Owl Central Games - Millersville, Pennsylvania

With Maja's basketball showcase last weekend, we were all over the Lancaster area.  Sunday put us in Millersville, Pennsylvania, and although I haven't visited the university campus in 25 years, I was happy to find a gaming store for my solo drive home. 

Owl Center Games sits in a stand alone building along PA-999 (Manor Ave).  Parking is reserved for 30-minutes up front, with more parking for the gamers along the side, which made my visit so much more convenient.

So let's get down to my brass tacks I love so very much....

Cleanliness:  With Magic players spilling into every corner of the store on a Sunday afternoon, everything was well-organized and clean.  That might have to do to the three staff members (two manning the front counter, and one hiding in what is best described as the room where the gathering of Magic happens (singles backstock).  

CCGs:  Magic was the major force for the afternoon, but a Pokemon mom could walk in, not be freaked out and turn to their left to see an obvious Pokemon section. 

I love the signage used for each "department" in the store.

Magic was well stocked, with labelled spaces in the display case for popular cards that were out of stock.  Prices were marked on singles and most packs that I saw.  Another plus, the CCG supply area was well-stocked with a decent variety, and a large sign detailing the prices of everything.  A huge issue I've come across is every Ultra-Pro/Dragon Shield/Whatever else there is might be in stock, but nothing is actually priced.  It was so well done I actually purchased CCG supplies (!!!)  Yu-Gi-Oh! was also hiding somewhere in the display behind the counter as well. 

Board Games:  There was a section of the boardgame staples, such as Catan, Pandemic, and the like, with a number of other games in the Clearance section in the main game room.  

Miniatures:  A good selection of Games Workshop and Star Wars (X-Wing/Legion), with some Warlord/Bolt Action boxed sets.  GW paints with some Army Painter product right beside it.

RPGs: The one area that was lacking, perhaps for a reason.  D&D books on the shelves up front, but most other role-playing books were stowed away in the Clearance section, with want appeared to be a modest discount.  

Events:  From my quick tour, the store was divided into four rooms:  the main retail space, the back office/Magic singles room, a large room behind the retail space that fit a number of tables (and the largest daytime Magic tournament I've walked in on since prior to the pandemic), and smaller room behind that, which could fit two tables perfectly.  I assume that's either a wargaming room or could be used for RPGs if there was interest. 

Also of note would be the requisite drink cooler and display of Owl Central swag (hopefully they have shirts in "Gamer Medium")

Don't forget the mandatory disc golf selection, which seems to be a thing at a third of the shops I've visited.

For a quick, unplanned visit, Gaming with the Gnomies is giving Owl Cental Games 4 gnomes out of 5.

Sorry, the alphorn in the far back doesn't count

I was going to going to score the store lower, even if the lack of RPGs were cancelled out by the large, congenial Magic tourney players, but I overheard an interaction that not only increase my rating, but encouraged me to purchase a few things.  A late teenage/early 20-something man came up to the counter, and as gamers talk, asked about 40k factions he could start playing.   The staff member patiently listened to the customers ramblings, encouraged a few of his likes, then suggested armies and specific products he might be interested in.  It was courteous, professional, and although there was no guarantee of a sale while I was leaving, I felt confident that if someone I knew had questions about the games they regularly stock, I could recommend sending them to Owl Central for the right answers.

My purchases?  A couple of cheap Ultra-Pro deck boxes (For my sleeved Pulp Alley cards... I knew they were cheap because of the handy-dandy sign!), a metal d20 from the Easy Roller Dice Company (a sponsor of the Happy Jacks Podcast back in the olden days. Never saw their product in stores until this visit), and to kick my true nostalgia, a Maze of Ith from The Dark.  

There's hope for this world, at least in Amish Country.

Owl Central Games is located at 250 Manor Ave (PA-999) in Millersville, PA.  More information can be found at www.owlcentralgames.com or on their Facebook page.