Which gaming store, past or present, do you think was your absolute best experience of the kind of thing a gaming store should be, and why?
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Black Lion Games in Edinburgh. The best wee shop in the land.
https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/black-lion-games-edinburgh
Guardian Games in Portland is fantastic. Better than the stores in NYC by far. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and they run a great Free RPG Day. The Compleat Strategist in NYC didn't do half what Guardian Games does.
The Compleat Stratigist in NYC, fantastic overall (games, events, location).
Wardogs in Jacksonville, FL. Fun place to hangout. Closed, but your Friendly Local Game Store opened under the same ownership of Lloyd Brown.
Dragon's Lair in Austin, TX. This place just rocks!
Quote from: urbwar;1038152Guardian Games in Portland is fantastic. Better than the stores in NYC by far. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and they run a great Free RPG Day. The Compleat Strategist in NYC didn't do half what Guardian Games does.
Wow. Guardian must be awesome!
GAME EMPIRE, Pasadena California
http://gameempirepasadena.com
It's professionally run by a highly involved owner who is a gamer and respects his customers (so really active communities for all sorts of games grown there). Easily my favorite store I've encountered.
Quote from: Mike the Mage;1038150[ATTACH=CONFIG]2470[/ATTACH]
Black Lion Games in Edinburgh. The best wee shop in the land.
https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/black-lion-games-edinburgh
Their decor is much improved. I like that they stock lots of 2nd hand stuff but some discounts would be nice - they never seem to mark anything down, and lots of stuff stays there for years, so I tend to browse a lot but not buy much. On my last visit I bought Dork Tower collection #1 from ca 1998 for £11 and that was about the most reasonably priced thing there. In other stores I've picked up 2nd hand stuff very cheap - it's an incentive to go back and hunt for bargains.
My childhood was greatly enriched by Games & Puzzles in Cambridge, now long gone. It was marked by a clean, accessible, warm & comfy ambience. It's where I developed my obsession with FRPGs and Warhammer - I waited eagerly for months for Warhammer 2e to arrive - and Citadel lead minis at 40p-45p-60p a shot.
These days I visit Orcs Nest in central London once a month - I don't much like the techno-industrial decor, but it keeps a good selection of stuff in stock, layout is good. Normally no 2nd hand stuff, probably because space is at a premium.
I guess the main attraction for a games shop is the chance to discover hidden gems, 2nd hand stuff, things I didn't know I wanted. For something I know I want the Internet will always have an edge these days.
Quote from: S'mon;1038164Their decor is much improved. I like that they stock lots of 2nd hand stuff but some discounts would be nice - they never seem to mark anything down, and lots of stuff stays there for years, so I tend to browse a lot but not buy much. On my last visit I bought Dork Tower collection #1 from ca 1998 for £11 and that was about the most reasonably priced thing there. In other stores I've picked up 2nd hand stuff very cheap - it's an incentive to go back and hunt for bargains.
I am happy you know it too. It was never easy to find, even when I worked in Edinburgh. I actually picked up some incredible bargains second hand there. A Talislanta Big Blue 4th ed in mint condition for £5. I even found a boxed set of Skyrealms of Jorune (1985) in mint condition for £10 but I couldn't steal from the nice lad who owns the place and I told him to change the price (I have my own 1985 Skyrealms).
Anyway, the owner is a great lad and very patient with browsers.
A million miles away from the Forbidden Franchise Planet, if you know what I mean.
A place called GAMES PLUS in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. These guys stock new stuff and an excellent quantity of old stuff -- RPG, minis, dice, board games, and so on. They even carry a lot of obscure RPG books and indie publication books that I've never heard of before.
Honorable mention goes to the Dungeon Hobby Shop in Lake Geneva WI for sentimental reasons, and also to the Judges Guild store in Decatur IL for the same. Neither of these is still around, but they were pretty awesome in their day.
Quote from: Mike the Mage;1038174I am happy you know it too. It was never easy to find, even when I worked in Edinburgh. I actually picked up some incredible bargains second hand there. A Talislanta Big Blue 4th ed in mint condition for £5. I even found a boxed set of Skyrealms of Jorune (1985) in mint condition for £10 but I couldn't steal from the nice lad who owns the place and I told him to change the price (I have my own 1985 Skyrealms).
Anyway, the owner is a great lad and very patient with browsers.
It's definitely friendly and I like visiting every time I'm in Edinburgh. It's about 12 minutes' walk from my parents' house on a fairly major road but it took me many years to spot the place!
Quote from: vgunn;1038161Wow. Guardian must be awesome!
I think the strat is good too, but even after going there for 30+ years before I moved, Guardian has been a better overall experience every time I've gone there.
The Sentry Box in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a massive two level place with as much as you could ever hope to cram into it, gaming tables, historical miniatures, massive back catalog. It's not the trendy boutique people seem to want these days but these people know games, play games, and have been selling games for over forty years.
I like Enchanted Grounds in Littleton CO near Denver. It's a combination game store and coffee shop, the game selection isn't as large as some stores (though still respectable), but it's a nice place to come in for coffee or to game, or do both. Area in the front is set up more like a coffee shop with smaller tables (though you are welcome to game there), with larger tables behind that area in the middle of the "sales floor". Board game displays are set up between this rear area and the coffee bar, so that they are separated and the gamers don't disturb the people ordering at the counter and vise versa. Staff is friendly and cool as well.
My FLGS has been Sentry Box since 1985.
Toss up, one if long gone, the other I haven't been to since 1989.
The Dungeon, San Antonio, TX. Had everything, and I mean everything, rpg related. There were actually two locations, but the one off Fredricksburg was much larger and closer to where I lived. They'd have a 50% off sale every year to clean out their stock, got so many good deals on stuff, including a ton of Chivalry and Sorcery books. Closed down right after I went to college, or thereabouts, and nothing took its place.
The Bookery, Fairborn, OH. Still around: http://www.bookeryfantasy.com/, looks like they still have a ton of gaming stuff. Holds a special place in my heart because I got Robotech, MERP, TMNT, and Champions there. EDIT: Also Palladium Fantasy. Probably half the good games I have were bought there...
I've posted this before... Madeness Games & Comics (http://www.madnessgames.com/Home/tabid/57/Default.aspx) in Plano Texas (North Dallas) is the best gaming store I've ever seen.
It's an entire supermarket (former Wal-Mart) that is one giant temple to Geekdom
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Everyday is practically like a mini-convention
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Wargaming dedicated areas
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On top of dedicated areas for card-games, board games, comics, you name it. It's got it. *Generally* knowledgeable staff (depends on what you're into and who you're talking to). It's located in a huge corner strip-mall surrounded by food-joints, and if someone actually dies from too much gaming, there's a Neptune Society store right next door you can cremate the player in. It's really convenient.
I think the best roleplaying game store I've been to in the last couple of years was Games of Berkeley, just because their selection of stuff I don't already own or know about was really good. I don't really go to game stores to play, so I appreciate it when their book buyer has stretched beyond the couple of obvious game lines.
My all-time favorite and most personally influential store was the ca. 1980 store front of Pegasus Games in Madison, WI. The store still exists in another location, and is a friendly, charming place with good selection. But the original brick storefront in downtown Madison was a total classic of first generation roleplaying culture. I got a lot of the best things in my old school game collection there.
Hmm, this is a tough one for me. I didn't become aware of Guardian Games until after I got engaged and was in dramatic game collection reduction rather than building. I did sell some of my games to Guardian Games. The fact that the proprietor is also a LEGO fan makes it extra cool for me, but sadly, I just don't get there very often.
Back in the day, I frequented Games People Play in Cambridge MA, Excalibur Hobbies in Arlington MA, and the Compleat Strategist in Boston MA. I probably made more purchases at Compleat Strategist, but I really liked the proprietor of Excalibur Hobbies so I would probably label that the best from that time.
Frank
The best gaming store that I have ever been to was Mr. Gameway's Ark (and all of its multi-floored glory). There was also The Worldhouse, and the Silver Snail which came a close second and third, respectively. All of these are long gone (Gameway's Ark closed in '84, and Worldhouse in the mid 90's) and the Silver Snail is a shadow of its former self.
Unfortunately, I live in an FLGS desert, although I should say that if you like boardgames there is 401 Games which probably the best store of its kind in the city.
Shemek.
Radio Games. Until Games Workshop disease set in and it effectively stopped being a FLGS.
I also rather liked the local WOTC store. Friendly and carried alot of non-WOTC games.
Probably lying to say it's the best one I've ever been to, particularly for RPGs, so sue me. Mission Fun and Games in Edmonton Alberta, looks like a castle which the kids love, and bought a lot of stuff there over the years (and their old location) when passing through.
(https://s3-media2.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/w99PUBIqgCU-zNYNiQAOJQ/o.jpg)
Quote from: RPGPundit;1038145Which gaming store, past or present, do you think was your absolute best experience of the kind of thing a gaming store should be, and why?
Probably Game Towne in the '70s. Because everyone was still alive. And you could send them S.A.S.E.s to get stuff.
Magic card crap (and pogs) ruined all the things.
The Source Comics and Games, here in the Twin Cities.
Enterprise 1701 in Orlando, FL. It is gone now, but it was just within walking distance from the Navy Training Base (when there still was one in Orlando), and had one of just about everything and model planes and starships hanging from the ceiling.. I remember buying Mekton II there and it helped keep me sane during the first part of nuke training school.
Quote from: jeff37923;1038329Enterprise 1701 in Orlando, FL. It is gone now, but it was just within walking distance from the Navy Training Base (when there still was one in Orlando), and had one of just about everything and model planes and starships hanging from the ceiling.. I remember buying Mekton II there and it helped keep me sane during the first part of nuke training school.
Heh, that makes me think of something that happened at Excalibur Hobbies once. A guy came in with a big wad of cash and started stacking up board games. His ship was about to head out and a bunch of guys who played wargames together had pooled some money and sent him off to stock up for the cruise. I think the proprietor helped him pick out some good games that would have good replay value.
Frank
Quote from: chirine ba kal;1038328The Source Comics and Games, here in the Twin Cities.
Definitely a great store on a technical level (I nostalgically love the late Tin Soldier and Phoenix Games, but they weren't honestly good stores).
Fantasy Flight (https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/more/fantasy-flight-games-center/), regardless of anything positive or negative about their game products, has a very good store for the hosting of their game nights. I've only ever been there for board game Friday, but I'm sure it works well for TTRPGs or wargaming as well.
Quote from: Willie the Duck;1038398Definitely a great store on a technical level (I nostalgically love the late Tin Soldier and Phoenix Games, but they weren't honestly good stores).
Fantasy Flight (https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/more/fantasy-flight-games-center/), regardless of anything positive or negative about their game products, has a very good store for the hosting of their game nights. I've only ever been there for board game Friday, but I'm sure it works well for TTRPGs or wargaming as well.
Oh, agreed! I've seen people buy a game at The Source, then go the five minutes down the road to FFG to play it. Both are good, for differing reasons.
Quote from: Spinachcat;1038163GAME EMPIRE, Pasadena California
http://gameempirepasadena.com
It's professionally run by a highly involved owner who is a gamer and respects his customers (so really active communities for all sorts of games grown there). Easily my favorite store I've encountered.
Seconded.
Also, Aero Hobbies in Santa Monica for nostalgia reasons. They literally invented the Thief class there (and submitted it to TSR). Still feels like an old time wargammer/RPG store.
Can be seen in this video with the actor who plays Arya Stark from Game of Thrones:
[video=youtube;SnQZFoNsJ68]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnQZFoNsJ68[/youtube]
Ahh! Aero-Hobbies! been years since I've been there. One of my old haunts.
Quote from: David Johansen;1038198The Sentry Box in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a massive two level place with as much as you could ever hope to cram into it, gaming tables, historical miniatures, massive back catalog. It's not the trendy boutique people seem to want these days but these people know games, play games, and have been selling games for over forty years.
Yeah, the Sentry Box is probably the best one I've been in.
Quote from: finarvyn;1038182A place called GAMES PLUS in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. These guys stock new stuff and an excellent quantity of old stuff -- RPG, minis, dice, board games, and so on. They even carry a lot of obscure RPG books and indie publication books that I've never heard of before.
Yep, shopped there! Very awesome store! They used to setup booths in the convention circuit as well.
My favorite was always
Bonnie Brae in Denver. Sadly they closed last year, or the year before last. We discovered them because they were one of the sponsors for
Ghengis Con I up in Denver in 1979, and they had flyers at the show, and we made it a point to stop by on our way home back to Colorado Springs. This was an old model/wargamers store that had expanded to stock RPGs and minis in the late 70's and had everything from everbody. We had never seen a game store like it, and would typically visit twice a year, and stop in when we were attending GenCon as well as for Tacticon during the Winter.
There is
Castle Perilous in Carbondale Illinois, run by Scott Thorne right next to the SIU campus at 207 W Main St, Carbondale, IL 62901 (618) 529-5317. He stocks all of the new stuff, and usually has a pretty good selection of used old school games as well. He used to do booths at conventions in the midwest, but I have't seen him for awhile. He does do a weekly column on managing a game store over on Icv2 here;
https://icv2.com/articles/columns/view/40332/rolling-initiative-infinity-wars-infinity-gauntlet-point-anchor
Castle Perilous Website: http://castleperilous.com/
I have to also give a shout out to Steve at
The War House @ 630 W East Willow Street, In Long Beach, California. (562) 424-3180 Some of you guys may remember the Balboa Game Company from the 70's, and maybe Warlock the Caltech D&D derivative, as well as the Bard's Games publishing company who published Atlantis. These game publishers were all based out of this retail models, games & rpg store here, and
The War House is still in business!
https://thewarhouselongbeach.com/
Also from my days of living in SoCal, I used to regularly visit
Brookhurst Hobbies @ 12188 Brookhurst Street, Garden Grove, CA 92840, Phone: (714) 636-3580. They used to be a model shop, that started selling wargames, and then RPGs. This is a huge store with a deep stock of models and minis, and a mixed selection of older wargames and rpgs often available at a steep discount but not many, mostly a big stock of the newer or latest games... always worth a visit if you are in the area. For a while they were home to
Decision Games, who continued to publish Strategy & tactics magazine, and made board wargames, but
Decision Games moved out to Bakersfield a decade or two back...
http://www.brookhursthobbies.com/
The nearest FLGS to where I live now is
Sci-Fi City in Cincinnati where Koltar works: 9501 Colerain Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45251 (513) 245-9105. I go down here a couple times a year.
http://www.sci-fi-city.com/cincinnati.htm
I'm sure there's a good game shop or two in Dayton, given the huge dual airbase there, Wright/Patterson AFB. But I haven't been to any of those...
...and the next that I know of is
The Soldiery, in Columbus Ohio 4256 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214. 614-267-1957 This is another old Grognards shop that once sold models and minis that has also been selling RPGs and boardgames for quite a while now.
http://www.thesoldiery.com/
Ah! Found the
Game Haven in Dayton. Definitely going to need to check this out soon... 5570 Airway Rd, Riverside, OH 45431 (937) 252-5635
https://www.facebook.com/TheGameHavenOH
Cavalier Comics in Wise, VA.
First FLGS I ever went to. It's where I bought my Yu-Gi-Oh! cards when I was a kid and where Dad bought a copy of D&D 3.5 back in February 2007, which made me the RPG player I am today.
Another good FLGS is The Dragon's Hoard in Staunton, VA. I played a game of Shadowrun 1E there, and it was awesome. They also have the Strange Aeons LARP, a Cthulhu/White Wolf/Multi-Verse hybrid game.
Of course, one's first FLGS often has a special appeal. For me it was a place called Comics Castle, in Edmonton. It closed sometime in the early '90s.
Spent the most time at a place called Frontier Games in Spring, Texas. Good selection of games and always something going on. The owner and his wife became friends which helped the 'home' feeling it gave me.
Another nod for the Dungeon in San Antonio as well.
It wasn't local but Wargames West was pretty awesome when I drove through Albuquerque.
Quote from: chirine ba kal;1038328The Source Comics and Games, here in the Twin Cities.
I was going to say this, but I don't get there but once every 3-5 years. The one I used to LOVE was Dragon's Lair in Omaha on Blondo, my friends and I would drive several hours every third sunday of the month, because they would show 3 hours of fansubbed anime in their back room. What made it great (IMO) was that they had this huge selection of used games, and several shelves of all these weird little RPGs that were so different from anything else you could find in book stores, or in most of the not so shadowy areas of the net.
Then about 5 years the pawn shop next door burned down and took most of the weird little games with it, and they moved. They still have a large selection of the newer stuff, and a lot of used stuff as well, but not so much of the weird little games anymore.
Now, the COOLEST game store I've ever been to was in a college town. the back 2/3rds of the store was devoted to RPGs, board games and sci-fi novels. the front section was dedicated to aquariums and aquarium supplies. The owner sold these things because 2 of the things that college students discover (second to sex and drugs) were RPGs and fish. (fish being the only pet you could have in the dorms. (actually the rule was you could have any pet you wanted in the dorm, so long as you could hold it under water for 10 minutes and it didn't die.))
Quote from: remial;1039120Now, the COOLEST game store I've ever been to was in a college town. the back 2/3rds of the store was devoted to RPGs, board games and sci-fi novels. the front section was dedicated to aquariums and aquarium supplies. The owner sold these things because 2 of the things that college students discover (second to sex and drugs) were RPGs and fish. (fish being the only pet you could have in the dorms. (actually the rule was you could have any pet you wanted in the dorm, so long as you could hold it under water for 10 minutes and it didn't die.))
Now that is just an invitation to the weirdo who figures out how to acquire a pet penguin. :-P
Quote from: finarvyn;1038182A place called GAMES PLUS in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. These guys stock new stuff and an excellent quantity of old stuff -- RPG, minis, dice, board games, and so on. They even carry a lot of obscure RPG books and indie publication books that I've never heard of before.
I've been to Games Plus a few times, definitely an awesome place.
Quote from: jeff37923;1038329Enterprise 1701 in Orlando, FL. It is gone now, but it was just within walking distance from the Navy Training Base (when there still was one in Orlando), and had one of just about everything and model planes and starships hanging from the ceiling.. I remember buying Mekton II there and it helped keep me sane during the first part of nuke training school.
I was going to say this. I only went there a few times (I went to college on the east coast of Central Florida), but it was a neat place.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1038145Which gaming store, past or present, do you think was your absolute best experience of the kind of thing a gaming store should be, and why?
It was called 'Sanctuary' and it no longer exists. It was in business for brief shining time in the late '80s and early '90s in the Cincinnati area suburbs. This was around the time that Tim Kask was publishing "Adventure Gaming" magazine. He used to stop by the store sometimes just to hang out a play stuff.
The two story building it was in used to be a regular suburban house. This means it had its own kitchen and a really nice porch to it out front. There were nice carpeted rooms to game in...
- Ed C.
Quote from: Thornhammer;1039191I've been to Games Plus a few times, definitely an awesome place.
Another vote for Games Plus in Mt. Prospect as my favorite. They have games I thought you could only purchase through individual vendors or print on demand. I could spend all day there perusing games. That's where I bought my Lamentations of the Flame Princess box set.
There are a couple of stores, now closed, that I'll always remember fondly. Crazy Igor's in Rochester, NY. We learned about it from Dragon Magazine and drove the two hours just to see it. It was pre-internet access for gaming, so our selection was based what we could find in local toy or book stores. It was the most variety we'd ever seen at one time. Another would be Jelly's in Aiea, HI. Part record & music store, part new & used book store, part comic book & memorabilia, and part RPG and tabletop gaming. You could find a little bit of everything there. A lot of used RPG variety. Probably from people like me that had to purge the lot of unnecessary weight before leaving the island.
Game Empires in Pasadena was nice but I've been disappointed the last couple of times I've been there. Their RPG selection isn't what it used to be.
Quote from: Tristan;1039117Spent the most time at a place called Frontier Games in Spring, Texas. Good selection of games and always something going on. The owner and his wife became friends which helped the 'home' feeling it gave me.
We've got a whole bunch of games stores here now. Pretty sure Frontier ain't one of them though. :(
Quote from: Koltar;1039295It was called 'Sanctuary' and it no longer exists.
That's funny, because in Edmonton there was a place called Sanctuary, but it was an occult bookstore not an FLGS. BUT, it was owned and opened by the same guy who ran the biggest gaming store in Edmonton, the large but notoriously godawful Warp 1 games (who wrapped every single product and overcharged every single product). He opened it for his girlfriend at the time.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1039537... BUT, it was owned and opened by the same guy who ran the biggest gaming store in Edmonton, the large but notoriously godawful Warp 1 games (who wrapped every single product and overcharged every single product). He opened it for his girlfriend at the time.
And now there's a chain of them! :rolleyes:
Griffin Bookstore, South Bend IN, for its vibe, owners, and nostalgia. Note: The Griffon has one of, if not the longest continually operating game rooms--since approximately 1975/6. It was the Griffon where I was introduced to gaming--both D&D and something called a "Braunstein".
Games and Stuff, Glen Burnie MD, for size and selection.
Blaise
Quote from: RPGPundit;1039537That's funny, because in Edmonton there was a place called Sanctuary, but it was an occult bookstore not an FLGS. BUT, it was owned and opened by the same guy who ran the biggest gaming store in Edmonton, the large but notoriously godawful Warp 1 games (who wrapped every single product and overcharged every single product). He opened it for his girlfriend at the time.
The small irony at the time or joke going around was that the owner named it "Sanctuary" because he was in trouble with the IRS as his previous bookstore that he had owned and managed went bankrupt and closed down.
He was a nice guy tho. Used to see him in the early 2000s at ORIGINS each year. About six months ago he stopped in the store and said Hi to me and chatted for a while.
- Ed C.
CRA not IRS
Quote from: David Johansen;1039738CRA not IRS
I am in the USA - so yeah it would be the IRS......that was the rumor back then.
- Ed C.
The Sentry Box, obviously. 13,000 square feet of display and gaming space. If it's in print in the English language they carry it, along with tens of thousands of out of print items.
Quote from: happyhermit;1039576And now there's a chain of them! :rolleyes:
Well, "warp 2" has been around for ages.
Quote from: Spinachcat;1038163GAME EMPIRE, Pasadena California
http://gameempirepasadena.com
It's professionally run by a highly involved owner who is a gamer and respects his customers (so really active communities for all sorts of games grown there). Easily my favorite store I've encountered.
That's my local game store.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1038145Which gaming store, past or present, do you think was your absolute best experience of the kind of thing a gaming store should be, and why?
I'll second (or third? fourth?) Guardian Games, though it's been...six or so years since I was last there. It was in a pretty inconvenient location, but it had a way bigger selection and friendlier staff than the gaming store that was basically a few blocks down the street from me, and so was worth the 45-60 minute trip.
There was a really great store in Vancouver, I forget what its name was, but it was either on 4th or Broadway. They had a downstairs section that was often full of good-condition older gaming books for half price or less. I once bought a ton of RIFTS books there for maybe $20. It was also where I found the Great Dragon Campaign Book.
I remember growing up in Montreal and going to Capitaine Quebec on the corner of Queen Mary and Decarie Boulevard. It had everything. But it moved down to Ste. Catherine Street and is no longer much of a gaming store at all, if I recall.
Quote from: Heavy Josh;1041032I remember growing up in Montreal and going to Capitaine Quebec on the corner of Queen Mary and Decarie Boulevard. It had everything. But it moved down to Ste. Catherine Street and is no longer much of a gaming store at all, if I recall.
I went there when I was visiting Montreal a couple of years ago. They had one shelf of RPG books. Everything else was other games and toys.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1041704I went there when I was visiting Montreal a couple of years ago. They had one shelf of RPG books. Everything else was other games and toys.
Yeah, I moved back to Montreal, went to the new Capitaine Quebec location, and wept for the end of my childhood. :D
But back in the day, wow, it had everything.
There used to be this shop in Norcross up near Atlanta back when I was a teenager (So like, 20 years agoish). Can't even remember the name of it now. I just remember it was in an old like department store. I think it had previously been a Walmart or K-Mart. It was huge. Rows and Rows of RPG books. I think it ended up closing down, but it was probably the best selection of any place I had ever been.
Quote from: Heavy Josh;1041810Yeah, I moved back to Montreal, went to the new Capitaine Quebec location, and wept for the end of my childhood. :D
But back in the day, wow, it had everything.
Still an impressive shop in other respects. They had a very notable collection of Tarot decks, for example.
Quote from: urbwar;1038152Guardian Games in Portland is fantastic. Better than the stores in NYC by far. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and they run a great Free RPG Day. The Compleat Strategist in NYC didn't do half what Guardian Games does.
Yep, I live in Idaho and I've visited several gaming stores locally, in Seattle, Sacramento and Salt Lake but none of them has matched my sheer awe at Guardian Games.
Related, hoping to get an answer QUICK!
What's the best gaming store in Dallas, if anyone knows? I'll be there this weekend and wanted to pick up some new rpg stuff.
Quote from: Brad;1042672Related, hoping to get an answer QUICK!
What's the best gaming store in Dallas, if anyone knows? I'll be there this weekend and wanted to pick up some new rpg stuff.
This weekend?
The North Texas RPG Con. All the best dealers from around the country will be there, or be represented there...
That would be at the...
Westin Dalls Fort Worth Hotel, 4545 West John Carpenter Freeway, Irving , Texas 75063
The best FLGS I had ever been to was Bridgetown Hobbies. In Portland Oregon. They were full service when it came to gaming.
Sadly I heard they closed down years ago. And I consider that a major loss to the hobby.
Quote from: Darrin Kelley;1042840The best FLGS I had ever been to was Bridgetown Hobbies. In Portland Oregon. They were full service when it came to gaming.
Sadly I heard they closed down years ago. And I consider that a major loss to the hobby.
Oh bummer, I hadn't been there but once or twice since getting married (almost 11 years ago now). I loved their hobby section, and I did find some good deals on used stuff there. In the years before marriage, I mostly frequented Rainy Day Games (I lived not to far from them).
Frank
There is no gaming store here in Montevideo. There was one in Buenos Aires, I have no idea if it's still around.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1038145Which gaming store, past or present, do you think was your absolute best experience of the kind of thing a gaming store should be, and why?
"Abordage" in Sofia in my case:).
Because they offer a selection of teas, craft beer, and mead. That makes the place suitable for playing in a broad selection of settings;).
Quote from: RPGPundit;1043318There is no gaming store here in Montevideo. There was one in Buenos Aires, I have no idea if it's still around.
You could always start one while you are living there....
- Ed C.
Gods & Monsters, right here in good ol' Orlando, FL.
Quote from: Koltar;1043578You could always start one while you are living there....
- Ed C.
I wouldn't suggest starting a small business in Uruguay to my worst enemy.