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Game Towne
Category: Shopping Hobby Shops Hobby Shops [Edit]
3954 Harney StSan Diego, CA 92110
Neighborhood: Old Town
(619) 291-1666
- Hours:
Wed 10 am - 6 pm
Thu, Sat-Sun 11 am - 7 pm
Fri 11 am - 8 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
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12 reviews for Game Towne
12 reviews in English
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Review from Pär L.
Coronado, CA
11/13/2011
Loved it. Very "homey", well-lit, nice staff and nerdy. I'd rather hang out here than Game Rave or Game Empire.
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Review from Dan N.
10/12/2010
This place should be called 1950's game basement because that's what it looks like.
Seriously it's very depressing walking into this place.
It's always dimly lit, there's not much room to walk around because there's so much stuff. The game room looks like a garage where moms drop off their 40 year old virgin kids to play on a saturday night.
Now having said all that. This place does actually have a decent selection of games. But a lot of the things they have are old and outdated. I play warhammer and this place has models and books that are over 5 years old. I'm not sure how often they update their inventory but I'm not impressed with their selection.
The guy who runs the shop is pretty knowledgeable about his games and helpful enough.
This place would be so much better if they would just turn on some lights, open a window and not make the place look like a damn dungeon.
In short, this is your stereotypical game store you see made fun of on tv all the time. But if you're looking for those specialty games you might find what you're looking for here. It's worth a stop but I wouldn't hang out here ever. -
Review from Kathleen M.
San Jose, CA
9/13/2007
This place is legendary in Southern California for their annual Game Fest. This is a several day tournament involving many different board games. Back in 1993 or so, my brother won the coveted Golden Key which was the grand prize for winning the most board game tournaments at Game Fest. (As he says, this was the year before Game Towne ruined it by including Magic: The Gathering which then took it over.) Anyway, you can see my kid brother's name enscribed on a plaque in the back game room. (In case you're wondering what he won, the prize consisted of a gift certificate to Game Towne. So of course, they benefitted since that $100 gift certificate or whatever it was only meant like $20 out of pocket.)
As for the games, Game Empire and Game Towne have the best selection in San Diego by far. The only problem with Game Towne is that they're often ridiculously overpriced. But I like their location - it gives me an excuse to visit Old Town.Listed in: Games! Don't Be Ashamed -…
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Review from Patrick H.
San Diego, CA
6/10/2011
Not bad. Has a bit of a "we cater to regulars" vibe, but that's not uncommon in a game store. Felt very old-school, which if you're in to game stores you either like or hate already, so there you go. Lots of devotion to miniatures in the display cases, which doesn't do much for me, but for some people it's huge.
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Review from Jon N.
Carlsbad, CA
1/20/2009
UPDATE (4/29/09): Military discount is now 10% which is still pretty cool since none of the other game stores (Game Empire and Pair a Dice) in the county offer one. Also, I haven't seen the store vagrant in my last 4 visits over the past 3 months.
GT isn't bad. They carry the standard Games Workshop and TSR/Wizards games like Warhammer and D&D, respectively. Their board game section is a little lacking in variety, but if you're in need of 5 copies of 1835 or Ticket to Ride then you're in luck; they got you covered. To be fair, though, they normally have at least one copy of popular titles like Settlers of Catan, Starcraft, or Memoir '44.
The wargame section is pretty sizable compared to any of the other local shops. I've seen GMT, old 3W, and Columbia titles on the shelves.
They also have the biggest selection in the area of Star Fleet Battles/Federation Commander. I'm not talking 20 copies of Klingon Border or anything, but they usually have one or two copies of the base game plus the expansions.
I'm not a RPGer so I'm not going to comment on GT's RPG section, but just eyeballing the shelves, RPG's seem pretty well covered. WoD, D&D, Savage Worlds, GURPS, Hero, Battlestar Galactica, and Traveller all have shelf space at GT.
Like other reviewers mentioned parking sucks in Old Town which is why I limit my visits to maybe every other month. It sucks that bad.
Another thing at least one other reviewer mentioned is the store vagrant. He's relatively harmless, but I worry his hacking cough is either TB or a phlegm launch warning. Warning aside, the guy used to be much worse. I remember a couple years ago he sounded like Gabby Johnson from Blazing Saddles, but now I can understand complete sentences (coherent ones at that!).
A final plus about Game Towne is that they offer a 20% discount to active duty service members. Just bring your military ID card, and they'll hook you up!
All in all, GT is a decent store to get your game fix. However, for a really good selection of board games (I'm primarily a board game player by the way), be sure to visit Game Empire off of Claremont-Mesa Blvd or Pair a Dice Games up in Vista (North San Diego county for you newbs).Listed in: SoCal Game Shops
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Review from Johnny T.
San Diego, CA
1/15/2010
Still has that 'old local game store' feel. And in Old Towne. Anything that they don't have in stock and be ordered. I find the staff to be knowledgeable and friendly. I play Warhammer 40k there and also find the regular tournaments to have a more friendly crowd than some other game stores.
Military discount too! -
Review from Treavor B.
San Diego, CA
5/29/2011
Great store for anyone that is looking for anything about borad or card games. Employees are happy to answer your questions and in your a hard core nerd like myself they have lots of events weekly for anything from D&D to Warhammer 40k. You wont be disappointed stoping in here.
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Review from Olivia H.
Coronado, CA
5/13/2010
Nice friendly service
Large list and variety of games available. Hosts a variety of games through out the week and weekends ( RPG, table top etc..)
They are able to order anything you need , and offer a military discount :) -
Review from John O.
San Diego, CA
6/28/2008
If you want a good selection of role-playing games, this is the place to go in San Diego. They keep a good stock of the big games like Dungeons & Dragons and World of Darkness as well as a diverse set of smaller titles. The store also maintains a good variety of board and card games, though I don't find much that catches my eye here. Finally, they have a decent selection of wargaming miniatures. It is not my first choice for these materials in San Diego, but they do have a good amount.
The store does have a back room where people game, but I do not know how accessible this space is to their customers. The staff is friendly, but I would not call them outgoing.
You also have the added advantage of being in Old Towne when you visit this place. They are often closed in the beginning of the week though, so be sure to check their hours before showing up. -
Review from Kristin L.
San Diego, CA
8/6/2011
This place is great. The guy working the counter was knowledgeable, funny, and patient with our gaggle of n00bs who spent thirty minutes picking out dice. They tend to have newer versions of games so you'll have to go online to find your vintage favorites, but I think he said that they will happily special-order anything for you. They have a couple of nice game rooms in the back filled with happy people indulging their favorite pasttimes.
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Review from jet h.
San Jose, CA
10/2/2010
Wasn't expecting much out of this place. I mean come on...its in old towne. Basically it has all board games such as dungeons and dragons and many more really old ones chess checkers. Has a lot of midieval items in it. A quiet place with one worker. Has a gamimg area in the back for players so you know he has regulars. Its a quick glance store you're in and out. Oh btw if You're going for cards. You're badly mistaken. He only carries toolkits and structure decks.
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Review from Jenny F.
8/11/2007
This store is cool. They have an amazing selection of boardgames and the staff is extremely helpful. A fun place to visit while shopping in Old Town.
