Opal Grove Games

Opal Grove Games is a community-focused board game and tabletop store in Detroit, built around learning games, playing them in the store, and meeting other local players. It sits on West McNichols Road near the University of Detroit Mercy campus and Palmer Park. It suits newcomers to roleplaying, groups looking for a place to play, and anyone who wants a used board game or puzzle at a fair price. Card games are one of its shop categories, but the store's identity is tables, campaigns and game nights rather than singles and sealed product.

What's on the shelves

The catalog is organized by type of game: board games (including two-player, cooperative, family strategy and party titles), RPGs, card games, paints, puzzles, dice, accessories, home goods and stickers. There are also sections for preorders, ding and dent stock and clearance. A Michigan Made shelf carries locally produced items, among them the store's own six-sided dice, a dice cannon, the Detroit Dice Tray and several small-press games.

A used games and puzzles section sells secondhand board games, RPG books and jigsaw puzzles on consignment. Each item carries a condition report written by the seller, and prices are fixed and not eligible for discounts. If a buyer disagrees with the condition report after an in-person sale, the item can be returned within three days; that is the only case in which a used game is taken back, and used items sold online cannot be returned. Sellers are limited to five items at a time, with a minimum asking price of $5, and a seller receives store credit for 70% of the asking price. Miniatures, novels, toys, dice and collectibles are not accepted, and the store does not buy preowned items outright for resale.

Roleplaying campaigns

The store's most developed offering is its seasonal RPG campaigns, twelve-week runs led by local professional game masters. Beginners are welcome: players are matched with a group, walked through character creation and taught the rules, and no books or accessories need to be bought. Systems vary by season. Recent campaigns have used Monster of the Week, Orbital Blues, Daggerheart, Fabula Ultima and Dungeons & Dragons 5E, with some campaigns held online.

Each session costs $35 across 12 sessions. Paying up front for $350 covers two free sessions, or the cost can be split into three payments of $140. Most of the fee goes to the game master. The price includes use of the private gaming room, access to the core book for reference, printed materials and character sheets, borrowable dice and other accessories, in-store storage between sessions and a snack each session.

Game nights and events

The store runs recurring community events: Community Game Night, Big Board Game Day, Craft Club and a Casual Magic League. Queer Game Night is held on the third Friday of the month at 6 PM on a pay-what-you-can basis. The group usually places a shared pie order partway through the evening, which works out to about $2 per half slice. The store also hosts birthday parties and team celebrations.

Hours

Evening hours run late on weekends, which suits game-night crowds.

Getting there

The store is at 880 W. McNichols Road, Detroit, MI 48203, next door to Menjo's and down the street from the University of Detroit Mercy.

The space is on one level, with a designated accessible parking space just left of the main entrance. Entry is through manual glass doors, and the right-hand door sticks a little. A four-inch step leads up to the ding and dent area and the rental library. Shelves are spaced for wheelchairs and other mobility devices, and the single-occupancy restroom at the back has two grab bars. The main play area has mostly plastic chairs, plus four wider high-capacity chairs and one plush armchair, and the private room has six wooden chairs, two with arms.

History

The store opened its doors in the fall of 2022 on Michigan Avenue in Detroit and operated under the name Splendiferous Games before rebranding as Opal Grove Games. Before its first permanent location, it sold at the Detroit Downtown Markets, and it later returned to a storefront of its own. It has since moved to its current McNichols Road location.

The local scene

Several other game and comic stores sit within a few miles: Game Lounge in Detroit, about 2.5 miles away, Game Time in Dearborn at 3.5 miles, Green Brain Comics in Dearborn at about 4.1 and 4.5 miles, and Game Headz in Highland Park at 4.9 miles. Card shows in the wider area include the Wednesday Sports Card Show about 10.9 miles away, with dates on November 4, 11 and 18, a Sports Card, Comic & Pokemon Show about 17.4 miles away on November 9, and a Sports & Pokémon Card Show about 24.9 miles away on November 13.