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Sorry as a former Raleigh citizen I have to call you out on this BS. You have Game Theory, Gamers Armory and All Fun and Games three very decent game stores in the area.

If you don't limit yourself to a 20 minute drive time (which is a pretty short drive time BTW) you have Atomic Empire in Durham which is awesome! Huge selection and huge gaming area.

The GW store is nice too but there is no room to play and last time I was there (a year ago) they rarely let people play. Raleigh is a mecca of gaming compared to most of the rest of the country.

We wrote:
Sorry as a former Raleigh citizen I have to call you out on this BS. You have Game Theory, Gamers Armory and All Fun and Games three very decent game stores in the area.

If you don't limit yourself to a 20 minute drive time (which is a pretty short drive time BTW) you have Atomic Empire in Durham which is awesome! Huge selection and huge gaming area.

Gamer's Armory isn't near me, nor is All Fun and Games.

I live closer to RDU Airport than I do downtown or to Cary.

And it is worth noting that I specifically stated THE CLOSEST independent to me is the one I have issues with, and that independent is GT. I don't like specifically calling out stores, hence why I made a point of saying "one of the independents" rather than "all the independents" or any such nonsense.

The GW store is nice too but there is no room to play and last time I was there (a year ago) they rarely let people play.Raleigh is a mecca of gaming compared to most of the rest of the country.

And I'm calling bull on you right now.

I've been playing there constantly, with no issues ever of the store "rarely letting people play".

Also, it's about the same amount of ease to get games at AE or GA or AFG. It involves using either the store's forums or the local Facebook pages, and I can arrange games through the latter avenue at the local GW as well.

Interesting topic. I'll add my experience because I feel it's fairly rare.

So I live north of fabulous Milwaukee WI, USA. For those of you in other parts of the world, find Chicago on a Map and look 75 miles (120 km) north; welcome to Wisconsin. Milwaukee is a mid sized city with a metro area population of around a million.

We have very few hobby store shops in the area, most of them on the southwest side of the city. It's not where the super rich neighborhoods are, but they're nice. We have a GW about an hour from where I live and the nearest FLGSs are either an equal distance away or only slightly closer.

Of the 3 stores in the market, one sells so few table games it's almost not even worth mentioning, but it IS a really nice store. Clean, neat and the gal that works the counter during the day is super nice. It's mostly a mtg community though.

The other two shops are very close together, with the independent retailer actually in a transition between their old, ratty facility and a hopefully nicer, newer one. The owner is personable and a great guy but the community is so fragmented between game systems its tough to get a pickup game, even for the most popular things like 40k. Stock is also generally very limited, and while they'll order anything, it is really nice to buy something you need right off the shelf.

Lastly we have our GW, Which I honestly cannot knock at all. The manager is engaging, a genuinely nice guy and knows how to ask for a sale but not slam you with it. He makes a legit effort to remember what I play and help find exciting additions to my force. For my situation, the 1 man model works, at least in my opinion. Just like a bank or other business, you learn the hours and you go there when they're open.

I go to the store maybe twice a year due to distance and available income and I'm often the only one in it. I've been in at prime time and there are always a healthy amount of games going on, and the store consistently has exactly what I want in stock (granted I play marines, but I've never even seen a vindicator at the other stores). Oddly enough, for our one situation here in Wisconsin, it somehow works.

Believe me I get that it is not all rosy everywhere else, but I thought it might be a great counterpoint to some of the negative experiences here. Obviously something needs to change if it's only working for the one guy in Wisconsin.

My 2 credits.

FM Argos

We know Milwaukee! We've seen Happy Days and Wayne's World!

 Vermis wrote:
We know Milwaukee! We've seen Happy Days and Wayne's World!

Figured the UK folks might know, just making sure. Come see us, we have pseudo German culture!

Forgemaster Argos wrote:

 Vermis wrote:
We know Milwaukee! We've seen Happy Days and Wayne's World!

Figured the UK folks might know, just making sure. Come see us, we have pseudo German culture!

Along with the coldest weather of anywhere in the lower 48 and a spot on Forbes "10 Most dangerous cities in America" list. I think I'll pass.