Excellent gaming selection and knowledgeable staff. The space is small, but there's lots of stuff packed inside. read more

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Great service, kind staff, and a large selection. I definitely would recommend this place. It feels like a hole in the wall but there's many treasures once you go inside. read more

I'm here to combat many of the old 1 star reviews. While some of the complaints are valid, the current staff has put a lot of hard work into changing the store for the better and I believe these reviews to be mostly spiteful. Giving a business 1 star can affect a business more than I think these guys whining about paying more for an ultra specific card than online or about not being able to return a game they took a chance on and regretted. 5 Star employee recommendations btw. Great selection of games and minis. Fun events. read more

A great local spot to buy games. They have a huge selection, and always are helpful to give suggestions. I come in every Christmas season to get a new game (usually one I've never heard of) and always leave with a new game to gift my nephews, they've never been disappointed with what I've found there. They also have lots of gaming cards and other things for gamers. I noticed last time I was there a nice selection of games for little kids. I was only disappointed when I wanted to get Yahtzee was told to go to a big box store for that type of game. read more

The Soldiery - Hobby Shops Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Not a whole lot to say, been shopping at the Soldiery since the summer of 2013, at first I was there to buy from their YuGiOh seller, but I was genuinely impressed by the selection, YuGiOh, Magic, Vanguard, Weiss, Pokemon, not just TCGs, but board games. The staff was extremely knowledgeable as was able to give me advice when it came to starting out with Vanguard. As well,while their products may be a bit on the pricey side, they match most online retailers so you know you're getting a relatively fair price. While I've had disagreements with the owner, I will say that's not enough to deter me and I will absolutely be coming back read more

Reviews seem a bit harsh but I dig the store as a new transplant to Columbus. It's my closest shop and, mostly, I am here for TTRPG stuff or mini-paints/supplies. Good selection of both (great indie TTRPGs) and I've never had any complaints with the staff nor their attitude. They've always been pleasant and professional to me and I appreciate they generally still wear masks. The board game selection is pretty decent with a nice section for kids (lots of Haba stuff). Parking lot is convenient and there is a decent mini section, too. Can't talk about M:TG or other TCGs as I don't play those but, for me, I am pretty stoked to have a store like this within a 2-mile radius of my house. read more

Currently The Soldiery rates a 3 out of 5 on Yelp. Which is fair imo but it doesn't seem as if this business cares to change its online rep in any way. All criticisms; mostly around customer service & store policy, remain valid, and the store stubbornly refuses to change its image in the slightest. Being tone deaf to customers IS your problem!! If this store is not willing to improve its reputation through positive change, then shopping elsewhere is the only alternative. Vote with your $. read more

Legitimately a miserable experience. I've been here twice in the past few weeks and both times were just not pleasant. I went in both times to buy some Pokemon cards, it's a hobby I've just gotten back into and it just reeked of cheap. For starters, the price. They're far from the worst price, but everything is just slightly above the intended market value. SV packs normally go for $4, they're charging $5, and some older expansions that are still in print are going for as much as $6 or $7 as just one example. Looking back at reviews this was an issue as far back as 12 years ago. In addition, the big one, the smell. Prices be damned I would still support this as a local store but the store absolutely REEKS. It's like the stereotypes of nerds never showering is true there, and again, reading old reviews, this was an issue as far back as 15 years ago. To top it off too I remember a few years back they had a bit of a rat problem apparently, and given that the things about prices and smell haven't changed in all these years, I doubt the rat problem still persists as well. Go to the Guard Tower. Please. Or just anywhere else. Avoid avoid avoid. read more

My girlfriend and I come here often. It's our fav tcg shop and we've visited several. It maintains msrp prices for our game longer than any other shops we've tried. read more

Favorite LGS I've ever been to! Always enjoy browsing and have been happy with everything I've bought here. Overall a great experience.

It's sad I had to make an account for this, but I stopped in recently for the MTG's Outlaws of Thunder Junction release and my god, it was an experience. To start off, walking in, it's cluttered to hell, but that's understandable because it's a small shop. What's not AT ALL understandable is the customer service that I experienced and witnessed. While the two short girls with glasses were very helpful and informative, one of the guys behind the Magic counter was rude as can be. I didn't get the chance to research the new expansion so I asked the guy with long hair about it and was given direct answers but the guy couldn't care less and made it very clear that he was annoyed to help. Later I decided to check out some deck boxes before I bought one of the pre-cons and overheard the taller white woman making remarks about customers, almost making fun of them. Listen, I understand that some jobs can be stressful but when you actively hate on the customers who come there because of their interests and the convenience, maybe the industry isn't for you. If anyone decides to come here, beware. The store has a good bang for your buck and nice selection and All the employees are amazing except for these two. read more

Pros- Large amount of various products Cons- horrendously overpriced, terrible staff, bare minimum organization This store is everything a tabletop game store shouldn't be. This store resembles a business plan made by a greedy nerd for a freshman high school project. read more

This place is pretty cool. They have one heck of a selection of games, virtually stacked to the ceiling, and a variety of accessories and such. Most people on here are complaining about the smell, and the employees. Yeah, I'm sure anywhere that hosts Magic or Yu-Gi-Oh! is a prime candidate for some ripe odors, but it's somewhat unfair to ding The Soldiery for that. Sure, they COULD send people away after a sniff test upon initial entry, but then they'd probably lose half of their customer base, and that's simply not good for any business. The times I've been in there, they employees haven't been sparkling, social butterflies, but they haven't exactly been rude or anything either. For the amount of regular traffic they get here, and as long as they've been around, it's a shock they haven't moved to a larger location because this place is CRAMPED! The entrance is very easy to miss from the street, being located on the side of a building, and almost warehouse-esque in appearance. I feel like once I get through the door, Wile-E-Coyote is going to come out of hiding, only to peel away the sign that says "The Soldiery," revealing another one that says "entrance to the basement from Saw 1." It's honestly not bad on the inside, but you would never know from looking at the outside! read more

I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit the fact that I was an adamant Magic: The Gathering player well in to my freshman year of college, but as soon as I transferred from The University of Akron to OSU I all but gave up the game completely. It might have had something to do with the fact that I couldn't find a decent place to play at, or it may have been the rampant alcohol consumption that took place on my neighbor's porch every night. The details are hazy. Anyways, I decided to make an attempt at jumping back in to it for fun last summer, so I did some Googling and found this place. After driving up and down High Street at least four times, I finally gave up and asked the people at The Laughing Ogre (the comic book store out front) where this place was. Birds of a feather and all that jazz, right? As luck would have it (or so it seemed at the time), The Soldiery was located directly behind. Onward I marched. Once I got inside, I found the layout of this tiny little shed of a gaming store to be dizzying. Backpacks and skateboards laying everywhere, rogue collections of tabletop miniatures crammed in to corner shelves here and there, and some of the most unsavory adult power-gamers I've ever seen in my life. It all became clear to me why I quit this crap in the first place: hanging out at a place like The Soldiery is no way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Like Matthew B. said in his review, I wish this place would just make up its mind. There's way too much clutter here for this to ever be a legitimate place to hold sanctioned CCG tournaments, yet that's exactly what goes on here several times a week. No wonder this place smells like stale Camels and armpits! The selection of goods here is spread far too thin over a needlessly large cross section of different games, most of which can't have more than three or four die-hard fans in the entire central Ohio area to begin with. That's what the internet is for! Alas, my lone trip to The Soldiery brought back all the bad memories of competitive gaming that I swept under the rug the minute I left Akron, and I think that's where they'll remain for now. read more

The Soldiery - Hobby Shops Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Superb selection, friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming staff ... one of the best game stores it's been my privilege to visit! read more

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. If you buy a gift certificate they print it out and put the person's name on it. The store stocks board games, miniatures, and books for role-playing games. They host weekly events for games and have snacks for sale. Sometimes people will order pizza. The board games are generally grouped by the manufacturer but there's a small section dedicated to all ages. read more

Overall, the selection is excellent and I would return for MTG and Warhammer purchases. The MTG booster pack (recent releases) prices were reasonable. However the customer service was poor and was treated in a manner by the staff that made it awkward to be there and felt like we were not welcome. It seems like this store only caters to serious/high end customers. As a newbie to the MTG community in Columbus, this experience did not make a great first impression about the community. I was there for the first time today. We walked in and got stared at the entire time until we approached the counter. OK. Awkward. Then we asked to look at their binders of MTG cards and was told that we can't look at the cards without handing in a premade list and handling binders was against policy because there was no counter or table space in the store. The store was quite empty and there were several large and unoccupied tables. I think she should have clarified the policy better other than saying "that's just the way it is". Later, I called because I thought I had left my purchase at the store and also received poor reception from the staff who gave me the impression they were completely annoyed during the call. My mistake. The bag slid under my car seat while I was driving home. In the end, we bought several packs but walked away without buying any singles because it was so inconvenient to browse through the cards. If I wanted to go through the hassle of building a list of cards on the internet,, then I would just go ahead and buy them online. If I go to a brick and mortar store, I'd like to able to physically browse cards and not be treated as potential card thieves and scammers. read more

I've been to The Soldiery on and off for several years now, however I took a looong break from this place (6 years) due to my disagreement with how the management ran the store. I attempted to give them another chance, and boy was I disappointed. The owner has not changed. This guy is rude to customers and will fight you over everything. I had brought friends with me to give their Yu-Gi-Oh locals another shot. However when we arrived on time, got our OTS packs, and went off to the side to prepare for the event. About an hour passes, and we are still sitting there, event should have started right? Well it did, and no one made an announcement. So I went up to ask why they would blatantly ignore players who even told staff after signing up for the event where we would be. But instead we were forced to take a loss. The owner called over to deal with me because I was reasonably annoyed, decided to BLATANTLY LIE that he had made a call for all Yu-Gi-Oh players, searched the store for us, and "told us" to be in the front of the store for the event. When I called him out on that, he scoffed, gave me a look of "well you are wrong here so whatever", and then proceeded to add us back into the tournament begrudgingly. After all of this, everything went relatively smoothly until the end of the tournament. Where he informed us there couldn't be draws, because "that's only regional level and you should know this before coming to locals". Since when was it appropriate to tell your customers, most of which are first time players since it is locals and not a regional, that they should have done research and are to be completely aware of your store's tournament rules? Which by the way, went't to another store's event that day, locals, and had draws. HMMMMMMM. Overall, do not recommend this place for events. God knows I won't come back. Community was great, met some great players who were extremely kind. Employees are nice too, it's just the owner that I have issue with. The only saving grace of the store is that they hold an extensive selection of sealed product. I started going to this place back in 2011, stopped in 2013 because of disagreements with the owner's practices, and now seeing it hasn't changed in 6 years? It's unfortunate. Worst part of the experience is that it could have easily been avoided in several ways, like doing exactly everything he lied to me about doing, or even a, "I'm sorry that this mistake was made, I have to give you the first loss, but I'll add you right back into the tournament." That's all that had to be said, rather than being hostile and treating the customer like they are an idiot. Perhaps in another 6 or so years I'll come back to see if it happens again, we'll see I guess. read more

Tried to return an sealed/unopened game but was told that returns are not accepted. This was not the policy when I purchased the item. Was told by the manager that signs are clear and posted throughout but an employee and I couldn't find 1 no returns sign. Wanted to support a local business but will not be going back. Bad business read more

Spent my evenings the last week or so looking for cars covers and storage boxes crafted specifically for CCGs. Was pleasantly surprised that everything I was looking for was visible immediately upon entry! The staff was the very kind and helpful. Their selections are EXPANSIVE and SO I definitely took my time looking around. I got some great help and pointers from the team there and left with some great finds. I would highly recommend. read more

Update: The Soldiery is the worst gaming store I have ever had to deal with and I hope Amazon puts them out of business, and quick. I do not use such an insult lightly. Now this place is a real dive and I've never quite liked it, but it's there, you know, and I used to buy a LOT of board games. Now the place advertises that it buys, sells, and trades games on its website. Only, it doesn't. The guy who runs the place is an obnoxious grade-n NEEEEEEERD about everything. I learned a few months ago that when he says he "buys games" he actually means he'll give you a quarter of their market value, then he re-shrinkwraps them and sells them as new. At least, this is what he told me and my girlfriend, verbatim: "I like how you keep your games organized, I'm just going to shrink-wrap these and put them on the shelf." That seems pretty shady to me in the first place. Have games I've bought at the Soldiery been used games passed off as new without my knowledge? He said "I'll give you half value in store credit instead, because I don't want people thinking I run a pawn shop." Alright, first of all if I thought this was a pawn shop I'd be selling you some real fucking valuable items, not a stack of board games. Second of all, don't advertise you buy games if you really just want to trade them. Trading is cool. If you advertise trading, right on. Just take the "buy" out of there. It's barely true. You don't want to buy games. At all. So the other day I had a crazy notion to go back in and see if I could trade my three D&D 4e core books for a single copy of the Star Wars Saga rules. I made the mistake of bringing the books in with the dust cover the books came in since I bought them as a gift set. Welllll, as soon as he sees it he starts going on the internet, saying how he remembers Amazon selling the set for $50-something. He confirms this to his own satisfaction and then offers me something like $20 in store credit or $10 in cash, for three books with a cover price of $40 each. I wanted to trade all three books, in mint condition, for a single book of the same exact value. Win-win, right? Wrong. Now, okay, if I hadn't brought them in with the slip case he would have tallied the books up separately at cover price, and calculated trade credit from that. It would have been a bit higher. What? Nevermind the fact that he has no idea when or where I bought them and whether I paid the $106 cover price for the gift set or whatever, but he assumes and lets me know that he assumes I bought it off of Amazon at a discount and then calculates how much he should pay me for them based on that. Wait, what? ON TOP OF ALL THIS, he sits there and mocks me about it all. He's like "You didn't do anything stupid like write in these books, right?" I told him "Yeah, I filled out all the character sheets in ink," which he didn't find as funny as I did. Then he started tsking at me and saying "You need to keep your books cleaner." Look, nerd, I'm sorry I don't think gaming books are archival copies of the fucking Word of God because I'm not a neeeeeerd. Also, they were near-mint and only read once and the "dirt" he referred to was a thin layer of dust ON THE DUST CASE. THE CASE MADE TO COLLECT DUST. Annnnd I'm certain that he would have taken the three books, thrown the case away, and sold them separately as three NEW books. He would have paid about $3 a piece for them if I had taken cash, and sold them for $40 a piece to unsuspecting customers. Reprehensible. I will never go back. Take the time to go to the Guardtower. It's an infinitely better experience and an infinitely better store run by an infinitely more friendly and welcoming staff. read more

I just visited the store to get a few tips on Magic the Gathering. The staff were SUPER NICE. I plan on returning with my grandson for some of the informal play nights. Grandpa read more

If you're a serious board gamer, you're going to end up in this store eventually. The only question is, Will I patronize it more than once? Unless you're an in-and-out kind of shopper, probably not. It's an old store with a long history, and the room shows it. The smell is legendary, and even when it's not packed with funky nerds, you're not likely to get a great service experience in any case. This is a store that I go in when I pretty much know what I'm looking for, and under no circumstances is it comfortable or clean enough for casual gaming. If you're into card games, I'd probably still recommend the Guard Tower first, but if you're into board games, you'll probably split your time between this store and the far cleaner and better merchandised Guard Tower. (Or Amazon, which slays both of these stores in prices.) read more

My daughter just got into Pokémon, and after the local Origins convention, I found out there were two game stores in Columbus that I never knew even existed. I made it my mission to visit both and see what each had to offer. When I looked up the address, I was a little shocked as I found it it's literally right behind Laughing Ogre comics. I've been there at least a dozen times and I've never notice that there was a game store behind the place. I'm not sure if this is the intention or by design, but from a retail perspective, they'd do justice to let people even know they are there. I'll start out and say as much as I didn't want to be biased, I couldn't help but compare the prior shop as 'The Soldiery' was the second shop I visited, the first being 'The Guardtower'. While The Guardtower was definitely an older shop and was far from perfect, The Soldiery was a completely different experience. After a comic stop at the Laughing Ogre, my two kids and myself trotted around the corner and found a small sign and up a few steps into a side entrance into what felt like a secret tome of gaming. The Bad: The first impression once in the shop, and I hate to be frank, was the overwhelming stench. This place really, really smells terrible. The first thing my 5 year old (who has no filters) quite emphatically said was... "what is that smell! Did someone fart?" As much as my daughter wanted to get some cards, she actually asked if we could leave as she didn't like the atmosphere either. I'd like to say I was embarrassed, but I really wasn't. Honestly, fart would have been a compliment in comparison to the immense wall of smell that hits you when the door opens. The place was packed with individuals for what I'm guessing was an event they were running, and the pungent smell of body odor and unchanged garbage can was truly overwhelming. While they surely can't control the body odor of their patrons, the large garbage can full of soda and candy wrappers by the register was filled to the brim, and combined with the heat of the shop really seemed to amplify the smell coming from it all. Ok, enough about the smell. I loathe to focus so much on the smell, but it really had to be noted as it was a large part of our experience. My daughter has quickly become a shrewd shopper with booster pack prices. She knows exactly what the packs cost at a couple other places we've looked. She was looking at boosters from the new B&W set and was surprised they were selling them for $4 a pack. That's almost a dollar more than what she can get them at other places. Lastly, the patrons. Again we popped in during an open event of some variety. I understand that they can't control the actions of their patrons, but we experienced multiple situations of extremely rude and crude individuals pushing their way through as we stood at the front counter. One guy actually said "stupid f**king pokemon kids" when we were leaving. Who says things like that? What establishment would let their patrons treat others like that? It's too small a location for things like this to not be observed. Believe it or not, there were some good things. The Good: The young lady that was running the register was extremely helpful and very willing to answer question and sharing the open play schedule for Pokemon, and let me know they frequently have prizes for people who come and play and that because she was a beginner, they had people who would help her learn and get better. My daughter was looking for some 10-sided die for counters and she noticed when we were leaving that they had small colored die on the counter for only .50c. She started digging through, and the nice lady dumped them out in a box so she could more easily pick them out and even helped her get the colors she wanted. However, as nice as the lady at the counter was, there is no way we will go back, despite our frequent visits to Laughing Ogre. If their goal is to be a secret clubhouse where only regulars are truly welcome, they're doing a great job. read more

Absolutely horrible. Undoubtedly the worst nerd game store I've ever been to. I usually go to the Guard Tower, but I had been running errands in Clintonville and decided that I was so close to the Soldiery that I would give it a shot. In Peter C.'s review, he mentions that he ran into "some of the most unsavory adult power-gamers I've ever seen in my life." What an understatement. I'm pretty nerdy, I'll admit. I like fantasy films and books, I've seen Star Wars about a million times, I play D&D on a weekly basis, and I'm terrible at sports. But this place was unbelievable. The entire store is basically a jumbled mess of different pen and paper games, sort of divided by game, but not well, with, for lack of a better word, crap everywhere. When I entered, the adult power gamers were taking up nearly the entire room (there is no separate gaming room, apparently), and I found that I had to weave my way through hoardes of fat, smelly dudes and one horrible woman whose child was drawing on the floor, bored out of her mind, because her mother would slap her hand and yell at her if she approached the table. I had wanted to buy a figurine for my new rogue character (totally awesome, by the way--he wields a dagger that his father used to slay the family's farm animals as an act of mercy, preventing them from dying of thirst after a severe drought), but within about 5 minutes, I just wanted to get out of there. The only problem? I needed dice and I couldn't figure out who worked there. I didn't want to ask any of the clientele, but eventually, the "obnoxious grade-n NEEEEEEERD" mentioned by Matthew B, called out to me from some sort of small office, made sure to correct my verbiage when I mistakenly called the loose dice "singles," and didn't have any dice in the loose dice box that matched the set that I ended up buying. So I gave the guy $14 for a set of dice that didn't even match, and seconds after walking out the door, couldn't figure out for the life of me why I'd given that man any money. I thought about going back to try and return them, but honestly, it's worth $14 for me to never step foot in that store again. read more

Walking in here is always like a scene from an old western. The new sheriff in town walks through the tavern door and everyone stops. People put down their magic cards. A hushed tone sets in. Someone's 20 sided die hits the floor and breaks the silence, but no one picks it up. Everyone's eyes are upon weathered old Johnny Law as he walks over to the bar. No one says a word to him as he wades through the crowd. Don't look weak and order the milk he thinks to himself. "A shot of whiskey bartender, make it a double." Really though this place isn't too bad. They have a really good selection of board games (I can't speak to the CCG and miniature aspect but it looks solid). Their prices are pretty much exactly the same as everywhere else in town, which is to say pretty high if you are spoiled by Amazon. Still, they are a local business and good in a pinch for people who like to look at and feel items before they buy. I have no problem spending a little more for these reasons. They offered us a reasonable price for some games we traded in and the lady at the counter was friendly. The layout of the store is pretty wonky but it seems like they are doing the best they can with such limited space. If you are looking for board games, be sure to check all of the walls even if it seems like it is devoted to other stuff like CCGs. Also, look up! Some stuff is even up in the rafters on top of the shelves. read more

Went for dnd minis. Sure, it's an older shop and a little cluttered. Staff were pleasant, unlike half the reviews on here. Will it be my main shop? Probably not, but it doesn't deserve the 1* reviews it's getting. read more

The Soldiery can't seem to make up its mind. Does it want to be a miniatures store or a board games store? It's not big enough to be both, and is rather cramped and musty. They hold CCG Tournaments as well as Miniatures gaming, so of course there are tables set up in the middle of the store. Toward a forgotten back corner are piles and piles of ill kept out of date tabletop gaming manuals and board games. You're likely to find something rare and out of print if you dig enough. You can sell older games here as well if you need the extra cash to support your hobby. Though you might not always get the price you want. While The Soldiery isn't my first place to buy games, I do shop for all my Magic: The Gathering cards here. read more

Ive been here multiple times now and I'm confused why people dont like it here. Apart from walking in and (slow motion) everyone stops...staring at the new comers, notices one of them is a female...You really can see it all over their faces and Mike C put it perfectly! But after a few times of going in they dont notice you anymore and the owner warms up quickly to frequent customers. By no means did he ever comes across as a guy who is creepy or mean..ever! I admit I was concerned at first because of some of the reviews on here but none of them were accurate. The negitive comments about him leaves me more & more confused every time I go in. I don't know how much money a store owner can make selling games and cards but I can say that if I ran a store like this I would very protective over my things as well, making sure I'm not under selling my things either. It's really easy to make mistakes and lose money in a business like this and people seem to forget that his income is directly based on the number of things people buy from him, thus his prices are key! NEVER has he ever tried buying cards from us after we bought some nor has he ever changed prices in front of us before. In fact, he has lowered prices for us and given us deals. My husband has collected card for years now and it's hard finding stores with what he's looking for let alone a supplier with a strong and steady supply and hours late into the night so we can go after work. Their hours are a bit odd...3pm-10pm & 1am on Friday. (check their site for weekend hours) Packs are cheaper here then I've found anywhere else (only by a few cents) and for that reason we go here first. I enjoy supporting local small businesses and the perks are unbeatable; the owner noticed a specific sets we were buying and took the liberty of ordering us in a full box ...just in case we wanted it. We couldn't be happier!! read more

LOL. I love the other reviews for this place, because even though they're a bit harsh at times, they are right on the money about The Soldiery. This is nerd city for sure. That being said, I do like the place. I'm a nerd, my husband's a nerd, so its all good. Its not somewhere I'd ever want to to 'hang out' in, but if you need something, they have great prices and a decent selection of games, cards, books, and minis, so check it out. Without further ado, I give you the pros and cons of that enigmatic store know as the Soldiery. The Pros: Cheap Magic Cards. Husband is magic card obsessed. The packs are cheap and call me superstitious, but they seem to have better cards than other stores. 3 Plainswalker Jace's in one month! Woot! Kent, the owner. He is actually a cool dude, but I remember it took him awhile to warm up to new people. This place really has a regular customer base. Its like walking into a little neighborhood dive bar, but full of 13 year old boys and grown adults in viking helmets, oh yeah. Need Something? Just Ask. The selection seems a bit off at first, but they have things they don't put out - its a small place. The Con's: Ok well really there is only one con and that is...the smell. This place reeks. I mean, there is no air conditioning, and in the summer, wow. Imagine the buildup of years and years of festering teenage boy BO and mountains of old french fries just composting in this tiny, ill-ventilated space. It is truly unreal. read more

It seems like a lot of people don;t understand what this place is. Its a game store. It buys and sells games and items. There focus on card games (MTG, YuGiOh, ect.), table top games (Warhammer/ WH 40,000) and board games. The put on tournaments for their customers all the time. Its wall to wall games. On the trade-in policy of giving 25% for a trade cash and 50% for in-store credit: That is standard in the industry, not just this place. Remember you're selling something that you have no use for and they have to store your goods until they find someone who wants to buy the same item or pay or a little more for new. On location: most similar stores have to find out of the way shopping centers because what they're doing has lower profit margin and the figures are really easy to pocket. Also the distance isn't that far off 315 so I don't why some many people complained. The staff I've never had an issue with. Some people complained that the staff are nerds. They sell eclectic games that have hard core fans. You kinda have to be a nerd to run the place and keep place with said crowd's tastes. Now everything isn't butterflies and rose there, hence why I gave it only 4 stars. The selection is great but not well organized. Why? The place is small and everything is stacked to the ceiling. On Friday nights (Magic nights) and some Sundays (YuGiOh tourneys) it complete chaos in there. Also if you want specific MTG card it takes them forever to find it because a lot of their stuff is just thrown into boxes. I enjoy the place for what it is. read more

I was very disappointed by almost everything about this store. Here are the only two good things I can say...they have a huge amount of deck sleeves and play mats for Magic the Gathering etc and they have mystery grab packs of two MtG cards in a sleeve which have proven to be good cards. Now the biggest problem I had with the store was the fact that the only MtG cards you're allowed to browse on your own are the eight cent commons. Otherwise, they want you to give them a printed list and they will get the cards for you. I rarely ever shop for specific cards and the best of Mtg shopping for me is the thrill of the hunt which I can do at every other MtG store I go to. Their card prices are also way higher than most places. They wanted $1.50 for a creature token that I have paid .10 cents before at two other stores. read more

Amazing, a store that seems to hate new customer is still in buisness. Worst staff i have met and rude managers. No on there wears deodorant. Nothing like 50 nerds in a small space with no AC read more

WORST PLACE EVER - do not go here unless you must because the workers here are horrendous. Called earlier this week to confirm some new cards coming in that I wanted to pick up - went in today and was just repeatedly told "Nope" when asking questions about why I COULDNT get the cards I called about, and was told I could get. The question didn't even have a yes or no question, and I still got that answer. Don't support such awful management. Would never want to give my money to such horrible customer service workers and horrible business owner! read more

This store is in walking distance of my house. I have visited it several times in the late afternoon after work, and have always been treated courteously and helped promptly. I've only purchased card sleeves, dice for counters, and Magic: the Gathering sealed product from there, so I can't comment on the rare/collectible side of things, nor the tabletop RPGs, nor any rude power gamers. But it seems to me that the Yelp reviews are giving a false impression that this store would be of little interest for M:tG players. That is not true. read more

I've been to the soldiery many times to buy magic product and check out their other stock. Things are overpriced and I don't think I've met workers as rude as the ones I've met here. I would not recommend this place! read more

I have been going here since the early 90s, and it has not changed too much. It is rather small, but there is plenty of merchandise thanks to the pseudo 2nd floor. The prices are average and the staff seems friendly. The big problem here is that there is very little space to game. if you want to game there, call ahead to verify table space. If you would like to visit and have not been there, check Google maps, as it is hard to see from the road. read more

I've been visiting the soldiery since high school (over ten years ago!) and I've always loved the stock and the staff. They have a great selection of nearly all nerdy collections. They have new table-top books, and they carry hard to find classics. They have gaming nights for just about any games you can think up, and are always open to hosting new games. Their prices might be a little higher than some of the other nerd shops in the area, but I can almost always find what I'm looking for. They are overflowing with everything from MTG, D&D, Warhammer, board games, Pokemon, etc etc. Any card game you want, they have. And if you want anything they don't normally carry, they're always willing to order it for you. I love the soldiery, they're friendly, helpful, and they're truly a haven for nerdiness in Clintonville. read more

I admit, I was hesitant in coming to the Soldiery because of the other negative reviews (and the look of the front door). I first visited both the Guardtower and Ravenstone games, but if you're looking for Magic The Gathering, the Soldiery is really your only option in Columbus (other than the internet, of course). I can't say anything about board games or miniatures, as I'm not a participant, but if you're looking for specific MTG cards, the Soldiery is quite pricey. However, if you're looking for a place just to browse, get ideas, or to play; this place is perfect. The staff was both accommodating and friendly; as a first time customer, I felt appreciated and welcome. Yeah, some employees may be a little socially awkward, but very kind and helpful (when in doubt, be polite!). Yes, the clientele is pretty geeky, but what else would you expect at an RPG store? I personally would feel slighted and disappointed to walk in and see it any other way. Being a male, I was generally left alone. Though, I imagine it likely that a female would see a few jaws drop, but rest assured, they're completely harmless. read more

If you live near the Graceland shopping center, there's really no alternative to this gaming store. While I enjoy the atmosphere of nerddom present throughout the entire store, some people would probably see the place as a cramped little pawn shop, and they would be half-right. Yes, it's cramped, but so are half the stores around the area. That's the cost of running a store out of the older buildings around here. As for merchandise, they have a very good selection, with only one game so far that I've been unable to unearth (Mutants & Masterminds, in case you were wondering). The manager (owner?) is a bit of a character. Yes, I think the term "jerk" would do a certain amount of justice in describing him, but he knows his stuff and if you know what you're looking for, he's the man who can help you. Price-wise, they're pretty much equal to the other stores around town that I've visited, so save your gas. As for selling, I don't know, so I guess you'll have to take Matthew's word on it. If you rise above the average gamers (literally), you'll find a elevated section of the store that has a wide selection of games you've probably never heard of, and for good reason. Most of those games are first attempts from would-be game designers at a coherent RP, Board Game, etc. Apparently, he buys stuff like that, which is an encouraging thought to people like me, who get tired of something rather fast and like to move on. They may not all be Wizards quality, but I find it fun to read through these old texts for hours at a time, if only to glean ideas for my own gaming system. In short, I'd say it's worth checking out if you have the time to hang around and give it a chance. read more