The Game Preserve

We went here for the first time this summer and wandered aimlessly staring at the walls of games. There’s a large variety here, including your standard traditional boardgames, card games, dice games, party games, and classic strategy games including the European boardgames like Carcassonne, Agricola, Dominion, and — of course — all of the related expansions. There are also the role-​playing games like Warhammer, and I believe they have tournaments and the like for those interested in those kind of games. Puzzles and children’s games are there too, and they always have a couple of games featured on display for you to look at.
The back room opens up for tournaments and open game play. They have several nights during the month when they do special events like a Star Wars tournament — you can consult the calendar or call. They open the backroom to anyone who wants to play and you can bring your own games and snacks.
The staff is great — they are real experts and will even help you figure through the sometimes confusing rules of even the most complicated games, or help you decide on what you might like. Worth a visit!

When I’m in Indy, I love coming to this game store because it’s better than all the others I’ve found in all the places I’ve lived. They have a great selection and solid customer service. Sometimes the staff at game stores seem more interested in playing games with their friends than, you know, working to sell me some games. Everyone here has been helpful – always had suggestions for games like the ones I like, willing to order games if they are out of stock, or just talk about games. They also have a lot of puzzles, which are another favorite of mine. As others have said, it’s more expensive than Target or Amazon, but I come here for all the games Target doesn’t carry (which is about 2% of what Game Preserve has) and I like spending money locally rather than at Amazon, when I have the option. They also have a rewards program, though I can’t remember the specifics. I think it’s spend $ 250 and get a $ 25 credit but I might have the dollar values wrong. Anyway, this is a great store!

Honestly, one of Indy’s remaining gaming gems. I’m a big fan of gaming of all sorts (video, PnP, board, war, card — you name, I like it). They have a huge collection of board games, puzzles, and children’s activities. Alongside these is a smaller, but still robust, selection of PnP games, card games, and wargame miniatures. Great room in the back for in-​house gaming. I’ve never come for any of their league plays, but it can get pretty popular. Even my wife, who doesn’t froth at the mouth for games like me, enjoys Game Preserve. Very happy to keep doing business with them.
Support your Friendly Neighborhood Gaming Store!

Did you ever play Settlers of Catan in college? Or maybe Carcassonne? Or any other board game with a bit more complexity than your average Monopoly board? The Game Preserve is like manna from heaven for anyone who wants to start getting into some more brainy and fulfilling board and card game experiences. They’ve got an entire wall of the shop dedicated to board games, and their stuff runs the gamut from Dixit, an artsy word-​association game, to Twilight Imperium, an eight-​hour space opera of epic proportions. They’ve got the classics, too — Monopoly and chess and so on — if you’re looking for that.
Like any gaming shop worth its salt, the Game Preserve also stocks Magic: The Gathering cards, Dungeons and Dragons books, Warhammer 40k miniatures, and runs regular events for lots of games as well. They have a room set off in the back of the store dedicated to events — it’s pretty barren, however, with a bunch of tables and chairs and not much else.
These guys have had their new location for a few years now, and thank god. Gaming shops and high-​end Simon malls are like oil and water. Now located across the street from the Fashion Mall, parking is much easier to find and they’re able to maintain later hours, which allows their events to run later in the evening. If you end up at a Friday Night Magic event, don’t be surprised if it runs past 10 or 11 PM.
If you’ve ever had any inclination towards Gygaxian delights, let your nerd flag fly and check out the Game Preserve. You’ll find a welcoming community of people who are incredibly passionate about their hobbies, and all the games you could ever hope to play.

Boardgames, party games, strategy games, roleplaying games, card games, chess and back gammon and checkers, jigsaw puzzles, word games, collectible cards for sale/​trade…
A bit more expensive than Amazon or Target, but the selection and customer service can’t be beat. The store has a back room where, depending on the night, the store hosts game nights/​events.
The Game Preserve: totally dorky, totally awesome.