Plymouth’s Twist team celebrates fifth birthday
The first thing Breaktime News notices as we walk through the Twist café on Plymouth’s Mayflower Street is… there’s no mobile phones on the tables.
People are sitting and chatting. They’re enjoying coffee. They’re enjoying good food. They’re enjoying board games.
And none of them are looking at a mobile phone. The fandangle and omnipotence of the modern age have been consigned to pockets for the time being.
For now, it’s heads down for a more traditional approach to entertainment: board games. And there’s lots of them.
Hundreds of board games are available to be enjoyed by everyone at Plymouth’s Twist.
There’s laughter. There’s giggles. And there’s cheers from children who’re ahead of the game. Parents and grandparents smile at each other as they try to work out how their offspring are so successful in outwitting them.
There’s even an unattended long running Chess battle on the counter of the upstairs bar. The game might be (temporarily) on pause but it looks like the pawn will move from E2 to E4. The Queen’s Gambit. Black to win in a few moves (maybe).
We’re here to meet with Nikki Keen, Twist’s general manager. The establishment is about to celebrate its fifth birthday – and it’s a busy day for her.
There’s preparations for the business’ birthday. And then there’s all the general stuff you would expect the team to be doing in any successful eatery which is currently enjoying the patronage of quite a few customers – and it’s still early in the day.
Twist cafe: 600 onsite board games
And then there’s the ongoing upkeep of 600 onsite board games which are enjoyed by students, families, friends and communities across the city. In short, Nikki’s job is to make sure that everything’s in tip top order for anyone coming into the gaming café.
This afternoon sees her heading off to an internet radio station to talk about the success of Twist. It’s a two hour show with listeners tuning in from around the globe.
And so, time is tight but we do have a goodly hour to chat about all things to do with boardgames before BTN treats itself to a burger, chips and a coffee. Very reasonably priced. Large portion sizes. Perfect! In short, we’ve found our Nirvana.
There’s everything, anything and something for any serious boardgame enthusiast: Mousetrap. Monopoly. Risk. Articulate. Pictionary. Cluedo. All are present and correct.
Customers can easily choose which one to play next from row after row of shelving which adorns both the upstairs and downstairs parts of the cafe. There’s even a shop where you can purchase boardgames to take home with you. Magic!
‘Twist has grown massively over the past five years,’ says Nikki. ‘We believe in social inclusion so it’s a fun and non-judgmental place for people to be in.’
Manager Nikki Keen, with some of the board games at Twist in Plymouth’s Mayflower Street.
Unsurprisingly, one of the firm favourites in this Aladdin’s Den is Battleships and Operation. These are ‘proper retro games’ as Nikki describes them to be.
For the uninitiated, Battleships sees you hide your pieces (cruisers) on the board and the opponent needs to find where they are through a blend of skill, patience (and luck).
Your task is to find their vessels and sink them before they sink yours. Just watch out for the minefields! Any child from the Seventies and Eighties will be able to talk you through the rules for Operation.
Simple stuff: remove the items from the outline of the chap on the operating table. Make a bad move and… beep! The buzzer goes off and his nose lights up.
Twist café: an easy going, exciting, fun and social place to be
‘We have a great team on site which ensure the games are kept in top condition. We have the Game of the Week which we write up on the board downstairs. We’re a fun and social place for people of all ages.’
‘Phones are not on the table as people are having such a good time that they don’t need them. Where else in today’s society do you see tables of people without phones in hand?’
‘People who come here have fun with people they’re interacting with and that’s why I love Twist. Where can you go for £5 for four hours with access to 600 games and have as many as you want in that time?’
You can easily book on-line or simply turn up at Twist and choose a game! It’s only £5 per adult with under 16s priced at £4 and under 5s are free! (Busy times can see a time limit of four hours per table).
The team are even holding board game sessions towards the end of August so people can come along and make new friends. And there’s plans afoot to start a Scrabble and Chess club so that like minded people can get together.
Then there’s the quiz nights on the first and third Sunday of the month. These events are popular with around 50 people turning up with the aim of having fun – and winning a cash prize.
Taking the magic home with you: Twist’s on-site shop.
Our time is coming to end (Nikki is about to prepare for her two hours of live radio). But we do have the chance for one final question: what’s her favourite board game?
‘My favourite?’ ponders Nikki. ‘I think it has to be Dobble. It’s a fast paced game where you have a tub of cards. Every card has a symbol to match a card and the first person to match it is the winner!’
‘My children absolutely loved it and there’s loads of different versions. I get too excited by it and my children refuse to play with me as I’m too embarrassing! It’s great for the plane or for the pub.’
Twist is a real oasis of gaming pleasure. In short, there’s anything and everything for the board gaming connoisseur.
So, if you just lurve throwing that dice onto a board and moving your piece ten spaces (avoiding jail) then join the thousands of people who’ve discovered this real gem of board gaming pleasure.
