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Putting the F in FLGS. What makes for a good game store? – Ask the Bellhop

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What are some of the things that make for a good local game store? What is the difference between a FLGS and just a LGS. That's our topic today based on a question asked by one of our Patreon patrons.

Tabletop Bellhop Patron PS Gougeon writes,
I have a topic suggestion for the show, whenever we travel/day trip, we try to visit one of the local game stores in whatever city we're in, 401games in Vaughn was impressive. This past weekend, we were in Detroit and the store we visited was sadly disappointing, I guess we're spoiled here in Windsor with that gem Brimstone Games. A friend has since suggested that we check out Guild of Blades in Detroit on our next visit. Just wondering if you and Sean can discuss game stores and any gems that you've discovered in Southern Ontario and our surroundings? [ READ MORE ]

Shadow of the Demon Lord Detailed Read Review – #RPGaMonth – February

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Today I'm going to take an in depth look at the roleplaying game Shadow of the Demon Lord by Robert Schwalb, the first RPG released by Schwalb Entertainment LLC.

I read this book as part of the #RPGaMonth Challenge.  The goal of this challenge is to get some use out of those roleplaying games/modules/splatbooks that you picked up but never actually sat down and read. Whether that means loading up the PDF reader or dusting off a book from your shelf of shame, it doesn't matter. [ READ MORE ]

Finding your Yoda – Episode 30 Tabletop Bellhop Podcast

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 This is the 30th episode of Tabletop Bellhop Live, an edited version of our live show recorded on February 20th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:30 Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio you can also watch/listen to an unedited version of the show over on YouTube.

Ep 30 - Finding your Yoda - Finding an RPG or board game teacher. Finding your game guru, your own personal Yoda. We also talk about the new Xia expansions,  four kids games, plus Azul Stained Glass of Sintra, the Monster Book of Monsters expansion for Harry Potter, DC Deck-Building, getting back to the main Gloomhaven campaign and more even including some Battleship. [ READ MORE ]

Tzolkin and Villages of Valeria expansions. War Chest, dinosaurs, stained glass, and more – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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The big thing for me last week was getting three expansions off my pile of shame as part of the #LessShameMoreGame challenge.

I finally got to play Tzolk'in with Tribes & Prophecies and played Villages of Valeria with the Monuments and Guild Halls expansion packs.
Along with those shameful expansions, I also got in games of Azul Stained Glass of Sintra, a medium length game of Dinosaur Island, a two player game of War Chest at my favourite coffee shop and some Race for the Galaxy on Board Game Arena. Oh, and there was a three player random dungeon in Gloomhaven. [ READ MORE ]

Flying the gamer geek flag, wearing the tabletop gamer badge with honour

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Times have changed. It used to be that being a gamer was anything but cool. Being a gamer meant being an outsider, a geek, a nerd.

Despite that I've always been one to wear my hobby with pride. I didn't hide the fact that I was a gamer. I carried my Warhammer rulebooks with me openly. I had Futhark Runes written on my denim jacket. I paid to import Games Workshop T-Shirts from the UK. I was never ashamed to be a gamer.
Today being into games doesn't mean you have to be a pariah. Now being into gaming isn't even just normal, it's often considered cool. I'm still getting used to that. One of the benefits of this culture change is that it's now easier than ever to fly your gamer geek flag. [ READ MORE ]

Lost In Translation – What to do when you’ve got a bad rulebook – Episode 29 – Tabletop Bellhop Podcast

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 This is the 29th episode of Tabletop Bellhop Live, an edited version of our live show recorded on February 13th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:30 Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio you can also watch/listen to an unedited version of the show over on YouTube.

Ep 29 - Lost in Translation - What to do when you get a bad rulebook. In addition we talk Arkwright, DC Deck Building, Gloomhaven 2 player, War Chest, the Onitama App. and more. [ READ MORE ]

Sandbox Sci-Fi in Xia, the Gloomhaven Campaign Resumes, Sintra, and Four Kids Games. – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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So far February has been turning out to be a great month for gaming. I've already gotten in over forty games this month!

This past week there was the usual Friday Gloomhaven game, followed by some Azul: Stained Glass of Sinatra. Saturday I spent the afternoon playing games with my kids. These included Riddle Moo This, Professor Noggin's Creatures of Myth & Legend, Battle Sheep and Qwirkle Cubes. Then on Saturday I had a group of friends over and we tried out all of the expansions for Xia: Legends of a Drift System, which recently showed up from their latest Kickstarter. [ READ MORE ]

Finding a Board Game Teacher – Ask The Bellhop

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How do you go about finding someone to teach you to play tabletop games?

This topic is a direct follow up to last week's Ask The Bellhop article where I talked about what to do when you've got a bad rulebook. In it I suggested a variety of ways to learn games other than the rules included in the box. My final suggestion was to find someone to teach you the game. But how exactly do you find this game guru? [ READ MORE ]

The Hook – Games For Catching New Gamers – Episode 28 – Tabletop Bellhop Podcast

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 This is the 28th episode of Tabletop Bellhop Live, an edited version of our live show recorded on February 6th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:30 Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio you can also watch/listen to an unedited version of the show over on YouTube.

Ep 28 - The Hook - Games for catching new gamers. Shafausa, Scoville Labs, Hogwarts Battle, Shadowrun and something new in Gloomhaven. Followed by a talk about games to hook new gamers on hobby board games. [ READ MORE ]

Burning my brain in Arkwright, War Chest for date night, and more -Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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This past week in addition to trying a two player random dungeon in Gloomhaven, I finally got to try play the rather heavy game Arkwright which was quite the brain burner.

This past weekend my wife and I had a night out and as part of that we tried out War Chest which she had given me for my birthday. We also played some digital Onitama while waiting for our food to arrive.
My last physical game for this week was a game of Star Wars Destiny with Big G. [ READ MORE ]