The Bread Shed<\/a>, he saw an opportunity to merge work and passion.<\/p>\n\u201cThat\u2019s where I used to drink as a student, so it felt like a natural fit,\u201d he said. \u201cThe manager was looking for event ideas, and I just threw out a board game night. It was something I loved, and it turned out loads of other people did too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within weeks, the Wednesday night games spilled from the pub floor into the backroom nightclub space. Attendance soared to 80\u2013100 people weekly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had loads of board games, a big open space, and no pressure, it just worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
From there, the momentum snowballed. Dungeons & Flagons began running full-day Sunday events and soon branched into private bookings, student socials, weddings and team-building days. But the real turning point came during lockdown during the Covid Pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything shut down,\u201d James said. \u201cBut when things reopened, I decided to go all-in. I quit my other job and made this my full-time thing. That\u2019s when it really took off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Post-pandemic, the events multiplied across venues city-wide. James pitched tabletop nights as an alternative to karaoke or DJ sets\u2014something fun, unique, and social. \u201cI was surprised how quickly venues got on board. At one point, we were doing four or five events a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
The birth of Manchester Board Game Festival<\/p>\n
![\"Dungeons](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Dungeons-and-Flagons2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The bigger weekend events outgrew their first home at MMU Students\u2019 Union. But as venue availability shifted, James saw a chance to rebrand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old names\u2014\u2018all-dayers\u2019 and \u2018weekenders\u2019\u2014didn\u2019t really tell people what they were,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo we came up with the Manchester Board Game Festival. We wanted something that sounded exciting and open.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first MBGF launched in February at the Pendulum Hotel and pulled in 800 attendees over three days. From game demos to a Geek Fayre market and game tournaments, it was a celebration of all things tabletop, and everyone was welcome.<\/p>\n
James lights up when he talks about the upcoming April edition. \u201cWe\u2019ve got seminars, RPG sessions, a bring-and-buy sale, board game bingo, charity pub quizzes, it\u2019s just this big, buzzing mix of everything that makes the hobby so special.\u201d<\/p>\n
But underneath the dice rolls and deck shuffles, the real magic is in the people.<\/p>\n
A community like no other<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Dunegons-and-Flagons.jpg\")
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\u201cNerd culture is cool now,\u201d James laughed. \u201cShows like Stranger Things and Critical Role have made it mainstream. But more than that, I think people just want to get away from screens.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a world of constant digital noise, a board game becomes something almost sacred. It forces us to sit, listen, laugh, strategise, and sometimes, inevitably, lose to your little cousin at Codenames.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something grounding about sitting around a table with other people,\u201d said James. \u201cModern games aren\u2019t JUST about winning\u2014they\u2019re about storytelling and connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
That ethos shines through in everything Dungeons & Flagons does. From the moment someone arrives into an event, they\u2019re greeted by hosts in branded T-shirts, clearly signposted areas for newcomers, and a warm welcome that says, \u201cYou belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve made it as easy as possible for people to know where we are and who we are,\u201d James said. \u201cEspecially if you\u2019re coming alone, it can be scary. But a game makes conversation natural. It\u2019s a shared focus. It takes the pressure off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inclusivity isn\u2019t a buzzword, it\u2019s the beating heart of the festival. \u201cNo one gets left out. We\u2019ll always find you a table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Board games, bingo, and big laughs<\/p>\n
MBGF\u2019s events are packed with fun and heart. Saturday\u2019s Board Game Pub Quiz, hosted by James himself, is half trivia, half comedy set, and all for a good cause. Then there\u2019s Sunday\u2019s Board Game Bingo, complete with surprise prizes and spot-on puns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe suggest a \u00a31 donation per person, and the money raised goes to great charities across the UK,\u201d James explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice way to give back while having a laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this weekends festival, they are offering a chance to \u2018re-roll\u2019, making a \u00a31 charity donation at the front desk means that you can re-do an action in a game, a nice bit of fun for charity.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Play to Win Shelf gives attendees the chance to try out new games and potentially win them. The Demo Zone connects players with game designers. And the MCR Geek Fayre, running alongside the festival, showcases 37 indie makers selling everything from handmade dice trays to geeky jewellery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all part of creating this joyful ecosystem,\u201d James said. \u201cWhether you\u2019re here for the games, the shopping, the socials, or just to try something new\u2014it\u2019s all valid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead: bigger, better, and local<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Dungeons-and-Flagons.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
While the community keeps growing, Dungeons & Flagons is fiercely proud of its Manchester roots.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to keep it central and accessible,\u201d James said. \u201cOur goal isn\u2019t to go corporate. It\u2019s to stay connected\u2014to keep listening, keep improving, and keep bringing people together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Future MBGF dates are already in the diary, with summer, Halloween, and Christmas specials in the works. The plan? Keep doing what they do best: building something real and accessible for everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James is the first to admit he never expected any of this. \u201cIt started as something small\u2014just a group of friends playing games. But that\u2019s what makes it so special. That energy has stayed with us. It still feels like friends gathering around a table. Just\u2026 a few hundred more of them now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Game on, Manchester<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re a veteran Dungeon Master or can\u2019t tell your Settlers of Catan from your Sushi Go!, the world of Dungeons & Flagons is open, inviting, and ready for you.<\/p>\n
As James puts it, \u201cAt the end of the day, we\u2019re here to share joy. To create a space where people can laugh, talk, and maybe lose horribly at Uno.\u201d<\/p>\n
So grab a lanyard, pull up a chair, and shuffle the deck. The next great adventure could be just one roll away.<\/p>\n
Find out more about Dungeons & Flagons<\/p>\n
You can find out more about Dungeons & Flagons and their next dates for the Manchester Board Game Festival on their website here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a pub corner on a rainy Manchester evening in 2017, a few friends pulled out a board…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[24546,748,5554,24547,393,4884,2465,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-44223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-boardgames","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-community","11":"tag-dragons-and-flagons","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-manchester","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114388108387216311","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Dungeons](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Dungeons-and-Flagons1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n