Board game cafe opens its doors in Worthing

A unique new cafe has opened in Portland Road, Worthing, with more than 600 board games to choose from and an extensive drinks and snacks menu for players to enjoy.
RanSacked owners Charlotte Rance, Kat Rance-Shilbach, Gwynn Rance-ShilbachRanSacked owners Charlotte Rance, Kat Rance-Shilbach, Gwynn Rance-Shilbach
RanSacked owners Charlotte Rance, Kat Rance-Shilbach, Gwynn Rance-Shilbach

From classics such as Yahtzee and Monopoly to heavy-duty games for serious gamers, there’s something for everyone at RanSacked.

There’s a £5 cover charge per person which gives you three hours in the cafe with access to all the games in the shop – and in quieter times you may be able to stay longer.

With a huge range of strategy and dexterity games, and two-player, adult and family-friendly options, the team behind RanSacked wanted to put together a comprehensive library of games to choose from.

Some of the games at RanSackedSome of the games at RanSacked
Some of the games at RanSacked

Whether it’s ‘card game for horrible people’ Cards Against Humanity, gamers’ favourite Dungeons & Dragons, dexterity games like Operation, or strategy game Jamaica, there’s something for every taste.

After opening in mid-February, the team said popular games so far included Klask, an air-hockey like game with magnets, and Santorini, a strategy game seeing players competing to build a beautiful Greek temple.

All members of staff are passionate gamers and hugely knowledgeable about many of the games in the shop, so can be called upon for advice if you want to try something different.

They’ll also talk you through the game and help set it up so you can start playing as quickly as possible.

RanSacked, a new board game cafe on Portland RoadRanSacked, a new board game cafe on Portland Road
RanSacked, a new board game cafe on Portland Road

Charlotte Rance, Kat Rance-Shilbach, Gwynn Rance-Shilbach, decided to open RanSacked as passionate board-gamers who wanted to provide a place in Worthing where people can play.

There are board game cafes in Portsmouth and Brighton, and the RanSacked team wanted to bring the concept to their hometown.

Charlotte said they wanted create a place promoting face-to-face social interaction in a world where many people now play games and communicate through screens and devices.

RanSacked gets people together, whether it’s family, friends or work colleagues, to have fun and enjoy each other’s company.

The more heavyweight games at RanSacked for serious gamersThe more heavyweight games at RanSacked for serious gamers
The more heavyweight games at RanSacked for serious gamers

That’s the reason why on Thursday nights, from 7pm to 10pm, RanSacked run an Open Play Night in collaboration with Worthing Boardgamers, with no cover charge payable, giving beginners or those who want to meet new friends the opportunity to pop in for a taster session.

Another aspect to the cafe is of course, food and drink. There’s a range of light bites on the menu, including paninis and cakes, as well as hot drinks and milkshakes, with much of the produce coming from local suppliers.

The RanSacked team stressed that people were welcome to come to the cafe for food and drink only if they wished, with no cover charge.

But with such a huge range of games available, and enthusiasm of the owners and staff, you might be persuaded to try a board game or two...

Jamaica - one of the games in the strategy sectionJamaica - one of the games in the strategy section
Jamaica - one of the games in the strategy section

RanSacked is open from Wednesday through to Sunday. Opening hours are 10am ‘til late on Wednesday to Friday, 9am ‘til late on Saturday and 10am to 8pm on Sundays.

There is a £5 per person charge to play games at a table for three hours, and bookings can be taken by telephone on 01903 958 320, in person or through Facebook messenger.

To learn more about RanSacked, and to view the library of games on-site, visit: www.ransacked.co.uk

Escape rooms on the way

Two escape room games are planned for RanSacked, with the first coming in spring and a second later in the summer.

The escape rooms will be based on the first floor above the board game lounge, and will each be one-hour games suitable for two to six players.

The mobile escape room game at RanSackedThe mobile escape room game at RanSacked
The mobile escape room game at RanSacked

Escape rooms are live action adventure games where you and your team work together to solve puzzles, find clues before the clock runs out.

Over the last decade, Escape Rooms have popped up all over the world, with a wide range of themes.

Charlotte, Gwynn and Kat are all avid fans of escape rooms and have travelled far and wide to try hundreds of games between them.

Charlotte pointed out that by next year there will be seven escape rooms in Worthing, and that the developers were all keen to work together to bring escape room fans to the town.

She said: “We want to make Worthing an escape room destination.”

And while people wait for the arrival of RanSacked’s two escape rooms, it has a ‘taster’ puzzle, The Undefusable Bomb.

This is a mobile escape game, which will be set up as a temporary installation at RanSacked, but will eventually be taken out and about to events around the town. This game is a shorter 30-minute challenge.

RanSacked said: “Get your team together and pit your wits against the puzzles set by the evil mastermind who planted it. You only have 30 minutes before the bomb explodes, so work together, communicate and take care – one wrong step and it all goes BOOM!”

To find out more, visit: www.ransacked.co.uk