Castle Perilous Games & Books — Local services in Carbondale

I have shopped at "Castle P" a number of times during and after my time at SIU. Like all things in life there are positives and negatives. Highlights would be the incredible selection of board games they have in stock that are very easily displayed and organized, as well as the board game rental system they have. They allow you (for a small fee) to take a game home and play it to see if you like it enough to purchase. This is a really nice service for people apprehensive about dropping $40-$60 on a game your family might not enjoy. You also get to support a local business which is nice.

Unfortunately, there are several "lowlights" as well. First, and most obvious, is the pricing. I justify this under my "support local business" philosophy, but there is no denying you will pay more than if you ordered it from somewhere or even traveled to another game store in the area. Another issue I've had is that I have shopped here many times (70+), played in some of their Magic events (prereleases, FNM's) and I still don't feel particularly welcome. Contrasted to other game stores in the area where I've only been a handful of times and am instantly greeted, or at least said "Hi" to, this seems odd. I'm not a "serious" or "hard-core" gamer, but as a hobby player it feels intimidating at times to come here. I have asked questions about games that they sell and have literally been told to "just Google it" which is a bold move for a store struggling to compete with online retailers and their discount prices.

Overall, if I needed a boardgame on short notice and other stores didn't have it I would check out Castle Perilous. But for all the other services game stores offer I would be hard pressed to justify going back and spending money just to feel like an annoyance to someone. Not when there are many more options in the Carbondale - Marion area where you can go and be treated like they do value your...

As a kid, I would ALWAYS beg my mom to stop by Castle Perilous any time we were in Carbondale. As an adult, I go to Castle Perilous any time I am in Carbondale.

For real, though, I have so many great memories at this place! From coming in with my mom to marvel over all of the Dungeon and Dragons books to coming back as a young adult to play D&D with friends in one of their side-rooms, I will never forget the special place Castle Perilous holds in my heart. The owner, Scott, is an amazing guy, and is one of the reasons I feel I have to blame that I enjoy Table Top RPGs now.

So, basically, I don't REALLY know how to transition into this story in a digestible manner in this review, so it's going to be a bit more of a sudden change. But, my absolute favorite memory regarding Castle P. (and its owner) comes from when I was a kid. My mom and I were both sorta into D&D ('cause we're heckin' nerds) and we (she) ended up dropping WAY too much money on a complete set of 3rd Edition D&D books. While we were finishing our purchase with Scott, I remember looking at the dice and asking my mom for some. Now, I can't exactly remember if she let me get some or not, but I do remember Scott saying something like, "Y'know, it's been a pretty slow day today, and you two are the first big customers I've had all day. As a thanks, I'm gonna throw in these dice as well, which were recently given to us by someone who simply didn't need all of these any more." Scott proceeded to hand us a bag absolutely BURSTING with dice of all types (even one to decide a cardinal direction)! To this day, at least ten years later, I still have these dice, and I hope to keep them for much longer. I can't claim to have all of them, nor have I used them in some time (but hope to do use them again soon). But Scott was an amazingly generous soul for what he did, and I will always be...

This is a great shop. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, there's a wide selection of role playing games, board games, comics as well as miniatures, and a host of collectible card games and painting accessories for the miniatures. There are regular gaming sessions, with all patrons still required to use masks and adhere to social distancing, which include games and activities for almost all ages from kids to fully grown man children like myself. Unlike many comic and game stores they also allow service animals with no hassle and welcome well behaved children, which is a rarity in my experience. I've been shopping here for 15+ years and they always take great care of me and have a friendly hello and wave when I show up. Castle Perilous is a staple of the Carbondale gaming and comic community and I would highly recommend them to anyone and everyone interested in any services/products they offer. They also currently offer free curbside pickup, and they even deliver inside Carbondale city limits for orders, over I think 50 dollars for anyone who doesn't want to/feel comfortable going out to get their comic or gaming fix. They've been around for 30 years, and once you shop there, you'll quickly...