By Hugh Smiley
Under the surface of the peaceful, sunny and in many ways traditional collection of seaside towns that make up Thanet, you can find a welcoming, thriving and growing nerd community.
The term “nerd community” is used not as a derogatory one. Few monikers are available to encapsulate the differing interests of role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, trading card games like Magic the Gathering and Pokémon, or board games of greater complexity than your average game of Monopoly. The one thing that unites these groups, apart from their large overlap in audience, is their shared misunderstanding by those on the outside.
After leaving my London job in early 2025, I moved down to Thanet. It wasn’t long until I was on the hunt for places to dive into my extensive collection of nerd hobbies. Card games, role-playing games or video games, if it can be described as nerdy, I know I’ll probably enjoy it.
Many may not be aware of just how vibrant these hobbies are in Thanet. The Grumpy Goblin in Ramsgate is Thanet’s primary home for purchasing and playing trading card games. These include Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh and more. “We’re not as well-known as we probably could be”, Lewis Todd, the owner of the Grumpy Goblin, told me, “but if you want to know, it’s not hard to find”.
Despite the supposed lack of widespread awareness, the multiple locations dedicated to the nerd are thriving. Adam Jemmet is the owner of Board at Home, an aptly named board game specialist store. According to Adam, since opening in May 2021, they have struggled to meet the demand for their space.
He said: “Every Wednesday since we’ve opened has been board game night… and we’ve got a good core of people that come every week.” However, due to strong interest, “we’ve recently extended that to Friday nights as well.”
One particular game that Board at Home have found increasingly popular is Dungeons and Dragons. Often shortened to DnD, Dungeons and Dragons is a group role-playing game where adventurers (players) venture into dungeons and fight dragons (as the name would suggest) with success determined by a 20-sided die, known as the D20.
Adam said: “In a positive way, we were overwhelmed by the interest in Dungeons and Dragons”.
The wave of demand for a space for collaborative storytelling led to Adam needing to buy more tables and open up on additional days to accommodate everyone looking to explore the magic of tabletop role-playing.
What is clear if you speak to both owners is the importance of community to their stores.
“The premise was always community over money”, Lewis told me.
Lewis and his wife Rhiannon both have a background in SEND teaching and take this into their work today. Until recently they hosted a neurodivergent board game night once a week. As Lewis puts it: “build it and they will come”.
The local game store has long played a key role in towns across the country, a place for everyone and anyone to meet new people and have fun. As a fellow nerd myself, I have always said, that no one is more welcoming than someone who wants to play a game they love.
Adam from Board at Home is evidently proud of the space he has fostered: “It’s a very inclusive and welcoming community… if there’s anyone out there, if you struggle at all socially, we’d be happy to host you.”
Friends, competitors, and even spouses can be found in these stores. In fact, Adam once received an invitation to attend the wedding of two of his regulars!
The presence of these hobbies in Thanet is only expanding. For those who enjoy a drink with their games, a new pub in Ramsgate town, The Fermentorium, is worth a visit.
For others more interested in the product itself, We Love Collectables in Westwood Business Park is the latest option.
These new homes for the nerd have by no means fostered competition, quite the opposite. One browse of The Fermentorium’s joyful Instagram page would tell you that Board at Home even donated a spread of games to help them get started in their early weeks. Just another aspect of the strong community intertwined in Thanet.
If there was one message that these figureheads of the Thanet nerd community want to make clear, it’s this: Come along and give it a try.
In an increasingly isolated and online world, in-person gaming spaces are a remarkable way of meeting new people.
Adam said: “We have groups who, after meeting here, realise these aren’t my board gaming friends, these are just my friends.”
Lewis from the Grumpy Goblin expressed a similar sentiment: “We try to be as welcoming as possible. If you want to come in, to walk around and leave, feel free! We want you to enjoy your thing.”
These are spaces built to be enjoyed and there is a thriving, diverse and welcoming community waiting – just a step through a shopfront.
Where to find your latest hobby:
Board at Home: https://www.instagram.com/realboardathome/
The Grumpy Goblin: https://www.instagram.com/the_grumpy_goblin/
The Fermentorium: https://www.instagram.com/the_fermentorium/
We Love Collectibles: https://welovecollectibles.co.uk/
These people look like they need to get away from their screens and get out for fresh air and exercise more often.
Funnily enough, that’s what I think every time I see the same two or three names befoul the comment section of every single article on this site.
You don’t even read the articles you comment moronically on do you Peter? You do realise that these gaming shops aren’t screen based at all, it’s all in person tabletop gaming and people actually leave their screens and homes to go to these shops to socialize with others. Maybe you should try getting out someday, you never know you might find a new hobby other than trolling online news articles 24/7
i agree , ” nerding ” does seem futile , and about as much use as the turner centre . i am sure there must be better ways to spend ones spare time ? i am told dogging is a popular sport during the summer months in thanet ,
Regular borons making their regular boron comments.
hit a raw nerve have we jay ?
Jay is correct about “real world” and Peter Checksfield.
Are you a game-loving nerd?