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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SteelDraco" data-source="post: 408151" data-attributes="member: 359">I'm pretty lucky with regards to my local store. It rocks on toast. I'll freely admit I'm biased; I worked there for about three years, off and on, until I decided that going back to Topeka (about a twenty mile drive from where I attend college) every weekend and working wasn't a good idea.It's a great place. The front of the store has all kinds of stuff. There's a wide selection of d20 product, several shelves of White Wolf, GURPS, and many other RPGs on one side the store. Another big chunk is devoted to comics, with a fair selection of mainstream stuff, as well as a decent amount of the larger independents. There's a good selection of miniatures as well, mostly GW stuff, but also a pile of general RPG minis. There's also quite a bit of interesting related stuff - chessboards, dragon knick-nacks, statuettes, board games, et cetera. You can order without any hassle, at no extra charge. Things generally show up in about a week. There's a discount program in place, though it's a bit complicated. Basically, you get a punchcard, and every time you buy something, you get some of it punched off. When the card's full, you get some store credit, and go on to a card with a higher value. If you get through all the cards (which is about $1500) you get a 20% discount for the rest of the year. You'd be surprised how many people manage this.There's also a large area in the back room that's for gaming. There's space for probably seven or eight gaming groups back there, though mostly it's used for CCGs and miniature gaming. When I left, there were about five or six RPGs that had their weekly game in the back room. It's a rare time that there are less than five or six people back there, playing. There are frequent events, usually CCG or miniature game tourneys. Occasionally I'll run an RPG demo, though it's been quite some time now since I've had a chance. The place is large, relatively clean, and has an attached mini-kitchen and bathrooms. The store is right next to a Kwik Shop, as well, which is very nice if you're there for a long time.The staff is generally knowledgable, though they have their specializations. I was the gaming guy, and was generally the one turned to when people had questions about RPGs. Everybody has a solid general basis, though - you'll only run into trouble if you start asking about something pretty out there. The staff is usually college-aged gamers who've been hanging out there for a long time. The owners are great people, a husband and wife who are probably two of the nicest people I know. Sheesh. Enough gushing out of me. What do I look for in a gaming store? I want it to be like The Gatekeeper. Stop by if you're ever in Topeka.</blockquote>

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