NEW ULM The world of board games has come a long way from Col. Mustard in the Conservatory. These days there are hundreds of table top games for hundreds of tastes.

The surge in popularity table top gaming is in large part due to specialty shops like Dork Den.

Dork Den originally opened a shop in Mankato three years ago and has recently opened a second store in New Ulm at 1627 S. Broadway.

The Dork Den’s main business is the selling of table top games and comics, but the store also serves as a hangout for game enthusiasts. It has only been open for three months, but it has already become a hot spot for fans of games.

Customers are encouraged to come into the store from 6 to 9 o’clock every evening to play their favorite games and try out new games.

Seven days a week board game and card game lovers are welcome to indulge their hobby with other like-minded individuals. Each day of the week is centered around a different theme. The idea behind game night is to allow store patrons to try out a game before they buy. Demonstration copies of all the popular games are kept on hand for this purpose.

“The most popular game would be Magic The Gathering,” said store owner Joe Huber.

Magic The Gathering is a trading card game played between two or more players. Magic has gained enough popularity that numerous affiliated stores, Dork Den included, host organized tournaments on Friday nights.

In addition to the Friday night tournaments, Thursday is set aside for casual Magic play. Sundays are dedicated to Magic Drafts.

On Saturdays, patrons take a break from Magic to play the Marvel Dice Masters. Based on the popular Marvel Comic Book characters, players use special dice to simulate battles between their favorite characters. It is probably the second most popular table top game played at Dork Den. Huber credits its popularity with the success of the Marvel Comic films.

Despite the popularity of both the Magic Cards and Marvel Dice, the largest group turnout is for Role Playing Night on Wednesdays.

“On a Wednesday night we have anywhere from 15 or more people here,” said Dork Den co-owner Alex Lamminen.

Dungeons & Dragons remains the standard go-to for Role Playing Games. On Wednesday nights it is not uncommon to see first generation and second generation fans playing the same game; a group of teenagers playing at one table with a groups of adults playing at the next table.

One of the goals of the Dork Den is to create a diverse family friendly store. The approach seems to be working. Often parents and young children visit together, and it is not always clear whether it was the kid’s or the parents’ idea.

Tuesday night at the Dork Den dedicated to all types of board games and tends to bring in families.

“I am really happy this is here,” said Brandan Steenbock, as he and his two sons sat down to play a game called Boss Monster. “It’s cool, I wish I had something like this when I was a kid.”

Whether it is family or friends the Dork Den is rarely inactive. Lamminen estimates that at all times there are at least six to eight people playing games in Dork Den. Lamminen feels the store has tapped into a niche that has been missing from the New Ulm area.

“Everyone is a gamer at heart,” he said.