Ferndale's The Loaded Die Brings Craft Gaming to Metro Detroit

FERNDALE, MI – The Loaded Die wants to bring tabletop games to a bar, restaurant or taproom near you, according to owner Kyle Sweeney. The Ferndale native has loved board games since he was a kid, and wanted to create a business that combined tabletop games with positive social interactions. He thought if he could offer “libraries” of craft games to different venues in the area, it would be a win/win/win: the games would bring customers into the businesses that offered them, the Loaded Die would profit by renting the libraries, and patrons would get to try out the newest games without dropping upwards of $100.

Sweeney says he's loved board games since childhood. After earning a mathematics degree and beginning his career as an actuary in the automotive industry, Sweeney decided to open a games storefront at Rust Belt Market, investing over $10,000 in a gaming with an inventory of more than 600 novelty games and dice.

In 2017, The Loaded Die launched a game night at Rustbelt’s event space, allowing people to come try different games with help from a TLD board game “guru.” This game night has expanded many area venues including Axle Brewing Co’s Livernois Tap, Exfermentation Brewing, Briggs Detroit, Canton Brew Works and Dragonmead Brewery.

“Dragonmead has a deep history of gaming starting with the owners being big D & D fans, so adding TLD Game Night to our weekly calendar has given us a nice increase in revenue on Thursdays and a great gaming family to share our brewery with.” says Dragonmead manager Jennifer Locher

TLD Game Night is continuing to grow, adding venues to their weekly line-up of game nights, including PizzaPlex in southwest Detroit and Royal Oak’s Mr. B’s Pub, which launched its first game night Feb. 27.

Sweeney says board games help keep the kind sharp while bringing people together.

“One of the biggest advantages of a board game night as compared to something like a trivia night is that you're encouraged to engage with other players, and if you're so inclined, make new friends,” Sweeney explained.

The Loaded Die continues to operate its Rust Belt Market store on weekends. This April, the store will host its 3rd annual International TableTop Day, featuring twelve hours of “games, raffles, and revelry at Brew Detroit.”

Photo of Kyle Sweeney via The Loaded Die.