Events

Join Diversions for a thrilling round of Blood on the Clocktower every week! This Level Up session aims to build on prior experience while also introducing players to more complex elements of the game, such as Madness or changing alignment. Players are expected to understand the basics of the game and be ready to level up their skills!

Click here to see all scheduled Clocktower events and details.

• $6 for a Player Pass, which is required to participate — grab yours here!
• Spots are limited to 15 players for each session.
• Doors open at 5:30PM and participants are encouraged to mingle prior to the game. Each game starts at 6:00 SHARP. 

STORYTELLER: John P.

OPENING SCRIPT: Kill My Darlings

Is there an idea for a game you’ve been pondering over for years? Maybe you even have a few rules written down or have a full set of cards already made! Or perhaps you’re a gamer who loves the idea of playtesting games in development and working with designers to refine their concept.

Introducing the Designers Guild! Meeting on the last Friday every month at 7PM, this group aims to support and network game designers, artists, playtesters, and the wider community with an appreciation for the game design process. Come meet up with other game designers to share your current projects or new idea, discuss design process barriers and solutions, network for future collaboration, and maybe playtest some games!

You have one mission: drink all of Hitler’s blood.

In an alternate history of WW2, Paris has been overtaken by the Third Reich with Allied positions falling fast. The Allied governments’ organization of F.A.N.G. has gathered you, a squad of crack commando vampires, for a critical mission as their last hope to push back the Third Reich: Destabilize the Nazi war machine and drink all of Hitlers Blood!

Led by GM Jack, players will rip, tear, and feed their way through Nazi occupied Paris in a splatterpunk frenzy of violence, while making their way to Hitler’s moored Zeppelin atop the Eiffel Tower to drink all of his blood to complete their mission. Eat the Reich uses the Havoc system by Grant Howitt; players roll and spend successes from a pool of d6s to complete their objectives, with an emphasis on player narrative control.

This over-the-top, ultraviolent game is designed to be played from beginning to end in one session of carnage, blood magic, meaningful flashbacks and hundreds upon hundreds of extremely dead fascists.

Reserve your spot for only $5, which will be credited towards your Gaming Pass for the session.

Content Warning: Death, violence, grievous injury to player characters and non-player characters, blood, vampirism, mental domination, guns, animated corpses, werewolves, occult magic, fascism, Nazis, and Adolf Hitler.

Can you defeat our reigning Quiz Queens?!? A battle of knowledge returns to our hallowed halls. Join us for the next installment of NO-SPORTS TRIVIA, the trivia series presented by Diversions. For this quirky quiz, the topics will be:

• Stars
• Treks
• Films

On Saturday, February 28 from 7-9:30PM, teams of up to four will face off in four rounds to be crowned QUIZ QUEENS! YAS! Winning team gets a free round of drinks, a permanent entry into the history books, and a crown to crest your clever cranium. 

Spaces are limited, so grab your (FREE) team pass before they’re gone, and enjoy trivia night!

Jockey for the top spot on the speed puzzling leader board in this new jigsaw marathon at Diversions! Throughout the month, teams of two or four can attempt their fastest time at assembling either a SMALL # or LARGE # piece puzzle anytime during Diversions’ open hours. Simply check-in, pick your puzzle, and let those fingers fly!

The leaderboard will be updated on our website and in-store, so you can see how you rank against other teams. If someone outpaces your puzzling, fear not – your team can make multiple attempts during the month! But don’t wait too long – the fastest 2-person and 4-person teams will be selected on the month’s LAST BUSINESS DAY and receive a free puzzle, free drink vouchers, and bragging rights as Diversions’ Leading Jigsaw Jockeys!

Entry is $10/team, with each subsequent attempt free with a purchase.

This Advanced session is open to any scripts the Storytellers deem worthy – the possibilities are endless! Players will be expected to have a strong understanding of the game, characters, and rules and be ready for a challenge.

Click here to see all scheduled Clocktower events and details.

• Player Pass cost is $12, which is required to participate - grab yours here!
• Spots are limited to 15 players for each session
• Doors open at 5:00PM and participants are encouraged to mingle prior to the game. Each game starts at 5:30 SHARP. 

STORYTELLER: Jack G.
OPENING SCRIPT: Devout Theists

Join in for a weekend of gaming fun at eastern Iowa’s longest running gaming convention: Gamicon! Since 1991, Gamicon has celebrated board games, card games, roleplaying games, social games – and even video games and computer games – with a weekend of game demos, tournaments, play-to-wins, auctions, and more! It’s a gathering of community you won’t want to miss.

Learn more about Gamicon on their website. 

LET’S PLAY! Game, socialize, and build a sense of community and joy together at Diversions for our FREE Second Sunday Social! Whether you bring your friends or show up solo, you'll have a fun time gathering around a game with friendly faces.

We’ll have nametags available and ‘Open Table’ signs on most tables to make it easy to meet, greet, and play! Join our greeting game as you arrive — featuring one of our party-style games — to easily jump in and meet others. When you’re ready to try another game, our staff will be available for game recommendations, assistance with setup, or learning new games.

The main social is from 2-5PM, but gaming is free ALL DAY. Making new friends can be hard, but make it a little easier by sharing a game together! Head to Aftergame to let us know you’ll be attending and see who else might be joining!

Dive into the world of Golarion as an agent of the Pathfinder Society, or perhaps give aid to the people of the Pact Worlds as part of Starfinder Society during Paizo Organized Play sessions at Diversions! These open role-playing sessions welcome players of all experience levels; with the option to join as your schedule allows, this format of RPG play is great for players with busy or unpredictable schedules.

Pathfinder & Starfinder Society meets at Diversions on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, starting at 5:30 PM. Session playtime varies and usually takes no less than three hours. Details of upcoming sessions can be found here!

Learn more about Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society, or find out where our local Shifting Corridors Lodge hosts games elsewhere across the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area! 

Join Diversions for a thrilling round of Blood on the Clocktower every week! This Level Up session aims to build on prior experience while also introducing players to more complex elements of the game, such as Madness or changing alignment. Players are expected to understand the basics of the game and be ready to level up their skills!

Click here to see all scheduled Clocktower events and details.

• $6 for a Player Pass, which is required to participate — grab yours here!
• Spots are limited to 15 players for each session.
• Doors open at 5:30PM and participants are encouraged to mingle prior to the game. Each game starts at 6:00 SHARP. 

STORYTELLER: Jessica I.

OPENING SCRIPT: Demon Jumping Lite

Grab the fireplace poker and get your spell book. That monster’s going down!

Join GM Kayla for Monster of the Week, an RPG that brings your monster hunting instincts to life. Whether you're defending your town like Buffy, hunting down demons like a Witcher, or you have a destiny to rid the world of specific monsters like Blade -- your work is not complete until the monsters end in defeat!

Monster of the Week is a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) game, which focuses on narrative-style gameplay over dice-driven outcomes. No previous experience needed, and novice players are welcome! Character creation will be the first part of the session and players will learn the rules during play.

Reserve your seat for only $5, which will be credited towards your Gaming Pass for the evening. Players are encouraged to claim a seat on Aftergame, which will also host the waitlist should seats sell out.

Any content warnings will be listed here.

The Umbra is coming, and the Riverlands are no longer safe. Our family must flee to the City of Winter to find another home.

Join GM Jack for City of Winter, taking on the role of community members fleeing your homeland of the Riverlands to the fantastical City of Winter. As players journey, they will be prompted to improvise scenes at different locations, detailing how they share or witness community traditions with other players, represented by tradition cards that players exchange.

But as the Umbra looms, players must continue their journey, and not all traditions can be taken along as time passes. Players must make the difficult decision of which traditions to keep and which they must leave behind, to be lost forever. City of Winter evokes the experiences of refugees seeking a new home – the difficult decision to carry your own traditions with you to your new home or to adopt new traditions that may serve you and your community better.

No experience necessary! Players will begin by creating their character’s, name, age, and relations to other community members, with GM Jack providing guidance for gameplay and rules.

Reserve your seat for only $5, which will be credited towards your Gaming Pass for the evening. Players are encouraged to claim a seat on Aftergame, which will also host the waitlist should seats sell out. 

Join Diversions to learn the thrilling hit game Blood on the Clocktower! This cryptic social deduction game might remind players of similar games (such as Mafia, Werewolf, or Traitors), but this game has become known for its unique roles and twists. With sessions every week, we're excited to welcome more players to the game through these introductory, learn-to-play sessions.

Click here to see all scheduled Clocktower events and details.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. This session is geared towards folks who haven’t played before; the Storyteller (the game host) will go over the rules in depth before diving in to at least one full play-through, and will pause throughout the game to provide context and explanation to assist player understanding.

• Doors open at 5:00PM and participants are encouraged to mingle prior to the game. The game starts at 5:30 sharp!
• This event is FREE, but a Player Pass is required to participate - grab yours here!

Worlds await! Colonize, develop and conquer, taking advantage of others' choices.

Looking for your next favorite game or to learn a game with others? Join local game guru Michele to enjoy a new gaming experience. With the benefit of having a knowledgeable guide to help you enjoy the game to the fullest, it’s sure to be a good time! No ticket needed, and players are encouraged to claim a seat for the game on Aftergame!

Game: Race for the Galaxy

In Race for the Galaxy, players build galactic civilizations by playing cards representing worlds or technical and social developments. Each round, players secretly and simultaneously select an action card corresponding to one phase of a round. These phases let players draw cards, play cards, add goods to worlds, or consume goods for Victory Points. Combine the right moves with the right timing to chain your way to Victory Points and the win!

Whether you're looking to just get an overview, have a rundown of the rules, play a few rounds, or experience a full game, Michele will provide guidance and encouragement (and maybe a little friendly competition) as players try out this new game together.

Enrich your gaming and queer communities all at once! Join Diversions for our in-house edition of Gaymers Gathering, an event focused on bringing together new and familiar friendly, queer folks to enjoy games together.

Grab a name tag and pick out your (first) game from our library of 500+ games and puzzles — it's as easy as that! If you’re arriving solo, we will have a hosted table you can join to meet others and find some gaming opportunities. Diversions offers an accessible gathering space for all who want to join, and we have snacks, drinks, and seating aplenty!

Not sure if you’re interested in games, but still looking to connect? Spectators, cheerleaders, and friendly conversation are always welcome, regardless of whether you’re gaming.

Featured game: Daybreak

Daybreak is a co-operative game about climate action. Each player controls a world power, deploying policies and technologies to both dismantle the engine of global heating and to build resilient societies that protect people from life-threatening crises.

If the global temperature gets too high, or if too many people from any world power are in crisis, everyone loses. But if you work together to draw down global emissions to net-zero, you all win!

About Gaymers Gathering:
Diversions hosts Gaymers Gatherings with the goal of building community and creating a safer, inclusive, and intentional space for the LGBTQ and gaming communities. We encourage you to stop by and roll some dice, puzzle over some pieces, embark on a quest, or just come to chat! As a Queer-owned business, Diversions is proud to offer these events for our community to enjoy. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend, whether you are looking to game or not. You can bring your own game or choose as many as you'd like from Diversions' game library! Gaymers Gathering also happens monthly at Press Coffee on the third Saturday — please confirm dates and times, as holidays and extenuating circumstances may cause changes to the schedule. 

Island Spirits join forces using elemental powers to defend their home from invaders.

Looking for your next favorite game or to learn a game with others? Join local game guru Scott to enjoy a new gaming experience. With the benefit of having a knowledgeable guide to help you enjoy the game to the fullest, it’s sure to be a good time! No ticket needed, and players are encouraged to claim a seat for the game on Aftergame!

Game: Spirit Island

Spirit Island is a complex and thematic co-operative game about defending your island home from colonizing Invaders. Players are different spirits of the land, each with its own unique elemental powers. Every turn, players simultaneously choose which of their power cards to play, paying energy to do so. Using combinations of power cards that match a spirit's elemental affinities can grant free bonus effects. Faster powers take effect immediately, before the Invaders spread and ravage, but other magics are slower, requiring forethought and planning to use effectively. In the Spirit phase, spirits gain energy, and choose how / whether to Grow: to reclaim used power cards, to seek new power, or to spread their presence into new areas of the island.

The Invaders expand across the island map in a semi-predictable fashion. Each turn they explore into some lands (portions of the island); the next turn, they build in those lands, forming towns and cities. The turn after that, they ravage there, bringing blight to the land and attacking any native islanders present. The islanders fight back against the Invaders when attacked, and lend the spirits some other aid, but may not always do so exactly as you'd hoped. Some Powers work through the islanders, helping them, for example, to drive out the Invaders or clean the land of blight.

Whether you're looking to just get an overview, have a rundown of the rules, play a few rounds, or experience a full game, Scott will provide guidance and encouragement (and maybe a little friendly competition) as players try out this new game together.

Enjoy an afternoon of gaming and conversation with other LGBTQ+ gaymers, hosted by Press Coffee & Diversions! Choose from 40+ games or join our 'hosted table’ — a featured game for folks who might arrive solo, gaymers who want to try a new game, or people looking for new social connections. Grab a name tag, pick out your (first) game, and enjoy — it's as easy as that! 

Press Coffee is an accessible gathering space for all who want to join, and they'll be serving up irresistible drinks and snacks. Build community with new and familiar faces at these monthly Gaymers Gatherings, every third Saturday of the month from 2-5PM or monthly at Diversions.

About Gaymers Gathering:
Diversions hosts Gaymers Gatherings with the goal of building community and creating a safer, inclusive, and intentional space for the LGBTQ and gaming communities. We encourage you to stop by and roll some dice, puzzle over some pieces, embark on a quest, or just come to chat! As a Queer-owned business, Diversions is proud to offer these events for our community to enjoy. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend, whether you are looking to game or not. You can bring your own game or choose as many as you'd like from Diversions' game library! Gaymers Gathering also happens monthly at Diversion -- please confirm dates and times here. 

Join Diversions to learn the thrilling hit game Blood on the Clocktower! This cryptic social deduction game might remind players of similar games (such as Mafia, Werewolf, or Traitors), but this game has become known for its unique roles and twists. With sessions every week, we're excited to welcome more players to the game through these introductory, learn-to-play sessions.

Click here to see all scheduled Clocktower events and details.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. This session is geared towards folks who haven’t played before; the Storyteller (the game host) will go over the rules in depth before diving in to at least one full play-through, and will pause throughout the game to provide context and explanation to assist player understanding.

Doors open at 5:00pm and participants are encouraged to mingle prior to the game. The game starts at 5:30 sharp! This event is FREE, but a Player Pass is required to participate!

Read more about Blood on the Clocktower here!

Dive into the world of Golarion as an agent of the Pathfinder Society, or perhaps give aid to the people of the Pact Worlds as part of Starfinder Society during Paizo Organized Play sessions at Diversions! These open role-playing sessions welcome players of all experience levels; with the option to join as your schedule allows, this format of RPG play is great for players with busy or unpredictable schedules.

Pathfinder & Starfinder Society meets at Diversions on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, starting at 5:30 PM. Session playtime varies and usually takes no less than three hours. Details of upcoming sessions can be found here!

Learn more about Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society, or find out where our local Shifting Corridors Lodge hosts games elsewhere across the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area! 

Join Diversions to learn the thrilling hit game Blood on the Clocktower! This cryptic social deduction game might remind players of similar games (such as Mafia, Werewolf, or Traitors), but this game has become known for its unique roles and twists. With sessions every week, we're excited to welcome more players to the game through these introductory, learn-to-play sessions.

Click here to see all scheduled Clocktower events and details.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. This session is geared towards folks who haven’t played before; the Storyteller (the game host) will go over the rules in depth before diving in to at least one full play-through, and will pause throughout the game to provide context and explanation to assist player understanding.

Doors open at 5:30pm and participants are encouraged to mingle prior to the game. The game starts at 6:00 sharp! This event is FREE, but a Player Pass is required to participate! 

Read more about Blood on the Clocktower here!

Grab the fireplace poker and get your spell book. That monster’s going down!

Join GM Kayla for Monster of the Week, an RPG that brings your monster hunting instincts to life. Whether you're defending your town like Buffy, hunting down demons like a Witcher, or you have a destiny to rid the world of specific monsters like Blade -- your work is not complete until the monsters end in defeat!

Monster of the Week is a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) game, which focuses on narrative-style gameplay over dice-driven outcomes. No previous experience needed, and novice players are welcome! Character creation will be the first part of the session and players will learn the rules during play.

Reserve your seat for only $5, which will be credited towards your Gaming Pass for the evening. Players are encouraged to claim a seat on Aftergame, which will also host the waitlist should seats sell out.

Any content warnings will be listed here.

The Umbra is coming, and the Riverlands are no longer safe. Our family must flee to the City of Winter to find another home.

Join GM Jack for City of Winter, taking on the role of community members fleeing your homeland of the Riverlands to the fantastical City of Winter. As players journey, they will be prompted to improvise scenes at different locations, detailing how they share or witness community traditions with other players, represented by tradition cards that players exchange.

But as the Umbra looms, players must continue their journey, and not all traditions can be taken along as time passes. Players must make the difficult decision of which traditions to keep and which they must leave behind, to be lost forever. City of Winter evokes the experiences of refugees seeking a new home – the difficult decision to carry your own traditions with you to your new home or to adopt new traditions that may serve you and your community better.

No experience necessary! Players will begin by creating their character’s, name, age, and relations to other community members, with GM Jack providing guidance for gameplay and rules.

Reserve your seat for only $5, which will be credited towards your Gaming Pass for the evening. Players are encouraged to claim a seat on Aftergame, which will also host the waitlist should seats sell out. 

Can you defeat our reigning Quiz Queens?!? A battle of knowledge returns to our hallowed halls. Join us for the next installment of NO-SPORTS TRIVIA, the trivia series presented by Diversions. For this quirky quiz, the featured topics will be:

• Philosophy
• Anime
• Human Anatomy

On Saturday, March 28th from 7-9:30PM, teams of (up to) four will face off in four rounds to be crowned QUIZ QUEENS! YAS! Winning team gets a free round of drinks, a permanent entry into the history books, and a classy crown to crest your clever cranium.

Spaces are limited, so grab your (FREE) team pass to show off your curious compendium of fun facts! 

This Advanced session is open to any scripts the Storytellers deem worthy – the possibilities are endless! Players will be expected to have a strong understanding of the game, characters, and rules and be ready for a challenge.

Click here to see all scheduled Clocktower events and details.

• Player Pass cost is $12, which is required to participate - grab yours here!
• Spots are limited to 15 players for each session.
• Doors open at 5:00PM and participants are encouraged to mingle prior to the game. Each game starts at 5:30 SHARP. 

STORYTELLER: Andy M.
OPENING SCRIPT: TBA