Warhammer — Local services in Fargo

Firstly, if you're getting this as a search suggestion and have no clue what goes on here: It's a hobby shop that sells and supports products for a few specific game systems, including Warhammer (thus the name).

It's a fairly small store (but not the smallest of its chain) which contains a few tables to play the games being sold here or do "hobbying" (assembling and/or painting models).

Because you're paying MSRP on everything here, you may ask yourself why you can't go to another local game store (where it's cheaper) or just buy all of this plastic on Amazon. I'll go ahead and tell you why: The manager, Mike, actually cares about the stuff he's selling, and is great at steering you in the right direction, whether you're brand-new to slapping little plastic guys together or a seasoned veteran. I would be doing a disservice if I didn't suggest that coming in when you have an hour or two is one of the best ways to dip your toes into "what Warhammer is".

On top of that, you can come in on almost any day the store's open and you WILL find someone to play one of the games with, which is huge if you're just getting into the local scene and don't know a lot of people yet. There is always something going on; A "Combat Patrol" league designed to get people into Warhammer 40,000 wrapped up this month and a narrative campaign for Age of Sigmar began right after, people will stop by with crazy custom models, and you've got a lot of decent dining options nearby to take a lunch break if you're doing a longer game or sticking around all day.

This is also the only "official" Warhammer store within 200 miles, so if you're looking for collector's coins, free models, or any of Games Workshop's other weird promotional things that are obviously there to get your foot in the door, this is your only shot.

I know that in other reviews you'll see mention of the hours not being very consistent. A lot of that is due to the person who managed the store before Mike, but I would be lying if I said that I haven't shown up "during business hours" only to find the store closed or had to leave early. Corporate feels that one employee is enough for a store of this size, so if there's something going on, he doesn't have anybody else to hold down the fort. For the most part, however, the worst that will happen on any given day is that the lunch break will run a little long (which is usually because it started late due to a customer coming in right before). I'll repeat that after nearly 6 months of visiting, I've only found the store closed when it's supposed to be open twice. (The worst that will happen is that you get a little disappointed and have some half-decent ice cream next door before going...

Warhammer is an intimidating hobby. Shortly after stumbling across, and finishing, the first Horus Heresy book, I decided I wanted to look into Warhammer 40,000 more. After trying to find out information online and being overwhelmed, my wife and I decided to check to see if there were any stores that sold Warhammer items nearby. Much to our surprise, we found an official store located in Fargo. We were hesitant at first, but I can't express how blown away we were with Mike and his introduction to the hobby for us. He gave us a very brief rundown on everything we'd need, showed us the basics of how to paint (by far our favorite part so far), and helped us choose the right product for a starting point. I also stopped in recently with my young son and Mike was extremely patient while I had to keep breaking off our conversation to tend to him. If you're hesitant about getting into the hobby, or feeling overwhelmed with the amount of information online, you can feel confident in knowing that you're going to be...

(I don't live in the area, just stopping by)

I arrived here at 2:25, and did not realize that's about the time you go to lunch. I left for a while and got back at 3:20 and waited for you to return however it is now 4:00 and you remain absent. I called - and got the answering machine. It is a shame I want to get the Necron, Space Marine, and Orc codexes, and perhaps splurge on some Minis and paint, but you are not here. What gives? - I can't stay. It is a shame; I hope this is not normal practice.

I've come back and same problems. Looks like I'm not alone. Several other groups of people pulling on the door wanting to shop and can't get in. This guy who runs the store needs to get his work...