A couple of weeks ago, I got the unfortunate news that my long-term retail partner – Kienda – was shutting down at the end of March. They’ve been a fantastic supporter and their generosity helped me keep this place running.
However, I’m a firm believer in one door closing and another door opening, so it gave me a chance to reflect on what I want to do next. It’s great having a retail partner because I get more access to games to play and review, you guys get somewhere to shop and some good deals, and my partner gets your custom. Win, win, win.
With all this in mind, and with the growing tabletop scene here in Cornwall, I wanted to try and keep my focus and energy on this part of the world. I approached a truly wonderful local CIC (find out more about Community Interest Companies here) called Roll The Dice Cornwall. I’m delighted to say that we’ve agreed a partnership, and moving forward Punchboard and Roll The Dice will be working together.
What is Roll The Dice?
In their own words:
“Roll The Dice Cornwall C.I.C. is a Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Helston, Cornwall, dedicated to using the world of tabletop gaming as a positive force for social, emotional, and mental well-being across all age groups.”
As well as having a shop and gaming space in Helston, Cornwall, they also offer all kinds of organised events, groups, and support.
- Children’s Community Gaming Group: One of the flagship offerings is a weekly, free-to-attend gaming club for children aged roughly 6–14 during school term time.
- Therapeutic and Alternative Interventions: Roll The Dice also delivers play-based therapeutic programmes to schools and organisations.
- Educational Support: The CIC collaborates with teachers, home educators, and individuals to integrate tabletop gaming into formal and informal education.
- Adult and Community Sessions: Recognising that the benefits of gaming extend beyond youth, Roll The Dice organises fortnightly adult gaming evenings, after-school home education sessions, and broader community gaming meetups.
- Larger Events and Expos: Beyond regular sessions, Roll The Dice runs larger community events.
They’re a community-first organisation, which means that their focus is on the people getting together to play games, and the people benefitting from their programmes and interventions – not on lining people’s pockets.
Personally, this idea makes me very happy. I love being able to partner with an organisation that isn’t just a shop. It’s something that adds tremendous value to my local community.
If you live in west or central Cornwall and are into tabletop games like Warhammer 40K or Bolt Action, RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, Trading Card Games like Pokemon or Lorcana, or all other board and card games, you owe it to yourself to pop along and visit the store.
What does this mean for you, the reader?
Nothing really changes for you, the good people reading the words I churn out here. I’ll still be reviewing new games, old games, indie games, crowdfunding previews, etc. Any time I review a game which Roll The Dice sells through their web store, I’ll link there.
I should note now that their prices are very competitive. Not just in terms of comparing against what you might expect to pay at your local bricks-and-mortar store, but in terms of buying online too. I’ve said to Dave (one of the brains behind RTD) before that I don’t know how he manages to keep the prices low, and he again echoed that it’s not about turning over a big profit.
We’ll hopefully have a similar affiliate scheme to the one I had with Kienda running in the not-too-distant future, which will see additional discounts for my readers spending a certain amount at the store. More on that as and when I have news.
I’ll also be promoting their events as and when I can. Not because they’re paying me to (I’ll get some monthly credit towards games from them, but that’s it), but because I believe wholeheartedly in what they do, how they do it, and the benefits my local community will reap.
I am over the moon to be able to partner with Roll The Dice. They are a wonderful group of people doing amazing work, and I hope I’ll be able to add to that in some small way.
For now, I encourage you all to follow Roll The Dice in all the usual places and to support them in all that they do.
https://rollthedicecornwall.com
https://facebook.com/rollthedicecornwall
https://instagram.com/rollthedicecornwall
Adam is a board game critic with over 15 years of experience in the hobby. A semi-regular contributor to Tabletop Gaming Magazine and other publications, he specialises in heavyweight Euro games, indie card games and transparency in board game media.