ABOUT DRAGONS KEEP
What To Expect on a Friday Night
We aim to run at least 3 full tables of different tabletop games each night and we have capacity for 5 games in total. It is not uncommon to see boardgames and tabletop wargaming taking place at the same time as RPGs, as our members have a wide range of gaming interests.
We have a range of membership options available (between £2 to £4 per night pro rata) which helps us meet the venue rental costs and pays towards maintaining Club Equipment such as our Gaming Mats, Miniatures and a small collection of Rulebooks.
Visitors and Guests to the club are always welcome and there is no charge for your first visit.
Interested in Joining?
We are always on the lookout for new members who can attend regularly and help us to keep our ideas and adventures fresh and interesting.
If you wish to join our club just, please visit our Contact Us Form and let us know a little bit about yourself and when you'd like to visit so we can arrange a spot in a game for you.
We always get back in touch and we don't bite.
OUR HISTORY
Dragons Keep was founded in November 2020, but we have been running a tabletop role playing club at this venue for nearly 20 years.
2020 was a crazy year for most of us, here at Dragons Keep this was no exception, after a series of dramatic events the leadership of the Hobbits Hole decided to form a new club with a clear set of values to ensure a safe and fun environment for all to play with confidence it could not be spoilt by a few individuals.
We can trace our origins back to 1999 when a group of role-players from the South East London Wargames Group (SELWG) decided to setup their own club dedicated to role playing games. Carol aka "The Hobbit" found our first venue, the Ringway Centre, in Grove Park and the The Hobbits Hole was formed.
For a few years the Hobbits Hole ran several games each Friday night at the Ringway centre, usually 2 or 3 games at once each night. Games such as Palladium Fantasy, Alternity, Steve Jackson's GURPS and many other home-brew systems created by club members.
The centre was great and we continued to grow in numbers as new people joined us and we soon realised that we had outgrown the venue and needed somewhere larger. Linda, another founding member, found a replacement hall in the Coldharbour Community Hall, and in 2003 we moved and we've been here ever since.
To Adventure and Beyond
The club has continued to grow, at our peak we've had 35 regular members with 5 full games running each night, making for a very busy and active Friday night.
Over the years many of the club members have become firm friends, and as a result the club hosts a few social events throughout the year such as our Hobbits Hole Annual Christmas Drink Up (HHACDUP) which usually occurs in a local pub or restaurant in the run up to the festive season.
2013 saw us put on our first International Tabletop Day in support of Wil Wheaton's Popular YouTube Channel and it's mantra of "Play more Games!". We also make visits to UK Gaming Cons, in particular supporting the London based gaming events such as DRAGONMEET, SALUTE and SELWG.
In the past members have hosted their own events such as Summer BBQs, Pub Crawls, Zombie Flash Mobs and Birthdays and Weddings to name just a few.