By Eli G. Moreno, founder of Gnomies and a born-and-raised Las Vegas local
I've lived in Las Vegas my whole life. The lights on the Strip are what everyone flies in for, but they were never the part of this city I loved. The Vegas I grew up in is quieter, and you find it a few blocks off the main road, tucked into strip malls and back rooms and one really good tavern out in Henderson. It runs on dice and good company, and it's where a table of strangers can turn into your regular crew before you know it.
Building a place like that for our city is a big part of why I started Gnomies. While we work toward that, I'd rather point you to the spots already doing it well than keep them to myself.
So this is for anyone who wants in: the folks who just moved here and don't know anybody yet, and the ones who've been around for years but never found a regular table. Every place below welcomes new players. You don't have to prove anything to walk in.
The two I'd send you to first
Natural Twenty & Natural 21 Game Lounge: the private room and the tavern
Sunset & Green Valley, Henderson · Natural Twenty: Mon–Fri noon–midnight, Sat–Sun 10am–10pm · Natural 21 Lounge: daily from 11am
If you only make it to one place on this list, make it this one. It's close to what I've always pictured building myself, and it's already open and full of the right people.
Natural Twenty is the game store: around 7,000 square feet of play space, private rooms you can book for your campaign, and a calendar with D&D, Magic, Pokémon, Lorcana, Warhammer, and board games most nights of the week. They host an open D&D night on Tuesdays, so you can walk in without a party already put together and leave with one. If you're new to the game, show up anyway. Someone will hand you a character sheet and a seat.
Connected right to it is Natural 21 Game Lounge, a proper tavern. You grab a game off the shelf or bring your own, order food you can eat with one hand while you keep the other on your cards, and pick a cocktail with a name only your table will laugh at. The owners, Katy and Zac, have said they never planned to run a restaurant, but their community had made the shop its home, and it felt wrong to make people leave just to eat. So they fed them.
A game store that grew a tavern because the players wouldn't go home. As someone working toward a game café of my own, I can't think of a better example to point at. Go sit down and stay a while.
Knight & Day Games: for the painters and the miniature crowd
Town Square, S Las Vegas Blvd · Mon–Sat 9am–midnight, Sun 10am–8pm
If your idea of a good night is a fine brush, a half-painted mini, and quiet conversation with people who understand why the eyes take three tries, this is your spot.
Knight & Day sits right in Town Square, which makes it one of the easiest stops on this whole list to reach whether you're local or visiting, with parking that won't wear you down. Inside you'll find a deep selection of miniatures, paints, board games, and RPG gear, plus space in the back where people gather to play and work on their armies. You can come in for a single pot of paint and leave a few hours later with a new friend and plans for next week. That's just what a good local shop does.
One more I want you to know about: Horus Hobbies
1020 E Fremont St, Suite E · Wed–Sun, 11am–5pm · a short walk from the Fremont Street tourist district
This one's personal for me. Horus Hobbies is a husband-and-wife shop, veteran- and Filipino American–owned, named after their cat, Horus. They recently moved up from selling at the Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet and out at Nellis into a real storefront downtown, which is a big and hard-earned step for a small business. I want to see them do well, and I'd rather send you their way than have you walk past.
They're an official Games Workshop stockist, so Warhammer is the core of it: 40K, Horus Heresy, and Age of Sigmar. They also do 3D printing, tabletop RPG gear, dice, and even LEGO, all under a motto I've come to really like: healthy minds start with healthy hobbies. If you're downtown for Fremont Street and want to trade the crowds for something better, they're right there.
And if your timing works out, they have a night coming up worth planning around:
Happening this weekend: Can Hammer, Saturday, August 15, 6–9pm
Horus is running Can Hammer over in the Arts District: a 1,000-point Warhammer game with drinking rules, hosted at Barter Beer + Mall, 150 W. Wyoming Ave, with free parking nearby. It's a 21+ night, and I'm mentioning it even for people who don't play Warhammer, because it's a great room to meet other tabletop folks over gaming, art, and a drink. You don't need to own a single model to have a good time. Come watch, bring a friend, and stay for the company.
(Reading this later? Check @horushobbies for their next one. They run drinks-and-minis nights like this pretty often.)
The rest of the map, by neighborhood
The valley is bigger than most visitors realize, so I've grouped the rest by area. Any of these is worth your time.
Out east and around Henderson
- War Room Games — E Sunset Rd · Mon–Thu noon–9pm, Fri–Sat noon–10pm, Sun 10am–6pm. The valley's home for miniature wargaming: Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Necromunda, plus Star Wars Legion and X-Wing. Big tables, real terrain, Saturday open play, and an active Discord where the regulars will help you find an opponent before you even show up.
- Bear Necessities Games — W Sunset Rd, Henderson · noon–9pm most days. Newer, bright, and well kept, with a lean toward higher-end miniature painting alongside cards and board games. A good place to sit and hobby for a while.
- Action Comics & Games — N Boulder Hwy, Henderson · 11am–7pm, Sun till 4pm. Comics up front, a wide game section in back with Magic, Pokémon, RPG shelves, minis, and a play area. A cozy all-rounder for the far-east valley.
Central and southwest
- Little Shop of Magic — Arroyo Crossing Pkwy · Mon–Sat 10am–8pm, Sun till 6pm. The valley's oldest and largest dedicated game store, open since 1994, with seating for over a hundred players, four private rooms, and a bit of everything: board games, D&D, Warhammer, Magic, and plenty you haven't tried yet.
- Meepleville Board Game Café — W Sahara Ave · daily noon–11pm. More of a living room stuffed with a thousand board games than a store. A small door fee gets you the whole library. Good for the friend who claims they don't really play games.
- Commander Games — S Rainbow Blvd · daily 11am–10pm. A Magic player's hangout, strong on Commander nights, with Pokémon in the mix too.
- VoidHeadz Gaming and Hobby — Polaris Ave · afternoons, closes 6–7pm. A dedicated Warhammer 40K shop run by someone who has been painting for twenty years and enjoys getting newcomers started right.
Up north
- Power 9 Games — E Craig Rd, North Las Vegas · 11am–10pm, later on weekends. The north valley's hub for Magic, Pokémon, Warhammer, and Legion, with big tables and plenty of terrain.
- Shall We Play? — E Dorrell Ln, North Las Vegas · noon–8pm, till 10pm Fri–Sat. Up near Aliante, with large tables, free terrain for wargamers, and games you can try before you buy.
Just visiting? Pull up a chair
This part is for the travelers.
There's a moment around the third night of a Vegas trip where the lights stop being fun and start being loud. When you hit it, know that you're welcome at every place on this list. You don't have to be a local to belong at one of these tables.
Trade the casino floor for a couple of hours where the only jackpot is a natural 20 and the best odds go to whoever brought the snacks. Natural 21 Game Lounge in Henderson is an easy place to land: a real tavern a short drive off the Strip where you can grab a booth, pull a board game off the shelf, order something with a ridiculous name, and actually play for a while. Bring the friends you flew in with, and make a few new ones while you're there.
Staying downtown near Fremont instead? Horus Hobbies is an even shorter hop, and if your trip lines up with one of their 21+ Warhammer-and-drinks nights in the Arts District, it's about the best break from the Strip this city offers.
The Strip will still be lit up when you get back. Take the quiet night.
A couple of honest notes before you go
Store hours move around for events, holidays, and the occasional day when it's one person running the shop. Everything here was current when I wrote it, but a quick call or a look at the shop's Discord or socials before you drive over will save you the trouble of a closed door. The weekly game nights especially, meaning which night is open D&D, which is Magic, and when the Warhammer tournaments run, live on each store's own calendar. That's where you want to be looking anyway if you're trying to find the regulars.
And if you visit one of these and find your people, come tell me about it. That's the whole reason I keep doing this.
Eli G. Moreno is the founder of Gnomies and a lifelong Las Vegas local. Come trade game-night finds and plan meetups with the valley crew in the Dungeons & Gnomies Discord, or find us at gnomieshop.com. The best adventures are shared with your Gnomies.
0 comments