TGG readers already know if I stumble across a comic shop or gaming store during my travels, and I have some time before hitting the airport, I’ll pop in to check it out. While my time on the road has come to an end, my interest in learning more about cool stores dotting the country lives on. Folks may recall when I lived Mesa, AZ I was less than impressed by all but one store in the Valley (Imperial Outpost in Glendale) due to a variety of reasons which I won’t rehash here – listen to some of the first podcasts to learn more – yet I’m sure there are plenty of hidden gems out there demanding attention of which I’m not aware.
Now that I’ve relocated to Yorkville, IL what better way to spend part of my first Saturday in Chicago’s Western Suburbs than stopping by The Wandering Dragon Game Shoppe, located in downtown Plainfield? The store came recommended by Elliott Miller (VoiceofE) as he plays D&D Attack Wing there every other Monday night. Of course, someone regularly playing a game at a local shop doesn’t always make for a ringing endorsement as sometimes customers are saddled with a less than stellar location and experience simply because there’s nowhere else to play. Or, in other words, you sometimes roll with the only game in town…
Taking all of this into account, following a twenty minute ride from my new home, I pulled into the ample parking lot located right near the store and headed on in. I have to say I was impressed right off the bat.
Upon entering The Wandering Dragon I was struck by the coziness and, dare I say, hominess of the shop. Vaulted ceilings and dark grain wood nearly everywhere lead one to think they’ve just stepped into a local bistro, not a table top gaming store. One also instantly notices not only the sheer amount of titles in stock but also the way in which those said games are presented.
I take issue with a great many game shops which, at first glance, look like a cross between the local Goodwill and Filene’s Basement following an annual wedding dress sale; a cyclone could have run through some stores I’ve been to and you wouldn’t have known the difference. Happily this isn’t the case with TWD (that would be The Wandering Dragon and not The Walking Dead…) as everything from RPGs to wargames to Euros to CCGs is logically and smartly displayed. Plus many of my favorite game companies like GMT, AEG, Greenbrier, Ares and more are represented.
Obviously, a well-stocked and impressive looking store is only part of the equation; I’m sure I’m not alone in having found somewhere where I’d love to spend my money on gaming goodness but walked out because I simply didn’t dig the vibe of the place. Most times it’s the staff’s complete disinterest to even acknowledge I’ve walked through the door while on other occasions it may be the strange sense I get of being “The Outsider” who’s stumbled into an oddball private fiefdom. I certainly didn’t get any sort of negative reaction when I visited TWD.
Founder/Editor-in-chief of The Gaming Gang website and host of The Gaming Gang Dispatch and other TGG media, Jeff tackles any and all sorts of games but has a special fondness for strategy, conflict sims, and roleplaying games. Plus, he's certainly never at a loss for an opinion...
