Sanctuary Games — Attraction in Mesa

What a great store filled with amazing, helpful people. Please note that I said "people" and not "employees". Don't get me wrong though; the employees (John and the Amazing Greeter Guy) were OUTSTANDING at their job, but the other patrons and customers really nailed home the spirit of cooperative gaming.

I brought my wife here on her birthday as a way to shed all the yucky adult things that had to do that day. Truth be told I do not know if it was fate or happenstance that landed us here as I discovered The Gaming Goat while searching Google Maps for a way around the two hour drive across the Great Phoenix Wastes (otherwise known as the 202 to I-10). In all honesty I don't care either. We landed in an oasis of games with a bunch of gaming wizards and wise men.

Within 30 seconds of crossing the threshold into The Gaming Goat we were greeted and asked if we had been in the store before. I replied that we had not and The Amazing Greeter Guy (sorry bud, I didn't catch your name) went into a high overview of how the store and products were arranged, what stickers to look for, and what the facility offered. "Most games can be opened up and gone through and we also have quite a few open boxes that can be play tested" or something like that.

Pump the brakes there buck-o. You mean I can look INSIDE the box to see if my kid (or someone else's kid) will eat a game piece because it looks tasty and small? THAT IS AWESOME. It isn't like the Affordable Care Act; you don't have to buy it to see what's inside!

So, we homeschool. Insert whatever reason here; go ahead and pick something that fits your prerogative. We asked about learning and educational games only to have game after game brought to us at a table and explained to us. The employees, and other patrons and parents, listened to our thoughts and feedback, responded and went to find other games.

And then I saw it. The great behemoth. A game so large, both in physical size and in playable scope, that it is unsafe to place on a shelf. Gloomhaven. When I had last looked into buying this game it was probably Christmas of 2018 and on Amazon it was anywhere from $199 to $259. The Gaming Goat had it, unopened and in stock, for $99.00. And now I have it too.

My wife and I love playing games. Our kids love playing games. A few of our friends love playing games. The variety available here at The Gaming Goat runs the gamut quite thoroughly. Like card games? They have them. Like traditional board games? They have some. Like going in to a mysterious haunted house only to find out that one of your close friends may indeed have lured you there to kill you and everyone else? They have it. Like sitting behind a DM screen and watching your friends try to negotiate with a troll while constantly rolling a d20 but getting a critical fail? The Gaming Goat has that too. That and more.

We spent nearly $500. And we could probably do that twice more if we didn't have to be adults and control ourselves.

John, Amazing Greeter Guy, and other patrons: thank you all. You made an otherwise icky day into something great and set us up for many other great days ahead.

I wish I could give you .

Your establishment was super clean. Your employees were knowledgeable and well mannered. Your patrons were friendly. Your inventory was amazing. If only you were on the West...

The BEST gaming store in the valley! I went in with some friends to get an expansion for “Coup” and left with the expansion and two additional games at the suggestion of one of the store’s employees—Ramen Fury! and A Fake Artist Goes To New York. We had intended on having a night of Coup and Bang! shenanigans, but once we started playing Ramen Fury!, the hours just flew by and pretty soon it was time to call it a night. Great recommendation and we’re looking forward to playing Fake Artist once we get a bigger group together.

The store has a room where you can sit down with your friends and sample ANY game they have on the shelf and, if your game of choice is Dungeons & Dragons, you won’t find a better selection of source books and WOTC adventures ANYWHERE else in the valley. Their selection of miniatures is first-class and they also carry a large supply of rare, pre-painted, collectible minis.

The staff is THE FRIENDLIEST in the valley and they are as knowledgeable and articulate as they are happy and charismatic. Great crew and good vibes.

Last but the first thing they’ll let you know when you enter the store, the prices are all clearly marked and they are all on par with Amazon OR LOWER than Amazon prices. Let me say that again:

CHEAPER THAN AMAZONNNNNNN 😱😱😱

What are you waiting for? Stop reading this review and go visit the G.O.A.T....

Is The Gaming Goat a Real GOAT.

Grand opening today and like all good openings, there was crowds, so I'm skipping the hole customer service part. Don't get me wrong attention to the customer seems pretty good. I met the owner of the store the previous week and seemed excited to operate a game store. Bonus, family run shop means it stay pretty local. I heard rumbles of employee unfairness but, after hearing the business model I'm going to take it as a store by store bases. Yes I do include how business treat there employees. The CEO was also there promoting and do a fine job with crowd work and Instagram.

Now let's get to the part about we really want to hear. What is in the store. Well quick way to see it is 80% boardgame or style of and 20% other. From what I was told they'll have a game library to demo games. Cool. They'll support Kickstarter projects and bring them to their store. Besides your main stay boardgames, they'll keep a bigger stock of the games that's sell. Games are given a 30% mark down from retail. This is the store you shop to try games before you purchase and I like that as some board are going up in price. There a lot of games.

Location nice, exit off the the 202 and Dobson. So easy in and out shopping. Beyond that it's a nice shop and will do a follow up to see...