“#ItsNotASexThing”: Darby Herbin includes this hashtag on the back of all t-shirts and at the bottom of all social media posts promoting her upcoming board game lounge, Darby’s Dungeon.

The origin of the Dungeon

“I love games. I love people even more. And I just love bringing people together and hosting things, so this is perfect for me,” she said. “There’s nobody in Jacksonville doing this—it just seems like a real no-brainer.”

Herbin said the motivation to open the Dungeon came from her love of people, her weekly Dungeons & Dragons game with close friends, and her aversion to going out to bars.

“For me and my husband, we don’t really enjoy going out to bars and stuff. It’s just always so loud, everybody is so drunk and obnoxious,” Herbin says. “We’re trying to step away from all of that, and create a really chill atmosphere for people to come, hang out, take a load off, play some games, have a beer,” she said.

The vision for the Dungeon

Herbin wants the Dungeon to be very inclusive. She hopes to draw people of all backgrounds to create a more diverse community, not just gamers. To this end, she’s planning events to teach people how to play board games and role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder.

“That is a big part that I see for the Dungeon,” Herbin says “Just teaching people.”

Dungeon patrons will pay $5 each to play as many games as they like, for as long as they like. This will also count as store credit towards any game or store merchandise. The Dungeon will also have monthly and annual membership options, each with exclusive benefits.

The origin of Darby

An accountant by trade, Herbin worked in the small business services department at a CPA firm for 6 years. The firm eventually promoted her to department head, but she didn’t enjoy being the person always delivering bad news.

“I was just this person that represented the bane of their existence,” Herbin said. “That was tough because, like I said earlier, I love people, and I just want to help people, and I just want to be friends with all of them, which I know is unrealistic, but I’d rather have that mindset than hating everybody.”

The future of the Dungeon

Darby’s Dungeon will open in 2020, next door to Bagels R’ Us on Beach Boulevard. Anyone interested in the latest Dungeon news can find Darby’s Dungeon on Instagram and Facebook, or at the GAAM Holiday Nerd Market on December 1.

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