But where do you game?

But where do you game?

   So we were talking about what happened when I came back from the convention in 2004.  There was a website for Heroclix that had a store locator on it, and I used that to see who else in the area played that game.  That is how I found "The Game Room" in Toledo, OH.  The Game Room is a store that meets a lot of geeky needs for me.  It is both a comic shop, and a game store.  In it current form, it is split into thirds, with a comic book section, a large gaming area with a lot of miniature models for sale on the wall, and a smaller gaming area with board games on the walls.
   Now we may as well stop and talk about The Game Room for a minute.  Ever since the first night I visited that store, it has become the central place where I game.  It is also the place where I eventually met the game group that would bring me in and has since let me to some of my best friends.  When I first visited, it was in a smaller location then it is now, and on a night when more then one game/tournament/group was in the store, it could get really cramped.  Imagine 20-30 gamers in a two section store that was maybe 24x24 for floor space, along with tables and product....it could get like a sauna in there some days, and not in a good way at all.  The new store is much bigger so when our group gets together, which can be 10-15 people on our own, we have some room to play and stretch out a bit.  I know that "The Game Room" will come up again as I talk, but lets move the story along, at some point I would like to talk about what I am doing/playing now....
   Before the first visit to the store I contacted a couple people who played Heroclix to make sure they were still actually playing and that Thursday nights (my normal gaming night to this day) were when they played.  After I got confirmation that everything still happened that way, I drove myself out to the store and met some new people so I could continue my old hobby.
   To say it was a great night would be an understatement for me to be perfectly honest.  You have to remember that I was 34 at this point, and when I walked in, there were not a lot of other people my age just hanging around playing that particular game.  Not that there were not other adults there, just not a lot playing Heroclix.  But there were a few, who are still my friends and occasional game players as well.  As I played and got to know all the people there (I lost all three games I played that night) some of then gave me tips to play, and a few even game me new models just as a way of saying welcome to the group.  Well I have to say that obviously I was hooked and kept playing Heroclix for about 4-5 years after that first night.  I don't play that particular game now, although I still have all the models I had then, I have just moved on to other games.  The way I was brought into that group from the first night really made me feel like part of a community, and that is the biggest reason to go somewhere and play games the way we do.  That is what gaming is to me, which is why I prefer social gaming over computer gaming any day of the week and twice on Sundays.  Because I felt so accepted right from the start it made me really change how important I felt gaming was to my life. 

  The "history" portion that I thought I would write has gone on for much longer then I expected.  Getting to talk about how I started back into regular gaming has changed my life in a lot of ways, including at its most basic, starting me writing this blog.  I will probably have one more history post where I will talk about the gaming group I hang out with.  It is called The Olde World Warriors (OWW for short) and they have introduced me to more kinds of gaming then I was ever involved with as a kid.  Once I talk about them, it will get me into what I am playing now, and that is really where I wanted this blog to go. 

   So until next time.......

Writing more then I thought...

To read Part 1

   So we were talking about my great wife, Jennifer.  She is the one who got me back into regular gaming as a gift for Valentine's Day in 2004.  I don't think she knew that she was getting me back into gaming on a regular night, but you know what they say about the best plans....
  So, if you have never been to a gaming convention, you might wonder what happens there.  Typically you either sign up for specific games, or you walk around the vendor hall and try various games in quick demos.  Playing demos are a good way to get a feel for a game that you are thinking about picking up.  The more demos, the more fun you have.  I found a game called Heroclix, which is a game where you play a team of superheroes battling another group.
 
   If you are thinking that sounds really geeky, you are right.  It was great.

   So Heroclix reminded me of all the comics that I read in the 90s.  Of course I loved comics.  We can talk about that later....first dice....then comics....this could end up being a thing.  Just sayin, I am a Marvel fan boy, much more then DC.  Now back to the game....
   In Heroclix you select a group of heroes to want to fight with.  They have a variety of powers and the interesting part of the game, is that as you are hit or healed, your stats and powers change when you "click" the circle on the base around.  In most cases your stats change for the worse as you take damage, however there are some heroes who get better before they get KOed.  Hulk is a good example of that.  He gets better and better (madder and madder) right up until he passes out. By playing that demo game, I got a free starter box, so I even got free stuff for playing....I am telling you the demos just keep getting better and better.  I had such a good time playing Heroclix that once I got home I started looking around the website to find a store in the area where I could play.
   I found a store in the Toledo area where I could meet some new friends and try to play more of a game I enjoyed....

  So I wasn't expecting to create another blog post this soon.  I figured that with a once a week post schedule was as about as aggressive as I was going to get.  Then I posted about this blog on facebook.  Well lets just say I can understand why people do this.  Almost immediately after posted, a few of my friends began asking question about my gaming past, and more people looked then I ever thought would be interested in hearing me talk about anything.  It was both flattering and exciting and made me want to post more.  I am still planning on a once a week schedule, but I am going to ride the tide of excitement and see where it leads. 

   Talk to you again soon.....