Frontline Games — Local services in Clarksville

EDIT: Learned of a $5 minimum to use debit or credit card. Keep that in mind if you come here.

Frontline Games is an interesting experience. I would love to give this place a five-star review, but sadly it has a few small flaws that hold it from that rating. Should these issues ever be solved, then this place could easily become a 5/5 store.

Firstly, the pros. The store is very large. I've only been to a handful of gaming stores as big or bigger than Frontline. The bulk of the property holds the store's substantial single card collection. Of course, its size gives plenty of room for stock in multiple CCGs, TCGs, and miniature games. There's a lot to take in here.

Secondly, the play environment is inviting enough. Every time I've come to Frontline, the play environment is welcoming and fresh.

Third, the employees. While some can come off as rushy or dismissive, most of the staff is wonderful to deal with. They are generally polite, kind, and patient as long as you are polite, kind, and patient.

Next, the cons.

The biggest con with this place is how you buy single cards. I like the idea behind the system. You go into a side room with a few computers. You can look up cards you want and, if they have it, add it to a cart. Once your order is made, they give you a buzzer. When it begins to buzz, your order is ready for pickup. This is a great system that, depending on why you're there, can save you a ton of time and hassle. At the same time, its got some issues.

The system used to place your order is a bit clunky. Once you figure it out, it's rather nice, but I have never found a way to check and edit your cart.

I also have an issue with paying for your cards before you get to see them. Most other gaming stores allow you to inspect the cards they give you before you buy, letting you make a more informed decision on the card's condition. While Frontline does provide a way to differentiate between Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, and Damages cards, it's not always accurate. Every time I've been in there to buy singles, I always have an issue.

One time I ordered a foil promo version of a card in Near Mint condition, but all they had in the back was a non-foil version of the card. The version I ordered was 8 bucks more than the version they had. While I was allowed to get a refund for the 8 bucks, I still had to ask for it. They never suggested that I could do that. On top of that, the card was damaged, not moderately played like it was labeled. Similar situations have occurred at this store multiple times with me. Every time, they have to refund me for the damaged product, and every time I have to wait up to a week for a refund. While the wait time isn't Frontline's fault, my request for a refund on the card is always treated as a major affair. I feel like if I was allowed to inspect my cards before I paid, this type of situation could be easily avoided.

Secondly, the price of singles is wildly inconsistent. A card can be substantially higher than TCGPlayer market, while a rarer promo version of that card can be wildly below its own TCGPlayer market price. It's just odd to see this, especially when other gaming stores tend to look up the price of the card as you buy it, which can often be quicker than Frontline games.

I want to give Frontline five stars, but the issues with the single card purchasing system is too great to be ignored. It wouldn't take much to improve the system. Improve the system, and a five-star rating would be...

The best place to play games and hang out within at least 260 miles. Randy is the owner, and I consider the man a friend, and I expect most of his customers would say the same.

FLG is not quite a hobby shop, or a game cafe, it's primarily a card shop. However, Randy has a great vision for this place, and it's come together great over the last few years. Frontline was clearly built with the goal of being the Magic shop in the state, just to start. He's built it into so much more by embracing the simply amazing gaming community in Clarksville. What he's built is a great place for people to spend the day.

He has tons of demos, events at least once a day, great space, tons of board games, every card game you can imagine, a great place for wargames and a great selection of books, figures and supplies. Then, he offers free WiFi and a half-dozen private play rooms to spend the day with your friends, and he includes the room if you order from his menu of actual hot food that they bring to you. There is really no reason to leave until close. I don't even play Magic, and I was there at least 4 nights a week, because there was always something to play, or someone to talk to.

I recently left the area, and there are probably 5 or more shops near me now, and while some may offer a larger selection, or lower prices, none of them offer the clean, inviting, open space, ease of access, sense of community, real food options, and great hours, as Frontline... I have yet to find a store here in my new town that is open late enough for me to visit after work. How frustrating is that? Most people that play hobby games are adults with jobs -- if you're closing your store at 7pm how are we supposed to sit down and game? Randy understood that, Frontline was open 10pm or later most nights!

I don't know if I'll ever find a game community like Clarksville had, I do know that I'll probably never find a shop as well rounded as Frontline.

Finally, Randy is gamer, but he's still a businessman. What's more, is that as far as I could tell, he was an honest and legitimate one. He knew what he could and could not offer, and was always a straight shooter in regards to running his business, and the value of the product he buys, sells, and trades. Honestly, that means some people might have felt like buying online was a better option, but Randy is devout about not being the 5th or 6th shop to open in close in Clarksville in the past decade. And believe me, I'd been to most of those shops, and most of them felt like they were going under from the day they opened. Not Frontline.

From Frontline Games' panini press to the Frontline Games podcast, the man has a vision for the FLG brand, and you get what you pay for here. It's not just a web shop, it's not just a storefront, it's a great place to spend your time and money, and that is why I proudly wear my Frontline game shirt to GenCon every year, and whenever I pass though Clarksville, I stop in for a pack of Pokemon cards and Frontline Medic...

I recently decided to get into the game of magic the gathering, and from what I read online the first step into competitive magic is attending a friday night magic. So I searched the gatherer and this store just so happened to be the closest store (it is about a 45 min drive).

When I first walked into the store, the most noticeable thing was how friendly all of the players were. Just from scanning across the room everyone was either deep into a game of magic or getting their decks prepared for the FNM. The layout of the store is pretty straight forward with the tables to play magic being in the exact center of the store. Since I was not sure what to do attending my first FNM, I asked one of the workers behind the counter (I think he was the judge for the event) and told him it was my first FNM. He was very friendly and asked if I had a deck which I did (I was playing a Mono-Green pummler list I found on Tolarian Comunity College) and he told me what time it started and I was able to walk around and watch other games of Magic being played before the tournament began.

When the tournament did begin, the person I played with was friendly even when he was completly destroying me. After each game almost every single player gave me pointers on how I could improve my strategy and my deck. It wasn't until midway through the tournament that I noticed the owner sonce one of the employees asked him a question. The owner (I cannot remember his name) looked just like another one of the players because of the way he was talking with them. Everyone seemed friendly and comfortable around him which is a great quality for a LGS owner to have. After the tournament (I went 1-4) they released prizes. Prize distribution seems very fair, everyone gets a minimum of one pack and you get more based on the wins you get. Overall my initial experience was a plesant one.

Since then I have been back for a total of 4 FNMs and I think I will continue going here for the foreseeable future. Everyone here is super friendly, and even when some of the spikes get angry when they lose, everyone tends to laugh it off. There is a good ratio of age here too, some matches I might play someone who is in tge 10-12 range and other times I will play someone who appears to be in their 40s. The average ages seems to be around the 20s, but the store has a very family friendly feeling to it. The only complaint that I have against the store is how late the FNMs can go. Many times this is because of when it starts and how rounds tend to go overtime or people do not turn in their match slips in a timely fashion. The time issue wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that I live about 45 mins away and I sometimes wont be getting home until 1:30 on some nights.

Overall this is a wonderful LGS and everyone who works their is super friendly. I would (and do) recommend this store to anyone who wants to...