Justin Heidenreich told me about The Cloak and Blaster (875 Woodbury Rd #108, Orlando, FL), a new pub dedicated to geek culture and gaming. The reason for my trip to the Cloak and Blaster was to research it as the spot for an illustration I need to do for a game box. Latice is a new board game that was designed here in Orlando. A successful Kickstarter campaign means the game is about to go into production. At the very heart of The Cloak and Blaster dwells an extensive
tabletop game library, which includes board, card, party games, and more
from both indie and mainstream publishers. They also provide dozens of
games funded solely through Kickstarter!
Years ago, over a particularly violent game of Munchkin, owners
Markus and Andrea discussed their love for gaming and craft beer. It
was Andrea’s dream to open a Tolkien-inspired restaurant, and Markus
always wanted to incorporate craft brewing into his career. Naturally,
the idea came about for a place that incorporated quality craft drinks,
ample gaming space, and a themed tavern atmosphere for the ultimate
geek-perience. How cool would it be to transport yourself to Middle
Earth for pints in steins?
The Cloak and Blaster provides the ultimate creative, safe space for
geeks of all walks of fandom to enjoy delicious tavern fare, quality
craft beverages, and great gaming with friends. Hey, you can even make
new ones! Forget the stress of cleaning your house for company or
deciding whose turn it is to host. We offer a one-stop shop for getting
together; your friendly neighborhood pub where you can geek out and game
on.
On the evening I visited the Cloak and Blaster, the next table had a group of 50 somethings were playing a card game called Horrible People that had them laughing the whole time. At the end of my table, a young couple was on a date, ranking horror movies and talking about Halloween Horror nights at Universal Studies. I was surprised that she rated Shawn of the Dead as one of her top 10 movies. This is a great spot to sit and sketch, because people eat dinner rather fast, but when they are having fun playing games, they tend to linger and enjoy each others company. I suspect there is a resurgence in people playing board games because it offers people a chance to look up from their phones and interact face to face.