The Gamers Guild — Local services in Hays

I absolutely cannot say enough wonderful things about The Gamer’s Guild—but I’m certainly going to try!

My partner and I were traveling cross-country last Saturday from Yellowstone National Park back to St. Louis, MO, and we made a point of stopping at an LGS whenever we could along the trip to support local gamers and add a few cards to our magic collection. We found lots of fun and welcoming groups along the way, but it’s difficult to hold a candle to the folks at TGG.

This shop treats you like family the moment you step inside, which we learned after stopping in for “just a couple of packs,” and then being welcomed enthusiastically into their weekly Draft (Kaldheim, and only my second draft ever!) with absolutely no hesitation. This entire group was not only kind and fun to play with, but also endlessly patient with me as I learned my way through drafting all over again.

Over the course of a conversation with the owner(s) we learned that TGG not only functions as a game shop, but has also taken on the mantle of a community center of sorts—supporting locals and passers-through alike with their mission-based Free Store, a wall of trading cards from multiple game formats available to respectful searchers (as in “respect the order, put it back how you found it...” they spend SO MUCH TIME SORTING THESE) for free, 100 cards per person per day, and operating a library of borrowers games in addition to their for-sale stock.

While we were there playing Magic and searching through cards for new treasures, a local youth group came to visit for a while and mussed the TCG collection up a bit, but a gentle redirection from the owner through a discussion with the boys in question about respecting the collection and the store expectations had them sorting the card collection right back out. It was crystal clear that the kids who come to this space value the guidance (one might even go so far as to say mentorship) of the owners and wanted to do right by them—something that warmed my heart to see.

In a world where the gaming community, tabletop and otherwise, can often be a daunting, unfriendly, and even toxic place, it was beyond refreshing and comforting to find ourselves in a shop so clearly built on the solid foundation of mutual respect and kindness. It’s plain to see that the folks at the Gamer’s Guild have the respect of the youth and adults in their community because they have earned and continue to earn it, every single day, through their actions, outreach, and genuine mission to uplift everyone around them.

After spending 10 days in the wilderness appreciating the beauty and wonder of the great outdoors, I was beyond delighted to spend a couple more hours here on the long trek home, appreciating the gift of genuinely good people and meaningful experiences. My only disappointment is that I live several hours away—too far to come back regularly and spend some more time supporting this store, these wonderful people, and their mission in Hays.

We are so grateful we got the chance to say hello, and we can’t wait to find our way back one day. Well met, my...

It was my first time visiting this store and I was very please by what I found. They are accommodating all type of game styles. Card games suck as magic the gather, yugioh and a few others. They also have boardgames of all varieties from simple to epic. The business has made space for tabletop miniature games as well with two dedicated tables as well as store provided to Terrain. Next is their collection of games that can be loaned out for free to play as well as a starting section for those who are either pseudo interested in popular card games or those wanting to play but don't have the money to purchase new cards. Granted these areas are just a collection of Nick knack cards but it's still something that a new player can use to build and get experience with the game as well as keep a small amount of the cards they used. The environment was friendly and inviting. On top of everything else to seems to be a dojo attached to the building as well. I don't know many details about this but it does present a unique visual environment. If I can I will definitely be going back...

I have brought my brother here a few times to play MTG and my son as well. This time I chose to stay and play for Friday Night Magic. I had my daughter with me and they let her sit at the table with us. They paired us up for tournaments and I with a really nice guy and after he won twice (HAHA) we played some more to pass the time until the round was over. He had a nice Green deck! He kept getting triggers to draw cards. :) There were lots of people! Definitely a popular place.

I usually just play at home with my family for fun, it was nice to come out and learn professional tournament chat! Lol really great place and the owner is really nice. They have perks for new customers! I was impressed with their large stacks of cards that one can grab for free, 100 max. They sell all kinds of games, card games and game related trinkets. I bought a chess game and some card sleeves. There is also a free area! Overall really cool place and I will be coming back to play and buy some more stuff! I need a card mat. Lol. Thanks for...