GUELPH — When Thomas Gofton started his career as a filmmaker, he lost his hobby making films. So he picked up a new one — playing board games.

Gofton will soon be searching for another new hobby as he has parlayed his love of board games into a business — a board game café called the Round Table that caters to the board game playing clientele.

Gofton said he travels a lot as a filmmaker, "and every city I go to has a board game café," he said. "This city is so awesome I'm surprised it doesn't already have one. So I'm doing it."

The Round Table will have its soft launch opening on Halloween weekend. The café is located at 32 Essex St. and will have tables at the front and a kitchen in the back.

It will serve gourmet tapas, coffee and is in the process of getting a liquor license. Gofton sees the day when he can pair a particular board game with appropriate food and drink, such as chess and a scotch nosing for example.

"It's not just a café though," Goften said. "We will provide VIG service, Very Important Geek. We'll seat you, get a feel for what you like, help you choose a game from the wall, teach the game, and pair the food and drink with the game. It will be concierge service."

Customers pay for the table — $5 for two hours — as well as for any food or drink they consume. That's an entertaining, enlightening and inexpensive night out, he said.

Patrons can bring their own games if they prefer. And if you like what you just played, there will be a retail component to the café where games can be purchased, Gofton said.

He has some of his movie set builders working on the décor that will harken to King Arthur and Medieval times.

"They are carving stone, building trees, crafting stone bricks. It looks like the medieval past," he said. "A little Camelot in Guelph."