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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JediSoth" data-source="post: 5104834" data-attributes="member: 13882">Indianapolis has several game stores. Two are near me on the south side of town: <a href="http://www.gamepreserve.com/" target="_blank">The Game Preserve</a> and <a href="http://www.indygamerz.com/?5828de58" target="_blank">Gamerz</a>. The Game Preserve is part of a chain; they've five locations throughout Indiana (two in Indianapolis, one in Brownsburg, one in Lafayette (home of Purdue) and one in Bloomington (home of Indiana U.). The store I go to is clean and well-stocked. About half the store is RPGs and miniatures, the other half board games and card games.In the early part of the decade, most of the RPG section was D20 stuff, but in the last few years (esp. since 4E came out), games using other systems have been encroaching on D&D shelf space, though D&D still has a 4' section all to itself (with 8' dedicated to the other stuff).Most of the staff seems more versed in miniature gaming (Warhammer and the like) and CCGs, than RPs, though they know what you're talking about when you talk about D&D. They've never been unfriendly towards me; I'm always greeted when I enter the store and am usually asked if I need help finding anything. They host games almost every day, but I know not to go there Friday night; it's Magic: TG night and the store gets too crowded and too many people use the front counter to sort through cards they might want to buy, or to just yack it up with the staff.Still, The Game Preserve seems to be run like a business more than somebody's pet project dream-store, and that's probably why they have five locations.----------------------------------------------------------I've only been to Gamerz three times. The first time, the store was cramped and the gaming table they had set up took up too much of the floor, making it difficult to browse their selection. Plus, I was ignored by the staff and the only glances I got were annoyed glances from the people gaming 'cause I had the gall to want to look at stuff near the table they were gaming at.Then they moved. The new store is more spacious with the gaming area separated from the main part of the store. The staff is more helpful now (there may have been a change in owners/management), though the store still seems to cater more to CCG players. They have pretty much all the 4E stuff, but as of the last time I visited, stocked hardly anything that wasn't WotC D&D 4E or Star Wars Saga. I was told they were planning to expand their selection and were in the process of doing so. Gamerz does host games, mostly 4E stuff for the RPGA from what I can tell, though the schedule indicates they have more going on than just that.The location isn't nearly as convenient as The Game Preserve, so I haven't been back lately, but it is a nice store.Neither one of my game stores had a clue when I asked them about Free RPG day. Clearly, they don't soend as much time on RPG news sites as I do. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" />Having said all that, I will admit that probably 90% of my RPG purchases are done through Amazon.com. 15%-20% off hardcover books with the free shipping I get is too good to pass up. When I go to The Game Preserve intent on buying something, it's to purchase a book I know is around $20, a board game, miniatures, or dice. I will occasionally pre-order stuff from them (I threw them a bone with Pathfinder).  Sometimes they have stuff on sale, though. Just yesterday I bought the five book in the Pathfinder AP Curse of the Crimson Throne I didn't already have for $11 each (MSRP $19.95); even Amazon couldn't touch that price. Plus, The Game Preserve has loyalty points. 1 pt. per $ spent, when you accumulate 100 points, you get $10 off your next purchase.</blockquote>

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