Good day, travelers! I’m glad to see you’ve made it to the next Waypoint in one piece. It’s dangerous to go alone, so you take this guide with you to find your favorite (or new favorite) spot for tabletop gaming, supplies, community, and more!
This week, I traveled just over the border to Sayre, Pennsylvania (making sure to pass through Waverly for a nice lunch at Soprano’s first) to find Keystone Cards and Games. While I’m not normally one to note the designs of buildings, I have to note the front and interior have pleasant wood paneling, making it feel more rustic and wholesome, which lends itself to a fantasy aesthetic for a gamestore. Once inside, the space felt comfortable, with tables spread throughout the store for games, without feeling crowded or awkward to navigate.
One of the top things that makes Keystone stand out from other game stores I’ve been to is its selection of sports cards. Normally, these kinds of stores only focus on games: TTRPGs, TCGs, European-style boardgames, etc. But it makes sense that a game store that collects and sells trading card games would also deal in sports trading cards. While I didn’t rifle through their entire selection, there were boxes dedicated to these kinds of cards, including baseball, football, and basketball.
Still, the store’s main focus is on tabletop games, and that focus is further refined to trading card games. While there were a few assets for TTRPGs (primarily Warhammer, from what I saw), the store’s selection hinges primarily on games like Magic:The Gathering, Pokemon, and Lorcana. Similarly to the mass quantity of sports cards, there were several—and I mean several—boxes of bulk. One of my favorite things is sifting through stacks of cards, seeing what gem I might stumble upon, and it’s also perfect for tossing together a deck on the spot to play a few quick games, or better yet, grabbing a couple friends and make an evening of drafting the bulk and showing off what you managed to scrape together. But just to note, they do offer an online, searchable collection, plus a few expensive staples in cases, making it easy to check their inventory and order singles you might be searching for.
Perhaps the coolest aspect of Keystone, at least in my opinion, is its focus on community engagement. On one of its walls is a big calendar, displaying upcoming events to plan for, ranging from card game tournaments to D&D sessions for both kids and adults. On that same calendar was Keystone’s points system. Yes, points system; they’ve gamified visiting the store, where whenever you take part in events, bring a friend to an event, or place well in said events, you earn points. At the end of the month, everything is totaled up, and the three people with the most points earn cool promotional prizes. I thought this was a fantastic way to have even more fun, on top of already having a good time, and I love how it simultaneously incentivises participation, connection, and friendly competition.
So if you’re a local tabletop gamer looking for a new haunt, or maybe you’re a bit farther away but still want to make the trip out to a new scene, then definitely check out Keystone Cards and Games. Both the staff and players were very friendly and helpful, so don’t be scared to check it out!
Until next time, safe travels, and I’ll see you at the next Waypoint!
