Beyond Monopoly! is York’s friendliest boardgame club. We achieve two main goals:

• To provide a friendly place for people to meet and play modern boardgames. You can try out new games in a fun, sociable setting, with no worries. Winning is not all important for us, we just want to have some fun and stretch our minds a bit.
• To take our games out of the club and show people around York how modern boardgames will make them happy! We know how modern games are radically different from ye olde games of yore and we want you to share our discoveries.

The games we play are positive and constructive, with light, easy rules but depth of play and lots of inter-action between players. They’re competitive but not aggressive; you don’t win by attacking other players and there’s no player elimination. You often have to influence the others by trading or working together. Most games only run from 30 to 90 minutes, so you’re not sat there all day playing only one game.

BM! is a club for adults, and parents can bring their children from 8 up, as long as they’re supervised. We make sure everyone is treated with courtesy and respect (no swearing in BM!). You don’t have to know any rules or how to play the games at all. We’ll greet you, find out what you like or dislike, sit down and play a game with you right away. If you already enjoy eurogames like Carcassonne, Ticket To Ride, Settlers Of Catan, you’ll find lots of favourites in our club collection.

So come along and find out for yourself. If you’re nervous about coming alone, please just drop in for a quick look. We are genuinely very friendly, you won’t be on your own for long.

BM! meets every* 1st & 3rd Saturday each month, 10am to 9pm, come and go as you like. Your first day is FREE! We meet in The Bar Convent, York (see Reach BM! for full details). If you arrive after 4pm when the main door closes, please ring the bell and wait to be greeted.

We also meet there every 2nd and 4th Friday evenings, from 5pm to 9pm, in the same location.

Plan your visit today and join us!

*sometimes we meet on a Sunday, rather than a Saturday. Check out our schedule for details.

WHERE AND WHEN?

We meet in the Aspinal Room (and usually the Gascoigne Room) at The Bar Convent, York. See Reach BM! for full details of finding us, parking, access, etc.

We usually* meet on every 1st and 3rd Saturday, 10am to 9pm.
We meet on every 2nd and 4th Friday evening, 5pm to 9pm.
*The Bar Convent reserves the right to move our Saturday bookings to Sunday (1 day later) where they are able to secure other bookings on Saturdays. We get a hugely subsidised rate for room hire so this small inconvenience is more than reasonable. We will be given at least 4 weeks’ notice of any changes to Saturday bookings and the best ways to keep track of meeting dates are to subscribe to the BM blog and/or synchronise with our Google Calendar.

Your first visit is FREE!
After that, Saturdays are £6 adults, usual concessions £4. We’ll only charge Friday prices if you’re not staying more than 4 hours. Fridays are £4 adults, concessions £3. Children must be accompanied by an adult (sorry, we’re not a creche).
The Bar Convent does have disabled access. See below for details.

HOW IS IT ORGANISED? HOW DO I START?

We usually spot newcomers as they come in, but please walk right in and ask anybody to point out one of the organisers present. Literally, stop the nearest person to you, whatever they’re playing, and say “I’m new here!”. If you’re completely new to modern games, we will find something to play and sit you down with nice people to start right away.

We are genuinely a friendly, chatty club. You do not have to know anybody or any of the games to join in. If you played a game you didn’t like, say what you didn’t like and we’ll find something better for you. If you liked a game, say why you liked it and we can pick something else. Almost always, somebody will coach the game, explain how it works, and help you in a friendly way. It’s very rare anybody has to read a rulebook. As a new player, unless you already know lots of eurogames, you won’t get roped into a 3 hour slog.

HOW LONG FOR?

You can stay as long or little as you like. Some people just stay till lunch, some all day. Lots just come in after 4pm, we’re still busy up to closing. As soon as you’ve paid on your arrival (ask an organiser), you can come and go as you like.

The Bar Convent has an excellent cafe open till 4pm. Members get a 10% discount at the cafe with a validated member’s card. You may bring food or drink from the cafe into our rooms. You may not consume your own food or drink on the premises during our Friday or Saturday sessions. If you bring a packed lunch, you will have to leave the premises to consume it. Only water or sweets are allowed, or food and drink from the cafe. Please respect this restriction gracefully.

On Sundays you may bring some of your own food to get you through the day, as the cafe at the Bar Convent is shut. Alternatively, there are some local shops/restaurants you may want to pop out to for a bite to eat. If you are bringing food in, please make sure it is not hot, smelly or greasy, and please keep the facilities and games clean and tidy.

DO I NEED TO BRING GAMES?

On your first visit, just bring your own curiosity. Wait until you see our games and then you’ll know what to bring if anything. Apart from our 500 game collection, many regulars bring new or longer games. If there’s something you really want to play, especially a heavier game, it’s better to get to know people first and arrange a game at the club.