The Compleat Strategist — Local services in New York

A dying breed all over the country but especially in New York City, even more especially in midtown, but TCS storms on! This place reminds me of one of those quirky neighborhood store fronts you'd see highlighted one of those shows on local public access, but instead of it being in Brooklyn or Queens, it's a half block from the Empire State Building. The aisles are narrow and the shelves are ridiculously high, but they have it all. The staff is very knowledgeable about all aspects of gaming, and the variety is overwhelming. This is a gamers paradise, assuming you like the tactile feel of tokens, dice, or cards over a game controller. The have plenty of rpg and table top war games, including modeling tools and miniature paints. They also have chess sets and poker chips. They even have the guidebooks for historic military armies, which are much more popular in Europe and hard to find here in the States. I've been coming here for over 25 years, since I first moved to the city, and I still get a rush when I walk through the door (and for a while I worked just a block and a half away, so I was coming a few times a week.) You'll see a mix of locals and tourists, but you're both there for the same reason: the joy of friendly competition. If you are a non-video game player, I can't recommend this store enough. And if you're part of a family that is looking for something new for game night, or maybe you're trying to start a family game night, this is the...

Wow... The guy in the shop clearly hates English people. He served an American just before me and went out of his way to help him. I asked if they had "Dungeon Raiders" as I couldn't find it after like 20 minutes of searching their clearly unorganised store. He asked if i knew who made it, which at the time I didnt and I didnt wanna google it (I previously used mobile data on my phone for like 30 seconds that day and got an text from my provider saying you have currently spent £30 on data today!) so i didnt wanna spend more just finding the publisher etc. He's like "well thats not much to go on". So i was its a card game" and he was like "but there's dungeon this and dungeon that and dungeon this and dungeon that so i cant really help you find it" and that was it. Why he was going on about all these different dungeon games i had no idea. Its not like I went in and said "there's a game I'm after called dungeon something or maybe something dungeon". I gave him the actual name of the game. He didnt even have the intelligence to do a quick 10 second google to find the publisher/maker. Also I cant believe he couldnt just do a search on his computer for "Dungeon Raiders". You cant tell me all those hundreds of games arent on some kind of computer system. Super unhelpful, didnt even bother asking about the other games I wanted. Plus the whole store stinks of weed. Whoever was playing games out the back was stinking the...

This tightly-packed gaming store is a must-visit for out of town gamers, local hobbyists, and even those with a passing interest in traditional games. Its well-curated selection of traditional board games, pen and paper RPG's, miniature wargaming, and a small selection trading card games will keep you occupied for a good while (walk through the store slowly and read/peruse the HUGE selection). Many of these games would only be available online, so I've found it a huge advantage to take a rule book out and really look at the system to see if it's something you'd enjoy before committing to a purchase.

Weekly events are a draw to New York's gaming community, and while some of those that attend can be a bit rough around the edges - I've always felt they are generally friendly and less pretentious than the parallel Games Workshop events. Not only are they rarely planned around simply selling products, but the "come in and peruse" attitude is a refreshing change from game stores that seem to treat non-regulars with hostility.

Lastly, the owners (I believe they are the owners) are friendly and helpful. On several occasions I've witnessed them try to track a game down, make a selection, and just make casual conversation with those in the store. I'm not sure if this is typical, but it has been...