Under fairy lights and fronds of tropical plants, players lean over boards filled with tokens, maps, and colour-coded coins. This is Got Board, a rooftop in Ankit Pal’s Paschim Vihar residence, where the 35-year-old has transformed his terrace into a board-gaming sanctuary. Every weekend, strangers and friends gather to roll dice, build cities, form alliances, and huff their way to victory — beating Delhi’s sweltering summer under a canopy of greenery and gentle rooftop breezes.
With over 400 modern board games in his possession, Pal considers Got Board as a game library open to enthusiasts across the city. His collection includes beginner-friendly titles like Azul and Splendor, party games like Where’s My Hat and Flip 7, mechanised Eurogames like CATAN, and Clans of Caledonia and games by Indian designers such as Tess. He hosts three weekend slots, each five hours, for a modest `200. For him, it’s not a business but a space to nurture hobbies and build a community of serious board gamers. “Here you learn the games we’ll play — and if you want to try something specific, we can learn together,” he says. “You have the option to explore the hobby on your own.”
Pal’s journey began as a child with Business and Ludo. In 2010, a college friend introduced him to the world of board gaming with Saboteur, a hidden-identity game of miners and saboteurs. “We played aggressively. Six times a day, for two hours,” he laughs. In the past three years alone, he’s added nearly 300 games — collecting as many as 100 titles’ worth every year.
Home for the gamers
In sociology, the ‘third place’ is a zone outside home and work where community thrives. With social media’s rise, such spaces have faded. At Got Board, the rooftop isn’t just a venue — it doubles as a second home for Delhi gamers, even newcomers like musician Sagarika Joshi. A serious gamer from Mumbai, Joshi moved to Delhi in February and stumbled upon the space through the web just days after settling in. “It was the first place I went out to,” she recalls. What stood out wasn’t just the collection or but the warmth. “It was very homely and intimate. A great space to wind down — it felt more like home ground.”
The space even welcomes Delhiites who’ve moved away, like Akash Aind, 30, who now works in Amritsar but visits it on his Delhi weekends. “I use my Saturdays to come here,” he says. “Ankit has games that are rare and expensive — and that need players. His space solves both.” Joshi, too, recalls finding German-style board game Hansa Teutonica at Got Board. “It’s hard to find anywhere else. But it was here, and I was so happy. I’ve been coming almost every week just to play that game. We played it for 2–3 sessions straight — even many heavy gamers don’t own it.”
Pal’s growing collection allows players to dive deeper, attracting both casual and hardcore gamers. Levin Kumar, a 21-year-old student and regular, says the variety and the focus on gameplay rather than just being social is the appeal. “At a café, they either have games and food, or you bring your own games. But at Ankit’s, I know I’ll get 400 games.” Another regular, Dev Dogra, agrees. “Here, board games are the highlight. In other places, they’re just a side activity. But here, everyone’s focused.”
Growing pains & gatekeeping
Although the rooftop gaming community is growing, Got Board didn’t take off overnight. “No one came at first,” Pal recalls. “Because you’re going to someone’s house in Delhi to play — and I was asking for a fee. That filters who’ll come.”
Undeterred, he expanded his collection and networked with NCR’s gaming groups. “I went to a couple of places and did a public meetup,” he says. “Initially the response was lukewarm but gradually they warmed up to me and here I am now.”
Cultivating the third place
For Pal, Got Board is an antidote to passive scrolling and digital detachment. “A board game demands your mind. You think. You interact. You’re not just reacting — you’re making choices.” he says. “You need a detox, because you keep scrolling and suddenly, you feel hazy.”
“Here, we sit outside under the plants, with a cooler going. It keeps the mind fresh — even with Delhi’s air,” he laughs. “Greenery makes a huge difference. A plant makes you think. A screen just throws things at you, it thinks for you.” His terrace garden boasts over 70 plants, including star jasmine, chain of glory, madhumalti, and clematis viticella. “I have been growing the plants for over eight years,” he says.
Looking ahead, Ankit hopes to open a café — a space where coffee complements the gameplay. His collection continues to grow, with Nemesis: Retaliation — the latest edition of the world’s top-ranked thematic game — on the way, along with titles like Farm Race and Joyride. “There’s always something new to play,” he says. “And someone new to play with.”