The Portal has the largest selection of painting and modeling tools and paints used for Warhammer 40K. They also have a great selection of models. I've never had a problem with staff, and they have always been helpful when asked, but also give you space to look around. If I had any complaint it would be the hours. I wish I could pop in around 9am after my morning shift, but maybe I'm better off, I'd have no money, :-). read more

Pretty cool and interesting shop. They have a great selection of card games, board games, and miniatures. As of 3/1/2021 they are not doing any events due to covid but this will be a shop that I will be visiting many times. read more

The Portal - Hobby Shops Near Me - Manchester, Connecticut

Can finally write a review for this place after checking it out last night for their Thursday Learn to Play games and D&D learn to play. Arriving there around 6pm, I saw that the shop was getting pretty filled with all types of players that were setting up for Magic, Warhammer, or playing board games like me. I was going to meet up with two other friends there as we was going to learn the basics of D&D. A friend and I got swept up in Alien Artifacts and ended up playing that for a couple hours as we met new players there and had a store associate help us through the game. We stuck around for a while longer checking out their vast library of games and grabbed a couple Fluxx to play. We asked about a 2 player game to try out and was introduced to Raptor and again Brandt was helpful teaching us the mechanics of the game and starting playing. I will be returning to the store checking out the different nights to see what is offered there. Like other shops that I've gone to I'll be bringing my friends along with some snacks and drinks to make the experience so much better. No cost to play board games but I can only imagine that the events require a cost. They have a Facebook post that you can get more information on. read more

The Portal - Hobby Shops Near Me - Manchester, Connecticut

I always visit this store when I am town. Selection is fantastic and the customer service is excellent. I have visited hundreds of game stores across the country and this is by far my favorite. read more

Cool place! I'm not much of a gamer, but my husband and I stopped in to buy a board game. After listening to what we were looking for, Bill took a good chunk of time to walk us through some options that we might enjoy. He also explained how the game rental "system" works. Essentially, there's a room of games, and you can choose one (or more) to play at your leisure in-house. We thought for sure there would be a per player or per hour fee, but nope - you play for free. We ended up spending nearly three hours trying out a few games before finally deciding to purchase Lovecraft Letter. (After how nice Bill was and all of the free game playing we got in, there was no way we weren't buying something to support this awesome local business.) Basically, it was $30 for two people to enjoy three hours of games AND we got to actually take a game home - if you think about it, this is really a steal if you're looking for a fun date night or place for low key hanging out with friends. And, that's if you actually buy something at the end of the night. If you plan to make a big purchase or shop here often, ask about the free loyalty card program. If you're looking to meet people, we often heard others calling out to welcome others to join in as they started a game. Non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase (iced teas, sodas, etc.). Plenty of free parking in the lot. read more

Love that we have a local gaming store! Especially one with a great games library and tables to sit at to try them out. Think Settlers of Catan, Munchkin, and Dominion. If you don't know (or care) what any of those games are, this might not be the store for you. They sell Magic cards and host Magic tournaments. People are friendly. Staff is knowledgable. Inventory is good. What more could you ask for? read more

I have to say my experience here was absolutely terrible. The staff was very rude. I am a Dungeon Master who is returning to playing Dungeons and Dragons after about 8 years. As a result, I have to buy a lot of new source books, miniatures, and equipment for a tabletop game. Knowing I was going to be spending a lot of money, I wanted to support a local business, I went back to a store I frequented a lot in the past: The Time Machine. When I got there, the people there (who were amazingly great) said that they had set up The Portal since interest in the hobby had expanded. Great! I went across the street to The Portal... and thus began an experience in gatekeeping. Went in just now... about 3:30 on a Wednesday. There were several people inside around a table, and it sounded like they were discussing a game. Not wanting to interrupt, I immediately started looking around for things I might need. I had a handful of books and some miniatures in my arms when someone came over to ask if he could help. I light heartedly told him I am a DM "coming out of retirement" and I needed to completely start over since many of my miniatures had gone missing and I needed to update my books to D&D 5e. This man literally just nodded, said nothing, and walked away in the middle of me talking. I immediately returned the books I had in my hand to the shelf and went to the counter to buy two of the minis, turning what had been a several hundred dollar purchase into a $10 one. At the counter, he was just as silent, literally not speaking to me until he asked for money. I paid and left, with barely another word. I remember how this place used to be. I am a member of the old guard, so to speak. It used to be an open, welcoming place, that was excited to hear what you were working on and what you had planned. Today, I was completely frozen out. I had barely 10 words spoken to me, and it was clear that I was not welcome. I know what gatekeeping looks and feels like. I am so very disappointed in what this place has become. Coming from someone who found a home in the local D&D nearly two decades ago, when I needed the camaraderie the most, I would hate to see how this would make someone new to the community feel. I won't be coming back. read more

Place used to be decent, but they've slashed their hours so I can't get there anymore. If you can't shop at a store it's not much use now is it read more

This is your one-stop shop for tabletop gaming. Yes, their prices are definitely somewhat higher than you will find online, but this is a local small business, the employees are friendly and helpful, they have a vast selection in-store, and are willing to order anything for you that you don't see. Plenty of tables in the back for meeting up with friends to play. The group I occasionally meet has met there basically every Saturday from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM for ages. (They're really intense.) They do offer board game rentals from their giant collection in the back room, which I believe is $5 on the honor system for the day. They also sell snacks and drinks for those long board game marathon days, and their bathrooms have always been clean for me. Checking in earns you 10% off your purchase - it pays to Yelp! read more

Awesomely good selection of board games. Game library and place to sit and play a very large selection of board games. Play before you buy! Large area for magic tournaments and other such games. Also a place to play tabletop games. read more

This is a great place to go! Went there on Saturday and I had a great experience! They have a vast selection of games to try. I played a few on one of the available tables. Good snack selection. The best part is that I ended up loving one of the games I tested and they were able to order it for me! Awesome staff ! Great atmosphere! read more

We went in looking for a fun two player game (and knowing very little about table top games although we love Catan so we may be what you consider basic) and the owner (I think owner??) helped us pick out Ticket to Ride. As we were checking out he told us about a gaming group that meets Sunday's and told us to come back so we did! We had a lot of fun and everyone at the Sunday group was really nice and inviting! read more