Wolf Den Games

Wolf Den Games is a game store at 464A E Main St in Abingdon, Virginia, built around a play space as much as a sales floor. It stocks board games, tabletop roleplaying games, miniatures and a broad run of collectible card games, with Magic: The Gathering among them, and it suits players who want room to sit down and play, families, and groups looking for a place to book a private session. Collectors hunting for singles should know the store does not deal in them.

What's on the shelves

Collectible card games on the shelf include Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon TCG, One Piece TCG, Disney Lorcana, Star Wars Unlimited, Riftbound: League of Legends, Manifold TCG and World of Tanks TCG. The store also carries a deep board game range (Catan, Ticket to Ride, Everdell, Azul and Carcassonne among them), roleplaying titles such as Pathfinder, Call of Cthuhlu, Vampire: The Masquerade and Fallout RPG, and miniatures lines including Warhammer, Heroclix, Blood Bowl, Bolt Action, Flames of War and Star Wars: Legion. Gundam Assemble and Starcraft are coming soon.

Supplies cover paints from The Army Painter, Warhammer Colour and Two Thin Coats, plus card sleeves, deck boxes and dice from Dragon Shield, Gamegenic, Ultra Pro, Fanroll and Sirius Dice.

Pricing and reservations

Most products sell at manufacturer suggested retail price, and never more than 10% above it. Prices do not shift with demand or resale value, and packaging is removed at the register on high-demand items so product goes to players rather than flippers.

When a new release or high-demand item has more reservations than stock, active attendees at organized play events get first priority, then other reservation holders, and a random drawing settles any remaining oversubscription. Reservation timestamps do not count. Some items are not eligible for reservation and are sold at organized play events instead.

The store does not buy, sell or accept trade-ins of used goods, including single trading cards.

Playing in the store

Table play requires a Day Pass for each player, at $5 or 100 Rewards XP. The store keeps lending materials on hand: a board game library, game master screens and rulebooks for roleplaying, utility cards for card games such as Magic lands and Pokémon energy, and game mats and a terrain library for miniatures.

Three spaces can be rented privately:

The Lair is available at all hours, and availability on all three rooms is limited, so booking well ahead is advised.

Parties and game master services

Beyond renting rooms, the store runs private events with its own game masters. A Dungeons & Dragons one-shot costs $100 for up to four hours and six players, with no experience needed and a $75 family rate for households with no more than three players over 18. Board and party game sessions run $40 for the first hour and $20 per hour after, with one game master covering up to four tables and 16 players.

The store also brings game night to a location within an hour's drive, with a two-hour minimum: $50 per hour for a small party of up to 12 players, $80 per hour for up to 24, or $14 per hour per player for a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot. Warhammer: 40,000 lessons are available, with loaner armies.

Rewards and memberships

A free rewards program earns 20 Rewards XP for every $5 spent, tracked by phone number at the register. Redemptions start at 100 XP for a Day Pass and 300 XP for a logo sticker, and climb to 2,700 XP for $15 off dice, storage, paint or accessories, or a voucher for roleplaying one-shots and classes. At 6,500 XP the reward is 50% off an entire cart, with a $35 maximum discount. Higher tiers include gift cards and a free private party.

The Friends of the Den tier adds 1,000 bonus XP each month after the first, 7% off retail purchases, unlimited Day Passes for the member and a friend, take-home borrowing from the board game library and priority event seating. Membership can be earned through monthly financial support, ongoing volunteering or an ongoing roleplaying subscription.

Hours and getting there

The store is at 464A E Main St, Abingdon, VA 24210.

The local scene

G2K Games is another Abingdon store, about half a mile away. In Bristol, roughly 11 miles off, are HobbyTown, Cookies & Cream Collectibles and MJG Cards, which gives singles buyers and sellers somewhere to go that Wolf Den Games does not serve.