Before my husband and I got together, the only time I played video or board games was as a kid. I had never played a pen-and-paper RPG game either. Since then, I have really gotten into it and made up for lost time. I play video games, both PC and console. I have played, and still play, D&D, Magic The Gathering, and other stuff. For video games, I frequent Game Stop, Game Over, and places like that. However, finding good shops that sell Dungeons & Dragons merch, card games, and all the accessories is much harder.
I finally found a great shop once I got up to Washington. AJ and I were looking for some D&D figures and for the Harry Dresden roleplaying game books. We found Game Matrix, owned by Diana and Dragon, in Lakewood on South Tacoma Way and were blown away at the games and supplies they have. Don’t worry, I have pictures to show you what they have.
I think what we were most blown away by was half of the shop’s space is for people to come in and play games. What games you ask? You name it. The space is often used for RPGs, such as D&D and Warhammer, or Battle Tech, or even card games, such as MTG or Pokemon. You can play board games if you want to. The gaming opens up around 3 pm, but players may start trickling in as early as 1 pm and have had games that have gone on until as late as the store opening the next day. Suffice to say, you can play until your heart’s content. Or you fall asleep.
The games they sell are much different than what you will find at Walmart or Target. There are games with Cuthulu, horror games like The Witcher, and loads of Catan expansions. I think at one time, AJ and I found a pirate board game. They have some cool ones, like Survive, pictured below.
Game Matrix has a great variety of pen-and-paper RPG game books. I found Star Wars and Warhammer. They have so many D&D books of expansions and so many more. There were games that I have never heard of, or thought would be made into games, such as Firefly.
For those who are more into card games than board or RPGs, Game Matrix has you covered. They have card games like MTG and Pokemon. They have a good variety for each game. If they don’t have what you are looking for, they may be able to help you.
Of course, with card games, you need to keep track of your life and various counters, then with the pen-and-paper, you need dice to help you roll your character, figure out the damage, and more. You are going to need dice to match your personality or your favorite Hogwarts house. You could even find dice there to match an aesthetic over at Game Matrix.
Game Matrix also carries a wide variety of little figures used for RPGs of all kinds. Most of what I saw were the unfinished ones because that is what I am drawn to. I love to paint my figurines, and they have the paint and brushes I would need to make my sorceress beautiful. The crafter in me is in love with the paint selection. I haven’t needed to paint a character in a while, but the colors make me want to paint something. Does anyone need a character painted?
Diana and Dragon also have a party business called Foam Sword Parties. They offer parties and events that feature foam weapons and shields. It’s good for youth to adults. Click here to be brought to the Foam Sword Parties for more information. Check it out, it looks like a ton of fun.
You can find Game Matrix at 8610 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, WA 98499. Store hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm.
We did end up finding the Harry Dresden RPG books there, and we were stoked. If you are looking for game stuff or a space to play, I urge you to go check out Game Matrix if you are close. Let me know if you check them out in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
