Game/hobby stores in "southwestern" Germany?

[pacarat]

Not sure if this is the right spot for this kind of inquiry...

I'm going to be in Germany next month, and was wondering if there any good hobby/game/model stores to visit.

Looking for areas south, southwest, and west of Frankfurt. - Hesse, R-P, B-W, Saarland.

Would need to be open on Sundays, as I'll be working Mon-Sat...

Yeah, it's a work trip..... :-(

I'm also looking for a place that sells 1:87 bricks - juweela.de makes some nice ceramic brick in various scales.

I found this website, anyone have experience ordering with them?

http://www.kuenstlerbedarf-shop.com/Modellbau-Dioramenbau/Dioramenbau-Ziegelsteine/

Prefer a brick and mortar place, but could mail order to my hotel, since I'm going to be there for a while...


Thanks,
pacarat

[Westfalia Chris]

Would need to be open on Sundays, as I'll be working Mon-Sat...

That will be a problem, since, except for restaurants, museums, parks & zoos and the occasional gift shop in the most blatant tourist spots, Sunday is a mandatory free day in Germany. No shops unless you manage to come in on one of the sales-open Sundays, of which there are some 4-6 per year, depending on state, and specialty stores like game stores are unlikely to be open then.

[Dolmot]

In my limited experience, Germany isn't any incredible place for miniatures nowadays. Some shops with wide assortment have gone fully online, whereas the remaining brick-and-mortars mostly stock the usual stuff like GW, PP, and maybe a few others like Dystopian Wars, Infinity and Malifaux. Sometimes the FLGSs carry German stuff like Freebooter minis, Tabletop Art bits and Feldherr cases. Kind of nice to check out when you can find them, but nothing that you couldn't get online any day.

Unfortunately, the situation in Frankfurt doesn't look good. (BGG hosts endless chains of topics like this in the spirit of "we already told you last time, use the search".) Unless the city you're visiting isn't the home of those few hot stores like Battlefield Berlin, don't expect any miracles on the miniature front.

However, the places to visit in Germany are model railway shops, or lacking a specialised one, toy shops or large department stores. Many major railway manufacturers are from Germany and they seem to take the hobby quite seriously. At least compared to my place where the only model-related thing you can find in such a store is a sad plastic helicopter kit next to a rack of Revell enamels from last millennium, the selection of scratchbuilding materials and kits in German toy shops/departments may be very good. As a bonus, they may be open fairly late or even on Sundays in some places. Some people also appreciate Siku diecasts and plastic toy kits, which may be cheap.

Railway stuff will be mostly H0, partially N, and rarely anything else.

The other thing to consider are board games. If you can enjoy a family-oriented game and manage to find one with appropriate language support, they are sometimes really cheap. This only applies to the popular, local stuff, though. Imports like FFG won't be cheap nor plentiful. Note that domestic products will be in German and even the imports often translated.

Although I always visit those places and sometimes make lucky finds, for solid results you really should order online or visit a major convention.

[dampfpanzerwagon]

It's been a while since I have visited Germany, but when I did, I would always check out their art stores. You will find high quality brushes and paints at a fraction of the price in England.

Tony

[pacarat]

Thanks for the info guys. Online may be my best bet.

I will be in Landstuhl / Ramstein area.  Have been to a pretty nice store in Kaiserslautern in the past - it had a nice variety of kits, die cast and model RR stuff.

I may be able to swing a long lunch on a Saturday... :-)

[zorg]

I'm unaware of a really good gaming store in the Saarland, and I'm rather sure there's none that's open on Sundays (indeed, that would be difficult legally). I do most of my shopping online.

[Mad Doc Morris]

Make sure to visit Heidelberg, approximately a one hour drive from Landstuhl. Beautiful place – and also at least two shops to carry hobby supplies, Fantasy Kolosseum and Spielbetrieb. Like Dolmot said, be prepared, though, that these shops for the most part stock mainstream products, so very little (if anything) apart from your well-known Fantasy/SciF stuffi.
Spielbetrieb at least has some Bolt Action and Flames of War on offer and maybe the odd Warlord, Perry or SAGA box set. They might get more things if you order online and collect it there. They also host a regular gathering of local historical gamers. Best ask them here.

Just to emphasise: these shops are closed on Sundays.

[pacarat]

Thanks all, for the info and advice.

Didnt remember that Sundays were down days for retail. Would be a real bummer to drive a couple hours or more just to see a closed sign on the door....