Spring Break

Last week was spring break for my boys so we decided to head south and visit Portland, OR.  Specifically, Powell's Books and Guardian Games.  Now, we've been to Powell's before and it is a

The RPG shelf at Powell's

booklover's delight.  If you are not familiar with Powell's it is a four story building that takes up an entire city block and is full of books.  Books of every imaginable kind.  A bibliophile's heaven.  I could spend days there if I had the time and the money.

I had never been to Guardian Games before.  It is the largest game store I have ever been in.  A huge amount of board games.  A large selection of RPGs.  A bunch of other stuff I didn't have time to really look at, including a corner just for Legos.

The board games shelves at Guardian Games.  Can you find the hidden people?

Between the two stores, beside the requisite history books, I purchased the core rules of Dungeon Crawl Classics and a used boxed set of Adventures in the East Mark.

It was a fun trip.  The boys enjoyed themselves and we got to visit two great stores.

B/X Companion

I made the trip to Seattle today to visit Gary's Games. I picked up a copy of JB's B/X Companion. It's his local game store so I though it appropriate. I haven't had a chance to read it yet but I'm looking forward to it.

I also picked up WEG's Star Wars Sourcebook to go with the Star Wars RPG that I have never played. I wish I had had more time. And money. There were several things I would've purchased. Like Icons. But it was $30.

I Have a Local Game Store!

I just discovered that I have a local game store now. A game shop that I visited infrequently that was located about 20 miles away has moved to about three miles down the road. I need to visit and see if they still have the same selection.

Merlyn's

Dragonflight, the Seattle gaming con, was this last weekend. I didn't get to go. I was in Spokane visiting in-laws. (Truthfully, I probably wouldn't have been able to go anyway but it makes a better story this way.) All was not lost however. I managed to sneak away for awhile and hit Merlyn's, a local game shop. I'm glad I did. It was much larger than I expected. It carries a selection of both new and used rpgs, board games and comic books. It has a small selection of science fiction books and a gaming area that took up a third or more of the floorspace. The staff was helpful, asking if I was finding everything but leaving me alone most of the time. When I did have questions about a game or a comic book issue the clerk was knowledgeable and helpful. Overall I really liked the store. I bought a copy of Foundation Transmissions, a supplement for Thousand Suns, a game I own in pdf form but haven't had the chance to read yet.

Disappointment

I was disappointed to read this post by J.B. over at B/X Blackrazor. I feel even worse because I live about 45 minutes or so away. Perhaps I'll be able to make it down for a little gaming one weekend. The problem is I work every other weekend (I worked the day he's talking about) and family obligations keep me close to home on my days off.

Recent Purchases

I've been on a bit of a spending spree lately. I have acquired Agon and Og Unearthed Edition in hard copy and Cartoon Action Hour and Thousand Suns in pdf. I've only had the chance to read a bit of Agon so far. It is about what I expected which is a positive thing in this case. I really like the list of Greek names in the back of the book.

A Slice of Gamer Heaven

I have just returned from a trip to a gamer's heaven. Spurred by a post from JB at B/X Blackrazor I travelled south to Gary's Games and Hobbies in Seattle. It has so much stuff! Games I'd only read about online, both RPGs and boardgames, card games, miniatures, and plastic models. I was amazed. Now to be honest, I have rarely visited a dedicated game shop. I have mostly lived in smaller communities in Washington. So I happily browsed for a long time. There were so many RPGs I wanted to buy, Dragon Warriors, A Thousand Suns, Runequest, Stormbringer, Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion and others. I ended up going old school in my purchase. I bought Tunnels & Trolls 5.5 edition. Just for kicks.