Alsancak · members only
Your guild for board games
Borrow from nine hundred games, drop in for weekly sessions and find a table that always has room for one more.
900-title library
Borrow 3 at a time
Weekly members' nights
Since 2016
The guild · since 2016
A club, not a shop
We are the people who kept asking friends to please, one more game — so in 2016 Deniz Aksoy signed a lease on a bright Alsancak loft, wheeled in three shelves of games, and started leaving the door open on Thursday nights.
Nine years on, the shelves hold 900 titles, more than 1,180 members have carried a game home, and the Thursday table has grown into six sessions a week. Membership pays for the room, the library and the people who keep it running — nothing is for sale here.
Borrow three at a time
Take up to three games home on any membership, keep them three weeks, renew online if nobody's waiting. Bring them back with all the meeples.
Weekly members' nights
Six hosted sessions a week — heavy euros on Tuesday, party games on Friday, learn-to-play every Sunday afternoon.
Meet your regular table
Come alone or bring five. Our hosts seat you, teach the rules and make sure there's always room for one more.
The lending library
Nine hundred games,
every one with a tag
Every box on the wall carries a fabric borrow-tag and a card of who took it home last. Browse by weight, drop three in your bag, and sign the ledger on your way out.
Weekly members' nights
Taped to the wall
by the door
Photos from the last few weeks, still curling at the corners. Six hosted sessions, every table taught, nobody left watching from the side.
How it works
From first visit to
a table of your own
1
Come as a guest
any open sessionDrop in on a members' night as a guest for a ₺90 day pass. A host seats you, teaches a game and shows you around the library — no commitment.
2
Pick your tier
same dayMonthly, student or the annual guild pass. Start the paperwork at the desk or online in about four minutes. Your first borrow is included.
3
Borrow three, take them home
from day oneSign the ledger, tag three boxes and carry them out. Keep them three weeks; renew online if the waitlist is clear.
4
Find your regular night
week two onwardMost members settle into one weekly session. Our hosts remember what you like and save you a seat at the right table.
5
Bring one more
wheneverEvery membership includes guest passes each season, so the friend you keep telling about us can finally see the shelves.
Pausing or leaving
Plans change — here's how we handle it. 14+ days' notice: pause or cancel for free, no questions. Under 14 days: we roll your remaining time to the next month. Annual passes can be frozen for up to two months a year (illness, travel, exams) at no cost. Overdue borrows simply pause new loans until the games are back — never a fine.
Membership
Painted paper slips,
not subscriptions
Three ways to belong. Sample prices for 2026, in Turkish lira — pick one below or let the planner do the maths.
Monthly
flexible, month to month
₺390 / month
- Borrow three games at a time
- All six weekly sessions
- Reading room & teaching library
- One guest pass each month
- Season guest passes
Annual guild pass
for the Thursday-night crowd
₺3,900 / year
- Everything in Monthly
- Effective ₺325 / month
- Two guest passes each season
- Priority holds on new arrivals
- Freeze up to two months a year
Student
valid student ID required
₺240 / month
- Borrow three games at a time
- All six weekly sessions
- Reading room & teaching library
- Quiet weekday study seats
- Guest passes
Sample prices · 2026. Day pass for guests is ₺90; a guest game borrow is ₺70. Not included in any tier: postage of games, special-order titles and the annual legacy-campaign kit.
Membership & borrow planner
Is a card worth it
for how you play?
Set your pace and we'll compare a membership against paying per visit for the same month. Heavy borrowers get nudged toward the annual pass.
Your tier
Student rateRe-prices your tier with a valid student ID.
Your verdict
₺270 / month
That is what membership saves you versus paying per visit for the same month.
Sample maths, 2026. Membership also includes the reading room and every members' night, which drop-in pricing can't buy.
Take this to the desk →From the ledger's margins
What members scribbled
on the way out
★★★★★
"We joined in February for the heavy euros and ended up here three nights a week. Borrowed Harvest & Rails so many times the tag ran out of room. Only gripe — the Tuesday table fills fast, so we come at seven."
★★★★★
"Student rate made this a genuinely affordable hobby. I study in the reading room on weekday afternoons, then stay for learn-to-play on Sunday. Ece always has a two-player ready when my flatmate visits."
★★★★☆
"Three years in and the Thursday crowd feels like family. The annual freeze saved me during exam season. If I'm honest the loft gets warm in July — but they've promised a second fan, and the games are worth it."
Before you join
Questions from the desk
Do I need to know how to play anything?
Not at all. Every session has a host whose whole job is teaching. Tell us how long you have and how much thinking you want, and we'll pull the right box off the shelf and walk you through it.
How many games can I borrow, and for how long?
Three at a time on any membership, for three weeks. Renew online for another three weeks if nobody has placed a hold. Legacy campaigns and a handful of fragile titles stay in-house as table copies.
What if I bring a game back late or a piece is missing?
We never charge fines. An overdue loan simply pauses new borrows until the game is back on the shelf. If a piece goes missing, tell us — most publishers replace components, and we keep a spares drawer for meeples and dice.
Can I come alone?
Most of our members arrive solo. Hosts seat you at a table that's still forming and make introductions. Within a couple of weeks people usually settle into a regular night with a regular group.
Is there a student discount?
Yes — the student tier is ₺240 a month with a valid student ID. It includes every session and the same three-game borrowing, plus quiet weekday seats in the reading room for studying between rounds.
How do I pause or cancel?
Give us 14 days' notice to pause or cancel for free. Under 14 days, we roll your remaining time into the following month. Annual passes can be frozen for up to two months a year for illness, travel or exams at no cost.
Can I try before I commit?
Absolutely. Any open session welcomes guests for a ₺90 day pass, which includes a taught game and a browse of the library. If you join that same evening, we put the pass toward your first month.
Guild notebook
Recently added,
recently played
Autumn shelf refresh
Fourteen new titles catalogued and tagged, including three heavy euros for the Tuesday table and two new party games for Friday nights.
Legacy campaign restarts
A fresh The Long Winter campaign group has two seats left. Twelve linked sessions, Sunday evenings, members only.
Second fan, as promised
The loft stays cooler now — the July heat is handled. Thank you to the Thursday crowd for the patience and the honesty.
Join the guild
A form on a
stitched card
Tell us how you like to play and we'll set a first session aside for you. No payment here — we finish the paperwork at the desk.
Save your first seat
Send one short message telling us how you like to play, and we'll set a first session aside for you. There's no payment online — we finish the quick paperwork at the desk when you drop in.