About Us

The Hexagon Board Game Cafe started when owners Kellie Ho and Randy Wong graduated from architecture school in 2008 and struggled to find work in the design field. Many hours and late nights were devoted to playing The Settlers of Catan and that devotion continued when Kellie and Randy moved to South Korea.

They continued their late nights playing with friends from various international locales – from Australia and South Africa to the US, and the UK. It was there where they were first introduced to the concept of board game cafes. Board games, along with a great cup of tea or a glass of wine, became the common element that brought them and their global friends together. So upon their return to Canada, they wanted to bring that social experience back home. Four years later, in 2014, equipped with a personal collection of over 400 board games, Kellie and Randy opened the first Hexagon Cafe in Edmonton, Alberta.

Two years later, in 2016, Hexagon Cafe expanded to Calgary, Alberta.  With the continual rise of popularity in board games, they quickly outgrew their first location in Edmonton.  So in 2017, they packed up all the games and relocated 6 blocks down to their current – and bigger – location on Whyte Ave.

Whether you’re coming in for a quick coffee or an afternoon of board games, you’re sure to see a smiling face from our Hexperts.

Roxas

Calgary

Roxas, from Hex YYC, is a giant geek and he has the tattoos to prove it!  His name means “light” in the Kingdom Heart universe, and he has tattoos of Majora’s Mask from Zelda, Dream Eater’s emblem from Kingdom Hearts, and the four elemental Bending arts in Avatar!  He also teaches and performs Color Guard, and has performed with the Calgary Stampede Showband.  Color Guard, according to Roxas, is “a dance while throwing things in the air.”    

Zoe

Calgary

Our resident researcher is Hex YYC’s Zoe! When she’s not owning people at games or making customers coffee at the cafe, she can be found on the U of C campus asking people to run in smart underwear (don’t ask – we don’t know either) or spending a night researching and coding to prove her point! She’s not just a book nerd, in the summer Zoe can be found outside swimming or stand up paddling with the best of us!

Adam

Edmonton

It’s easy to spot Adam at Hex YEG’s location as he is always wearing a pair of colourful sneakers from his collection! Adam also likes to collect jerseys (the 1990 German World Cup jersey is his fav) as well as steps – he’s always down to go on a hike. Adam has been visiting Hex with his family since 2014 and now that he’s a resident Hexpert, he knows the game library like the back of his hand! He is currently completing a degree in elementary education and would recommend the movie “Alien” to anybody he knows… except his students of course!

Carli

Calgary

Whipping up coffees by day, saving ancient artifacts while wearing a fedora and crackin’ a whip at night. Wait, no… that’s an archaeologist and Carli is Hex YYC’s anthropologist! While Carli may not be living in the 1930s, she definitely has the style and the suave to pull it off in our busy and hectic 20xx lifestyle. Carli is excited to get back to travelling now that things have finally settled and the Ark and Holy Grail are back in a museum. Just don’t go around calling her Bones.

Katie

Edmonton

If Hex YEG had a Mathletes team, Katie would definitely be the star member! She is currently attending the University of Alberta with a math major and a statistics minor, yet numbers aren’t her only forte. She also loves to knit, sew, and play bass guitar in her rock band. Despite not loving the taste of coffee, her favourite thing to do at Hex is making latte art! You can also often find her building ships and traversing the galaxy in her favourite game, Galaxy Trucker, as well!

Des

Calgary

Destiny… the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future. Wait, that’s the definition of the concept of destiny, not the Hexpert at Hex YYC! While Des definitely controls the behind-the-scenes at the cafe to ensure you’re having a fantastic time, there’s much more to them than just paracausality and coffee. Des starts each day off with some morning yoga and a root beer – no, not the drink – their pet frog Rootbeer. They also have quite an eye for the creepy crawlies, once identifying more than 11,000 – yes, 11,000 species – of spiders and insects (gross!!). Don’t worry, you won’t have to worry about them putting spiders in your coffee – we hope!

Nicole

Edmonton

Nicole loves all things coffee and tea, which is why she is such a great team member of Hex YEG! She always has a hot drink next to her when she is studying or working on her virtual farm in Stardew Valley. But when online adventure isn’t enough, Nicole loves to explore Edmonton through one of her favourite hobbies – photography! If you catch her at the cafe, she’ll likely recommend her favourite game, Burgle Bros 2: The Casino Capers, because she “loves the thrill of a challenging heist.”

Connor

Edmonton

Connor is Hex YEG’s resident scientist! He graduated from the UofA with a specialization in Biochemistry. Currently, he’s researching bone genetics and regeneration in which he turns skin into bones, all in an effort to someday cure Osteofibrous Dysplasia. This scientific interest extends to mixology – you can often find him making his favourite cocktail, a Manhattan. Connor’s other hobbies include swimming (where he is a provincial silver medalist in backstroke!) and D&D (where he attempts to keep his character alive!).

Noah

Edmonton

Welcome to the Golden Hexagon Award Night where we celebrate excellence in board-gaming and coffee-brewing among other Hex activities. Looks like Edmonton’s nominee Noah has been a stand-out winner in multiple categories including “Kindest Hexpert” and “Tallest Hexpert”. Congrats Noah! The next time you see him at Hex, know that he is excited to help you learn his favourite game Mysterium, or reach the top shelf of the board game library. Noah is also one of the more technologically inclined folks at the cafe – he is currently taking a degree in Computer Engineering at U of A with a focus on Nanoscale System Design. In his downtime you can find him playing Legend of Zelda, learning the keyboard, or cooking his favourite dish – mushroom risotto.

Thane

Calgary

With his boisterous voice and iconic laugh, you can hear Thane from anywhere in the café! Thane can strike up conversations with anyone, both in English and French, making new friends with customers and staff alike. When Thane isn’t tailoring your experience to be filled with laughter and conversation, he’s clashing swords and casting spells in his D&D campaign, which has been going on for 6 years! He is also the DM for several other campaigns. Thane also enjoys singing in his choir, which he has been a part of since kindergarten; so pull up a chair and have a conversation or listen to him sing the next time you’re in!

Madi

Calgary

Whether it’s finding the perfect game for you and your group, being a crafty creature, or sparring up that elusive 7-10 split, Hex YYC’s Madi hits the ground running! Madi was in a bowling league where her team placed 3rd in a provincial championship. But her knowledge expands to more than just bowling and killer board games; Madi is a wiz at geography too! She has the ability to name every country’s flag! Yes, all 195 of them, including the ones that look super similar. When Madi isn’t making stellar latte art, she puts her creative skills to work. She handcrafts her own holiday cards and thank you notes, which match Madi’s energetic and caring personality.

Kayla

Calgary

Let’s get ready to rumble! In this corner, we have the traveller of travellers, the queen of the slay, and the master of jujitsu – Hex YYC’s Kayla! When Kayla isn’t pouring your favourite coffee, she’s at the dojo kicking butt and taking names – or belts, we’re not sure which but we are too scared to find out. Taking on tough opponents on the mat isn’t the only thing Kayla is not afraid of. While most people are inside playing their favourite board game and hiding away from the snow, Kayla is hiking in -28°C weather on the trails. Living a life of adrenaline adventures comes with a price, though. In the span of a year, Kayla has broken 4 bones! Fortunately, those never dampened her bubbly personality or her thirst for adventure.

Kirsten

Edmonton

If Kirsten was in charge of operations here at Hex Edmonton, it would be a cat cafe! On her days off you can find her volunteering at a local animal rescue foundation and she even fosters kittens and dogs at her home. The upside: She will show you new kitten photos every day! The downside: she might just convince you to adopt one… Before working here she had a tradition to visit Hexagon every year on her birthday. Kirsten is always so joyful that if you spot her in the cafe it can be hard to tell whether she IS celebrating her birthday, or just here for a regular shift. She also loves to swim, play volleyball, and go camping! 

Maya

Calgary

Maya is Hex YYC’s resident artist and quip extraordinaire! Pouring latte art isn’t the only type of art they excel at, Maya has created some of Hexagon’s graphics as well as prints specializing in things we all love –fantasy characters and creatures! Adorable dragons and killer heroes aren’t Maya’s only interests, either. They love things in the real world too, especially those critters we don’t have in Alberta – rats! If you want to know a wild fact about rats, Maya is the Hexpert to ask! A game that Maya enjoys playing is Cryptid, and not just the board game Cryptid. They were part of a team that found a cryptid in the wild! Although, if you ask Maya about it, their answer will be quite cryptic…

Nico

Calgary

“Hi, my name is Nico and I like to party!”

Nico may not be a stuntman like in his favourite movie Hot Rod, but it’s always a party when he’s slinging coffee at Hexagon. And don’t let his appearance fool you. He may be a wizard behind the bar, but when he’s not crafting cocktails or gaming, he’s slamming down grooves on his bass guitar with his punk band, which has over 150,000 streams on Spotify! Nico is also an avid disc golfer and Magic player. You can always find him with a fresh putter or a pack of Magic cards, scheming on how to make his next WUBRG Commander (or Five-Colour Commanders, for those of us who don’t speak Magic).

Harley

Edmonton

Cam

Calgary

Josh

Edmonton