Now that's a new way to teach law we've never heard of. But a great way to learn about ambiguous rulings!

235 bloom - the premiere series of Canopy Archive, a collaboration between Des Moines & Dragons and The Institute for Manufactured Futures - is a work of speculative fiction taking place in Des Moines, Iowa, in the year 2089. Come celebrate the launch of something new with us! @therookroom.com

Since it's Teacher Appreciation Week, we wanted to say thank you to all the teachers doing great work in our community. We also wanted to remind you that we ALWAYS have a teacher discount. Just show us your teacher/faculty/staff ID, and we'll take 10% off of your bill. Thank you, teachers! 🧑‍🏫

Had a family outing to @therookroom.com to play some board games and enjoy lunch. Always a great experience to see so many folks enjoying a local queer owned gem of a business.

The Rook Room Game Lounge & Cafe will be closed all day on Sunday, February 8th, due to unforeseen circumstances out of our control. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Start off 2026 by making a resolution to banish boring with the Rook Room Game Lounge & Cafe and our Rook Room Resolution Bingo! It's easy AND free to play. Get all the details here: therookroom.com/event/rook-r...

Happy Birthday to us! The Rook Room is officially 6 years old today, marking the anniversary of our very first event, Clue & Cupcakes at Creme. To celebrate, we have a very limited quantity of birthday cupcakes made by Creme on the menu today. Yes, they're delicious, as you can tell from the pics!

It was you, in the Rook Room with a cupcake! Get your ticket today for our biggest throwback event: Clue & Cupcakes on Wednesday, August 13th at 6:30 pm. Try a mystery flavor cupcake made by Crème and a one-of-a-kind mystery flavor cocktail or mocktail from us. Purchase tickets on our website today!

What's better than the Monday Blues? Work and Play Club at the Rook Room! On Monday and Thursday from 8am - 11am, enjoy $1 off cafe beverages (Coffee, tea, chai, etc.) Come banish the Monday Blues and get some work done with a delicious drink by your side. Sit, Stay, Work, and Play!

Puzzlepalooza! One night only and then it's gone forever. Not really, but tonight is Puzzplepalooza at Singlespeed Brewing at 6 pm! Make sure to snag a ticket soon. There are limited slots available still. See you there, Puzzlepaloozers! 🧩 💜

With August just around the corner, make sure to stop by and try our July specials before they're gone for good next week! Our Blackberry Sun Crusher, Flower Power Palmer, Juicy Fruits Latte, and BombPopTail won't be available for much longer. Get them today and make your day a little sweeter!

Suit up, gamers, this Saturday is our monthly Euchre tournament starting at 11 am at SingleSpeed Brewing. Become the new champion by taking tricks and taking names. The link to our site is in our bio; spots are limited. Grab a partner (or don't, we can't tell you what to do) and sign up today.

Don't miss your chance! It's a rare occurrence that we have THREE dates on sale for the world's hottest jigsaw puzzle competition, Puzzlepalooza! 🧩 TONIGHT, July 8 🧩 Monday, July 21 🧩 Tuesday, August 5 Get your best puzzlin' friends together and register today: therookroom.square.site/events

Happy 4th of July weekend, we will be open from 8 a.m. to Midnight on the 4th and 5th, slinging snacks and playing games! Come see us for some bomb snacks that explode your tastebuds, and play some games that blow your mind.

It’s hot out there this weekend but we have cool drinks, cool games, and cool vibes (not to mention plenty of air conditioning) in here! ❄️ We’re open until midnight tonight and 10 pm Sunday. So stop in, chill out, and have some fun.

Hey y'all, it's Bella the intern. Can you guys please stop by and wish Tony a happy National Pineapple Day because he is the Pineapple Guy? And also play a game, please 🥺 👉 👈 it would mean a lot to him (and me)!

We added even more games to our collection. Find them on our Game Wall and try them out soon! -Stalk Exchange -Pagan: Fate of Roanoke -River Valley Glassworks -Dutch Blitz Blue -Critter Kitchen -Hues and Cues -Boop. Not pictured: -Dutch Blitz Purple -Queendomino -Expeditions: Around the World

There's only one rule about Work Club... See us during the day and get some work done in a cozy, relaxing environment! What did you think we were going to say, 'don't talk about it'? No, this isn't fight club. Come see us starting at 8 a.m. Thursday through Monday, and get to work.

Our friends over at Cocoon Studios just launched a Kickstarter for their game Wabi Blobi! It's a cozy, creative, relaxing game where the only limit is your imagination. Play solo or with a group as you take one of the beautiful blob cards and ink in your own doodles to create a scene or story.

Looking for a new hangout spot? Visit the Rook Room! We're so much more than just games. We have coffee, pastries, food, good vibes, and so much more. Check us out Thursday through Monday, 8 am to 10 pm, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Good problem to have?! Thanks for the wonderful support, Des Moines! Y'all showed up and we're so appreciative.

Our Grand Opening was a blast, and we're ready for Day 2! We're open 8 AM until 10 PM today. Because y'all loved our menu so much, we're delaying our lunch/dinner menu until 1 PM today, but we have pastries and some snacks to tide you over in the meantime. 💜

It's grand opening day! Stop by and say hi or grab a drink and play a game until midnight today! We're located at 300 SW 5th Street. We can't wait to see you all!

Are you visiting us for our Grand Opening Celebration and opening weekend? Wondering where to park? Here, we made a handy map for you! And if you're not familiar with our Parking Pass system, we have exit passes available for nearby paid lots (B and C) for just $5. Park as long as you need.

Get ready to get your game on, friends! Join us on Saturday, May 31st, for our Rook Room Game Lounge & Cafe Grand Opening Celebration. We'll be opening the doors at 7 AM and partying until midnight. Stop by, say hi, try some of our signature food and drinks, and play some games.

It's sign day! Peep our new signs that just went up, and get excited for gaming starting May 31st.

We're just 10 days out from our Grand Opening, and our staff has been hard at work learning and taking notes. We can't wait for you to join us at the Rook Room! See you soon. 👀

Thanks for the great article, Des Moines Register! We're so excited to invite you all in. Make sure to mark those calendars for May 31st. And in the meantime, read the full article here: www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entert...

Can't wait to game on, at the grand opening of the Rook Room Game Lounge & Cafe We interviewed Tony Tandeski in one of our early episodes, and had a blast talking. youtu.be/QPOpDtxQAUk?...

Don't get skunked – join us tomorrow for our monthly Cribbage Tournament and peg your way to victory! All the fun-filled action starts at 11 AM with our Cribbage-host pro, Josh. We'll be at SingleSpeed Brewing, so come hungry, thirsty, and thirsty for winning. therookroom.com/event/cribba...

It's the moment you've all been waiting for...our Grand Opening! And it's coming up sooooo soon. Make plans to stop by and say hi when we officially open our doors on Saturday, May 31st! We'll be open from 7 AM to midnight. We're still planning some special ways to celebrate, so stay tuned.

We got in front of the cameras and in front of some new games at day two of GAMA Expo! Not only did Annelise get a feature on the GAMA live stream, we also got to demo some of the hottest and newest games from a ton of publishers. Can’t wait for another full day tomorrow!

My friend Annelise is opening up a BOARD GAME CAFE IN DES MOINES! It's been incredible to watch the Rook Room grow from afar and I can't wait to get to visit someday. If you're in Iowa, check it out! www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entert...

Tickets on sale now for our February 17th #Puzzlepalooza Jigsaw Puzzle Competition at SingleSpeed Brewing! Learn more and snag your tickets here: therookroom.com/event/puzzle... #jigsawpuzzles #jigsawpuzzlecompetition

Gone Cardboard: Cross Middle-earth to explore The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, a new co-operative game from Matt Leacock and Z-Man Games that's built on the Pandemic game system. Due out June 27, 2025. First details: boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogp... —WEM

Have you ever been to a jigsaw puzzle competition like this before? Unless you’ve been to a Puzzlepalooza, probably not! These are one of a kind, baby 🧩

We’re thrilled to share that Starla, the incredible leader behind OFPG, has joined the board of directors for Spielbound Board Game Cafe in Omaha, NE! Congratulations, Starla! Let’s keep building "Good Humans" one game at a time. #OurFamilyPlaysGames #SpielboundCafe #BoardGameCommunity

We Are Iowa Local 5 hyping us up as well! We'll take it. www.weareiowa.com/article/mone...

From the Des Moines Register: “We’re hoping to be a third space for people, with tons of games and unique experiences that are hard to replicate,” Tandeski said. “You can stay here for 15 to 20 minutes or five hours.” www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entert...

Thanks to Axios Des Moines for the wonderful article! www.axios.com/local/des-mo...

HUGE NEWS! We are so extremely excited to announce that the Rook Room Game Lounge & Cafe will be opening spring 2025 in our new brick-and-mortar location at 300 SW 5th Street in downtown Des Moines! All the details here: therookroom.com/introducing-...

Still looking for a rook? We’ve heard there are still some out and about. If you solved the cipher on our previous posts you may have a clue as to where…

"We were on today." - Every Day We Puzzlin, Puzzlepalooza Classic Champions And they certainly were – finishing their puzzle in just under an hour! Congrats to our Puzzlepalooza champs for our November 18th competition and thanks to all the Puzzlepaloozers who came out to play. 🧩

Hello, world! We're happy to be with y'all here. For our first post we just want to reiterate our core belief that games are for everyone. No matter who you are, you belong. And we're certainly glad to have you as a part of our community. Thanks for being here 💜