town that offer Madisonians the opportunity to play board games with each other, including Misty Mountain Games, I’m Board and Noble Knight. What makes Roll Play different, according to Nandihalli, is its accessibility.
“There’s not a lot of affordable third spaces anymore. I think Roll Play really hits the nail on the head,” Nandihalli said. “It’s something that even [teens and pre-teens] can really access.”
“A lot of the times, the third spaces that exist have some sort of entry fee,” Nandihalli said. “What I’ve really loved about this place is even my friends who aren’t doing so well financially…I can just invite them and they’re welcome to come anyways…They don’t necessarily have to make a purchase because somebody else in the group will order something.”
Roll Play’s accessibility invites all sorts of patrons. According to Miskowski, since making the move from State Street to Garver Feed Mill, demographics in the space have expanded beyond college-aged students to mostly people in their late 20s and early 30s and kids.
“We get a lot of kids because boba tea is very popular with children,” Miskowski said.
The diversity of people coming to Roll Play is part of the board game café’s charm.
“People can bring their kids into this space, whereas they wouldn’t necessarily be able to bring kids to other spaces,” Nandihalli said. “I love being able to see everyone enjoying that space together.”
Community is sacred
Community-building is a priority for Roll Play. According to Kitzke and Miskowski, their patrons’ friendly demeanors are central to growing their community.
“We have a lot of regulars,” Klitzke said. “Some of them come just for the food. A lot of them come to the events and for board games. It’s fun, and when they meet each other and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, my children are meeting.’”
When new patrons come to Roll Play, regulars invite them into their groups.
“[One time,] there was one person who came and was waiting to see if anyone else would come. One group absorbed him [into their group] while he was waiting,” Miskowski said. “Everyone’s enthusiastic, everyone loves board games. It’s all that they need.”
For Nandihalli, a self-described nerd living in the Eastmorland Neighborhood, the idea of having a board game café right next door was more than a welcome one.
“We went multiple times a week,” Nandihalli said. “We started going to multiple other events that they put on…and we started making other friends at these events and got close with the owners. I love that I get to be my most nerdy self when I’m there and I don’t get judged.”
Nandihalli and her now-wife Hannah quickly became regulars at Roll Play. A couple years later, when it came time to plan their wedding, the two,now deeply ingrained in the Roll Play community, naturally sought to host their reception in the game café.
“We weren’t sure if they had ever done a wedding reception before,” Nandihalli said. “We were like, ‘Would you like to experiment with us?’”
Roll Play rents their space for private events, but they had never hosted a wedding reception before.
“I never expected people to want to have a wedding reception at a board game café,” Klitzke said. “But that was just very much their vibe. It was so sweet that they wanted to have their reception [at Roll Play.]”
Nandi (left) and Hannah (right) at their wedding reception // Photo courtesy of Nandi Nandihalli
After a traditional Indian wedding ceremony at Olbrich Gardens, when the couple celebrated with their family and friends at Roll Play, the trivia game they’d created was a big hit.
“[Nandi and Hannah] gave me a trivia that they made themselves about their relationship,” Klitzke said. “I got to host that and read the questions. It was really cute.”
“Of course my little sister won [trivia] because she knows us the best,” Nandihalli said. “It was really nice to be able to share that space with all of our friends and family.”
Wedding decorations adorn the windowsill at Roll Play in Garver Feed Mill // Photo courtesy of Nandi Nandihalli
Roll Play wants to be the go-to spot for Madison’s nerdier tabletop gaming community. With an emphasis on accessibility and intentional community-building, the board game café has set itself apart from other places in town.
With its library of board games readily available for use and a suite of events planned, Miskowski and Klitzke anticipate a busy summer. They invite Madisonians to join the party.
“It’s a really good place to hang out,” Klitzke said. “In general, it’s a great way to meet people, especially if you’re into more of the nerdier stuff.”
