Top 10 Signs of a Good Game Store Live at Dice Tower West

[@AJ-nc4vr]

It's GREAT to have Sam back on a top ten. The original trio truly are something special.

[@nunorebelo1246]

Sometimes i go back and rewatch the live top tens with these trio. After so many years are still the best😊

[@jaykarhunen6568]

you can't substitute the chemistry of 3 friends, and the banter that only close friends have.

[@danielmorton7577]

Holy cow, this video affirms all the work I've done in the last 2 months for my store. I've been setting up a board game club membership program to help plant the seeds of community among our local board game players and I'm so excited to get it going!

[@NileSings]

I hope your store is a smashing success!

[@AuthorDiCristofano]

Good luck!

[@john-qz3fu]

That's awesome!

[@jameslebar9401]

Amazing and GOOD LUCK !!

[@hucz]

ok

[@knightwatchgames]

It was the Dice Tower Top 10 things of a Good Game Store that gave use essential guidelines to become the successful store that is Knight Watch Games. Thanks for the input!

[@TapCat]

I just checked out your website and watched the video where you give a tour of the store. It looks phenomenal and I would love to visit if I ever get to San Antonio!

[@Mr_Mooo]

Sam, dropping in like he never left.

[@searose6192]

I think I have mentioned this before in the comments, but the only two local hobby games stores near me are both unfortunately not anywhere I would shop. The first one I went in was dark and I don't know how else to say this ...foul smelling. It hit me like a brick wall when I walked it. The air was so heavy with the odor of unwashed bodies that I could actually taste it. I tried my best to tough it out since I was looking for a gift and it looked like they had a lot of games. The staff was friendly and helpful, but also clearly gobsmacked to see a woman with children in their store. They also didn't know what I meant when I asked for solo games or games with a solo mode. My kids and I ended up wandering toward the back of the store looking for some fresher air and we wandered into a huge, very dark arcade with a few VERY scary people who leered at us. We left promptly after that and have never been back. The second and only other local game store is about 1/2 hour away. We drove up to see it and it is in a highly gentrified pricey area of the nearby small city. I was excited as I walked up, it had a beautiful and appealing display and when we went inside it was clean, fresh and well lit. There were nice gaming tables set out in the front and lots of games I would be interested in browsing through. Unfortunately, that is where the good part ended. I asked the staff if they had any suggestions for family weight games and the very slick hipstery guy practically snorted before turning to another guy and girl that worked there who they then rudely agreed with each other that they didn't have anything for me and my kids before he turned back and said "we don't carry that kind of game....sorry" with a really condescending tone. I could clearly see games on the shelf that I considered family weight so I tried again and asked if they had a particular game in (I can't remember what it was, Karuba maybe) and they said no. I asked if they had any gaming nights and they said yes and told me to check their website. That was about all the unfriendliness I could handle so I thanked them and the two men didn't even acknowledge we were leaving and the girl said mm-hum and started spraying down the glass case near where we had been standing with windex. To be clear my kids and I hadn't even been within arms reach of that case and my kids had just stood quietly next to me while I asked questions. It was an awful experience and frankly left a worse taste in my mouth than the first game store. Sadly those are the only two options near me. I wish we had a FLGS....but we don't. Luckily the local toy stores usually have a decent selection of hobby games.....and there is online and target. Pretty sad though, I would love to join a boardgaming community near me and shop from a locally owned business rather than Amazon.

[@jamisonmunn9215]

Sadly this is the reality for most of us. I wish there was a happy medium. There almost needs to be a reimagining of the FLGS. Maybe its not even a store at all. For example older neighborhoods built in the 1960s and 1970s rarely had a community pool, now most newer neighborhoods have them. Maybe there could be a traveling game club that goes to the certain neighborhoods each day of the week and its really just a club. Business models are made to be changed and broken.

[@KrastyoKrastev]

I was crying out loud watching this. I love the atmosphere those three are creating. Love to see Sam here. I really miss him!

[@edgarmartinez2710]

Great to see Sam back. Missed the trio's reviewing together.

[@scottsnelling5610]

When Zee was talking about staff helping, and that the customer shouldn't have to feel like they're interrupting, I remembered a store I used to frequent - and while the owner was often playing games, he always was engaging anyone who entered the store, and came across as excited/happy to take a break to help. So you didn't feel like they were annoyed by you.

[@residentevilryan]

I had something like Tom's 5 at 40:50. went to a store to literally walk in, grab a $50 game(they had it. i could see from the window) off the shelf, pay, and leave. There was a group of people in there playing magic or something. It was even still within the hours of operations I could find online. I open the door and one guy looks up and says "we're closed." They didn't last a year.

[@gunnfjodur]

SAM! That was a pleasant surprise. Great to see you back at the table. 😄

[@Bllurr1]

Always a treat to get Sam back. The rapport between these three is always top-notch.

[@john5804]

Welcome back Sam! We all miss you!!

[@Skarpo89]

So lovely to see Sam again in a top 10! You're missed here ^^

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

55:57 - I nominated this here for one of the funniest moments of 2022. You RULE, Sam! Wait! I believe this trumped it! 58:05 🤣🤣🤣

[@jimmymorgan9543]

My biggest problem near me is they are all MTG/Warhammer shops with maybe a corner that sells Catan and Munchkin. The one closest to me recently sold their entire board game stock and went full MTG/CCG

[@BG_StuartJ]

Regarding Zee’s #1, during the height of Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop a local store had a “Played on Tabletop” shelf right at the front.

[@Mr_Mooo]

'The Wheaton effect', that was huge for stores but also one of the reasons for the demise of the series.

[@JamesD2957]

@@Mr_Mooo how?

[@otiza]

Great to see Knight Watch Games get a shout out. It's an amazing store with amazing people.

[@knightwatchgames]

Thanks Paul! We're super stoked to be mentioned. The first Top 10 video was inspiration to the formation of KWG years ago. This feels like karma!

[@nickbutler7207]

Sam inspired me to check out Knight Watch Games, and even by their website, they're impressive. I can see why Sam spoke so highly of them.

[@knightwatchgames]

We'd love to have you visit!

[@tenplayreviews4702]

We have a knight watch games here in San Antonio. It’s the best.

[@thediceodyssey4690]

So good to see my boy Sam back on a list! Been wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too long brother. Love ya and awesome video! The you need Jesus line killed me.

[@metalblizzard6024]

Clean, friendly, and safe environment. Those are my essentials. I was a kid when I started going to an LGS and everyone was so great and the owner literally changed my life by being another adult figure that I respected who showed me respect despite being 13.

[@john-qz3fu]

What makes an environment safe?

[@kenmartin5009]

@@john-qz3fu no crime obviously 🙄 including but not limited to... drugs, violence, theft, you know the things that make any community or space unsafe. Lol.

[@john-qz3fu]

@@kenmartin5009 ok its not obvious in todays society. I didn't know what you meant. Security in house? In my work place a safe space has nothing to do with the potential threat of physical harm.

[@brian1026]

Knight watch games is my favorite store! Glad to see them get the shoutout.

[@knightwatchgames]

This makes our heart pound!

[@jonathansinton3880]

Excellent ensemble cast, offstage most definitely included!

[@MrShooter72]

CLASSIC Dice Tower!!

[@VanessaG1229]

I haven't laughed this hard at a Top Ten in a while. So happy Sam was able to join you. I've missed his poop jokes. ;)

[@danielwoltanski1413]

Always great to see Sam back on the Dice Tower! Such a fun dynamic between the three of you!

[@joshuadewaal]

This reminded me of a store that had a sign asking people to shower before coming to the store.

[@Hasmanian]

When I worked at Radio Shack we knew our stuff. People came in to ask us technical questions and then went to the big box stores to save $5.

[@benco804]

I like how on your guys vacation for a board game convention you guys decided to go to 4 different game stores! Lol I love it!

[@coltsfan5555]

The first game store I went to when I was getting into the hobby, we asked the employee working what would be a good 2 player game for someone new to the hobby. He suggested The Fox in the Forest. It was a fantastic suggestion and as long as I lived in that area, I went back time and time again because he didn’t try to push Gloomhaven or Arkham Horror or something like that on us the first time in. Nope, here’s an easy game that costs $12.

[@lukasvitroler2178]

LOVED this top 10

[@draheim90]

Knowledgable staff is a great one. My wife and I just got into the hobby and were scouting for a potential store to call home. Went to a highly rated one near us, started talking to the employee and asked for some recommendations based on our preferences, he proceeded to say “I don’t play a lot of two player games so idk”. I asked for any solo game recommendations and he picked up a game and said “I think this is solo, oh wait it says 2-7 on the box”, then picked up another and just started reading the description on the back before admitting he hadn’t even heard of it before. This kinda stuff went on for several minutes, it was super awkward as it was clear he couldn’t offer much of anything in the way of recommendations for 1 or 2p games (assuming he knew anything about 3+p games…). I asked about a couple other popular ones and he admitted he didn’t know much about them either. He was nice and all but it was really disappointing. We bought a couple games based on what caught my wife’s eye and ones I was interested in before walking in, but we’re definitely going to try another store next time.

[@nickcherms9168]

Would love for you to visit our local games hop in Redlands CA. I think it has all that you guys are talking about. Maybe one day I can give you a tour.

[@CGlied]

Pretty sure I know the store Tom references at 25:40. They have some items on their shelves from 1988.

[@DJ-mz7td]

NYC! Where and what do you play?

[@CGlied]

@@DJ-mz7td Grew up in NYC and spent a lot of time in the store alluded to as a kid in the 80's and 90's. Moved away to college and live elsewhere now, but I stopped by in 2019 on a visit and very little had changed. Even had the same micro press games that were packaged in Ziploc bags.

[@DJ-mz7td]

I'm surprised they survive! Like you said, little has changed. They must have a great lease deal from when they opened? I wanted to give them some online business but the game I wanted was $20 cheaper elsewhere 😕 Stay safe, the world needs more gamers!

[@petercsm5769]

This was a really fun list. 9 times out of 10 things are about to get entertaining after Tom says ' Oh my word!'

[@EmersSarah]

We have some good choices in game stores in Seattle, WA. My favorite local game cafe is "The Missing Piece" in West Seattle. Great free gameplay selection (frequently updated and expanded), amazing food and coffee/tea bar, good variety of community events, lots of table space and friendly atmosphere. Hundreds of games to choose from for purchase, with occasional sales. Highly recommended!

[@crowe4646]

Great to see Sam on a top 10 again!! 🤩

[@petercsm5769]

Engagement can be exhausting but crucial. There was a game store near me run by a nice couple that was located on the distant side of a strip mall. I saw it shortly after it opened while driving through the back of the parking lot heading to a different store and decided to check it out the next day after work. And that next day I knew the store was doomed because of four red flags that stood out just as a first-time customer. First, when I went to look up the store hours I found they had absolutely zero online presence. Second, when I got there the one owner played board games with his friends the entire time. Third, I ended up finding and explaining different types of games to another customer who was looking for something to play with her elderly mother but wasn't able to find an employee despite the second owner earlier watching the customer ask other customers questions. Fourth, another customer came in asking if they ran any Magic nights, to which the second owner replied no, and then when the customer asked if they had a list he could be put on in case they did start running anything she replied they weren't really doing that right now. Oof. Deflating. I'm sure if I had been purposefully looking there were other red flags like signage, layout, no incentive program or discounts, etc. but as a casual customer I left thinking how many missed opportunities must be happening all the time because they aren't engaging with their customers, much less their potential customers they'll never know about.

[@harrisonlynch4701]

The No sale on old stock reminded me of this Barnes and Noble store I went to. They had several books from the 90s that were definitely cheap now because of inflation but weren’t on sale

[@MrTomlette]

It's great to see Sam again :)

[@BlockCinemamatics]

The essentials for a good game store video brought me into you guys it's so sick seeing the cast back together

[@beornthebear9023]

Laughed a lot always a good time on these

[@DEMONJIM]

Knights Watch Games in San Antonio is amazing. Every time I'm in the area I always stop buy and purchase something. I consider that my local game store and I live 4 hours away.

[@knightwatchgames]

We love you for it Jim!

[@steventhompson4840]

I've missed this trio...

[@coasterfreakrob]

I haven't been to Knight Watch Games in San Antonio (but it's on my list now), but after looking at their website, we have a similarly themed store in Austin called Emerald Tavern. They even serve food there!

[@knightwatchgames]

We were inspiried by Emerald Tavern! Knight Watch Games now has its own cafe called, The Scullery. Come visit!

[@coasterfreakrob]

@@knightwatchgames Since I posted this I have had the chance to visit and was very impressed. Nice place! I'll visit any time I'm in San Antonio!

[@knightwatchgames]

@@coasterfreakrob So glad to have ya!

[@ramonosuke]

Sam’s comment on giving local stores business and supporting them almost made me stand and applaud. Here here good sir!

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Wow! I forgot how the chemistry with Sam is so fantastic.

[@ProfArmitage218]

Several years ago I went to the local board game and RPG store looking for the latest releases for Battletech. They had a handful of older items on a shelf in the back corner and an employee said that they were probably going to stop carrying the game. There were two or three new books that I was looking for, but they didn't have them or any recent releases.

[@BoxedMeeples]

Loved this list, spot on with these choices/comments. Zee had us giggling throughout! Should do stand up next time! 🤣

[@lowify1]

From Singapore, I can relate what I have listened to a visit to a game store. I remembered going to the game store and get some Vallejo paints. I also started small conversation with the owner in the previous 2 visits (I made purchase with every visit). On my last visit, I still feel like an alien in the store and the owner don't even recognize me or presence. Well... I have not been there for 1 - 2 years now. Last check, it is still open~

[@johnkobs6086]

The expansions with no base copy is a big pet peave of mine. I get that it can be sold out, but try to restock at least 1 base copy as long as you are selling expansions.

[@asasprunger]

Sam Healey!!!!

[@darrenmcfadden1102]

Most of these are good ideas, at least from a customer perspective. It would have been interesting for them to invite a game store owner to the panel as well, to answer from an authoritative standpoint. It's easy to throw out ideas, but it's also insightful to understand (beyond obvious things like "don't be crappy to customers") why some of these issues occur, what hurdles and pitfalls happen behind the scenes that inhibit progress, and maybe be able to give a "10 top signs of a good board game customer".

[@knightwatchgames]

We’d love to be considered for such a panel.

[@NATOnova]

@@knightwatchgames any oversights they didn't mention?

[@LordEisenfaust]

Wow I missed Sam. Zee and Him are clawing at each other and its so amusing!

[@richardshort2001]

Sam dragging out a top 10. I feel like a young man again!

[@pdbedlion]

Shoutout to Yottaquest here in Cincinnati! They are a clean, organized and friendly store. They capitalize on these signs you're talking about.

[@tempestfury8324]

So glad to see Sam! Beard is getting longer! Most game stores are usually comic book shops as well.... don't be a snob! Stop with the "soup n@zi" mentality. MTG is fine and rolls in the money. But so many times there will be kids (mostly with weekend dads) playing Magic. I bust out with something as simple as King of Tokyo and they are amazed by it. Variety is a great thing! Which leads into... Building the gaming community. Use the internet and have game nights for MTG, WH40k, and then just open game nights. "Mom and pop" shops will always be more expensive. Fine! I will gladly pay more but have a good staff and don't gouge the price. Wipe off the dust of that game and reduce the price. Have good game tables and open box play. And the whole "mask" thing....wow! Great list guys, it's good to see the original triumvirate back again!

[@seangorby7468]

Love Knight Watch games!

[@billyguinigundo4849]

You were at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. You had meet and greet in Dayton! I was disappointed I missed it.

[@nothing3376]

We missed you Sam

[@indef2def]

How could ZZ Top have such a long concert without playing "Sharp Dressed Man"?

[@jonl4883]

In reference to Tom's #6, I can tell you why stores have a lot of expansions and no base game. Expansions just don't sell as well. For every 5 copies of a game, I may sell 1 expansion. There are some exceptions, like LCGs. But expansions just end up sitting, most of the time. Also, pick a current game with expansions, and I could go to one of the distributors (like Alliance or GTS) and find the expansions in stock, but the base games are usually out of stock. So, as much as the store would like to have copies of the base game in stock, it's not always possible.

[@searose6192]

Well then that ties into the other point about refreshing shelves and discounts/sales. If you have a bu ch of expansions, run a sale on them, maybe cut the price of the expansions if purchased with the base game or some other way to move what you have too much of.

[@jonl4883]

Where I work, they usually do end up discounted, after a time.

[@ronaldg7522]

Nice to see Sam again

[@jenniferhaar7934]

Great to see Sam back for this top 10!!

[@Goonthyloo2]

I miss Sam with you guys so much!!

[@dawsondemars1092]

As someone who works at a game store and does ordering for board games, the availability of games is tricky. Certain games are just ungettable sometimes and you can only get the expansions. Stock is very tricky, especially for smaller stores that don’t get priority of allocation.

[@steelman774]

Zee, “And now while drinking water…” Disembodied voice, “N-bubububmber Tblen!” 🤣🤣🤣 I’m Dying!!!

[@deltaarena2447]

I hadn't laugh this much in a long long time

[@thearcher7610]

My local board game store does a garage sale. Where you can reserve a table for 5 dollars and sell your stuff at what ever price you want. Instead of using cash people who are looking to buy has to buy tickets from the store one ticket equals 1 dollar. So all the money goes to the store, but what ever tickets I end up with at the end gets turned into a gift card for the store. So everyone wins. It's always a turn out.

[@griffglowen5555]

This title feels v much like a dice tower classic top 10 from 5 years ago

[@rmcunningham3874]

Oooh! Post-credit sequence. Is this the start of the Dice Tower Cinematic Universe?

[@dragonlance6027]

I recently went into a game store I only went to because I had a gift card and will likely never go to again and they tried to make me sign up for their rewards program.

[@jimmzik3097]

How about the store owner ISN’T a jerk. Store closest to me closed because he was, then the next one but the 3rd one has stayed up despite him and my unending non-support.

[@marcelorescigno]

Really liked to see Sam back with the crew!!

[@tracytroutman7188]

I recall, when my partner and I first got into boardgames, going to a local game store and asking for recommendations for good games for 2p for us as newbies. Dude tried to sell us X-Wing. I've yet to figure out why that was the recommendation, except it was new at the time and would've been a pricey buy-in. Never went back to that store.

[@ThymeKeeper]

Easily my #1 is that part of being welcoming and building community is to BE INCLUSIVE. Don't allow overt harassment of course, but don't allow jokes or any other disrespect directed towards gender or race or religion or politics or any other thing. Don't allow it from your employees, but don't put up with it from customers either. That goes even if it happens to be a position you agree with. Talking about how stupid you think people of any political party are just because it's not yours IS NOT WELCOMING.

[@jimmygoodman3052]

I know, right? I'm a Caucasian, male, Christian minister. While trying to enjoy myself ... I kept hearing the staff mention white privilege, mansplaining, and LGBTQ rights. Also, said nothing to a customer using God's name in vain. I can't help that I'm male, Caucasian, and Christian. I felt really marginalized and felt only my speech would be censored. I just wanted to play and laugh.

[@ThymeKeeper]

If you are offended by speech about LGBTQ rights then I think you're missing the point, but this is not the forum for that discussion.

[@jimmygoodman3052]

Nope, I'm not missing the point. Why wouldn't the staff just discuss games and the other hundreds of topics and leave the hot button stuff, alone. Why be so harsh and dismissive towards people who don't agree with them? Let's just game. You judged me wrong. Live and let live in the game store...but I was agreeing with you about people being so harsh on a religion and political party about their views. I'm not discussing LGBTQ rights...I was replying to the hate towards people who didn't agree with them. So much more to discuss in game stores to make it more welcoming to ALL than hot-button topics. They open up a line of communication that always leaves someone feeling judged...and not safe.

[@braydenb1581]

As an owner, and likely fan of the hobby, it probably would be a good idea to store your personal collection at the store to be looked at by people.

[@Cryptandos]

The Warhammer stores are actually excellent in all of these points now that i think about it.

[@fastfod1337]

Sam and Zee united again ❤️🔥

[@TheLimestoneCowboy]

I was there!

[@simonadams]

I find an error which significantly curtails a store's customer base is when it only "really" caters to one type of gamer while pretending to cater to many. I.e; 'board game' stores which sell board games but which only have tables set up for GW franchises, or 'board game' stores which sell board games but which only have Magic tournaments. It makes me feel like the owner heard how much people pay for Kickstarter games and now sees niche boardgames simply as a cash cow. A begrudging anecdote: I went to a small new local gaming store on their 'Board Game Night' and found the main table starting a DnD campaign and the other tables set up for Kill Team. After I mentioned that I had a lot of board games that I'd be comfortable teaching letting people play, the owner told me "well we don't have room" and invited the only other guy not playing the DnD campaign (his friend) to play 2 player Kill Team in front of me. I stood awkwardly watching for 20mins, then left. I spend thousands on boardgames a year, and this store sells niche hobby board games. I haven't gone back.

[@codym6376]

Zee doesn’t know how cleaning bathrooms works? He obviously never finished business school.

[@shadowcouncil9570]

I'm really curious to know which stores they're referring to, even the ones that closed down.

[@andronnai]

Part of my list would be Location/Parking. If there is only very limited on street parking in a busy area and the nearest off street parking is a few blocks away, I'm just not going to bother.

[@typerk2388]

Can somebody clarify what same is talking about at 18:40 for me.

[@nickbutler7207]

I haven't been there personally, but the Dice Tower Library is a large collection of games Tom Vasel owns. You can see parts of the library when he does his "Review a Game Shelf" segments. So I don't know if it's a really confined space, or what the problem was exactly, but that was the library Sam was referring to.

[@JosephFlemming]

My FLGS is pretty good but I’ve seen still quite a few old games still for MSRP with old faded tags. Like I go on BGG and see it for $15 and it’s on the shelf for 50$! They maybe have one larger sale a year but only on the worst stuff haha.

[@GettinJiggly]

We are going to be moving down to the Coral Springs/Ft Lauderdale/Miami area and kinda disappointed you mentioned a lack of FLGS. Quackalope had a recent VLOG that said similar mostly Magic/Pokemon/Yugioh and not much in the way of a board game cafe.

[@bumfuzzel4512]

The lack of FLGS is disappointing. We only have cool stuff stores here and they are kool but not enough. I would love a board game cage in Miami.

[@thedicetower]

Yes, but email me and get on our list to come play with us at the studio!

[@zvnetzley9209]

Wow. Time to move to Florida!

[@GettinJiggly]

@@zvnetzley9209 prices are crazy everywhere, was looking at new houses here and almost as much there. Our family lives down there and makes it easier to fly to Colombia for family.

[@GettinJiggly]

@@thedicetower sounds like a plan

[@vexienroe]

why is there a clearer area in the top right?

[@zvnetzley9209]

What small shop in Spokane is Sam referring to? Will be going through that area this summer and would like to check it out.

[@zvnetzley9209]

Nevermind, he said it later. B side games.

[@ezekielzeke18]

I loved to see you there together. Mage me so happy, you've done so much for so many of us even if you don't know it. And the list made me think of when you all came into the cafe I was helping run and it made life lol

[@waxdeluxe]

We actually had a cave themed game store 😊 Everyone remembers it ✌️

[@Animal_board_gamer]

As far as organized board games on shelves are concerned. I like it when board game stores put up games according to publishers. I like certain publishers more than others.

[@gamera2351]

Do you think there are game store owners who will watch this and change for the better? I'd like to think so.

[@knightwatchgames]

The Dice Tower original top 10 video was what we used to insure Knight Watch Games got it right. I also hope other game store owners take this list to heart.

[@ScytheNoire]

It's easier to keep existing customers than trying to find new customers. Always treat existing customers well.

[@jameswoodard4304]

Every excuse to get Sam involved is a plus. It's great to see these three guys together again.

[@pjlacey3990]

So sad…my FLGS is closed Mondays.

[@Skarpo89]

Some people don't know about opportunity cost it seems, understandable but such a pity

[@gonutsforgaming5774]

Sam you are a legend good to see you back

[@GT-ie7uu]

Not a fan of the topic but gets a thumbs up cause sams back

[@richardshort2001]

It's not Overpower, no store still has a binder of that.

[@ODoyleRulz]

This list makes me think a lot of people that open bars because they like to hang out and drink. Liking an activity enough will not make you a good business person in that space.