You Have Questions, We Have Answers

There’s no such thing as a dumb question, right? Well…for the most part. Here are the answers to a few of the most frequent questions we get asked.


What is a board game cafe or bar?

Short answer:

A board game cafe and bar is a super awesome place to hang out with your friends and play games!

Longer answer:

The Rook Room’s goal is to one day open a physical location that we would consider a board game cafe and bar.

Basically, it’s similar to any other cafe or bar that you’ve likely been to dozens of times, except ours will have a particular focus on board games, TTRPG’s, and puzzles.

We would serve coffee beverages, beers, wines, mixed drinks, and non-alcoholic options as well as some light eats for you to enjoy while grabbing a place to sit and playing a game for as long as you’d like.

Yes, many cafes, bars, and breweries allow you to bring in games to play or even have a selection of their own, but what will set The Rook Room apart is a focus on the gaming experience first and foremost, while complimenting that experience with delicious food and drinks.

This concept exists in other cities around the world – like Pieces in St. Louis or Pawn & Pint in Kansas City – and we think it’s time that Des Moines joined in all the fun!

If you want to know more, check out the Our Plans page of the site.


I can play games at home, why would I come to a Rook Room event?

We see where you’re coming from, BUT the thing about The Rook Room is that we are constantly working to come up with unique events and experiences that you can’t find anywhere else and would be very hard or downright impossible to do at home. I mean, “unique board game events and experiences” is literally on all of our marketing materials and written into our mission. It’s pretty important to us.

Take our incredibly popular Puzzlepalooza events for instance. Where else are you going to be able to compete head-to-head with other teams of puzzlers to be the first to finish your jigsaw puzzle featuring art by local artists? Pair that with themed drinks and a one-of-a-kind, take-home trophy and you have one pretty darn unique event!

When you attend a Rook Room event, we want you to walk away feeling that satisfaction of having had a great time doing something new. If we didn’t live up to that, be sure to let us know. And as we always say, if there’s something game-related you wished Des Moines had, tell us and we’ll see if we can make it happen.


Where can I find you? What's your address?

Well, that depends. Right now, we’re a pop-up business. That means we don’t have a physical location to call home yet (maybe one day).

Instead, you can find us working with partner locations all around the Des Moines area. Breweries, bars, coffee shops, dessert bars, movie theaters, music venues, hotels, outdoors, we’ve done it all.

The best way to keep track of us is by checking out our upcoming events page, following us on social media (links down below), and signing up for our newsletter.


Are people of all ages allowed at your events?

The Rook Room tries hard to be welcoming to gamers of all ages. While some of our events may have adult theming and content, we try to keep things pretty PG-13.

That said, we do work with partner venues throughout the Des Moines area and have to fit within the rules, regulations, and guidelines of those particular venues. We don’t want to get anyone in trouble.

Many of our events are open to participants of all ages, but it never hurts to ask if you’re unsure. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@therookroom.com with any questions!


I got a discount or free event coupon – how do I use it?

First off, congratulations. That’s a pretty cool thing to get. We’re kinda jealous.

Second, if it has a code on it, punch that bad boy into the coupon code field on the checkout page of the event you want to go to.

If your coupon doesn’t have a code, was part of a special event, or if your code isn’t working, please email us at info@therookroom.com. We’ll get it all sorted out and make sure you can make it to one of our awesome upcoming events.

Please note that some exclusions may apply. Some team events, like Puzzlepalooza, may not be eligible or require multiple coupons to be used based on pricing structure. Coupons may be limited to specific time frames or number of uses. Please contact us at info@therookroom.com with questions or for further clarification.