Chaotic Good: Coffee, Comics and Games offers tea, coffee, espresso and affogato, as well as a selection of snacks and pastries.
Almost nothing piques the interest like a good versus evil matchup. So, it wasn’t surprising that some local Reddit users have wondered whether two relatively new gaming-themed establishments that are similar in concept but antithetical in name — Chaotic Good: Co.ee, Comics and Games and Villainous tabletop gaming pub — were diametrically opposed.
Lexington native and Chaotic Good coowner Marian Turner says that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“There was a post someone had mentioned, ‘Are those two rivals? Are they mad at each other?’ and we were like, “What? No, we’re not mad at each other! We’re not rivals!” she said.
Turner and friends-turned-business partners Alex Campe and Jim Read, who moved to Lexington from the Chicago area, opened Chaotic Good on South Broadway in mid-January, combining their interests in coffee, gaming and comics.
Lindsay Elswick opened Villainous in August 2022 on Jefferson Street as a fun place to serve pub food and beverages to gaming guests amidst decor from her husband Mitch’s vast collection of comics and movie memorabilia.
Turner said she and her crew came into Villainous one night and found everyone to be kind and welcoming. Likewise, some of the Villainous gang are known to visit Chaotic Good with friends on Sundays.
“We’ve become friends,” she said. “We have an ongoing joke that the same $10 tip they put in our jar, we put in theirs when we go.”
“They just came in one night and introduced themselves, and we just got along really well,” Elswick concurred. “We’re a good fit because they’re open during the day, and we’re open at night.”
Chaotic Good staff comes to Villainous after shifts to wind down, and Elswick’s adult twin sons — one of whom is the bartender at Villainous and the other the cook — often head to Chaotic Good for coffee before their classes at the University of Kentucky, Elswick said.
So why the good and evil connotations in the names? Is it some cosmic coincidence?
Turner explained that Chaotic Good is part of the alignment chart for Dungeons & Dragons, a role-playing game played there along with other games like Warhammer, Catan, Blood on the Clocktower and others.
For Turner, the name Chaotic Good conveys that intentions for the shop are good, but she said sometimes indirect paths and wandering routes may be taken to reach their goals.
“We have kind of a mixture of things here, which can lead to a little bit of chaos, but all in all, we want that good environment,” Turner said.
Villainous tabletop gaming pub opened in August on Jefferson Street.
As for Villainous, Elswick said her husband realized as he was going through his collections that he tended to favor the villains, “so we went with that,” she said. “He didn’t realize that he had that inclination before!”
At Chaotic Good, the ownership trio had been talking about opening such a place for about seven years and finally found a great space at The Lex. After a roughly six-month buildout, the business opened its doors with various free-to-play games like Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer, with no table rental fees.
Turner said most of the free-to-play games were donated by a kind patron. Some donated books, comics and novellas are being collected to eventually be available for library-style checkout. Games are also available for sale, as are comic books.
Turner said that even if you’re not into gaming, it’s a great place to relax.
“We’re not just here for the gaming crowd but for the entire community of Lexington,” she said. “Even if you just need to stop by for an inexpensive cup of java, we want to be here for that crowd, too.” Chaotic Good also hosts Nintendo Switch Nights, and plans include offering learn-to play sessions for different board and roleplaying games.
The shop also offers tea, coffee, espresso and affogato, as well as a selection of snacks and pastries from Martine’s Pastries, Futile Bakery and Graeter’s ice cream.
Customers “range from high school and college age people to families with young children,” Turner said. “We’ve even had an older group of ladies who come in here and play cards. We really have all ages.”
At Villainous, “our typical customer is, like, a 40-year-old dad who wants to play D&D without his kids bugging him … but there’s a large group of high school and college kids who’ve started playing D&D, probably because ‘Stranger Things’ has made it popular again,” Elswick said.
She said people may at first feel self-conscious about playing role-playing games in front of others, but the pub’s atmosphere, far from villain-like, is comfortable and welcoming.
Villainous includes about 150 games in its library, which are free to borrow, and guests can also bring their own. There are presently no table fees. Memberships are also sold for $25. Perks include a 10% discount on food and access to purchase games at wholesale cost.
As for events, there’s karaoke about once a month, and last year there were art shows at Halloween and before Christmas with booth vendors. Another may pop up this spring. Tutorials or gaming workshops may also be added at some point, Elswick said.
Turner said Chaotic Good is designed to be fun and welcoming for all ages and interests, even if you’re a wizard, ogre or other fantastical creature during gameplay.
“It doesn’t matter who you are. You’re welcome here!” she said.