Unique store carrying a lot of vintage games and toys. Feels like it's out of a 1980s movie. Tons of classics and decent games too. read more

See all

Let's be clear. This is the place where hard-core Dungeons & Dragons Warhammer and RPG players go. It almost looks completely disorganized, but it is not. The staff know exactly where everything is and you can find everything from handpainted minis to obscure RPG games. What it lacks and aesthetic it makes up twice fold with games, dice, etc. If you're new to the RPG community, it will look overwhelming and intimidating. But if you're a hard-core person, this is where you get your stuff. read more

Staff was friendly and the shop offered a wide selection of role playing games, tabletop games, miniatures, and more. My partner and I go to PAX Unplugged every year and were excited to check out this reputable games store. I knew there were stairs to get in, so I used my cane to get up the stairs and my partner carried my rollator (a fancy walker) up them. Unfortunately, once we were in the shop, I was only able to go so far when I couldn't fit down the aisles any further. Would love to see this shop in a more accessible location! read more

The Compleat Strategist - Games - Toy Stores Near Me - New York, New York

See all

I think this store is wort on the visit and gets five stars on selection alone. As a veteran gamer I saw titles and games that I have never seen on physical shelves. Frankly sorting through the store was overwhelming and satisfying at the same time. I also want to shout out the great display cabinet with some truly classic minis. read more

See all

It's a Great experience. The staff is always ready to assist and is knowledgeable about the RPG games I enjoy.

Sweet. Merciful. Zeus. I went here about 15 years and I believe it was in a different location. I'm not sure. However. I had to come here since I knew we were coming to NYC. And it was close to the Empire State Building. Went here and I was just overwhelmed. The amount of games.... TTRPG games, books, boardgames, card games... I was in nerd heaven. If I had $1000 to spend, I'd have dropped it so quickly. I found games I never knew existed. Games that I had always wanted but never bought back in the 2000's. Heck, I even found games I had Kickstarted there! The list goes on and on. If we had space in the suitcase, I would have picked up a few books. Sadly, no room. I will return. If you're a TTRPG gamer, this is a must stop spot. Just be prepared to turn your head sideways a lot to read the spines of the books, or dig/pull some out from the bottom shelves to see if they're what you are after. read more

This store definitely had evvvverything for tabletop gaming. My son (12) recently got in to Dungeons and Dragons, so he was thrilled with this store. They have an amazing amount of niche board games too. The other customers are always friendly (I've been here a handful of times and people strike up conversations with my son about his games). The staff less so-- I overheard a conversation with a customer who is new in town and trying to find a D&D group. They sort-of said there's a group that meets at the store, but then basically stonewalled him. The prices are higher than what you'd find online or in a chain store, but that is fair for a small shop like this one. read more

Been going to "The Strat" since the 90s. Great selection of rpg and board games. Tons of minis, paints brushes and just about anything you would need for D&D, Pathfinder, Warhammer or virtually any other game. They do have a good selection of collectible card games but that's not my thing so I couldn't tell You about that. And if they don't have what you're looking for they can get it for you! read more

More like the complete game store! It feels like a library of board games ranging from chess and mahjong to D&D and party games. There are stacks and stacks and stacks of board games. A huge section of it are D&D games, expansions, stories, and figurines. The staff are nice and efficient. It's definitely a cool place to come for your own board game collection. read more

See all

Excellent store for Strategy games, very knowledgeable staff, outstanding customer service. Highly Recommend A +++++

This shop has existed near to the Empire State building virtually unchanged since the 1970's . It is Nerd-vanna. If you are into tabletop gaming, role play gaming or war gaming this is it. Full stop, the place to make a pilgrimage to. It is what you would expect of a gaming store if you were creating one for a film or novel. Narrow isles and tall shelves crammed with esoteric books and boxes and god knows what, just waiting for initiates of their art to caress them. They have a couple of chairs by the door saying they are for mom's and that is another side of the place. They know they are a niche. If you are not into their product, a mother or sympathetic girlfriend, are set aside out of harm's way if the client's stampede. joking aside If you're looking for gaming stuff this is the place to go. If you don't do gaming, just...wait outside while the geek in your life has a nerdgasm inside. They will appreciate your patience. read more

Compleat Strategist js a legendary store. That being said, it completely lacks any service ethic at all. I went in there, asked for something very specific. They guy at the front desk, a middle aged white male, casually gestured in a direction and said "somewhere over there". I spent nearly 30 minutes sweating in an un air conditioned store looking over shelf by shelf of completely disorganized titles. I asked the guy from the desk, who was not busy at all just chatting away and not selling anything, to help me look or if he had a more specific location in which i could narrow my search. He showed no interest in helping me find what I was looking for. He was resentful at being asked a third time to help me find what I was looking for or go find someone more qualified to do so. He just shrugged and smiled, expecting me to give up and daring me to get annoyed'. "I guess we don't have it." He's says after watching me crawl on the floor searching shelves in the area he had earlier indicated. I didn't say anything but it was upsetting that a great store would have such a lazy employee who just stands around chatting instead of doing a proper inventory so a customer could be accurately informed whether or not a title was present instead of wasting my time. I wish the black guy with the eyeglasses had been there because that guy knows what time it is and isn't condescending to customers. read more

I would like to say something before people go to this store. This store is great I'f you like complex and odd games not to be offensive. But anyways it's time to get to my point if your looking games like, monopoly scrabble clue game of life, sorry, uno, and other games like those you cannot get them here. And every game is far over priced. But the staff was very kind and helpful thanks for reading my review. Have a nice day read more

If you're into tabletop and rpg games, look nowhere else. Love it. It's like an old record or book store but for games. read more

I ordered a board game recently as a Christmas gift. It was a relatively hard one to find in stock. This store had it on their online store so I was psyched to get it. Unfortunately, it was actually out of stock. They emailed me immediately and apologized for their mistake but let me know the sequel was in stock and would hold it for me for a day if I wanted that instead. Even better, they emailed me shortly after telling me both were in stock and they'd hold onto both them for me so I could decide if I wanted one or the other or both. I ended up with both hard to get games. They went above and beyond with their customer service. Much appreciated especially as everyone is holiday shopping. Would recommend checking here for your board game before looking to big box sites! read more

Incredible selection of wargames, RPGs, euro games. Wargames from GMT, Compass Games, etc. There are not many physical stores that offer these games anymore and it was a real joy to visit this place. Such a great place to browse if you love games. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

It's the last old school game shop in the city that hasn't either switched exclusively to card games or turned into an upscale boardgame cafe. The prices are a little higher than online but they've been here forever and you can get what you need today, also you're supporting local buisness. Also where else are you going to find a place with RIFTS supplements printed in the early 90s. Please mind the isles etiquette. If you need to stop and browse be prepared to press yourself into a bookshelf every few minutes to let someone pass because there is not an extra inch of this place not packed with games. read more

Now, I am not a gamer by any means. But my husband is so much that it consumes quite a bit of his life and weekend. So we just had to come to this shop. The prices are pretty high, as noted in previous reviews. However, it is a great shop to look at the latest merchandise in person before making the cheaper purchase of that merchandise online. So basically use it for research and then buy it online for much less. For tabletop gamers, it is my womanly understanding that this store is as good as it gets. read more

See all

So very helpful I bought a chess clock for my grandson. The Compleat Strategist will have any game you have ever heard of! Great reminder to me of when I shopped for Dungeons and Dragons dice and books years ago when my son was a teen. He still has the dice and books he got there at the West Side Store (sadly closed) This store is the original. Staff so knowledgeable; worth the trip to the East Side. read more

This visit marks almost 40 years since I first set foot in a Compleat Strategist, somewhere in NYC (plus visits to others). The locations may have changed, inventories have definitely changed, but you should know exactly what to expect when you visit one of these stores. It is amazing how they can fill every inch of space with some type of game or fantasy item. You can find just about every variety, from more common family games such as "Yahtzee" or "Monopoly" to the ones you would see at the top of the rankings of websites such as boardgamegeek. And I bet the staff here know immediately where any game about which you inquire would be (take that, amazon warehouse). It's likely you could spend a few $$ more on something here than you might buying it online, but remember that you wouldn't be paying for shipping here, and you are supporting a legendary (in my opinion) game store over its multi-decade existence. read more

Nerd heaven. Whatever fandom you're a part of, you'll likely find it here. I've never seen a larger selection of tabletop RPGs in a brick and mortar shop. As avid D&D players, my boyfriend and I found some great options for books, paints, minis and more. Far more than what we have in our local shop (we were visiting from out of state). The aisles are narrow and products are stacked pretty much floor to ceiling. At first glance, everything might seem unorganized but the staff know where everything is so if you just ask they'll help you find anything specific you're looking for. I love this place. This will be a regular stop whenever I'm in the city. read more

Whenever I'm in Manhattan I always like going in. Tons of games stuff jammed everywhere.

NOT FOR MTG/POKEMON PLAYERS. Looking for over priced products that are available 20-30% cheaper in just about any other shop well look no further this is the place for you! Also if you ever want to get yelled at by the owner I'd recommend asking him why a standard booster box is 140$+ tax when every other shop is under 110. Went in here maybe 10 times in the course of the last 8 years, every time just to see if it got any better and... its exactly the same! Id recommend anywhere else including but not limited to the other nearest shop 4 blocks or so away. Regarding anything that isn't Pokemon or magic related I have no clue so perhaps they are better or more competitively priced in that area. Otherwise a pretty good looking shop, the atmosphere smells of dungeons and dragons (good thing) and they have a lot of different games to show, take a look (except if you want Pokemon or mtg)! read more

I didn't know places like this existed and legit don't know how to describe it. I've never seen so many games before!

They don't have rubic's cube here but basically seems like they have just about every other game or type of game you can imagine. Sooo much variety and inventory crammed in and really well using the space. Feels like a real nyc gem of a local store. read more

To all the men out there that have sat like a lost soul on the bench at a Victoria's Secret, or any female clothing store - I now understand your pain....and I'm sorry. I sat on one of the wooden chairs right by the front entrance to this place after only walking around for ten minutes with my now fiance; it was a nerd-gasm he was about to experience, and I wanted to just watch. This place is CRAMMED with fantasy games, cards, books, models, paint by number pieces, and the list goes on and on. It was so quiet, it was like a church. Guys were kneeling in the aisles as they were pouring over the newest releases; I was amazed. This place smells like new book smell; you know what I'm talking about. There's only one cash register in the front, and there's a back room that apparently lets groups hold tournaments for Magic and even Game of Thrones. Would I come back? If it makes my beau happy - sure! But for me? I will be sitting on the wooden chair..just smiling and shaking my head. read more

Niche shops like the Compleat Strategist are what I live for. In a town of quickly diminishing hobby shops or anything that doesn't have to do with high-end boutiques, it's cool to see people in Jon Green suits or cargo pants browsing the aisles for a good board game. Board games certainly even the playing field. Technology has taken many leaps over the years but the tangible feeling of throwing dice and commiserating with friends has not, and Compleat Strategist has what it takes to embrace your social circle. They are literally floor to ceiling with board games. Risk, dungeons and dragons, clue; pretty much anything you can think of. I came in originally looking for PIT, which is a game loosely based on stocks and commodity value that my cousins and I used to play. Of course they had it, but I was looking for the original one with the different illustrations, but they deal with newer product. Otherwise, this is a great shop if you're expecting guests in town and it's right near Penn Station which is convenient. read more

See all

What a games store used to be and worth giving your patronage to. A vast selection of board, card and role playing games and accessories matched to a team who know their products. In the early 1980s I saw their ads in the Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society. Little did I know I would one day be a block away from their store. read more

My boyfriend is a big board and tabletop game fan and this place was heaven for him! I had read about it on here and didn't tell him all that much about it just wrote it in the itinerary and told him we HAD to go. He was not disappointed! Board games stacked to the ceiling, literally! He had to calm down the buying, reminding himself that everything had to be lugged home! Really great store and they had an Edge of the Empire tournament going on that day... Probably a good thing we didn't know about it beforehand cause we probably would have been there all day! Fantastic store! If you're a gamer this place is a MUST! read more

The Compleat Strategist - Toy Stores Near Me - New York, New York

Excellent selection, but will burn through your wallet! The Compleat Strategist lives up to its name by being the most complete selection of board, card, and pen and paper games. If it's analog, they got it. Looking for the newest expansions to Munchkin? They got it. Need an obscure European game about bean farming? They got it. Need to buy out of date Hero Clix from Gears of War, Street Fighter, and Pacific Rim? They got it. Just don't expect them to have it for cheap, as the great selection comes at a high price. If you know what you want and don't have a lot of money to spend, I would recommend shopping online. But if you're looking for some gaming rarities or simply need a new game NOW and you don't mind paying a little extra, then this is your one stop shop for your gaming needs. read more

Think of a store with 10 board games and merchandise Think of a store with 25 board games and merchandise Think of a store with 50 board games and merchandise Etc Etc Etc I would continue but it would take another 50 hours to write the rest. Way too much stuff here. Way too much. And the people here are really nice. I can't really give it a bad review. read more

This is a Nerd's paradise! A small narrow store crammed full of card and board games. With classics such a magic the gathering, monopoly and just about every other popular and downright obscure game. They've got other newer popular games like ticket to ride and munchkin! Lots and lots of different iterations of munchkin. If you're looking for some low tech fun, this is where you will find it. read more

The Compleat Strategist - Game of Thrones game! Totally getting nerd chills! - Toy Stores Near Me - New York, New York

The pros: They seem to have everything game (well non-video game)-related. See pictures. This place (http://www.thecompleatstrategist.com/) saved me in a pinch-- I was the designated game-bringer for game night and was without a game. I really think this place is literally the only place on the island that heard of and was in stock of Ticket to Ride (http://www.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/). The cons: ...Because they know they are the only place around their prices are markedly higher than say what you would find if you didn't have to shotgun purchase a game the day of game night. Also, while the shopkeepers were great and the majority of patrons were very accommodating despite we walking around with my big purse with my laptop in it through the narrow aisle... one dude (and I do not exaggerate) grunted at me. =P Bugger to you, man! read more

See all

This place is fascinating - it's just jam packed from floor to ceiling of almost every game you can think of! And I mean most everything! It's not great for perusing or large groups, since it's pretty packed and the walking space is limited. The most amazing thing to me was that when we asked about an out of print, relatively unpopular board game from the early 90's - the man working there knew exactly what we were talking about!! They sadly didn't have a copy (hence the "most" in most everything), but I was still impressed. Where else could you find that kind of encyclopedic knowledge about board games?! They also came up with some really great recommendations based on the kind of game we were looking for, and most of them were for games we'd never even heard of. If you're looking for something specific or general - I'm sure these people could find it for you. read more

You know the feel of a used bookstore, with lots of things you had never seen crammed into a tiny space, every nook filled with interesting things? This is the game store equivalent of a used bookstore (though with all new games), an amazing selection of every kind of board game and RPG rulebook, crammed into a small space, including older games we had never seen before. If you're looking for the spacious B&N experience, you'll hate it. If you love the little store where the people know obscure games, and can find it on the shelves, you should go here. read more

They have a great selection of board and card games, by far the largest collections I've seen. I've bought countless games from here, could stay here all day. My only cons would be the space, the aisles are really thin so it's hard to move around but I can understand that rent in midtown is expensive which would explain how they laid out the floor. Prices are a bit more expensive than amazon but hey, you get it right away. Not the perfect store for board games, but it's probably the most stocked one in the city with pretty exceptional customer service. read more

Great place that's filled with great stuff from the past and present. I look forward to going here to meet my gaming frenzy.

How do you rub a business when you're never open? Closed by 6, most people don't even get out of work till 6. Totally ridiculous.

I'll start with the good. The store is full of everything. Old, new, discontinued, they have lots. It isn't super overpriced either, which is great. Good luck finding what you need, but it's there. And this is why I'll absolutely never shop here again. The minute I walked in, the lady who works here/owns the store had eyes on me like a hawk. Dirty, accusatory look. Looked me up and down to see what I was carrying, and judged me wholeheartedly. I've never felt so profiled in my entire life. She watched me as I browsed the store. I started getting a little bit of a headache because there was just so much clutter that I couldn't really focus long enough to look around - the walkway is think and the games/books are stacked super high. At one point I just got overwhelmed with it and wanted to just get out - but was looking for some particular things and stayed to look as much as I could. Then the lady saw me trying to put a book back, the shelf was stuffed and because I was carrying a lot, I didn't make it look seamless. She yelled to me while selling something to someone, "Just put the book back on top." I said, sorry, I was just trying to put the book back for you on the shelf and not leave it out." She said, "You're going to end up shoving it in... and damaging the cover, and that would be bad". So I just flat out put the books on the top shelf and was done with that. I was so uncomfortable with her at this point that I just decided to purchase my stuff and leave. She was not friendly in the slightest at the register either just took my stuff without a word. The only thing she said was, "You can insert your card now," and "want a bag?". Left. I'm not one to call racism or stereotyping in the slightest, but this interaction left me extremely uncomfortable and offended. It's sad, because this type of store is my favorite thing in the world, and NYC has pretty much no others. But I'm sorry, I'm going to make it my mission to tell people to Amazon their board games and rpg stuff rather than shop here, because no one should be made to feel this way while shopping. I also know of a franchise that needs to seriously be in this city that would be a better, more organized experience with a wonderful accepting team, and after this I'm going to let them know about the lack of competition out here....because just no. =\ Not going to be cool with this, and not going to ever come in again. Not when she has her little seat right in the front door and can look you up and down the minute you enter. Ugh, just....no. First time ever, and this is the last time I hold my tongue to someone. And the store is cluttered and confusing....so....just order your stuff unless you're bored, want to find random items, and be discriminated against while you're at it. read more

They are definitely the most stocked board game store in Manhattan, but just call ahead to see if they have the particular item you want. My friend got me a gift certificate and they gave him a hard time about the receipt (which was needed on his part). Kind of weird. Anyway, just saying! read more

The Compleat Strategist - Toy Stores Near Me - New York, New York