Tuesday night Magic: The Gathering event at Source Comics & Games. Photo By Kinsey Gade
Source Comics & Games in Roseville is committed to keeping the tabletop gaming community alive
by Kinsey Gade — Arts & Culture Reporter
After a long day of work at Minnesota’s Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS), supervising a team of caretakers and service providers, Andrew Horry often finds himself at Source Comics & Games in Roseville. In the back of the industrial-esque shop, behind rows of comics, graphic novels, board games, handbooks, figurines, cards and novelties, is an array of blank tables and chairs. This is where fantasy comes to life almost every night of the week for gamers like Horry, who participate in tabletop and card games such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), One Piece and Magic: The Gathering (MTG), to name a few.
Always considering himself a gamer, Horry loved video games, anime and comics as a kid. However, he didn’t start playing tabletop card games until his 20s, after getting a random itch to learn how to play D&D. In 2024, he moved from Burnsville to Roseville and discovered the One Piece group at Source Comics & Games, quickly learned how to play the game and has attended almost every week since.
“I do look at this as an escape or reset, in a way,” Horry said. “I work in the mental health field, so it’s pretty stressful. I deal with a lot of sad situations and I see a lot of sad things.”
For Horry, the back of Source Comics & Games hasn’t just provided relief from his stressful days at work but also friends and a community, organically shaped through the appreciation of gaming.
Growing the gaming community
Dan Malson, one of the store’s general managers, has been with the company for nine years and coordinates the store’s intense gaming event schedule. On any given weekday, the store hosts between two and six events each night. On the weekends, they host special events and competitions.
The events range from beginner to more competitive and welcome all ages, Malson said, making it easy for anyone to join regardless of their background or skill level.
“I like our beginner-friendly events and the more open events, because then you get more people to come and to share the joy of the hobby with, and that’s how you grow your community,” he said.
Russell Carter, a neuroscience research professional at the University of Minnesota, saw a flyer posted at Source Comics & Games advertising demonstrations for “The Lord of the Rings,” Middle-earth Strategy Battle miniature warfare game. Miniature gaming refers to a form of gaming with small figurines that represent characters, terrain and structures used to roleplay battles or adventures.
Getting out of his comfort zone, Carter attended one of the demonstrations, loved it and asked to help out with future demonstrations. He said it was perfect timing as the person in charge of the demonstrations was leaving for Hawaii.
“It was a rough start,” he said. “It took about two and a half months of consistently showing up at the store, just kinda sitting here setting up the demo table, advertising free demos for this game and slowly started to get a few people showing up for it. Five years later, it’s now the largest group that I help organize.”
Carter now organizes over four different miniature warfare games and helps with tournaments and competitions.
According to Malson, the goal is always to support the gaming community and welcome the increasing number of young newcomers interested in the pastime.
Revival of tabletop gaming
For Russell, Malson, Horry and most other tabletop game enthusiasts growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, the innovation of video games heavily reduced tabletop card games, which thrived through the late 1970s and 1980s, to something nerdy and outdated. It wasn’t until the mid-2010s that tabletop card games were revived into popular culture through media appearances.
One of the most notable impressions was Netflix’s original series “Stranger Things.” First released in 2016, it heavily featured D&D and created new interest in the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3, a role-playing video game similar to D&D, also assisted in the repopularization of D&D. The game, released in 2023, sold over 15 million copies by 2024. Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of D&D, saw its annual revenue grow from $761 million in 2019 to $1.17 billion as of October 2024.
The “Critical Role” live-play gaming show, first released on Twitch and YouTube in 2015, saw a viewership increase of 125% since 2019, peaking at more than 188 million views on the channel by 2024.
Live-play gaming podcasts such as “The Adventure Zone” have also aided in the revitalization of role-playing and card tabletop gaming among younger audiences.
Carter said he’s surprised by the range of ages that attend the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game sessions.
“It’s something that my age group, mid to late 30s, grew up with and would kind of expect to be here for,” he said. “Interestingly, what I’m seeing is a lot of newer and younger people coming and playing because they are children of the generation who grew up with it. They’re getting influence from their parents about these games.”
Gamers from the beginning
Source Comics & Games has always been at heart a gaming community. Bob Brynildson, the current owner of Source Comics & Games, also founded Legacy Games in Saint Paul in 1988, when the Centurions Gaming Group emerged. One of the earliest gaming groups of Legacy Games, they focus on historical miniature wargames.
In 1992, Brynildson assumed control of Source Comics & Games and merged it with Legacy Games, according to Malson.
At over 10,000 square feet, the store is Minnesota’s largest comic book and games store. It continues to expand its inventory and avenues of interest, having convenient access to Asmondee’s North American headquarters, one of the world’s largest board game publishers, also located in Roseville. Source Comics & Games also supplies work from local creators and companies.
Although the store has expanded throughout the years, the Centurions Gaming Group still meets every first and third Saturday of the month. The demand for in-person gaming space from the growing gaming community has also increased to the point where the store now hosts events almost every day.
Community and connection through gaming
In a world of digital engagement and interaction, younger generations are seeking in-person socialization, gaming included. A 2025 survey found that 79% of Gen Z say it’s their goal to interact with more people “in the real world.”
“There are still cool people, and you’re still able to go out and meet people. That’s like a lost art.”
Carter said that one of the most appealing aspects of in-person tabletop gaming is the close-knit physical interactions amongst the players.
“You can feed off of their energy,” he said. “If they’ve had a series of bad dice rolls, you make fun of them. They make fun of you. It doesn’t come across the same way online versus here.”
Another 2024 report states 54% of Gen Z strongly agree that “in-person relationships are more valuable than digital relationships.”
Horry said that while virtual video gaming and in-person tabletop gaming both have benefits and provide community, in-person gaming offers a better sense of connection.
“I would have never met any of these people before, and now we have a reason to get together,” he said. “Now, I consider a lot of them my friends. It’s a bit of a reminder that there’s community. There are still cool people, and you’re still able to go out and meet people. That’s like a lost art.”
