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Good Sport...
Nov. 9th, 2009 09:40 amHey,
Whenever I find games too difficult to play, I always have a fall-back:
"I HATE THIS GAME!"
heh
Tom
Whenever I find games too difficult to play, I always have a fall-back:
"I HATE THIS GAME!"
heh
Tom
Nov. 9th, 2009
Good Sport...
Nov. 9th, 2009 09:40 amHey,
Whenever I find games too difficult to play, I always have a fall-back:
"I HATE THIS GAME!"
heh
Tom
Whenever I find games too difficult to play, I always have a fall-back:
"I HATE THIS GAME!"
heh
Tom
The Future of Gaming
Nov. 9th, 2009 04:24 pmHey,
So this weekend I was in Amherst and noticed a new gaming store called Worlds Apart. I was asking my friend Emily about it and she mentioned that it's basically a co-operative gaming store. And really, it's about what I'd expect from Western MA.
But it got me to thinking. Running a game store is real tough. Lots of really nice places have closed down in the past couple of years...as well as some not-so-great-places and a couple of odd mergers. But running a viable game store is a tough proposition.
It occurs to me that Worlds Apart is an interesting alternative, but I'm not sure it goes far enough. If you're a gamer, I feel like your biggest problem is finding a place to play, followed by finding people to play against. Having a common social space where gamers can show up and play different things (and not just table after table of magic/Warhammer/Flames of War) would be really great.
Hence, I propose that a future model for a "gaming store" would be "social club". A non-profit sets up a nice space (including private rooms so you don't have to listen to Space Ork yelling when you're trying to have an intense RPG scene). Well lit, clean, decent chairs, configurable tables, a snack selection that's more than soda/candy/chips and so on. Entrance is by membership only (or you can be a guest and get charged a nominal door fee). Membership runs on a sliding scale that includes extra perks as you go up -- a big perk being storage space for your games/minis/terrain/etc. The club has a small library of its own games -- a selection of basic classics plus a number of "big box" games that are complex/rarely played/important (I'm thinking Die Macher or ASL or Empires in Arms kinda deals where the price to repeat playing ratio is too low for a single person to consider). The club gets a retailer discount and passes the savings along to members, but isn't really in the business of selling games.
I think having a nice, well-located gaming space to go to, and especially having a place to store stuff would certainly be worth the membership fees. It remains to be seen if enough other people would be into that, but I think it's well worth considering.
later
Tom
[ETA: Further perusal shows that World's Apart seems to be incorporating a lot of my ideas. So I hope it proves successful for them and it becomes a more widely adopted model.]
So this weekend I was in Amherst and noticed a new gaming store called Worlds Apart. I was asking my friend Emily about it and she mentioned that it's basically a co-operative gaming store. And really, it's about what I'd expect from Western MA.
But it got me to thinking. Running a game store is real tough. Lots of really nice places have closed down in the past couple of years...as well as some not-so-great-places and a couple of odd mergers. But running a viable game store is a tough proposition.
It occurs to me that Worlds Apart is an interesting alternative, but I'm not sure it goes far enough. If you're a gamer, I feel like your biggest problem is finding a place to play, followed by finding people to play against. Having a common social space where gamers can show up and play different things (and not just table after table of magic/Warhammer/Flames of War) would be really great.
Hence, I propose that a future model for a "gaming store" would be "social club". A non-profit sets up a nice space (including private rooms so you don't have to listen to Space Ork yelling when you're trying to have an intense RPG scene). Well lit, clean, decent chairs, configurable tables, a snack selection that's more than soda/candy/chips and so on. Entrance is by membership only (or you can be a guest and get charged a nominal door fee). Membership runs on a sliding scale that includes extra perks as you go up -- a big perk being storage space for your games/minis/terrain/etc. The club has a small library of its own games -- a selection of basic classics plus a number of "big box" games that are complex/rarely played/important (I'm thinking Die Macher or ASL or Empires in Arms kinda deals where the price to repeat playing ratio is too low for a single person to consider). The club gets a retailer discount and passes the savings along to members, but isn't really in the business of selling games.
I think having a nice, well-located gaming space to go to, and especially having a place to store stuff would certainly be worth the membership fees. It remains to be seen if enough other people would be into that, but I think it's well worth considering.
later
Tom
[ETA: Further perusal shows that World's Apart seems to be incorporating a lot of my ideas. So I hope it proves successful for them and it becomes a more widely adopted model.]
The Future of Gaming
Nov. 9th, 2009 04:24 pmHey,
So this weekend I was in Amherst and noticed a new gaming store called Worlds Apart. I was asking my friend Emily about it and she mentioned that it's basically a co-operative gaming store. And really, it's about what I'd expect from Western MA.
But it got me to thinking. Running a game store is real tough. Lots of really nice places have closed down in the past couple of years...as well as some not-so-great-places and a couple of odd mergers. But running a viable game store is a tough proposition.
It occurs to me that Worlds Apart is an interesting alternative, but I'm not sure it goes far enough. If you're a gamer, I feel like your biggest problem is finding a place to play, followed by finding people to play against. Having a common social space where gamers can show up and play different things (and not just table after table of magic/Warhammer/Flames of War) would be really great.
Hence, I propose that a future model for a "gaming store" would be "social club". A non-profit sets up a nice space (including private rooms so you don't have to listen to Space Ork yelling when you're trying to have an intense RPG scene). Well lit, clean, decent chairs, configurable tables, a snack selection that's more than soda/candy/chips and so on. Entrance is by membership only (or you can be a guest and get charged a nominal door fee). Membership runs on a sliding scale that includes extra perks as you go up -- a big perk being storage space for your games/minis/terrain/etc. The club has a small library of its own games -- a selection of basic classics plus a number of "big box" games that are complex/rarely played/important (I'm thinking Die Macher or ASL or Empires in Arms kinda deals where the price to repeat playing ratio is too low for a single person to consider). The club gets a retailer discount and passes the savings along to members, but isn't really in the business of selling games.
I think having a nice, well-located gaming space to go to, and especially having a place to store stuff would certainly be worth the membership fees. It remains to be seen if enough other people would be into that, but I think it's well worth considering.
later
Tom
[ETA: Further perusal shows that World's Apart seems to be incorporating a lot of my ideas. So I hope it proves successful for them and it becomes a more widely adopted model.]
So this weekend I was in Amherst and noticed a new gaming store called Worlds Apart. I was asking my friend Emily about it and she mentioned that it's basically a co-operative gaming store. And really, it's about what I'd expect from Western MA.
But it got me to thinking. Running a game store is real tough. Lots of really nice places have closed down in the past couple of years...as well as some not-so-great-places and a couple of odd mergers. But running a viable game store is a tough proposition.
It occurs to me that Worlds Apart is an interesting alternative, but I'm not sure it goes far enough. If you're a gamer, I feel like your biggest problem is finding a place to play, followed by finding people to play against. Having a common social space where gamers can show up and play different things (and not just table after table of magic/Warhammer/Flames of War) would be really great.
Hence, I propose that a future model for a "gaming store" would be "social club". A non-profit sets up a nice space (including private rooms so you don't have to listen to Space Ork yelling when you're trying to have an intense RPG scene). Well lit, clean, decent chairs, configurable tables, a snack selection that's more than soda/candy/chips and so on. Entrance is by membership only (or you can be a guest and get charged a nominal door fee). Membership runs on a sliding scale that includes extra perks as you go up -- a big perk being storage space for your games/minis/terrain/etc. The club has a small library of its own games -- a selection of basic classics plus a number of "big box" games that are complex/rarely played/important (I'm thinking Die Macher or ASL or Empires in Arms kinda deals where the price to repeat playing ratio is too low for a single person to consider). The club gets a retailer discount and passes the savings along to members, but isn't really in the business of selling games.
I think having a nice, well-located gaming space to go to, and especially having a place to store stuff would certainly be worth the membership fees. It remains to be seen if enough other people would be into that, but I think it's well worth considering.
later
Tom
[ETA: Further perusal shows that World's Apart seems to be incorporating a lot of my ideas. So I hope it proves successful for them and it becomes a more widely adopted model.]
Madness of Reviews
Nov. 9th, 2009 07:18 pmHi,
So this weekend I finished up Madness of Flowers by Jay Lake. This is the sequel to Trial of Flowers...and it's been quite a wait for it too.
I've really liked Trial and I think it's a bit better than Madness, but Madness is still a pretty good book. It basically picks right up after the events of Trial. Lord Mayor Imagio has saved the city from the gods of its past but now has to deal with snotty aristocrats. Bijaz the Dwarf is dealing with his newfound divinity while his estrwhile adversary Onesiphorous is down south hoping to keep the city of Port Defiance open. Into all of this, a mysterious woman and her giant ice bear arrive with tales of a lost Emperor's tomb -- threatening to stir up everything that they've all worked so hard to subdue in the last book.
The book keeps up a brisk pace and moves from viewpoint to viewpoint with deft ease. There was that strange sense of wonder and the fantastic that permeated the first book, but a bit less so -- perhaps because the characters become disperesed over the setting and you only see bits and pieces insted of the tight weave that wrapped Trial. That said, the writing is still top-notch and I was anxious to get to the next page. I'm hoping that he returns to this setting in the future.
later
Tom
So this weekend I finished up Madness of Flowers by Jay Lake. This is the sequel to Trial of Flowers...and it's been quite a wait for it too.
I've really liked Trial and I think it's a bit better than Madness, but Madness is still a pretty good book. It basically picks right up after the events of Trial. Lord Mayor Imagio has saved the city from the gods of its past but now has to deal with snotty aristocrats. Bijaz the Dwarf is dealing with his newfound divinity while his estrwhile adversary Onesiphorous is down south hoping to keep the city of Port Defiance open. Into all of this, a mysterious woman and her giant ice bear arrive with tales of a lost Emperor's tomb -- threatening to stir up everything that they've all worked so hard to subdue in the last book.
The book keeps up a brisk pace and moves from viewpoint to viewpoint with deft ease. There was that strange sense of wonder and the fantastic that permeated the first book, but a bit less so -- perhaps because the characters become disperesed over the setting and you only see bits and pieces insted of the tight weave that wrapped Trial. That said, the writing is still top-notch and I was anxious to get to the next page. I'm hoping that he returns to this setting in the future.
later
Tom
Madness of Reviews
Nov. 9th, 2009 07:18 pmHi,
So this weekend I finished up Madness of Flowers by Jay Lake. This is the sequel to Trial of Flowers...and it's been quite a wait for it too.
I've really liked Trial and I think it's a bit better than Madness, but Madness is still a pretty good book. It basically picks right up after the events of Trial. Lord Mayor Imagio has saved the city from the gods of its past but now has to deal with snotty aristocrats. Bijaz the Dwarf is dealing with his newfound divinity while his estrwhile adversary Onesiphorous is down south hoping to keep the city of Port Defiance open. Into all of this, a mysterious woman and her giant ice bear arrive with tales of a lost Emperor's tomb -- threatening to stir up everything that they've all worked so hard to subdue in the last book.
The book keeps up a brisk pace and moves from viewpoint to viewpoint with deft ease. There was that strange sense of wonder and the fantastic that permeated the first book, but a bit less so -- perhaps because the characters become disperesed over the setting and you only see bits and pieces insted of the tight weave that wrapped Trial. That said, the writing is still top-notch and I was anxious to get to the next page. I'm hoping that he returns to this setting in the future.
later
Tom
So this weekend I finished up Madness of Flowers by Jay Lake. This is the sequel to Trial of Flowers...and it's been quite a wait for it too.
I've really liked Trial and I think it's a bit better than Madness, but Madness is still a pretty good book. It basically picks right up after the events of Trial. Lord Mayor Imagio has saved the city from the gods of its past but now has to deal with snotty aristocrats. Bijaz the Dwarf is dealing with his newfound divinity while his estrwhile adversary Onesiphorous is down south hoping to keep the city of Port Defiance open. Into all of this, a mysterious woman and her giant ice bear arrive with tales of a lost Emperor's tomb -- threatening to stir up everything that they've all worked so hard to subdue in the last book.
The book keeps up a brisk pace and moves from viewpoint to viewpoint with deft ease. There was that strange sense of wonder and the fantastic that permeated the first book, but a bit less so -- perhaps because the characters become disperesed over the setting and you only see bits and pieces insted of the tight weave that wrapped Trial. That said, the writing is still top-notch and I was anxious to get to the next page. I'm hoping that he returns to this setting in the future.
later
Tom