A Hidden Fortress

So far I have tried to shop here twice. The first time an old asian man stopped me as I opened the unlocked front door (at 5 o’clock) to tell me they will be back in an hour and a half… seriously an hour and a half? Nope, I left. Came back two days later at 3 o’clock this time and I went to open the door yet there was a sign saying they will be back in a half hour… 2 strikes now Hidden Fortress… Not sure how you guys stay in operation.

Best place to go for MTG events in the area, good selection of Warhammer/​40k models and supplies, great dice and playmat selection, and some rarity novels/​tabletop games and accessories. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and would never go anywhere else. Ed, Mike, and Mandy are all awesome.

Fantastic little spot for magic the gathering. Open late. Been going here since I was a kid. Not many back issues but I get most of my pull here.

Very small cluttered shop. Went there on a tournament night. The tournament tables were blocking the comics so I was unable to browse through anything. Waited a while before anyone even asked if I needed help. I asked about a few graphic novels that they didnt have. They offered to order them for me but I respectfully declined and decided to seek them elsewhere. Nice enough small business shop, but not worth the drive from the valley for me.

I have to say, super hidden but a nice place.
This review will be short due to I was only in store for ten minutes as he was closed. He saw me and I told him I was there to buy a comic if he was closed I would go down the street to the other one. He was super nice and said yes no problem. I asked for book he went to back and got it. I paid and left, I will come back again. This is a hidden gem for Magic players and D and D players. All types of gamers. But he had comics which I will be back for more.

This place is like my second home. The owner and his daughter are nice, dedicated and passionate about comics and games. He will order most anything as long as his distributors carry it. The store is a bit small but has a decent collection of things you’d expect. Sometimes the owner is busy in the back but you can generally get someone to get him to come out and help you.
The store also holds a lot of events, and lets customers play games at the tables. Heroclix, Pathfinder, DnD, and Magic the Gathering events are pretty regular. I have been playing pathfinder/​dnd here for over 3 years.
If you are into magic they keep a very good stock of cards and run quite a few tournys as well as friday night magic.

This is a great place to go for MTG. They keep the store very clean, the owner is great, they have a good stock of singles and packs, and the players that show up are almost always great. When you go to play mtg somewhere, you usually expect to get a few odd ones, but here almost everyone is very friendly and sociable. I once let someone borrow a card, and then wasn’t able to go for 6 months and forgot, and when I came back in the owner had it there for me. If that isn’t a testament to the store and the crowd, idk what is!

There’s just something about this place. It is the Hidden Fortress as well as a gem. Comics to cards to all my friends’ favorite Munchkin. As well the owner and staff are great people. It’s always a pleasure stopping by.

My 10 year old daughter recently found all my old D&D books and asked me to teach her to play, so I wanted to take her to an old school gaming store like I had while growing up in the 80’s. I read a couple positive reviews for HIDDEN FORTRESS on Unilocal,and off we went. I figured I’d get her the new basic rules and her first set of dice.
She was ecstatic and barely able to contain herself on the way to the store.
Once there though, we found the incredibly rude owner of the store less than enthusiastic to have customers.
First, he showed no interest in this potential life-​long customer I was bringing into the store, and dismissed her completely when she asked about D&D books. He was too busy talking about the weather with one of his regulars (literally, she and I stood next to the counter and waited for him for 10 minutes to say «welcome to the store» or «how can I help you?» or anything. Finally I had to introduce myself and ask if he could help us find her some books and dice. He said the dice weren’t toys for children and acted surprised and even put off that a little girl wanted to play D&D.
He was rude, dismissive and not only unhelpful, but defensive and weird that we would enter his store. He acted like it was his living room and strangers were not welcome.
I wanted to give a local small business my money instead of going to a big box store or Amazon, but after the creepy, unwelcome attitude we received in his store, we’ll be finding another gaming store that’s not hostile to children, new players and women.

Has great collectables. Tonight they celebrate a year of being open with free booze and snacks and live music. They also have special drawings, prizes and discounts.

Been waiting 30 minutes now to buy some munchkin cards. I guess no one works here…

I was so looking forward to going here to look around. Plus, I needed some new dice. I went by yesterday at 3pm and it was still closed, so I went home. I went by today at 3:35pm and there was a sign on the door that read «Back in 5 minutes». How are you supposed to get any new customers (or any customers at all) if your doors seem to always be locked? Terrible first impressions for me. Will probably never go back. Going to
for my dice.

Honestly, I’m ashamed of myself that I haven’t reviewed this sooner. This store is amazing, and the owner has been pouring his heart and soul into it for more than ten years. I know this because I’ve been going regularly and semi-​regularly for (It’s hard to believe) ten years now.
The store is small, but uses the space available as best as possible. If they don’t have something in stock they’ll gladly order it for you. The owner (Ed) is very knowledgeable about the things he carries, and he goes out of his way to avoid hiring the stereotypical ‘hobby shop’ staff.
Everyone is personable, friendly, and willing to help out. If you aren’t quite sure what to buy a friend or family member that is into comics or games, someone will be glad to help you out.
Only warning is parking can be a little tight, but there is a lot of spaces within a very small walking distance.

Yesterday I wanted to drive into Simi to check out some new comic book stores. I saw two on Unilocal,this one and one over by target. I called the other one and the number was wrong. When I called this one the guy said they were open till 11:00pm!!! I almost didn’t believe him.
Turns out the other store was closed and so my friend and I made our way over to the Hidden fortress. I totally forgot to ask but I was going to check and see if the name of the shop was a reference to the Kurosawa film. Anyway, sure enough the shop was open. There were a half dozen people playing magic the gathering. I used to be really into collectible card games but now I just collect comic books.
It is very clear that this store’s bread and butter is the cards and card related merchandise. There was a small wall of new comics and a small back issue section. Below that there were a couple cabinets with some TPB and hard cover books but a pretty small selection over-​all.
Strictly as a comic book store this place would be 2 or 3. I didn’t find much that interested me. But it should be noted that this store does have a lot of great collectables and games. Unexpectedly I was able to cross a couple of people off my Christmas shopping list. The store is pretty small but it makes good use of its walls and shelves. Also my friend found several back issue comics that she was looking for.
Over-​all this was a really nice trip. I would give the store a 3 but it is so cool that they were open so late. It gave us time to go get dinner first. I might have to drop by some time to get my 10:30pm comic fix.

The best place to play and buy Magic: The Gathering in Ventura County. The owner is a stand up guy and super helpful and friendly. He always provides excellent deals. Also the people who congregate there bring a fun and welcoming charm to the place. Great hobby store!

The owner Ed is awesome and accommodating.
I don’t do anything here but draft magic but I recommend it for anyone looking for nerdy stuff. There’s regular magic drafts on Tuesdays and Fridays. Unilocal is stupid for making me write more reviews to gain credit.

What can ya say when your kids love this place?
They give it 5 stars.

This is where the «magic» happens… The Gathering…
Seriously…
With a seriously dedicated FNM group and keeper style booster draft on Tuesday nights, you will meet, draft and play Magic against a myriad of regulars and visitors. Side games of EDH will form and people looking to test their standard or block decks will always be looking to test their mettle. Nationally ranked Magic players will sit across the friend of a friend playing Magic for the first time at these tables. Trades and deals that happen here will mock a heated stock exchange. Think you’re gonna pull one over on a trade? Think again…
This is where judges come to play, traders try to hustle and players come to flex.
And that’s just Tuesday and Friday.
I can’t really say much about the miniature days, yugi-​oh/​pokemon days, or role playing days. I have dabbled here and there, but my specialty is Magic.
Between the owner and the employees, you can pick up any game in the store and learn to play in 30 minutes, give or take a few… Red Dragon? Munchkin? Settlers of Cataan? Zombies? Lunch money? HeroClix? You name it, someone plays it and will be more than happy to get you and your friends addicted to your next crack.
Whether it’s comic books, role-​playing games, miniatures, supplies, dice, counters, mats, video, dvd, price guides or just looking to piss off Ben, stop in and take a look…
Just make sure you do yourself a favor and bring yourself a deck and your own counters… And stay away from anyone named Dave…

I can’t believe that I didn’t know about this place sooner. I guess this place has been around for at least 15 years and still going strong. It has to be because it is hard to find. I told my friend not to use the GPS and sure enough it directs us to a dead end col-​de-​sac with the store behind the wall. Classic!
When my friends and I walked in we were immediately greeted by the owner of the store which is how it should be. He is very knowledge about what he offers unlike some stores that seem only to care about collectible card games and nothing else.
This store has almost every board game you can think of and if they don’t, they can sure get it for you.
And for those of you who hate the stores that you walk in and it is loaded with annoying jerks playing cards, then this store is for you.
I have seen people playing in here before but unless there is a specified tournament it is usually 1 table and they are more than happy to stop what they are doing for 5 minutes so you can browse.
For any gamer, this store is a must to go to.

If you are into Magic the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, comic books and anything else collectible, this is your haven. As far as I know, this is also the only place in the area to find those «niche» boardgames. I haven’t found a better game store run by better people anywhere.
This place has been around forever, too… since like 1995 or so? Anyways, I spent hours upon hours in this place playing games and making friends. The owner is nice, accommodating, and will special order anything you might need that isn’t on hand.
In addition, there is a nice little player community for various games here so that on most days there is at least one event going on (I would call ahead for a schedule of events).
Price-​wise, collectibles can vary from cheap to very expensive, but on the whole, the owner seems to stick with MSRP for most items. Some items/​tournaments have a small discount as noted by the first reviewer.