Tabletop Game Shop in Williamsburg: Twenty Sided, Open Daily

Twenty Sided is a tabletop game shop and event space at 280 Grand Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and it opens its doors every day from 12 pm to 7 pm. The shop has been here since 2011, with a wall of board games, Dungeons & Dragons books, Magic: The Gathering product, dice and puzzles. The cheapest way to see why locals love it is the $12 board game social on the first and third Saturday of the month at 12:15 pm.

Twenty Sided sits at 280 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211, in Williamsburg. The shop lists three subway routes on its contact page. Take the L train to Lorimer Street or Bedford Avenue, the G train to Metropolitan Avenue, or the J, M or Z train to Marcy Avenue. All three put you within a short walk of the door, which makes this one of the easier game stores in Brooklyn to reach without a car.

The store hours are posted as 12 pm to 7 pm, and the shop's FAQ says it is open seven days a week. That means Monday through Sunday, the same window every day. Event nights run on their own schedule and the shop points visitors to its event calendar for those times.

Twenty Sided began as a business in 2009, founded by Luis Chato and Alice Goguen. In 2011 Luis and his spouse, Lauren Bilanko, opened the community event space and retail store on Grand Street in Williamsburg. The shop describes itself as Native and woman owned, and its About page says it has been bringing people together through games ever since. Lauren, who did not realize Dungeons & Dragons was a game until her twenties, is the storyteller behind many of the shop's experiences.

Luis, who grew up in Albuquerque and has lived in New York since 2008, also builds the software behind the store's inventory and event systems. That is a small detail with a big effect for visitors. The online store shows what is in stock, takes event registration, and lets you order for pickup. The FAQ says online orders for pickup take about an hour to process and can be collected the same day during normal store hours.

The FAQ describes a highly curated selection rather than a warehouse of everything. You will find household staples like Catan and Codenames next to classics like Clue and Monopoly, plus a wide range of puzzles, two-player games, party games and strategy games. The online catalogue is sorted by how you actually play, with sections for solo mode, two players, five or more players, after dinner games, weekend games and travel size games.

Hobbyists get their own aisles. Twenty Sided is an authorized dealer of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, so booster packs, bundles, constructed decks, playmats and sleeves are part of the regular stock. The catalogue also lists Pathfinder, Starfinder, Critical Role materials, metal and novelty dice, painted and unpainted miniatures, battlemaps, Dwarven Forge terrain, paints and brushes. A shop that stocks both Monopoly and hand-painted monsters rarely feels intimidating to a first-timer.

The shop also backs local designers. According to its FAQ, Twenty Sided carries a large selection of locally designed games along with Twenty Sided exclusives, including its own adventures for role-playing groups. There is also a lifestyle section with tarot and divination, books and comics, apparel and Cantrip Candles. If you walk in with no idea what to buy, the FAQ invites you to swing by or contact the team and they will help you find a game that suits your group.

The easiest entry point is the Board Game Social, listed on the shop's site as the first and third Saturday at 12:15 pm for $12. The event description calls it an afternoon of board games with friends, geared toward making new friends in the Twenty Sided community. You do not need to bring a group. That makes it a good first visit if you moved to the neighborhood recently or simply want to try games you would never buy blind.

For a weeknight plan, look at Blood on the Clocktower on the second and fourth Friday at 7 pm. The ticket is $20 and the listing is marked adult, 18 and over, with beginners welcome. The game drops each player into the town of Ravenswood Bluff with a secret role, a social deduction setup that works best with a full table. A good rule of thumb is to buy the ticket a few days ahead through the online registration page.

Magic players have two clear options. The Commander Mana Sisters session runs on the second Saturday at 12:15 pm for $15 and is built for casual Commander players of every experience level, including people who want to learn to play. Prerelease events for new Magic sets are listed too, and the current Star Trek prerelease is priced between $44.99 and $89.99 depending on the option you pick. The Thursday Twenty Sided Radio broadcasts are a separate treat, airing live from Newtown Radio twice a month from 9 pm to 11 pm.

Not everything here is a card table. The FAQ lists classes and workshops in game development, interactive writing, worldbuilding, miniature painting and improv, along with immersive experiences such as storytelling hikes, mystery parties, quests and scavenger hunts. Private events have their own page. If your idea of a tabletop night involves painting a dragon and then telling its story, the registration page is where these listings live.

The shop's Code of Conduct is short and clear. It says Twenty Sided nurtures a strong and loving community that welcomes newcomers, and it does not tolerate behavior that is derogatory in any way or that takes away from the enjoyment of other players, game guides and staff. If a situation comes up, you are asked to tell a staff member right away. For a first-timer, that stated promise matters as much as any shelf of games.

Lauren and Luis have named their own favorite stops around the shop on the About page. Lauren mentions iced coffee in the back of The West Brooklyn, browsing the racks at Beacon's Closet and catching a date night movie at Nitehawk Cinema. Luis recommends Santa Fe BK, Pies 'n' Thighs and PPL. Those are the owners' picks, which makes them a more honest walking list than a generic guide to Williamsburg.

A simple plan is to arrive at noon when the doors open, browse for an hour, then take your new game to one of the owners' favorite food stops. If you are heading to a Friday evening event, eat first and arrive a little before 7 pm so you can find a seat.

Address: 280 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Hours: Monday through Sunday, 12 pm to 7 pm, as listed at twentysidedstore.com. Subway: L to Lorimer Street or Bedford Avenue, G to Metropolitan Avenue, J, M or Z to Marcy Avenue. Online orders are available for shipping within the United States or pickup. Event prices on the site include $12 for the Board Game Social, $15 for Commander Mana Sisters and $20 for Blood on the Clocktower.

One honest judgment call: if you only want a single Magic card, a general game shop is not the fastest stop, because the focus here is board games, role-playing games and community events. For a gift, a game night plan or your first dungeon master kit, it is hard to beat. Download the Karpo APP to save the shop, check what else is open nearby and keep your Brooklyn game night plans in one place.