Drexoll Games

I went into Drexoll Games for the first time today and I was immediately impressed by the selection of games that is available. I was specifically looking for an expansion to «Ticket to Ride» as my cousins and I have recently been on a bit of a board game kick, and we really like playing it. When I went to purchase the game, the employee warned me that the game may possibly not be compatible with my version of Ticket to Ride (Nordic Countries) as I may not have enough train pieces. Initially I was really grateful that he was kind enough to give me a heads up. I had previously researched the game though, and found that I could make the expansion work with my version. Anyways, I let him know that I was willing to risk buying it, knowing I wouldn’t be able to return it if opened. Great experience so far…
Unfortunately, while looking at some things just after purchasing, the previously helpful guy asked another employee/​store regular (I couldn’t tell as they seemed very familiar with each other) if he knew much about Ticket to Ride. The friend/​employee then proceeded to call it a game for «simple» minds who aren’t really smart enough to get «real» board games. The two continued to talk about the game as if it was for someone below them, as if I hadn’t just purchased the exact same game. I am not generally sensitive to try-​hard, arrogant people trying to make themselves feel superior, but I found it really tactless for an employee to participate in the conversation when I was still clearly present. I was really annoyed that a judgement was made about me as I don’t look like a typical «board gamer». I couldn’t help but feel that my race may have played a part in how I was treated (I was the only non-​Caucasian person in the store) as I know many South East Asians don’t really participate in this hobby. It felt like I was being treated as if I wasn’t smart enough or informed enough to be a patron. I in fact HAVE played and enjoyed many of the «intellectual» games they chose to talk about over me.
Still giving them 2 stars as their collection is amazing and it was only 1 or 2 employees that ruined the experience. I just won’t be returning. My favourite game store (Imperial Hobbies in Richmond!) is far kinder and much more deserving of my money.

Went in with high expectations. Asked for Cards for Humanity. Look, I get it, I made a mistake and didn’t realize it wasn’t sold in stores but I was treated like I had leprosy. Instead of answering me normally they turned around and put a little check mark on an ANNOYING QUESTION piece of cardboard. Like, «hey Terry, we got another one!» Then they started talking about how annoying it was when people asked that… in front of me! I tried to be nice after this to see if we could make amends but apparently what I did was UNFORGIVABLE. They made me feel like a complete idiot. There’s a much better store in International Village I’ll go to instead from now on.

«Caved in with boardgames!!»
This.Place.Is.Crazy! I have never seen this many board games in one place in my life. Imagine this, a store with at least an 12 ft ceiling and 2 store fronts that is packed to the top with a huge variety of games with all shapes, sizes, and colors! They have a ton of games for the hardcore and the casual, from party games to miniature war games. Drexoll seems to have it all. I shop for a lot of board games in my free time and I have never once walked into a store and just stood there taking in the scene of this store. I couldn’t even hear that the employees were asking if I needed a hand finding anything until they asked for the 3^rd time; simply because of how many games there are in this store. It is fair to say, I was completely over whelmed.
It is fair to say that if you’re trying to look for a certain game that you’ve heard of or played before, you’ll probably find it here. However… like all gaming stores that have such an amazing storefront, be prepared to pay a little more. As I’ve mentioned, I shop for board games a lot and can tell you most prices from the cheapest you can find in Vancouver to possibly the most expensive stores in town. Drexoll may not contain the most marked up games, but they are far from the cheapest.

I’ve shopped there twice as it’s a nice store to walk in and browse, but the recommendations I’ve receive each time based on my stated interested were never good. They are also a bit overpriced. The customers are very friendly though and have been more helpful than the staff.

Huge section. Nicely laid out for the most part. But over priced. Not the highest in town but getting there. They hold alot of events for people, which is great but this isn’t enough to offset the high prices.
That said, the cheapest place in town for Flames of War and some model paints and I buy most of that stuff there. Staff is friendly and helpful.

Visited this store recently to look for a new game to play. I wouldn’t consider myself an avid game but I do enjoy a card game now and again.
I found the selection a bit overwhelming and couldn’t tell if there was a system to the layout but you sure have lots to choose from. Unfortunately the staff was glued behind the counter and didn’t offer any assistance. I probably would have spent much more if they had helped me find something that suited my interests. Even when I asked some questions at the till, the woman looked mortified to have to interact with me. I’ll have to check out some other stores in town to see what comparison I can make.

I had a great visit to Drexoll Games today. I’ve VERY recently gotten interested in playing Magic cards, but I don’t know much of anything yet. I admitted so to the guy at the front counter. Jem (I believe he said his name was, I totally apologize if that’s wrong) was awesome, and gave me a crash course in the more recent cards for over half-​an-​hour. He went over the individual cards in several pre-​built decks for sale, giving me instruction on the different uses and strategies. It’s always great to find someone who enjoys instructing someone from the ground up. Didn’t make me feel remotely foolish about my own asinine questions. :P
Drexoll also had better prices on some of the Magic-​related goodies then I’ve seen around in my 3 whole weeks of being interested in Magic.
I’ll be back! Would be fun to try one of their draft tournaments too.

So I have this card and strategy game addict hidden in me. this place seriously feeds my addiction. I just wish I had more money to keep up the expensive habit.
this place has an amazing selection of games.
the guys are pretty friendly and helpful when I ask relatively asinine questions.
I’ll tell them what other games I’ve liked and they’ve been spot on when recommending new ones for me to try.
don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Drexoll is awesome! They have an amazingly good selection and the staff is friendly. I especially appreciate their selection of rpg products (e.g. D&D), as many game stores are lacking this usually! Will be coming here for many years to come.

They have revised editions of the games that I grew up with… without having to deal with screaming children, long line-​ups and the over lite store of Toys R’ Us = happy.
The guy whom assisted me was super awesome at helping me.

Drexoll games may have a large selection of games, with multiple copies in stock, but the high prices and less than enthusiastic staff prevent this place from being fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, Drexoll is still a good board/​table/​card game and puzzle place, but for an established store, it’s lacking a little bit of polish.
Very recently, Drexoll Games has moved from it’s purple building location, where it’s been for years, to a much larger store just two shops over. Walking in, the space feels a lot more open than their previous location with a lot of product on display. This is a good thing as you can see all that they have and there are multiple copies of each game for sale. However, this additional space needed and having so many extra copies impacts the cost of the games. Going from typical game store to typical game store in Vancouver, the price of the games at Drexoll is about equal or sometimes a little higher than other places. They are one of the most established and well known places for games in the lower mainland and, as a result of this, they can probably get away with having the prices that they do. However, one should be aware there are cheaper places for mainstream and niche board games in the lower mainland. For small items such as dice and cards it will only be less than $ 2 more, but on full board games, Drexoll can be $ 5−10+ more than other places.
What Drexoll also brings to the table is they have a large assortment of extra game accessories (i.e. card protectors, dice, picture puzzles, wood and metal puzzles, etc.) and special version of games (i.e. a full wood set of Settlers of Catan, specialized chess sets, etc.).
When I last went to Drexoll, their gaming space was still housing boxes and moving materials. I’m sure very shortly, that it will be fully operational and bigger and better than before. It will most certainly be frequented by geeks, game enthusiasts and the like (BTW, I’m proud to call myself a geek).
With regards to the staff, the few times I have gone in (to the old or new location), the male staff have been very helpful finding what I needed (I required some dice and card sleeves and didn’t have the time to go across town to my regular shop). However, the female staff have been less interested and stay firmly at the counter; however, they have NEVER been rude or disrespectful, just less engaging. I know as a girl at a game store, you’re not always getting the… ummm…the best socially mannered clientele, but a little enthusiasm for the store and products is nice to see. I fully heartedly support girl gamers and always think it’s great to see more. Hopefully, having female staff will be encouraging to other girls to give different games a try.
If you’re in the area and looking for a new or different board game or puzzle, I’m sure you’ll find what you want at Drexoll Games, but it does come with a bit of a price.
(I’ll go back to Drexoll Games again after some of the «moving pains» should be gone and provide an update).

If there’s one thing my fiancé and I enjoy, it’s board games. We have a ridiculous collection spanning two closets. I finally made my way to Drexoll Games a few days ago and I was blown away by the game selection. I really enjoy jigsaw puzzles, and this store does not disappoint. From small puzzles to 18 000 pieces (which would probably consume your life), they have a large variety of puzzles to choose from.
Where Drexoll really shines is the board game selection. You name it, they probably have it. They also carry a huge variety of board game expansion packs, which is great for those who enjoy Ticket to Ride and Munchkin. I will admit that the prices are a bit high compared to what you’d pay on Amazon, especially for the board games. Hence the one star deduction.
The staff are very friendly as well. When I was looking for a specific package of card sleeves, a store employee not only dug them out of the back for me, but also answered a few of my questions about some board games I had never heard of.
For your board game needs, check out Drexoll Games!

The staff at Drexoll saved us from a night of akward silence with the family over the Xmas holidays. I can’t say I am a big fan of the holidays because I end up getting sucked into hours and days on end spent with family, that had I not been related to I would have nothing in common with. So what better way to pass the time than spend it playing fun games? I have to admit that when I walked in the store on Xmas Eve, it was fairly busy as I don’t think I was the only one wondering how to entertain their famailies over the break.
I had called in advance to see if they had Balderdash or Scattegories, since we had already made two unsuccessful trips to a game store on Main, and also Toys R Us. They confirmed that they had both in stock, so we headed over. The staff were pretty helpful, and we were in and out of there in a few minutes, and the only reason this isn’t a five star review is because the games were damn expensive. We dropped over $ 100 for the two games (one of which didn’t even come with those little golf pencils! I know this ins’t the store’s fault) but it wasn’t entirely in my budget to entertain the family by dropping a brown bill. Ahhh well… at least we got what we wanted in the end, and there were less long silences around the dinner table.

Like a kid in a candy store, I was oohing and ahing at the amazing selection of games here. Board games, card games, and everything in between.
I enjoyed reading all the boxes of different games, some familiar, some new. Staff is really helpful, when I asked them for certain games, they immediately pointed it out to me. I also discovered Ticket to Ride, which looks very promising.
There’s a little area in the back where you can try out different games. I’d love to gather a small group of people and play something here.
And then I found the greatest treasure of all: GIANT BLOKUS! For those that have played Blokus, it’s pretty exciting. It completely made my day.

If I understood what half of these games were, I have a feeling I’d be in dork heaven. But alas, I’m not that seasoned in gaming, unless you wanna have a game-​off around «Girl Talk,» or «Life» of course! For the record, I rightly so, did not see these boards donning the shelves at Drexoll. However, from nostalgic Monopoly boards to all kinds of trains and planes games, I’d say they have a much more eclectic mix of games to suit many fancies.
Love the area in the back for playing, but even more, I was really impressed with the service. They were helpful to everyone: from the grandma type to the young guys and the me in between. I felt right at home here.
Long live dice!

I used to come here a lot. Don’t anymore, distance being the main culprit now.
Drexoll’s stocks tonnes of great games, especially of the strategy ilk. And especially of the German ilk. Few people know it, but Germans make some damn good board games.
They have a German Board Game night every Friday evening. Worth stopping by to meet other board game enthusiasts.
They also have tables in the back and some of their most popular games are available to try anytime of the day.
The owners are pretty awesome.
Want some game recommendations? Carcassonne. Ticket to Ride. Settlers of Cataan.

A toy store for big kids!
Want to release your inner geek? Then join me for a fun visit to Drexoll Games. The staff will find out your boardgame preferences and pick out games that will rock your socks. Best of all, you can sample the game with your friends if you want, at one of their gaming tables.
Boy am I sounding like a nerd ;)
Being a fan of Settlers of Catan, I came here and they showed me games that I would enjoy just as much– and boy were they right! I love coming here. Board games night anyone? :)

This is potentially the greatest game store I have ever visited.
The games live on huge floor-​to-​ceiling shelves, and are well organized and displayed. A helpful woman behind the counter told me about weekly game nights where people can sit and play in the back.
In my hometown of Cambridge, MA — we have quite a few game stores, but most cater either toward children or toward hardcore gamers who are more interested in miniatures and Magic than Ticket To Ride and Bohnanza. This store has a remarkably complete collection of grown-​up strategy games (aka Euro Games). I felt instantly at home. No weird stares for being a girl in a game store. No pressure to buy anything. Five stars.

Best store EVER! At least if you’re a board game enthusiast. They have
every game in the world– in addition they have a game play area where you can try out their open demo games. I love it! Today when I stopped in, I was on my way to meet a friend for lunch, otherwise I would have stayed for hours. I definitely intend to come again and try out a game. On Friday nights they have game nights. Sounds like great fun. The store closes at 9, but for game night the store remains open until 11. What a great concept for a store!

When all your friends are going crazy over board games this name will for sure pop up. It is by far the best shop in Vancouver to get your board games from.
Not only do they have the popular ones, but also the harder to find ones.
On top of that at one point in time they ran a community site that helped the neighbourhood around Macdonald and 4^th gain some more exposure.
I always think it’s super cool when a local business contributes in one manner or another back to the community at large.
In addition, the folks here aren’t just employees working another job selling games. In most cases they also play them and so you tend to get some good suggestions on new games to try and even new strategies for games you might already have.