GameKnight Games — Attraction in Winnipeg

Best game store in town that i have seen!

some points at a glance!:

Pros: -ample selection of paints, Miniatures, and Games/game books and other hobby related supplies -Tables that can be booked for play -friendly staff -Active discord server with friendly moderation -well structured website with aforementioned discord for any questions -well divided sections of store, if your looking for games it would be in the game section, RPG handbooks in that section, Mini's in the mini room, ect~ -amazing murals and paintings, as well as artwork decorating the building -i really like the lil bench outside the front window where you can get away from the sounds of the building when starting to get overstimulated by sounds of people inside (provided its not sub 0 weather) -snacks! -able to order things that may be out of stock easily (though i have yet to make use of this feature, will do so in future) -a place to lock up a bike

Cons: -limited space in building simply due to the size of structure, lends to a somewhat cramped feeling in some isles that only allow 1 person at a time down them. -aside from leaving building there are limited areas to escape sounds from if overstimulated -bike lockup is rather limited and unfortunately can only lock up 1 or two bikes before becoming full -unless specifically ordered, things that are not common buys will not get restocked quickly

Opinion:

all and all a very friendly place, i have yet to have a bad experience in store other then simply being to shy or overstimulated by sounds and sights to actually ask about ordering some things i might be looking for at the time.

Personally i super appreciate that they extended their mask requirement beyond the required mandates (though it is no longer a requirement at this time, i will still mask up myself), especially with how tight some of the isles can be, kudos to them for looking out for staff and customers.

all and all, i will be returning when i can, and like their selection, prices, and overall feel of the building, its very homey if small, and they definitely are the best place for minis i have...

I think I can best explain my disappointing experience by sharing two separate instances several years apart at this very store.

The first was several years ago. I had 0 experience with MtG, but I liked dragons. Helpful staff were able to direct me on what kind of deck I should try building (ramp + some elves), suggested dragons, they were even willing to look up dragons for me and explain how the game worked. They had their collections in binders and we kind of watched as the guy flipped through to see if anything caught our eye. It really got me into the game and was a positive experience overall.

The second was just this past Monday. I went in looking for Flesh and Blood Cards. Once again, 0 experience with the game, but it was suggested to me and I wanted to summon dragons. (Yes, they are my thing.)

"Do you guys have dragons for Flesh and Blood?" "Sorry, you're going to have to give me a name."

"Do you guys have singles I can look at?" "They're in a box."

"Well then how do we look at your guys' collection?" "Oh, the best way to do that is online."

My husband had a similarly unimpressive experience with them when I wasn't around. Just a complete lack of engagement or interest from the staff at the card desk, like we somehow stumbled upon a game they either hated or found annoying.

I normally wouldn't be so harsh about it, as we are talking about a relatively new TCG here... but we had a much more positive experience just before that at a different game store. We went to Game Knight assuming they would have a better collection and to have a look at their board games. We only really get to come down 2x year and we usually make time to visit the store and have a look around, so to just get a referral to the store online this time was very disappointing. If we wanted to shop online, we would have shopped online. So we ended up leaving without...

A store with good stock, but I have had bad unfriendly experiences with the events they hold. For example:

Being a new Magic: The Gathering player I was interested in one of their commander nights, so I signed up and pre-paid online. I arrived at the designated time 10 minutes early and simply waited around for it to start as everyone else seemed to be doing at the tables. When the event started I wasn't listed as a part of it.

I approached the counter and asked why I wasn't part of the event even though I had signed up and paid for my ticket. They said they didn't have any more spots, so I asked if they sell more tickets than they could fulfill and they said no, but they do sell spots to other people before the event if they don't think a ticket holder is going to show up. They said there was nothing they could do but give me my $5 back.

So while I was excited to try out this event and waiting for it to start they sold my spot to someone else before it even started, after checking their site again there is no mention anywhere of required "check-in" before it starts. This is very disappointing and very unfriendly to new players who are excited to play and don't know how these events normally work. I spoke to TWO other people at their events who were also either new to the game or just moved to the city who had also had their pre-purchased spot sold out from under them. It makes me as a customer feel like they only care about their regulars and not any new participants.

Moreover, the other stores in the city don't do events like this and if you buy a ticket there you're simply guaranteed to be in the event. Go to other game...