Tulsa Time
Tulsa, Oklahoma is the nearest city of any significant size to my home in Arkansas. I went there with my girlfriend this past weekend, ostensibly do some Christmas shopping. Being the nefarious sort that I am, I had googled “wargaming Tulsa Oklahoma” earlier in the week, and thus had a secret* secondary objective: to reconnoiter the local gaming shops and perhaps pick up some choice items for my wargaming needs.
I visited two shops, one being Top Deck and the other being The Hussar.
Now, Top Deck is a fine gaming shop. There was a thriving community in attendance, playing Warhammer, eurogames, and Magic the Gathering on a miserably rainy Saturday. The store was well stocked with various board games, Warhammer, Flames of War, and Victrix Napoleonics. That said, it was a fairly normal, if well-endowed, game shop.
The real surprise was The Hussar, which, as it turns out, isn’t a gaming shop, at all.
The Hussar
The Hussar is far and away the most pleasant geek (and there are many types of geekery) shop I’ve ever been in. The store is a hybrid of a reference book store, modeling shop, and finished miniatures store. The owner is gregarious, well-informed, and very welcoming.
I stole this from a facebook page. Apologies.
He carries a great number of Osprey titles, which I had only ever seen on the internet before this trip. You’ll also find a number of very specific titles about battles. For instance, instead of finding a general history of the allied invasion of Normandy (which is easily available at any library or chain bookstore), you might find a detailed scholarly treatise on the Battle for Carentan.
The shop is decorated with various militaria, from vintage uniforms to reproduction (I assume) shakos. The Hussar also carries a large number of custom/hand painted miniatures that are finished to an extremely high level. They are far too well done (and expensive) to serve as gaming pieces, but are a real joy to behold.
I don’t have much more to say about the trip, except that if you ever find yourself in Tulsa (God save you) and you have any interest in military history, you should not pass up a trip to The Hussar.
*it wasn’t really a secret.
ArkieGamer 