Board Game Central

 

Board Game Central

Jackson Square, 2 King St W, Hamilton, ON
Friendly Local Gaming Store (FLGS)
http://www.bgcentral.ca

Google Rating: 4.3 stars

Where2Game Rating: ♟♟♟♟

Cost to Play ♟♟♟♟♟ Accessibility ♟♟♟♟♟ Atmosphere ♟♟♟♟♟

Menu Cost Not Applicable Parking ♟♟♟_ _ Community ♟♟_ _ _

Bookable? No.

Board Game Central (BGC) has recently undergone some significant renovations after their move, but that hasn’t stopped them from providing a great gaming space and wonderful customer service.

The space itself is highly accessible but has limited playing space. With that said, BGC has a unique admission structure. The tables themselves are open to play, but require a $5 admission. That $5 gets applied to a store credit that you can use to purchase anything in the store. It’s a try then pay model that Hamilton seems to love! When I went in, the tables were fully of people playing board games.

The staff themselves are wonderfully helpful and go beyond to try and find the right games for you. Have questions or need a suggestion? The wonderful staff are there to help and provide you with legendary customer service.

As it happens, the store is a friendly, local gaming store and doesn’t have any snacks on hand to purchase. A variety of food and drinks can be found at the food court in Jackson Square just a couple minutes walk within the Square. Parking can be found either paid on the street, or within the parking underneath the Square.

With regards to community, it doesn’t seem that BGC provides an online community space for people to connect and go to game. This makes it harder to find partners to play with in the grand scheme of getting more people to connect through gaming.

 

Game Venue: Black Knight Games

Black Knight Games

864 Mohawk Rd E, Hamilton, ON L8T 2R5
Friendly Local Gaming Store (FLGS)
http://blackknightgames.ca/

Google Rating: 4.5 stars
Where2Play Rating ♟♟♟♟

Rating Breakdown

Cost to Play ♟♟♟♟♟ Accessibility ♟♟_ _ _ Atmosphere ♟♟♟♟

Menu Cost ♟♟♟_ _ Parking ♟♟♟♟_ Community ♟♟♟♟♟

Bookable? Keep Game Room – yes.

About

Black Knight Games is on the corner of Mohawk Rd E and Upper Ottawa St in a section of Hamilton known as ‘The Mountain.’ They have been running for close to 8 years and have a wide selection of board games, miniatures games, and role playing game supplies. As they are on the more spread out Mountain, they also offer free parking and are close to transit lines as well.

Review

 

As soon as you walk in to the Black Knight

It’s hard not to gush about Black Knight Games (BKG) because they do almost everything that a local gaming store wants to do – and they do it right. They charge no admission to play at their large gaming space and there is no time limit to play – short of how long you can subsist on snacks such as candy bars, water, and soda (all available at the front for purchase). The space is intelligently decorated and feels homey right from getting in the door.

This is about a quarter of the gaming space

Beyond the main gaming space is a small, private room that doubles as a getaway for board gamers and those interested in role-playing games to avoid any distractions from miniature gamers. The area is bookable and free, but is in high demand.

The Keep Game Room – a free game space for those who need a bit of quiet

They have an active Facebook page where they quickly answer questions, and an active Twitter. All posts seem to be around getting people together to play games which aligns perfectly with what Where2Game is all about! Their staff are friendly, helpful, and patient for any gaming or program questions you may have. They even offer day camps and a league for youth to teach games and make friends in their community.

I would say that overall BKG also is the most accessible gaming spot in Hamilton as of writing. There is little resistance to physical accessibility issues, hearing or sight concerns, or mental health concerns. It seems that BKG wants all people to game there, which is great. To go above and beyond, automatic door openers would ease the double door entry system they have, and universal washrooms would be great to see as well.

Game Venue Review: Mancala Monk

Mancala Monk

1229 Cannon St E, Hamilton, ON L8H 1T8 | (905) 393-6815
Gaming Cafe
https://www.mancalamonk.com/

Rating ♟♟♟♟

Rating Breakdown

Cost to Play ♟♟♟♟♟ Accessibility ♟♟ _ _ _  Atmosphere ♟♟♟_ _

Menu Cost ♟♟♟♟_   Parking ♟♟♟♟ _ Community ♟♟♟♟ _

Admittedly, I’ve never played Mancala. I’ve seen it back on Neopets back in the day, but never fully understood it. Luckily no knowledge of the game was necessary for our visit to the Mancala Monk.

Mancala Monk is situated near Cannon and Ottawa and has a welcoming exterior. There is a small curb to get past getting into the door which does not have an accessibility access.

Once inside the interior is nicely appointed and decorated. Games line the walls with easy to access shelving. When I first saw all the games waiting, I was overwhelmed with what to try. My gaming partners and I picked out some new ones to try and ordered some snacks.

The snack costs fell in line with what we have experienced in previous venues like Gameopolis. The snacks are on the higher side cost wise, but are still delicious and refreshing. Portion sizes were considerable though, less the tiny Perrier that one of my associates ordered. Liquor licensed, I didn’t really see any drinks being ordered as we were in the midday rush, but it was a nice option.

Cost of admission was $5 for 3 hours of play which is loosely enforced. My comrades and I played for 3.5 hours and definitely felt like we got our money’s worth.

In the time we were there, the store seemed to ebb and flow from full to half-full. We came at a prime time on a weekend, and called ahead. When I asked about reservations, they recommended making one and took it easily. I love the great customer service here.

When we arrived and checked in, they knew about the reservation and took us right away. Nearby, a couple of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) sessions played. There was plenty of space for the dungeon masters to play and host sessions of 3 players up to one with 7!

They also support product lines from Wizards of the Coast including:

• Magic the Gathering: drafts, Modern, prereleases
• Dungeons and Dragons – Adventurer’s League

They also offer special days where you can game. Half-priced Tuesdays and TGIFridates where you get two admissions, non-alcoholic drinks, and two sandwiches for $30.

If I had to make two requests to the Mancala Monk staff it would be to increase the level of table service (which I know can be hard in busy weekends) and to make the entrance and bathrooms accessible. This is a big opportunity for all retailers to include all members of the community.

Overall, thank you for the opportunity to play, and I will be recommending this gaming cafe in the future. Big shout out to Chris from Elev8 Dance who came out to game with us!