Imperial Outpost Games

I realized that I haven’t reviewed this place, and I am amazed that it does not have a perfect 5-​star rating. 4. X/5.0 does not do this store justice.
I have been a patron of Darren’s since the Waterloo days, and remember him opening the first Imperial Outpost Games location off Cactus next to Sardellas. Seems like a lifetime ago. What makes the store so great is the selection of events, the crowd that frequents the store, and the selection. They don’t order only the stuff that will sell quickly, they order things for the depth and breadth of selection. Some games might fly off the shelf, and other’s might sit there untouched for years… either way, they probably have it in stock.
There is so much to do and absorb in this store that it just couldn’t be contained within four walls, luckily I think it’s now contained withing 12 walls.

They are friendly to both new and old customers. The shop caters to all levels of Table Top gamers. Most of the staff of expert level painters able and willing to give advice on painting techniques. There are monthly and weekly gaming events that go on, along with open tables to gather together for a weekly DnD (or other game) dungeon run. Prices are very reasonable along you wouldn’t go wrong to give this store a gander. They are also attached to Manawerks, a card gaming store that caters primarily to Magic: The Gathering

I decided to hit up some game shops while I was on vacation and I’m glad I stopped in! The guy behind the counter was super nice and helpful even though they didn’t carry what I was initially looking for. I found a couple of other things to purchase though, so I was happy!
I really liked the atmosphere. I never felt like i was being watched or pressured like i have at some game shops. It was laid back and there was a large separate gaming area.
They had a great selection of board games, deck building/​living card games, miniatures and pen and paper stuff like Pathfinder and DnD. If I’m ever passing through Phoenix again, you can bet I’ll return!

Employees were super nice and helped me immediately! =)

The Good: Top-​notch selection, be it in RPGs, miniature wargames, or board games. The store is CLEAN, well lit, well laid out, and is a place I don’t feel awkward taking my female gaming buddies. The annual Gamer’s Garage Sale is a fun event and while I can’t make it to most of the regular events, when I do stop by I always get a good feeling of community from the store. Bonus points for carrying an excellent selection of lesser known RPGs!
The Bad: Some of the customers from the neighboring Manaworks shop can be a bit on the immature side. I can’t really fault Imperial Outpost for their behavior however, and the store has clearly taken pains over the years to discourage anti-​social customers from coming around.
Overall: For the west side of Phoenix, this is quite simply your best option for a gaming store. If you are a gamer, or curious about joining the hobby, stop by. Its that simple.

The game store was hosting a game night. Me and my wife walked in, nobody acknowledged us, we walked around for a minute or two and never got a single ‘hi’. We sat around for a while, still no acknowledgement. We talked to man behind the front counter, and he wasn’t too helpful. Everyone was engrossed in their games so we finally just left. It might be a good game store otherwise but I wasn’t too impressed with this gaming event.

Very friendly. I went in looking for minis and Dungeons & Dragons books. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but the staff was nice. If I lived closer I might check back again.

Prefer to go here then buy online to help support oir local business. great stock and super friendly staff

I LOVE this game store!!! Lots and lots to choose from, super nice people (especially Darren the owner), and great events!!! I would be here way more if I lived closer!

I started shopping here about 6 or 7 years ago. I’d come in during lunch breaks to look at a couple of 40k minis and talk to one of the employees. One day I came in with my wife and we asked about a board game night and found that they meet every Thursday. Since then I’ve met many friends and had years of great times at IOG.
I’ve been going to gaming stores for about 15 years. The owner of Outpost, Darren, is the friendliest and one of the most knowledgeable that I’ve met. Darren has a huge selection of board games, minis, RPGs, and even helped the neighboring Magic store get started. Him and his staff are always there to answer questions, recommendations, or just chat.
The store has hosted events, worked with local conventions, and even helped with a food drive for families of children with special needs. They focus on growing the gaming community. In the past, Darren has organized demo days to show off new games and run leagues for some games.
The location is about as good as it gets in the west valley. It’s across the street from ASU West. And close enough to Central Phoenix that anyone in the west valley can get there easily and some people from the east valley can make the trip quickly enough.
If you like board games come in on Thursdays. The regulars are usually happy to teach new games to all players.

This store has everything a tabletop gamer could wish for, except other females. The patrons stared when I walked in, but the owner was the nicest, most helpful store owner I have ever met. Not only did he help me look for the mini I wanted (halfling), but he gave us advice on convincing our gaming group to switch from AD&D to Pathfinder, talked Munchkin with us, and was all around a fantastic guy! I plan on going here for all my gaming needs from now on.

If your board game preferences have grown past Monopoly and Scrabble, you can find your newest fix here. Likewise, if you or a friend like miniatures, role-​playing, or wargames, there’s probably something here for you too. The owner, Darren, is a great guy who is quick to recommend a game if you tell him what else you like. The tables in the store make this a great place to hang out and try a game or gather with friends. There are usually people in the store playing miniatures games, and there is a pretty active board game group on Thursday evenings.

I’ve been shopping at this store for at least 10 years. Like many others I have forged great relationships during the course of many a night sitting around playing RPG’s. They have an EXTENSIVE inventory and if there is something that you want but they don’t have, Darren will move mountains to get it for you!
LOTS of room for gaming and they tailor to all different sorts of games & gamers!

This is a wonderful gaming store. I have met so many really close friends here, and I would like to consider the owner one of them. He is awesome and really takes time to listen to his gamers. The atmosphere here is one that inspires friendship and good nature, not drama and rumors.
I spend entirely too much money here, everything is priced well… and I love board games. Add those two together and I believe at last count our collection is over 300?
All of my kids feel welcome even my little one (almost 2). We love to come in here for Thursday Game Night and they also have it on Sundays.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves miniature gaming, role playing, and board gaming. Manawerx right next door has all of the card games you could ever want as well!

This is a great gaming store. The staff here are friendly. There is enough space to walk around people who are gaming. There are plenty of tables to play at. The selection of merchandise is great. There’s a dedicated card store attached. The weekend hours are great for gamers who want to stay up a bit later to play.
The prices are retail, which is okay if you’re just buying something small and don’t want to bother with or if you really need to look at what you’re buying before you pay for it or if you really need something the same day.
I don’t believe they sell individual dice.

I was looking to get back into playing Magic The Gathering after a 11 year hiatus from tournament and casual play. With the help of my kids I dusted off my old box of MTG tourney box form the 90’s and taught my kids how to play. They were hooked and I had the MTG playing bug once again. So, I called around and talked to a few old players from my day and they all 3 told me to check out Imperial Outpost (Manawerx).
I loaded up my wife and kids and headed to the shop. When I got there I was greeted by Aaron Combs, the owner and Manager of the card store. I was shocked to say at the sheer number of players and tables in the card shop. I mean there were no less than 30 players there. Aaron and his staff were VERY helpful and knowledgable and were willing to explain all the new changes to MTG since I last played. The store has tons of games, expansion boosters, singles, sets, binders, and on and on and on. My friends had not led me wrong. This was the best card shop in Phoenix.
Aaron then told us about their weekly tournaments. (I could feel the competitive itch building in me again.). I thought he was going to say «Friday Night Tourney’s» like long ago. But I was wrong. They have tournaments literally DAILY! I about fell over. I could finally play tournaments when it was convenient to our family. (anyone with kids or previously divorced will tell you that Friday’s are the least free night of their week). I was so pleased to see a business who cares about the availability of tourney time to his customers. Finally a real MTG store.
We bought almost $ 150.00 of MTG starters, boosters, commander decks, decks and some singles in the first week at the shop. We called the shop with questions on the new cards, abilities, rules and always was greeted with a wam ‘Thank You for calling’ followed by full explanations for all our questions. They were never in a hurry to hang up and would always ask if there was anything else we would like to know. Great customer support and service
Needles to say, Imperial Outpost (
) is the only card shop for the McDaniel family now and our favorite place to hang out and play as a family. (P.S. Goodbye TV, our family has decided the family that plays together is happier together.)
Sincerely,
Mike McDaniel and Family
Peoria, AZ

Executive Summary:
–Incredible selection of RPGs (WOTC, CGL, Travelers, MANY indie companies)
–Good selection of board games
–Warhammer et al dominates half the store
–Owner is professional and personable. Pretty much the exact opposite of your typical Gaming/​Comic store owner.
–Dog friendly!
–Easily the best gaming store I’ve been to in Phoenix
–10% Military Discount
Narrative:
I called all around Phoenix looking for «Eclipse Phase,» the RPG lovechild of Alastair Reynolds and Richard K. Morgan, nobody had it and a few places hadn’t heard of it.
When I called Imperial Outpost Games I was cordially greeted and assured that at least one copy remained. On a whim I asked if I could bring my dog and was amused and shocked to find out that this wouldn’t be a problem.
An excessively long drive later (I live in Chandler, the store is in Glendale) I pulled up to shop and headed inside. I was warmly received and my book was waiting for my at the register (I hadn’t requested this or even given my name so I was very pleased to see someone had thought this through). After dropping money on a fine bit of sci-​fi RPG writing I wandered around the store and was pleasantly surprised to see it well EXTREMELY well stocked (All the big names and at least one whole section for indie games) and equally split between Warhammer and RPGs/​boardgames.
Everyone seemed friendly and the owner (Darren) obviously knows how to run his shop. He clearly wants my money and is willing to make it worth my while to give it to him, rather than buying off Amazon.
On a side note: Unlike another store I visited a couple months ago… this one kept it’s political inclinations to itself and I have to say that I found that refreshing and welcoming.

Big fan of this store — the owner tries very hard to create an inviting atmosphere for all levels of gamers. Further, the store provides for a host of niches, including euro-​games, Ameritrash, role playing, and miniature wargaming. Good amount of supplies (both GW and P3, among others). Lots of tables for miniature gaming, board games, CCGs, and painting in the back (and a fridge with soda). They’ve started carrying MTG over the last few months, and that collection has grown. Always something going on here, but nothing intimidating.
The owner is very, very helpful: willing to answer questions about painting, games, and to make special orders (even trips over to Gilbert at Battlefoam when necessary). Yep, big fan.

Well after running around town looking for indie local game stores, we happened upon Imperial Games. It’s a little hard to miss but it is right across the street from ASU West. Walking in, it could be a bit intimidating (especially if you come on a Thursday night). There are tables set up in the middle of the store for gamers to use. All of the games line the outside of the store and stay out of the way.
We went in looking for a couple of different games that we had heard about but weren’t able to find elsewhere. We asked the owner about each and he was quick to show us where they were. He had opinions about each which he was happy to share, and he explained the basic principles of each game. One of the games that he didn’t have, he quickly researched online and told us that he would have it in the next week. Amazing customer service.
The prices are all fair… in line with Amazon or another online retailer. We may end up frequenting Imperial more often just to get the owner’s suggestions. Great store, especially if you want something more involved than what they sell at Target or Toys R Us.

This is a great store. When I wandered in after work one day, the owner invited my wife and I to come participate in their Thursday Night boardgaming and we have made it our Thursday night event. You just come in, boardgames in hand or not, and play for free with everone there. If you play something you like, it’s usually right there on the shelf ready to buy. We’ve been playing Dominion there a lot lately, it’s just a good fun time.
Everyone we have ever met inside that building that we have taken time to talk to has been completely polite and friendly. We haven’t come across one true nutball or rude jerk in our entire time going there and that really speaks volumes, especially when you consider the kinds of people that can wander into game stores. Sure, most gamers can be a little eccentric, but if you’ve never met a real nerdcore dickwad, consider yourself lucky.
Their selection is great if you’re into boardgames, but they are particularly specialized in wargames like Warhammer and Hordes. Half their store is dedicated to it. TCG selections are very limited, but if you’re not into that at all then why go to a store that’s always crowded with Yu-​Gi-​Oh thugs and Pokemon kids?
Their prices are average for the kind of product they sell, no better or worse than the mall’s game stores. The store is, by and large, pretty darn clean. Everyone is helpful and friendly. When they get their Air Conditioner fixed (or when the weather stops being so brutal, whichever comes first) this place will be almost perfect.
Well done, Imperial Outpost.
Edit 8÷25÷09: They got their A/​C fixed! Hurray!
Edit 9÷15÷09: IOG has started doing Magic: The Gathering booster drafts every Friday at 7pm. Avoid the stuffy FNM crowd and play with some people who are there to have fun!