Great store with very competitive pricing, the friendliest staff, a clean, well maintained play area, and a decent selection of games. I play Modern here every Monday and this store is a great place to play Magic: The Gathering. The tourney organizer, Ezekiel is friendly, helpful, considerate, and really cares about the people playing Magic here. He will wait to start if someone is running late and will work with the players to figure out proper judge calls. I believe he also hosts Warhammer 40K events too. The store itself is very well lit, maintained, and most importantly clean. We all know board and card game enthusiasts can be on the smelly/ less hygienic side, but this store is thankfully better maintained. The bathroom is cleaned regularly. The staff is friendly and helpful. They've always been nice to customers from what I see, and will regularly bring your order to your table if you're busy playing a game. All in all I couldn't recommend a better place to play board games or Magic: The Gathering. read more

See all

Such an incredible store! Greeted with friendly faces and.... amazing smells, something rare in these hobby shops. Can spend all day here with treats and coffee while I play with friends! amazing place!! read more

Great afterschool programming and school break camps! My kids love the board game selection, the counselors, and the cookies! read more

This is a wonderful little (or rather big) shop for everything board game and tabletop game related. They run tournaments throughout the week as well as kids events and the staff here is very nice. More recently they started a chess club run by Jimmy and it is being run well with a couple strong players including a master who also does lessons. They also surprisingly have a very good craft beer selection with very reasonable prices especially for the area as well as some other drinks such as coffee from Brooklyn Roasting Company. In terms of food as it's well Yelp, I have had a spicy chicken sandwich there which was a lot better than I expected for a board game place as well as I believe some barbecue sandwich which was also good. The prices are reasonable as well being 10$ for 4 hours (or $75 for 3 months if you are going to be here for a lot longer and trust me, you're going to be here a lot.) Wonderful place and popular for a very good reason. read more

My son has done their board game camps and they did an excellent job engaging and teaching. Also when he was sick they refunded the day so we could use those funds on another day. Place is surprisingly spacious and has decent game variety. Would very much recommend for board gaming tcgs and ttrpgs read more

Friendly staff, great selection. Pretzel bites delicious! Wednesdays busy, check website for events before hoping for walk in. read more

Seriously a great deal for a great time. At $10 per person for up to 4 hours of play, Brooklyn Strategist is hard to beat. Cant even get a movie ticket for that price. Unlike other venues which may appear to have a comparable concept, the Strategist is a true game library lounge. Here you wont find the greasy cards and incomplete game sets at other establishments that are more about booze and food. Instead the BkS has well lit tables and a vast selection of great board games, and the best part--super knowledgeable staff who will help you select the right games for your evening according to your desired intensity, duration, experience... Ashley was very great in informing our decisions and giving us a sense of new games before we plunged into the sometimes time consuming task of reading the instruction manuals. We played Ur, Ascension, and Qwirkle tonight. They also allow you to BYOB and have a binder full of local restaurants that will deliver food. The snacks and coffee and tea they have in house are decent in price and taste. We had a lime coconut cookie and a choco chip one, both baked in house. If you love strategy games this is a great place to try a new one before buying it; and if you do decide to purchase it the store offers very competitive prices. Will return here with more friends after my awesome date with my board game enthusiast boyfriend. They do their thing well and dont try to do too much. read more

The Brooklyn Strategist - Game library - Social Clubs Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Not worth it. Honestly if your going to play cards or war hammer then this place is good for you. But the store aspect is pathetic. It's barely a closet of space for things to shop. A shelf of very limited RPG books it's pretty laughable. As for the board games? It's not much better, the store aspect leaves you with a feeling of claustrophobia. I really hate "rpg" stores that are stores in name only. Also there is only one (yes ONE D&D game) it's all about Pokémon and Yugio cards. The other large room is for warhammer players. So I would really avoid unless your a local looking to play those games. Not with traveling to it read more

I love this game store! If I lived closer, I'd come here weekly and partake in their game/rpg nights. I usually go here if I'm cruising through the neighborhood and pick up some gaming supplies, like card sleeves, mini paints, and brushes. The staff here are super friendly and helpful! Every time I've gone to BK Strat (a affectionate nickname me and my gaming group have given it), the folks here always welcome me. They're very knowledgable about gaming and gave me a few pointers about priming some minis. It's that helpful and courteous tone that I feel like would make them a great crew to learn a game with. I can totally understand why their day camps are so popular! Get thee to the BK Strat! read more

Knowledgeable workers. Great selections. Nice snack/food bar. Comparable game prices. One of my husband and my new favorite stops.

A 10/10 date place that I definitely would come back to. They have vegan options for snacks and honestly just a long menu in general. I've never seen this many board games in my life! I didn't even know that many versions of Catan existed. It's a flat fee of $10 for 4 hours, per person, so I suggest coming here at least 4 hours before they close if you want your money's worth. Also, we got here kind of early, but I can imagine it gets very busy during Magic: The Gathering game nights. I will say that guys heavily dominate this space. My partner and I were the only women out of 20+ people. This is obviously no one's fault, but I just wanted to give a heads-up about the atmosphere. I'm docking a star because some of the staff can be kind of rude. We just came from pizza dinner so we used our take-home pizza to hold down our table, and a staffer instantly told us that people can't bring outside food, which we had no intention to eat. This felt like an honest misunderstanding, but then later, that same staffer yelled at me as I waited in line for the bathroom. The bathroom is near an "employees only" section. As I was waiting, I simply turned my head to look at some of the books in the section, which I should reiterate, I DID NOT ENTER. Yet this staffer was quick to raise his voice and remind me that it was "employees only." I wasn't DOING anything. It's disappointing because it happened as we were leaving, so that definitely ended the experience on a sour note. read more

My board game enthusiast friends have raved about The Brooklyn Strategist, and I'm glad I finally had a chance to stop in. They have a ton of gaming space, some food, beers, and some of the most helpful people ever. Great selection of games available. They charge about $10+ more per game compared to Amazon, but hey, you get some sweet tote bags and you're supporting local business. read more

See all

A surprisingly fun place for people of all ages, if you don't mind the occasionally serious MTG tournaments going on here. The volume of board games here for a good rate lends favorably to my 5.0/5.0 rating for this shop. Friday is unquestionably one of the nights you don't want to be caught at home doing nothing. Call up a few friends and head here if you don't have plans and bars are no longer your thing any longer. Their BYOB and BYO food policy fits well for this purpose as there are ample number of wine/liquor and beer establishments to help you stock up for this misadventure. Their wide array of board and card games will keep you occupied for hours, and that's a good thing. For $10/pp for four hours, this is a pretty good deal. Mind you, Friday night is Magic night, so beware the serious looking tables. Be courteous, and don't mess with them. The light snack/juice/coffee counter is sufficient and does the trick to keep you going. Oh, you order there and pay at the front counter. The staff is affable and helpful. Will definitely be back. Thank you for having us! 5.0/5.0 read more

The Brooklyn Strategist - Social Clubs Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Really the best gaming store and board game cafe in Brooklyn. Particularly if you are interested in Warhammer, Magic, and board games, this is the place. Its cheaper if you buy a membership. read more

A great hangout for gaming with a special emphasis on family gaming, lots of parents and kids were there when I arrived (everyone behaved... :) ). Cool industrial decor. I ordered up an Arlin Cord Panini... ham, bacon, cheese and a spicy chipotle mayo. Only $7 and easily big enough for 2 to share (speaking as a 6' 250lb guy)! Also a frothy, smooth latte... delicious! A little Gigamic Quarto for a fun game to cap it off. Wonderful and enthusiastic staff. Great place! read more

The Brooklyn Strategist - Social Clubs Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I love this store, the staff are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. I went in to buy a gift for someone with special needs and the staff walked through the pros and cons and approaches in play and learnability of 4 different games. They were so patient with me as I tried to explain the recipient and his skills and tried to find the right match. The store also has a rather large area where you can play games: I didn't have time but loved that you could try out something before taking the plunge. This is a unique and special store. read more

I had gone to their establishment on a Saturday night sat out in the patio. Things were very nice. Played a few games and the food came out. The pizza was ok it wasn't crispy. And had ordered some nachos for my significant other now in the morning my significant other is sick I called to speak to the manager and I get a will talk to our kitchen staff and hung up on. I'm just very disappointed with the food. read more

Great gaming store in Brooklyn. Everything is well organized, staff are super friendly and helpful. Terrific game selection, and the Magic trading card game events are very fun. Food and drinks are good. Pretty much everything you would want from a gaming store, and they deliver even more. read more

Played a game there for the first time today and was treated with the utmost courtesy and professionalism by the staff. They dealt with my nagging questions and went out of their way to help me get my game set up. Would highly recommend this playing space to anyone as it is an oasis from the hustle and bustle of NYC. Their prices are also easily competitive with even online retailers. With service was so excellent, I'd rather spend money to support such an awesome space, with such a ridiculously amazing staff, than get a deal somewhere else. My only regret was that I didn't get to try the food... read more

What a little treasure we just stumbled into! My friend needed to rest a bit. These guys sell tea, snacks, and even beer! They stock a very large selection of unusual games. If you're passing through and you are a gamer, this joint is worth a stop. If you're local, you're so lucky! They have so many opportunities to play, and even an after school program for the little ones! read more

Very helpful and friendly staff. Lots of games available to try. Plenty of rooms there is no organized game or tournament going. Not a huge selection on display to buy, though more may be available in their basement storage. Plenty of RPG rule books. Nice snack and such available for purchase. I'll be back next time I'm in town. read more

Modern construction format is on Mondays trying to start playing In this format more often will take tournaments like this one. read more

The Brooklyn Strategist - Social Clubs Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

My son has been going here for 2 years usually for some of the school holidays off. The games are endless and it's nice to find an activity and place that grows with him. Also a great way to meet new kids. He became friends w a girl and her mother And I became friends and coordinate what days to sign our kids. We are hopeful the fathers will become fast friends. Lol. read more

Having gone back to the Strategist several times with members (who have good relationships with the staff), I have had much better experiences. Yes, some of the staff are still there just to play their own games and ignore you. But others (I'm looking at you Mendez and Bjorn) are super helpful and friendly. Although they do sell some food and drinks, they are totally fine with you bringing in a little or a lot of food and beverage. We have brought in multi-course meals and enough alcohol to last our 4 hour session, which lessens the sting of losing Pandemic 4 times in a row.... and it's never a problem. The best part? They have a beautiful backyard for those sunshiney Sunday afternoon that you can't bear to spend inside. read more

I have been dragged to a few board game stores in my day which is the price you pay for having a board game enthusiast as a boyfriend. I'm comparing this mostly the Chicagoland Games (the Dice Dojo) in our old stomping grounds. The Brooklyn Strategist is by far the most trendy spaces of board game stores. Their selection of board games is decently sized. The person working was busy helping a few young boys, so we weren't immediately greeted when we walked in about hour to close. We grabbed Jaipur and began to get set up, and the guy working came up and asked us if we knew how the place worked. I've never been to a board game store where you have to pay to play---he charged us $10 for the remaining hour they were open. I get why they charge, especially in NYC with the crazy price of rent, but part of me doesn't like it. The guy helped explain the game to us, which may have saved on time, so I can rationalize paying for that part of the experience, but I kind of just wanted to be left alone. Anyway, we loved Jaipur, so we ended up buying it. I was hopeful that since we were buying a game, they might not make us pay for playing, but no such luck. It's a nice spot, but I just can't get used to the fact that you have to pay to play. read more

The Patience Shown the kids Is outstanding. Cheap dates and great games. Support local biz. read more

If you're looking for a place to try out new board games beyond Monopoly, Scrabble, and Clue ... this is the place to go. Make sure to try Pandemic. :-) read more

I have been back to the strategist a few more times, and despite some of the shortcomings I have grown to love it. It is easy to get around the somewhat inconsistent service if you come for one of the themed employee-led activity nights like D&D Encounters, and get to know one of the employees. Once you have even the most minimal connection, you'll most likely see that person there every time you return and they'll help you with anything you need. The core demographic is after-school programs/children's events, but you can still have lots of fun there as an adult. Just build in a bit of tolerance for the fact that the staff have to become babysitters because parents drop their kids off and come back 4 hours later. They have the more complex adult games getting buzz these days like Catan and Pandemic, and everyone at the store becomes more helpful once they see you there once or twice so you can get very good recommendations and save lots of time as they'll explain the rules of any game so you don't have to read the instructions. Their food is good, one of the owners is friends with a chef that makes it all for them (especially try the homemade sodas!). However, there is no judgement about bringing food and drinks in with you, which is often easier. If you want to grab pizza from down the street, you can probably find a few people to split with among the other customers. The Brooklyn Strategist can become a huge value if you become a member, but $10 a session for 4 hours of fun is already great. read more

Awesome awesome awesome place to kill time with some classic and new "never-heard-of-before" board games! The guys there are pretty chill; explains how to play the new games too. The place has an overall friendly, chill out vibe goin on. They also have snacks, treats, and drinks. Who doesn't wanna munch on some popcorn while waiting on the opponent to finally make a move on chess?? ;) It's only $10 bucks per person for 4 hours of game time. I shall be back to conquer my title in Carcassonne. (Totally recommend this game!) read more

Brooklyn Strategist is a great store and social venue. I understand that they have a major focus on after school clubs and all-day camps for children and teens, which I can't speak to. I can speak about their open table gaming in the evenings. For a moderate fee, you can take any one of a number of games off the shelf, ranging from Illuminati, Mille Bournes, Diplomacy, Ravenloft, Risk, Settlers of Catan etc., set it up and play at any one of several open 6-8 person tables for a moderate fee. Basically the same games (new, in sealed boxes) are also available for sale. Gaming here makes it easy for people to meet in one central location, to pick up new gamers, and to organize games. They currently have a BYOB policy although I think a liquor license may be in their future. You can also order in or bring your food and they do have some snacks on hand, although I don't think a formal menu. In short, a clean, well-lighted and friendly place to get your game on. read more

As I walked by I was enticed to enter by the voices that were highly engaged in their various games. The store is set up as half shop, half tables for playing with a small cafe with homemade snacks. Even though the shop worker was currently playing a game, he was also able to talk me through and pick out a great new game for a gift. He was enthusiastic and knew the ins and outs of all the games in the shop, which helped a lot in deciding on the perfect game for my brother. read more

Extremely rude staff, very dismissive of adult customers. Lost a few great people in the last year and service is awful, miss Sam and Betsy. They do have space to play games, and have product on the shelves. If you don't mind a comic book guy type experience with the staff then its workable. No experience with the day camp side other than it is obviously their main point of focus. read more

Five friends and I stopped in on a Saturday afternoon, hoping to partake in free play, and we briefly suffered from information overload as we couldn't choose from the wall of games in front of us. Luckily, the staff there was very helpful in helping us choose a game, given the games we told him that we had played before. The set up is quite nice; there are several 6ish person tables that are available for group play, and there's a little area in a corner that serves some pastries and beverages. The staff is very friendly and helped explain the rules to us about the two games that we ended up playing, and they were always willing to answer questions that we had while we were playing. It's a great little place to stop in and try different games at inexpensive rates while having all the help you need from an extremely courteous staff, and I would love to come back and try some of the other games. read more

Great spot for a date night - at least if you come here in the evenings. i've never been here in the day time so while kids might abound earlier on, at night it seems to just be adults. I came here with my boyfriend twice. The first time we discovered carcassone and took the game home with us (of course they sell the games). The second time we played another game, that I don't remember the name of, but it was fun. There is a huge selection, and the staff is very helpful in explaining the rules to any game you pick out. I should mention though that the last time we went it was near closing time and the staff seemed to be engrossed in their own game play - leaving us to feel like we were interrupting when we needed their assistance. They serve light snacks (cookies, popcorn, tea, etc.) and I do remember a particular chocolate chip cookie tasting quite amazing! They seem to bake them fresh? Not sure. Anyway, the price is right and the last time we went, since it was so close to closing time that we wouldn't get a full 4 hours - we received a discount without even asking). Sweet! read more

The boy and I came here with a HowAboutWe for Couples deal, which included four hours of free gaming, a couple drinks, and a little snack. We played about three different games (the only name I remember is Ticket to Ride because I schooled my boyfriend at it), and I couldn't believe how quickly four hours went by. A great place for a group of friends to go out and do something different. Plus the guys working there are super knowledgeable and friendly. Will was excited about introducing us to new games, and even joined in and played one with us. I'll definitely be coming back here with peeps to try Snake Oil (go ask them about it; Apples to Apples but better). The only reason I take a point off is that they offer food and drinks, but everything we had was pretty average. Although I DO think you might be able to bring in outside food, which if so, is quite awesome. read more

I'm not a hard core board gamer, by any stretch of the imagination, so take this review with a grain of salt. I went came here on my lunch break after spotting the intriguing name from across the street. It turns out that there were a group of school age kids playing board games, as well as a few adults perusing some decks of cards. I like the idea of a game store that can cater to different groups, and even though it's on the smallish side, they seem to have a large selection of really interesting games, including one involving my favorite weird/horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft. Definitely worth checking out if you're a gamer. read more

This place is great! Tons of games (we're not just talking Monopoly and Apples to Apples, there are a ton of games you probably haven't even heard of) and a super knowledgeable staff. We asked for a recommendation based on another game we like, and were given a tutorial by one of the staff on exactly how to play. He checked in every so often to see if we had questions. I heard him instruct another couple in about 3 different games, so he clearly knew his stuff. We used a HowAboutWeDeal, but with a $10 price tag for 4 hours of game play, it's a totally reasonable and awesome way to spend a day! Who has room in their apartment for board games, anyway? read more

The first time I came here, it was packed with kids for their after school program so it was understandable that all 3 employees couldn't help me. I came back the next day at an earlier time to play board games and the employee there was very nice. Unfortunately he took a very, very long time assisting me because he was the only employee working. This looks like a great place if you're here for their after school program, but I'm probably too old for that. read more

This place is perfect. They have kids classes, adult D&D sessions, Warhammer nights, Magic: The Gathering competitions, $10 table fees for to use any of the board games from their extensive collection, and a lot more. The cafe is great, they have beers and all sorts of good snacks. However more than anything else, the entire staff is so welcoming and wonderful. They love what they do and they want to share their passion with you. read more

I've only managed to come down here twice, but honestly always such a great experience. Staff are so nice and helpful, and the selection of games is AMAZING. If you're a board game fan, old or new, I can't recommend this enough. read more