Where to play board games in Zagreb

Meeple's Corner opened in late 2016 as a home base for the five-year-old Igranje, a Zagreb-based board games club. At this venue they offer over 300 different tabletop games to play: board games, card games, miniatures wargames, puzzles, tile games, dice games, and even role-playing games (RPG), which are played with a paper and pen and also sometimes with maps. Such a big collection presents Žarko Pintar, president of Igranje, quite a challenge when asked to list their most exciting or interesting games. For those just entering the world of tabletop games, he reckons popular choices are easier games such as 'Catan', 'Carcassone' or 'Ticket to ride'. Experienced players are best satisfied with more demanding titles such as 'Scythe', 'Terraforming Mars', 'Race for the Galaxy' or 'Castle of Burgundy'. In Meeple's Corner you can also find party games for up to ten players such as 'Dixit', 'BANG!', 'Codenames', 'Cas$h and Gun$' or 'Captain Sonar'. The venue has a capacity for 60 people and numbers present can often reach 40, so it's a great place to take a group of friends or to meet new people, with visitors of all nationalities welcomed. Annual membership is not required to visit but does include the benefits of being able to take home games to play and participation in choosing which new games will be bought.

Carta Magica started off life as a hobby shop with a playroom located within the store. However, such was its popularity that 2018 saw the shop move a few street numbers away and the old store became exclusively a place to play tabletop games. With over a hundred titles, the friendly atmosphere attracts up to 500 players a week. Carta Magica's managers are on hand to make sure people can understand the rules of any game they choose to play and English speaking players are warmly welcomed. The playroom doesn't hold quite as many offers as the hobby shop, but the biggest new hits of the tabletop industry still find their way there. The playroom is located in a courtyard, just off the street, at Frankopanska 22, while the shop is located a few metres away at Frankopanska 20.

Apart from being Zagreb's crucial destination for thirsty cat lovers, Cat Caffe Zagreb also offers tabletop games. The first week in every month is their official tabletop game week, which was initially assisted by several tabletop game associations, although the games can be enjoyed at any time, upon request. Now the cafe has 40-50 games of their own and is always adding to their collection. There are various versions of several games, some aimed more towards adults, some towards younger visitors, such as various versions of Monopoly (Catopoly, Stranger Things Monopoly, Nightmare before Christmas Monopoly..) and 'Risk', which has classic and Games of Thrones versions. Complicated, long commitment games seem to be the most popular among the existing clientele, as are 'Card against humanity' and their range of Harry Potter games. Most of these games were bought outside of Croatia and therefore appear with English language rules, although staff are always on hand to offer explanations (and to stop any rule disputes from turning violent). Joke. The atmosphere is friendly and Maja Mudrovčić Gavran, one of the owners of the cafe, often sees groups of people who arrive separately, end up in a bigger group, playing games and thereafter leaving as new friends. 

Primarily known for its music concerts, good beer and parties, Vintage also hosts a program called 'Modern tabletop games'. The event started three years ago and occurs every other Sunday, in cooperation with board game organisations Talus from Velika Gorica and Zagreb's Igranje. The two associations bring games from their wide collections, including classic tabletop games and those which require concentration and a longer commitment of time. Offering something for everyone, the games days can see over 20 teams visit and are particularly popular during summer months when Vintage's beer garden opens and teams can play outdoors. Representatives from Talus and Igranje are happy to explain the rules to players before the start of the games and non-Croatian-speaking participants are welcomed.  The next date is 27 January and it costs 10 kuna to play.