At the risk of sounding like a geezer, I miss the old days of gaming. When I was a kid in the early eighties, I was introduced to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons by the new boy across the street. It didn’t take long before the neighborhood kids would get together and run the barely-coherent fantasy adventures of our wildest dreams.
Over the years, I learned new systems. If I wanted lasers and spacehips, I learned Star Frontiers. I wanted to live out my Road Warrior fantasies, so I picked up After the Bomb. When giant robots dominated my imagination, so did the Robotech rpg.
Later, when I was running my first game store, three things happened that changed the entire industry: Magic the Gathering was released, Settlers of Catan came over from Germany, and 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons introduced the OGL.
I never liked the OGL. I felt that it would water down the games and make them all just derivatives of D&D. A lot of those fears feel vindicated, as so many of the popular games died off. The rise of card games and board games applied further pressure to the point where the only game that most stores even carry is D&D.
When I started my little shop last year, I made the conscious decision to focus on the parts of the hobby that I am most passionate about: RPGs, Board Games, and Miniatures Games.
So far, I have put a lot of energy into curating a vibrant RPG selection. Stocking my shelves with games that are both mainstream and indie. Each month I am adding new vendors to add diverse and innovative games.
I have big plans for 2025 and I look forward to sharing my passion for games with as many people as I can!
See you next time!