During the pandemic many people are turning to role-playing games. D&D is regularly appearing in the 100 Best Sellers on Amazon. With their deep discounts versus physical locations that makes sense. The same holds true for digital outlets like DnDBeyond, Roll20, and Fantasy Grounds.

Dungeons & Dragons is simultaneously about the game with its stories of heroism in a world of magic and it is about community the group of players who gather regularly to tell those stories together.

Community is hard to come by during the pandemic. Most who read this blog are people who are distancing. Which has slowed the spread of the disease, but it also harms our local small businesses. Things are pretty dire for the friendly local gaming stores out there.

They couldn’t compete on price with online shops prior to the pandemic. Now, they no longer have the ability to safely host events on premise that gave them a unique life and place in our cities.

Here’s my favorites FLGS in Renton, Tacoma, Bellevue, and a few others as well.

Wizard’s Keep Games

I discovered The Keep back when I was selling beer. The old owner and I would talk Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, craft beer, and Tacoma every other week or so.

Wizard’s Keep Games hosted several of my D&D campaign sessions back in the Before Times when there wasn’t a global pandemic. They have a large selection of used D&D books if you’re looking for older materials.

Shane’s Cards

Down near the Uwajimaya, Shane’s leans heavy into collectible card games. They have a few more minis and dice than the Keep, but their RPG corner is a bit cramped.

Their frequent buyer program is helpful if you buy D&D and other stuff, but the pace of releases make it unlikely you’ll hit the significant discounts on D&D alone. Shane’s is a Renton classic.

Tacoma Games

Open and spacious the 6th Ave shop has a ton of miniatures and a wide selection of board games. They were doing curbside pickup during the height of the lockdown. Hit up Tacoma Games.

Terra Crux

Downtown Tacoma’s Terra Crux has a huge selection that reminds me of the days of old going to Book World in Kent. Great spot for paints and minis.

Mox Boarding House – Bellevue

While it isn’t in my dual homes of Renton-Tacoma, I would be failing if I left off the only other physical store I’ve purchased from. Mox Boarding House – Bellevue hosted some of my D&D campaigns, is where I met the Beedle & Grimm’s team, had many a beer in the restaurant, and while I was selling them kegs I would always take a long look at D&D products. They’re big enough you can find third-party books there too.

Others

In Walla Walla I’ve shopped at Books & Games as well as Western Paladin Games.
Friends swear by Meeples and Zulu and TeKu and Arcane Comics in the Greater Seattle area.

Support them now, so that when we roll dice together we have a place to gather.