| Cowboy | 08 Feb 2010 7:42 a.m. PST |
Hello All, I will be visiting New York City for a quick visit with my family in Feb. and was wondering if anyone can recommend one or two good Hobby stores to visit (we play Warzone and are primarily interested in Sci-Fi wargames if that helps)…
Thanks and Regards,
Cowboy |
| nycjadie | 08 Feb 2010 8:05 a.m. PST |
Definitely hit the Compleat Strategist on E 33rd Street near 5th Ave. Sounds right up your alley. Best,
Steve
Cavalcade Wargames
cavalcadewargames.com |
combatpainter  | 08 Feb 2010 8:11 a.m. PST |
Sad to say that there are no stores really worth mentioning and that the CS is a disappointment. Surprising considering that it is NEW YORK CITY capiatal of the world. If you go out to the Island visit the Warstore. There you ae talking a hobby store. |
| Who asked this joker | 08 Feb 2010 8:16 a.m. PST |
I'll second Compleat Strategist. Pretty heavy into main stream miniatures as well as board games and RPG games. I have not been to the one in NYC but we have one here in Fall Church VA. |
| Caesar | 08 Feb 2010 10:40 a.m. PST |
I used to go to the Compleat Strategist a lot. It was crammed tight with stuff! I was going to suggest Neutral Ground, but just found out that it closed a while ago! |
| Pierce Inverarity | 08 Feb 2010 11:58 a.m. PST |
I agree with CP on CS. It's just another mainstream store with a narrow range of stuff. A few weeks ago I read a very interesting blog post by a store owner in the SF Bay Area. He said that while you'd think gaming stores prosper in affluent cities, they actually don't. Affluent city dwellers work too hard to have a time-consuming hobby and/or buy Jaguars and Hugo Boss suits rather than minis. And it's true, there's just one store in all of SF city (as opposed to the Bay Area), and it's just as mainstream as CS. |
| pigbear | 08 Feb 2010 1:01 p.m. PST |
Sorry to hear that CS is now considered mainstream. I haven't been there in years so I can't say much about it now, but I remember long ago (20 or 30 years ago) when they they seemed to have everything and I knew of no other place like it. Lots of rules (really old school, maybe one step above being typed up and xeroxed), boardgames (AH, SPI, etc.), miniatures, role playing games, dice, etc. Over the years I spent many hours perusing the shelves. Used to be a good place to buy Military Modeling, Strategy & Tactics, Fire & Movement, or the Courier. Oh, the nostalgia! And, oh, does this make me feel old! |
| dvilbnny | 08 Feb 2010 2:08 p.m. PST |
The CS is still good for many things. Contrary to Pierce, I live right in Manhattan, game every weekend and have a painting table with storage. Storage is the main issue, not economics. If you live in an 800sq ft space, where do you stack those Great War miniatures you just bought? Luckily, I have the storage, many don't. Hence, Clubs like ours in Brooklyn (www.nycwargames.com) are the best to go to. If you're looking to shop, hit the CS- they have discounted boardgames, carry S&T plus Fire and Movement, paints etc. It's worth it. After that, walk down Broadway to the Strand Bookstore and get some discounted books. |
| Pierce Inverarity | 08 Feb 2010 2:24 p.m. PST |
dvilbnny: How many non-mainstream gaming clubs in Manhattan? How many full, non-mainstream miniature ranges at the CS? |
| Jeff Ewing | 08 Feb 2010 2:29 p.m. PST |
"And it's true, there's just one store in all of SF city" Is that the one up by Divisadero? I used to love going there: it's at the top of one of SF's many hills, and would often be shrouded in fog, even when the rest of the city was clear. I bought a bunch of Cthulhu stuff there…they had a great $1.00 USD tin bin too. Sigh. |
| nycjadie | 08 Feb 2010 3:50 p.m. PST |
I'm not sure what a mainstream gaming store is. The Compleat Strategist carries all the RPG games, a near full selection of Osprey titles, a good selection of magazines, etc. Mini-wise they carry what sells – Reaper, GW, Sci-Fi, Wargames Factory, etc. Sure, I've been to a few shops in the U.S. that have a wider selection of miniatures, but they're still pretty good. That being said, they don't carry any miniature lines that I purchase because I have esoteric tastes. Empress Zulu? Perry Choson? I'd be the only buyer! |
 Parzival  | 08 Feb 2010 5:00 p.m. PST |
I was just in The Compleat Strategist last Monday. I wouldn't call it "mainstream," though their focus is more on boardgames and RPGs than miniatures. They are crammed almost to the ceiling with wargames and Eurogames of all descriptions. The main problem I noticed was that it was hard to make sense of it all so as to focus on any one game! I also saw multiple copies of games I knew to be OOP, so you might stumble upon an unexpected treasure. The miniature supply appeared to be a mix of Reaper & GW, more SF & F than historical, but I didn't look that closely as I was seeking 10mm instead of the larger scales, and they didn't have any of that. Worth a stop, in any case. |
| pigbear | 08 Feb 2010 6:12 p.m. PST |
Back in the day they had a large selection of historical miniatures, but I think at some point in the late 80s they moved all or most of that stuff to the store on 57th St, which later closed. |
| Cincinnatus | 08 Feb 2010 6:21 p.m. PST |
So people in big cities have no hobbies? I guess they don't read books or watch TV either as those activities can really be time sinks. I think I'm going to call BS on the blog posting. At least in the reasoning behind it. |
| Cowboy | 09 Feb 2010 7:55 a.m. PST |
Thanks for all the responses!
It looks like the first order of the day will be a snowball fight in Central Park (followed by hot chocolate)!! Rgds, Cowboy |
