gaming/book stores in the Herndon, VA/Washington DC area?

[grodog]

I'm flying out tomorrow to DC/Herndon for a conference, and wanted to know if there are any good gaming stores and/or SF/F/Horror bookstores in the area? Gaming-wise I'm most interested in OOP stuff for AD&D from 1983 or older, TSR, non-TSR, miniatures (Grenadier, Heritage), CoC (Chaosium, Pagan Publishing, TOME), RQ 1e or 2e, etc.

Any pointers with contact info/web sites would be very appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Storm Raven]

I'm flying out tomorrow to DC/Herndon for a conference, and wanted to know if there are any good gaming stores in the area? I'm most interested in OOP stuff for AD&D from 1983 or older, TSR, non-TSR, miniatures (Grenadier, Heritage), CoC (Chaosium, Pagan Publishing, TOME), RQ 1e or 2e, etc.

Any pointers would be very appreciated. Thanks!

Your best bet from Herndon is probably going to be The Game Parlor, in Chantilly, about a 20-30 minute drive assuming you don't hit a lot of traffic. They don't have a lot of older stuff, but the only other game store of note in the D.C. area is Dream Wizards, which is in Rockville.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

What the Bad Weather Bird said. I consider Dream Wizards my FLGS, but Game Parlor has a much better backstock of stuff. Last time I was there (at their Woodbridge location), I found a Shadowrun 3e book I hadn't realized had been published.

There's also the Compleat Strategist near Falls Church. I'm not real fond of that store, because it's rather cramped and, um, occasionally odoriffic. The non-DC locations are MUCH better, from what I hear.

Brad

 

[The_Universe]

Avoid the Falls Church Compleat Strategist like it was a plague-ridden corpse. It lives up to every gamestore horror story you've ever heard, and then some.

I'll add my voice to those suggesting you check out the Games Parlor - I love both locations, though I've been to the Woodbridge location a great deal more frequently than the Chantilly one.

There's also a little gamestore in Alexandria (not far from Mt. Vernon) called Eagle and Empire that we've always had good luck with. Not a lot of OOP books, but the staff is helpful, it's tidy (if a bit cramped), and there's no odor to speak of.

Apart from that, there really isn't much to recommend. Most of the DC gamestore are out in distant suburbia - the closest good game store to me, in Silver Spring, is in Glen Burnie.

 

[D'karr]

There's also a little gamestore in Alexandria (not far from Mt. Vernon) called Eagle and Empire that we've always had good luck with. Not a lot of OOP books, but the staff is helpful, it's tidy (if a bit cramped), and there's no odor to speak of.

Eagle and Empire closed down. I swung by there yesterday and the place is up for rental. Does anyone know if they relocated?

 

[Tetsubo]

Avoid the Falls Church Compleat Strategist like it was a plague-ridden corpse. It lives up to every gamestore horror story you've ever heard, and then some.

I'll add my voice to those suggesting you check out the Games Parlor - I love both locations, though I've been to the Woodbridge location a great deal more frequently than the Chantilly one.

There's also a little gamestore in Alexandria (not far from Mt. Vernon) called Eagle and Empire that we've always had good luck with. Not a lot of OOP books, but the staff is helpful, it's tidy (if a bit cramped), and there's no odor to speak of.

Apart from that, there really isn't much to recommend. Most of the DC gamestore are out in distant suburbia - the closest good game store to me, in Silver Spring, is in Glen Burnie.

I have to ask, just how bad is that store?

 

[grodog]

Thanks guys, I'll have to do some mapquesting to see what's feasible. I'm staying at the Wardman Park Marriot (NW DC @ Woodley and CT), will hopefully be able to scout around a bit tomorrow night.

 

[The_Universe]

Eagle and Empire closed down. I swung by there yesterday and the place is up for rental. Does anyone know if they relocated?

NOOOOOOOOOO!

I loved that little place, but we hadn't been back since we moved to Silver Spring from Alexandria! Dang dang dang dang! It was a great little store - cozy, helpful. Put the "Friendly" in "FLGS."

I have to ask, just how bad is that store?

As of my last visit, the Compleat Strategist was dusty, dirty, and crowded with sagging bookshelves filled with unorganized (and usually damaged) products. There were miniatures blisters wedged between haphazards stacks of hard cover books, random piles of merchandise sitting on top of shelves, the floor, and a broken round plastic picnic table (with an umbrella).

Behind the counter, among the piles of half-empty pizza boxes and mcdonalds bags, sat an enormous man wearing ill-fitting sweatpants and a dirty grey t-shirt. He appeared to have some sort of skin condition, and picked at the resulting scabs on his arms and neck for most of the time we were in the store.

The smell was that peculiar mix of sweat, dirt, and old food that most people will never have to experience, but that gaming con attendees have dubbed "the gamer funk." This, however, was not coming from a single individual. Oh no. The entire store reeked of it. It had been infected. Ick.

And that is how bad it was.

 

[grodog]

As of my last visit, the Compleat Strategist was dusty, dirty, and crowded with sagging bookshelves filled with unorganized (and usually damaged) products. There were miniatures blisters wedged between haphazards stacks of hard cover books, random piles of merchandise sitting on top of shelves, the floor, and a broken round plastic picnic table (with an umbrella). [snip]

And that is how bad it was.

But do they have a nice selection of OOP product?

 

[qstor]

But do they have a nice selection of OOP product?

I don't know if you left for DC but most of the game stores in Maryland don't have OOP stuff anymore, Barbarian Books in Wheaton used too but they got ride of all their gaming stuff.

Mike