Phil is wonderful and so knowledgeable! Selection of games, dice, figurines, you name it! Expensive, but worth every penny!

I've been going there for about a year now for weekly D&D games, and I love the place. The owner, Phil, is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. read more

This store is super cool! Definitely check it out of your in the area you wont regret it. Owner is super nice and helpful as well.

Phil hosted the Pittsburgh NaNoWriMo North Hills group Monday evening get togethers and we couldn't have been happier!!! He was so excited to have us and we loved being there! Everyone of in our group couldn't say enough! This is the new space for all North Hills Write-ins! Thank you, Phil! The new place is absolutely amazing! Lots of space to play. Great selection of games to rent or buy! Phil is always nice, welcoming, and freindly. Best selection of games, cards, dice, etc. So many tables and even a quiet room! These are the small businesses that need to stay around! I only buy my gear here! No online shopping for me from now on. Worth a little extra to support this awesome local business! read more

My husband loves this place and we always make a point to visit when we're in town. Nice to see the bigger space. It's perfect for regular board gamers and those who are just curious or looking for something to try. There's rentals and new games and the best part is the owner Phil, who always takes his time to make recommendations, and explanations, and provides such a human touch to the shop. We visited his new store the other day and they happened to be running an event to showcase local indie game designers. We had a great time trying out games made by local game makers! Phil was nice enough to give us a tour of the store and the enormous gaming area in the back, the place even has a quiet area for those who need a break as well as restroom facilities for long gaming sessions. Gaming places that have extensive collections to rent are rare, and finding one with an owner who is so passionate and knowledgeable about tabletop gaming and the community is super rare! read more

Phil is absolutely wonderful! We are visiting from out of town and I'm with friends who have absolutely no tabletop knowledge or experience. Phil mentioned his rental program, and my friends were able to experience the glory of tabletop due to the perfect recommendations from Phil! He's extremely knowledgeable and can direct anyone with any interests to find something they'd enjoy! If you want to browse in peace then SAY SO! Owner is blind and can't read your body language. So don't come to yelp and leave a 3 star review because of that like Nathan G. did. That's so ignorant. The place is well stocked and so much to browse through! You can even play there with friends and the customers are just as social and friendly as the owner! I will come here every time I'm coming through Pittsburg! Thanks for such an amazing experience Phil! read more

I've loved this place since I first walked in. Immediately the owner came up to introduce himself and asked if he could help. My wife mentioned the RPG stuff she was looking for and her all-lady D&D group, and he was absolutely thrilled. They had a long conversation about the changing roles of women in the gaming hobby. How for decades the only people who ever walked in the door were men, and now on gaming nights there will be times where more women than men are there. He was great and so helpful to both of us. The place has a great selection of games as well as gaming nights and the ability to have tables for your own games. Even though it's out of my way I do make a point to visit it as often as possible. I've struck up conversations with customers, who were just as friendly and helpful as the owner. read more

I've driven past this place for years but never stopped in. Then I saw a posting for a board game night. They have them on Wednesdays and Fridays. ($2 fee,free coffee) I decided to check it out and there was a whole group of people who were willing to teach me a ton of fun board games. I found a group of people who were fun to hang out with, and a new hobby. At the base of it this is a shop where you can buy RPG books, Magic cards, and board games, but also a place to play d&d and Eldritch horror. The owner Phil is amazing. He made me feel welcome while providing the best possible customer service. He can advise you if you are a newbie, or if you have been playing for years. Or you can tell him you are browsing, and he will let you be. He's been willing to order stuff in for me, and I feel good keeping a local business chugging along whenever possible. read more

Game Masters - Game Night! - Hobby Shops Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Owner Phil knows his stuff! I totally enjoyed shopping here and purchasing a couple of new games that he recommended.

I was in state from Denver, Colorado and stopped in with a friend. We had an excellent time talking with Phil and browsing his excellent selection of role playing games, board games, and game accessories. This was honestly the most welcome either of us had ever felt in a game store (in 30+ years of role playing). He even offered us coffee while we hung out - no purchase necessary. Of particular interest to me, Game Masters' selection of indie-spectrum RPGs is top notch - which is not something I can say about most stores (I've been to many in multiple countries). When we were there he had numerous Savage Worlds settings, Bluebeard's Bride, Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Tales from the Loop, Genesys (including FFG Star Wars), Star Trek Adventures, and many more. His selection of used rpgs was also excellent though we missed the opportunity to buy a copy of the D&D blue box by a couple of days. He is tied in to the gaming industry on the publishing side and is the US importer for Degenesis a "primal punk" rpg. I was impressed by the depth and breadth of his industry knowledge. We didn't have time to stay and play, but there were several large tables available if we had wanted to. This is a great benefit because the RPG and gaming community exists physically primarily at game stores - that's where I know I can consistently find "my people." Note: Phil is blind, so he doesn't pick up on visual cues, so if you want to browse quietly you can just let him know. It also means he doesn't form an expectation about his customers based on how they look - which was a benefit for us non-traditional gamers - and that kicks ass. We were happy to chat and I can't say enough good things about the store and the selection. In fact, I'm already trying to think up reasons to get back to PA just to visit Game Masters - Phil is one of the good ones as proven by 22 years as a game store owner/operator. read more

We are new to the North Hills area and had some friends re-introduce us to Magic the Gathering. We needed some new dice and were delighted to find this hobby shop very close to our place! The owner, Phil, was extremely welcoming and hospitable. We chatted with him about getting back into the card game and he made some great recommendation for the type of dice we should get and booster card packs that would improve our decks. We browsed around the store and were very impressed by the variety of specialty board games and RPG games that he had in stock. He even had Settlers of Catan, a rare favorite of ours, along with expansion packs and other games similar to it. If you enjoy the mass-produced usual board games you can find anywhere, you should definitely branch out and try something from this store! We will definitely be going back for all of our Magic/gaming needs. read more

Even though I've been knocking around Pittsburgh for a year+ now, I hadn't been able to get into this shop. I knew where it was, but it never seemed to happen. When a new RPG book I needed came out, I decided I would come here to see if they had it and see if this shop would be the one to meet my gaming needs. When I entered the store, the owner, Phil, was talking to another customer. He greeted me and said he would be a moment; his wife instantly followed up to offer assistance. While she was not familiar she was pleasant and tried to help, and it was just a moment until Phil was ready. Phil is a gregarious, outgoing guy and even though he didn't have what I came for, he offered to order it. I said ok, he jumped on the phone immediately and ordered it. Afterwards, he gave me a tour of the shop, explained all the games and such they have set up, and outlined the way the store worked. I was flabbergasted. I have been to a lot of game stores, and rarely has the owner taken so much time to make a new customer feel up to date and included in what the store does. I returned a few days later after the item came in (I ordered it Wednesday, it was there Friday). He rang me up quickly, and chit-chatted with me, and offered further services. It was great. Aside from the awesome customer service, the store has an amazing selection. Tons of RPGs, a great selection of indy, popular, and out of print stuff. Board games, miniatures, accessories, etc. They have a calendar chock full of RPGs you can join, and space for multiple games, with free tea and coffee for customers. The only drawback? I am so busy with school until summer that I can't come here more until then! But I will be back to make more purchases, definitely. read more

The reviews here mention the outgoing nature of Phil the owner. I'm sure it's great if you're an extroverted customer, or you're looking for advice, but some folks want to just browse in peace. Phil greeted us as soon as we entered, which was fine, but then he kept trying to engage us in conversation. He's blind, so he couldn't see our obvious body language indicating we'd prefer to browse on our own, and it would have been really awkward for us to say something. No matter how often my friend and I tried to nicely end the conversation, Phil kept going. Even though numerous customers entered after us, he was still honed in on talking to us, and he didn't stop talking until we bought something and left 15 minutes later. Otherwise, the shop had a good selection of new games as well as some eclectic older things. There are tables for playing in the back, and it seems like a good place to hang out as long as you don't mind a talkative owner. read more

Visited last night as a new DM for some dice, and not only was Phil extremely knowledgeable and friendly, but was incredibly patient with my newness to the scene. I'm bringing my fiance and brother by next week on my next day off! I'm always very intimidated going into male dominant spaces like comic book stores, and would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Expected to literally rush in, look quickly, rush out. I probably would have done just that and not found what I was looking for, if Phil hadn't immediately put me at ease with his friendly demeanor. Highly recommend! read more

I just started into gaming and this place is awesome. I can't say enough about the owner Phil. He is always helpful and knowledgeable. If you are looking for a place to play, this is it. Its an extremely reasonable $2 per person table fee. If you're just looking for obscure board games, books, modules, cards or dice, support your local business owners and go see Phil! read more

Game Masters is a Pittsburgh gaming institution and has been around for ages under the same owner. In terms of games knowledge, I have yet to meet an owner who can out-do Phil. He really goes out of his way to make sure he understands everything he's selling so that he can make good recommendations based on your personal tastes. This store is very bright, very well lit and extremely friendly. Walking into Game Masters is like being greeted by long-lost family every time. This is a great shop with a great selection and very good people. I can't recommend it highly enough! read more

Game masters is awesome! It's not just a great place to buy games but a great place to play them too! Also, it's the only place in America you can buy Degenesis so totally check that out! read more

A great shop for older and more uncommon games, and a massive selection of miniatures for games like Dungeons and Dragons. There are a bunch of tables throughout the shop, and always a game or 5 being played at one time. The best part of the entire shop is the atmosphere, everyone there is so friendly, and they treat you like they have known you forever. read more

Great selection of RPG books and accessories, the guy who owns the store is a really cool dude, he helped me learn about different systems and invited me to sit in on one of the many weekly games they run at their gaming tables. Some really top-notch GM's running a variety of games, you'll always find something you're into. If you like pen and paper rpg's, this is your place. read more