Friendly Local Game Store: Dice House Games

This profile on Dice House Games is part of an ongoing series about Friendly Local Game Stores I’ve visited. Read other profiles here. 

I’m originally from Los Angeles, so I visit Southern California often to visit family. Whenever I’m driving back to Phoenix, I love to stop by Dice House Games in Fullerton. I’ve purchased games there before because the selection is huge, with floor-to-ceiling shelves of games. I think I may have even bought the store’s second-the-the-last copy of Battlestar Galactica a while back.

Dice House Games is owned by Tuan Le, and he opened it over 10 years ago. It was almost by accident that he ended up in the board game business. In 1995, an ex-girlfriend of his suggested that he get a job at the now-closed Game Castle because, at the time, he was an artist and she thought the game store had artwork similar to his style and that he’d enjoy working there.

Le got a job at Game Castle, and, while working at there, he learned the ins and outs of operating a game store, eventually moving up to become general manager. When Game Castle closed down in 2008, Le figured he had the knowledge and wherewithal to open up a board game shop himself — directly across the street from where Game Castle had originally operated. (Game Castle moved to another location prior to its closing.)

Dice House Games has over 2,000 board games for sale in a space that’s about 1,000 square feet. Le said that gamers tell him that the store has the best selection of board games in Southern California. The store also sells Magic the Gathering cards, X-Wing miniatures, gaming supplies and, of course, lots of dice.

The store’s location is also a major perk. It’s located just a few miles from the busy campus of Cal State Fullerton, which means that there’s a new batch of customers every year to keep the board game community thriving. And those customers who shopped at Game Castle also ended up shopping at Dice House Games as well.

“I love talking to people,” he said. “I treat my store like a bar. People come in, and we talk about family, life and the job. I love having that face-to-face interaction with people.”

Different nights of the week have different scheduled events for X-Wing play, Magic the Gathering or RPGs, with Sundays reserved for open board gaming. Gamers can bring a game to play or borrow one from the gaming library.

Le doesn’t game as much as he’d like to because he’s busy running the store. His favorite games are co-ops, and he loves Pandemic, Last Night on Earth and pretty much anything zombie related.

“I don’t like arguing,” Le said. “I don’t get much out of winning, personally. The social aspect of board gaming is really the most appealing thing to me.”

“It’s all about building the community and the gaming experience,” he said.

Information and photos

Dice House Games is at 2493 E Chapman Ave., Fullerton, CA 92831. It’s open seven days a week. You can find more information on its website and Facebook page.

Correction: The story has been modified to correct the year and location Game Castle closed.