As part of my effort to reconnect socially as things have begun to open again after the omicron surge, I found myself in the warm atmosphere of No Land Beyond, “Baltimore’s First-Ever Board Game Bar.” I was very excited when I found this venue. Board game nights have long been among my favorite social events, although overcoming the cost barrier to new games is no small feat. Today’s most popular board games like Betrayal at the House on the Hill, Settlers of Catan, and Wingspan can cost upwards of $50 for each set. This can make trying new games difficult on a trainee budget.
No Land Beyond, located at 2125 Maryland Avenue, lowers the barrier to trying new games by offering a comprehensive library of over 400 board games to patrons for $5 per day. Their library is organized into categories based on game complexity, number of players, average play time and startup time. If you find yourself overwhelmed, their helpful staff are ready to recommend games based on your interests. My friends and I tried a charming game called Photosynthesis, which involved growing your own little forest while a fictional sun moved around the board giving you “Sun Points.” It’s a game I really enjoyed but wouldn’t have picked up otherwise.
The No Land Beyond venue is retrofitted from a renovated home, giving it a cozy atmosphere to play games in any little nook you might find. There are booths and tables that can accommodate any group size, and a two-sided bar caters drinks, alcoholic and not, to two main rooms filled with laughter. There’s also more room downstairs if you’d like a quieter space.
No Land Beyond hosts frequent events to complement their large game library. In addition to their weekly board game club, Never Board, and their Magic the Gathering tournaments, they also host a monthly Queer Agenda night, Dungeons and Dragons groups, Super Smash Bros. tournaments, and a variety of other events.
If you’d like to take any games home with you, they also have their own retail space where they sell just about everything you might need to get started on your own table-top adventure.
Overall, I’d recommend checking out No Land Beyond to start something new, whether that be one game, a drink, a friendship or a whole campaign.
Image courtesy of No Land Beyond’s Instagram account.
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