New Kettering gamer bar hiring, gearing up to open in 2 weeks

"D20: A Bar with Characters" is hiring bartenders and gearing up to open in two weeks, its founders say.

Workers are putting the finishing touches on the craft beer and gamer bar at 2144 E. Whipp Road in the Oak Creek Plaza, according to Andrew Sparks, co-founder of D20 with Christine Cooper.

D20 will offer board games and table-top gaming along with craft beers and other drinks. Sparks said plans call for a “soft opening” during the week of Dec. 12. D20 is hiring part-time bartenders, and those interested can apply on-site at the bar, the D20 co-founder said.

“This will be very different from any other bar in Dayton,” Sparks told this news outlet in August.

D20 will not have any televisions, but will have more than 300 board games and table-top games available, along with a library of Dungeon and Dragons books available for role players, Sparks told this news outlet this week.

The gaming phenomenon has accelerated and has been embraced by local pub owners. The “Hole in the Wall” bar in Dayton’s Oregon District has been offering free arcade games for three years, and the trend picked up steam with the opening earlier this month of gamer-friendly Bar 145/Reset in the Austin Landing development in Miami Twp., and the development of Canal Street Arcade & Deli, which is in the works in the former Canal Street live-music space in downtown Dayton.

The “D20” in the new Kettering bar’s name refers to a 20-sided die — or dice — used in some role-playing games. It is moving into a 2,500-square-foot space that previously housed a women’s fitness center and a cell phone store.

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