Fanboy 3

I am so sorry to the guys who run and own this shop for the poor rating, but I will explain.
I am not really into gaming yet, but thanks to a friend and table top I really wanna give it a try.
I walked into Travelling man and found the place very friendly and such, but the stock of games wasn’t very large and my friend suggested fanboy3. We walked over and went in… I was instantly hit by a horrific smell but I held my nose and figured maybe there was just a smelly customer in, nothing can be done there… I walked toward the back trying to remain positive and when I popped my head around the door for the gaming area, I almost threw up, not kidding, the smell is overpowering.
As someone looking to potentially get into the games field I will say honestly that this put me off massively and had it not been for the very pleasant and welcoming atmosphere of Traveling man, I would have probably left gaming at that.
Not to insult the staff in FB3 as my friend needed something and they were very friendly and helpful, just that smell could put any but the most hardcore off, and that is a sad state for any business.
This needs to be addressed, its not good to rest on these things, the place could be fun and take so much more advantage of the gaming revival going on at the moment. Jeez, even just hand out lynx to customers who smell bad, shame tham into taking a modicum of personal awareness in their own hygein and its effect on those around them. Not only that but the smell would need to be cleaned out of the woodwork, plug ins, yankee candles, go nuts, nothing would be overkill. It cant be pleasant for employees to be in that smell all day either, seeping into clothing and going home smelling like a teenager who last bathed a month ago!
Long rant, I know, but seriously, guys, take it seriously and make the place inviting, I gave you 1 star for the fact that if it werent for the smell the place would be pretty cool but the smell makes the place pretty useless for beginners or casuals.
nb. If these issues are addressed, please get in touch and I will happily rate the place 5 stars and help the Unilocal rating.
P. s. This is from the official description on Unilocal — ‘When we opened Fan Boy Three it was the largest dedicated organised play space anywhere in the UK, situated almost in the heart of Manchester’s city centre. We were determined to challenge the stereotype of the dusty, SMELLY and dark gaming store, with our light and airy retail space, lack of clutter and polite and friendly staff. ‘
I dont know why you let this dedication go, but please get back to it!
*update*
I realise 1 star was far too harsh… The place tries really hard but you can’t really help the custom and after really thinking on it, I realised I was being a bit of a dick tbh. Fact is, they provide a lot of games and do a lot for a lot of folk into gaming.
The smell still marks it down I’m afraid, but in retrospect, it’s not a 1star just for smell :)

It’s ‘FAN’boy! How can I not employ the ‘Fan’ number of stars?
Okay. So having geeked out on Game of Thrones and realising there’s going to be A CARD GAME, and then watching my fiancé smash weird monsters in Dark Souls and getting really into it, having had enthusiastic and lovely roleplaying friends at uni and Role Models making roleplaying epically cool (who wouldn’t want to go into fake-​battle dressed as Kiss?) I thought I’d highlight the fact that a place of organised gaming exists in our quirky little Northern Quarter.
Adding weight to the fact that this neighbourhood literally has something for everybody, good ol’ Fanboy offers events like Friday Night Magic, Pokemon League tournaments, you name it. Admittedly you’ll find more guys than gals, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. When you wanna get your nerd on and make like the Big Bang Theory guys, do it. Hey, they’re sexy. You can be too.

Apparently this is –the– place to go to get your collectible card game tournament action on as indicated by the tables full of people playing Magic: The Gathering one night and the (reportedly) preview version of Yu-​Gi-​Oh the following day. Just to be clear, I only know because I asked…
Beyond that, Fanboy 3 has a pretty respectable assortment of various indie and adult games (no, not –those– kinds of games, perv). Whilst I didn’t spot the specific boardgame I’d been looking for, a lot of classics were present, such as Risk and Settlers of Catan. Plus, if you’re into roleplaying, it looks like they have a decent library of resources for many of those as well, with a whole wall dedicated to Warhammer.
This kind of place isn’t for Joe Schmoe, but if you’ve a penchant for geeky gaming and some pricier analogue entertainment options, it’s worth popping in for a wee nosey.

I was first introduced to Fanboy3 by my friend Gray. He managed to get me back into Magic The Gathering after 4 years of not playing it.
We first survey the stores around Manchester for possible place to buy the cards and eventually landed in Fanboy3.
Most Game Shops just sell TCG, Figurines, Magazine, Comic books and the such but this one had table in the main area of the shop where the merchandise are displayed, as well as a separate room filled with tables for people to play with.
If you have a small play group, you can always come here to play with other people that likes to play the same game as you do. Or, just bring the whole group here since there are plenty of space for everybody.
Compare to Travelling Man where I just walk in and buy my stuff, here I actually walk in, buy my stuff AND spend some of my time there. Whether it be an occasional chat with the staffs (who are always friendly to help out with products or game rulings) or just a game with people there. You rarely find it empty as there will always be people playing Role playing, D&D, Magic, Yugioh or any figurines games that looks intimidating to play!
Being a place that holds a lot of organised play is definitely a bonus. New set coming out? Fanboy3 is hosting its release party! Legacy, city championship or qualifiers for Magic? It has it all!
Its not uncommon for people to travel from Leeds, Lancashire, Bolton, Liverpool and some from London just to attend its organised play. What surprise me was the attendance for this organised play. Last weekend where it had its Mirrodin Besieged Pre-​release, 113 people came for it. That is certainly a number to be proud of for a small and humble shop.
For me, its a place that pretty much welcomes people all the time when it is open and it is strategically located as well. Situated near to the bus station and train station helps the travellers coming about and food are readily available around the shop. It feels like a second home after a day at Uni where you can go for socials and relax.
Set aside the geek stereotype, only some people smell and majority of the players I know don’t. Actually, I haven’t met anyone smelly yet while I was there all this while. *Fingers cross that I never will!* Its an interest and a hobby and its pretty open to everyone and I praise the shop keeper’s effort in maintaining the shop’s cleanliness and atmosphere despite the large crowd it attracts everyday.

8. I was on a website the other day that gives you free stuff. One of the links was for a free deck of cards from Fanboy 3. Well… why not. I know a friend of mine, that is into magic and all this crazy stuff, with woods, swords, World of Warcraft and all the rest. Anyway, I went in there with my voucher to take my freebies. I must tell you, I don’t know anything whatsoever about this type of games. So the guy looked at me, asked me few question and I was just mumbling some answers, that made the guy even more confused than before. In the end I got my cards, and when I was about to leave the weird little shop, the guy calls me and says: ‘waaait, you forgot the most import card’. So he gave me an extra one that I have no idea what it does. I left the geek shop behind, I gave the cards away, and to be honest, although is a cute little shop, is definitely not for me, so, not a chance to go back there, unless, I have a new freebie to collect.

I can’t really bring myself to like Fanboy 3. It stocks all the geeky paraphernalia I like, it hosts all the geeky games I like, and it practically forces you to join in the various tournaments that seem to run all the time. It’s almost desperate for you to enjoy yourself and have a good time, almost pleading with you on occasion. But that’s not what puts me off.
No, in the words of Agent Smith, «It’s the smell.»
That’s probably the weirdest way to be put off from shopping somewhere, but it’s unfortunately true. The average clientèle can be, well, less than fresh, shall we say. I don’t know why being a geek often seems to walk hand-​in-​hand with social awkwardness and general hygiene issues; is it that hard to just shower regularly? Entering is like walking into a wall of smell. It’s almost dazing.
If you need to be a geek, visit Travelling Man instead. Or visit just for the experience.