Hull tabletop gamers level up struggling high street

With Warhammer creator Games Workshop riding high on the success of videogame Space Marine II and recently joining the FTSE 100, Josh Gorroño Chapman visits the tabletop gaming club thriving on a struggling high street in Hull.

Sandwiched between Boyes and a vape shop, you could easily miss the small shopfront with “Hull’s Angels” above the door.

Taking the staircase leading up from it, the hum of voices turns into a cacophony and I find myself in a large room packed with people.

“You’ve got the Hell’s Angels motorbikers in America. We’re not quite that,” laughs Adam Stephenson, chair of the tabletop gaming club on Whitefriargate.

Dozens of players are locked in battle across 18 tables, each populated with terrain from the shelves that line the room.

Adam explains the space had been empty for nine years and was not always the well-equipped gaming hub it has become.

“It used to be a William Hill betting site, so it took a lot of effort and time from our volunteers trying to make this our new home.

“They showed up, scrubbed the floors, scrubbed the walls and got painting,” explains the 32-year-old. “It was a a great experience and we turned it around within a month.”