Dwarf's Goldmine Games Shop

(07) 229-9467
15, ShangYi St., LingYa District, Kaohsiung
Hours: Monday - Friday 2-10 pm; Saturday and Sunday 11 am-10 pm
www.war-hammer.com

--- Written and translated by Monica Lin and sean Cooper

Tired of Monopoly and Scrabble? Now there's a place to fulfill all your gaming needs. It's called Dwarf's Goldmine and is a great place to find any strategy, board or card game you're looking for. The storefront is very tastefully designed and has numerous miniature warriors and machines in the window, lovingly and painstaking hand-painted by the owners and all the guys and gals who frequent the store. Inside you'll find a huge selection of models from table-top war games such as Warhammer and Warmachine. You will also find famous board games such as Axis and Allies and Settlers of Catan, as well as many expansions for these games. Plus, they'll order almost any game you can think of that's not in the store through their New Zealand supplier, Games-R-Us.

This is a fantastic place to buy games, and many of their board games are open, so that you can just walk in and play them free of charge. On the second floor, you'll find open tables where you and a few buddies can whittle away the hours crushing each other's armies. Jason and Tanner, two of the co-owners, are more than willing to help you learn the basics of some of the more intimidating war games, as well as give you some painting tips if you're in a more creative mood. Every Wednesday, there's a demo you can join in on, about the strategy game Warmachine, run by Shannon (who's a local foreigner and volunteer representative of the US-based parent company).

There's a great sense of camaraderie and community in the store, making you feel like chilling out and having fun without spending a lot of cash. So go down and pick up some dice, get a board game, paint some minis and get your nerd on.