The Armchair Adventurer

I came by this store yesterday with my Dad, the staff was super friendly and helpful plus they had a diverse selection of games to look at. I ended up buying «Liberty or Death» by GMT games which covers the American Revolution, a period which has traditionally lacked decent game coverage.

Pretty cool place. My husband has gotten interested in board games recently and this was a good place to see.
I’m not sure if it was the owner but the young gentleman that helped us was SUPER friendly and helpful. He helped us pick a game we could play with our toddler in less than 5 mins. He seemed very passionate and very knowledgable about the games they had in the store.
We will definitely be returning mostly because of the great customer service we received.

So, The Armchair Adventurer, first off, is not some average board game/​hobby shop. This store is one of those places you can come to, hang out, play games, and get to know cool people. Have you seen that show Cheers? Well, picture that, except, instead of a bar, it’s a board game shop.
Robert, the store’s owner, is the coolest store owner I’ve ever met. He’s always friendly and willing to help you find what you’re looking for. Every Thursday night is board game night when people show up with whatever board games they feel like playing and anyone is welcome to jump in and play or even bring their own games. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to play a game with Robert as well.
I started coming to this shop over a year ago back when they were in Kalihi. They’ve since moved to the Dole Cannery location near the food court where, in my humble opinion, the store is vastly improved from the original. Air Conditioning? Yes, please. Anyway. The regulars that come here are some of the coolest, nicest people you’ll ever meet. If you like playing games or even just socializing in a relaxed atmosphere then give this place a visit. You won’t regret it.

Great place. Rob does a great job helping everyone feel welcomed. Honestly it’s very easy to find people to play a game or two with. We park in the Costco parking area nearest the game shop.

There are lots of stores on this island that has some boardgame presence but if I were to name the store that catered the most to boardgames it would be, hands down, The Armchair Adventurer. The owner of the store is almost friendly to a fault and actually has domain knowledge over the products he carries, which really says a lot.
If you park in the theater lot, the store can validate (up to 3 hours, I believe?) Or you can park in the same lot as Costco for up to 2 hours (indefinitely if after 10pm).
The prices here are never going to beat the online megastores but what a local game store offers is a space for you to actually play the games you purchase. Additionally, there are almost always gamers around free to to try out games with you or help make a recommendation on what games would suit you best.
If you’ve recently been exposed to the world of modern boardgaming, and are curious as to where to go in Honolulu to find learn more, look no further because The Armchair Adventurer is the definitive answer.

The Armchair Adventurer
Brand new store dedicated to the figurines mostly for board gaming.
Nice thing that I kinda understand and kinda don’t understand is that there is (when I was there) 3 pop up tables set up with plenty of gamers filling those tables sitting inside the store — shows enthusiasm for the games that they love and could drum up interest in games that I didn’t know before since some are relatively new– but it takes up valuable floor space and just on the other side of the glass is tons and tons of tables that are empty ALL DAY LONG since it is Dole Mall where people don’t really come to any more– so the tables are open for game play.
Just like there are from the other card game store that holds competitions in the main lobby where tables are plenty — maybe this store has that same plan for game play maybe on weekends or other times.
Staff was super friendly and the store is so CLEAN. Easy to see each game and get to what you want easily. They have a few comics — either it is friends reading and sharing in addition to what is sold in the store — but it is in the wheelhouse.