The Inside Scoop on Gaming

This was it? The gameshop my friend Lee have raved about? It was barely three shoulders wide! I entered the doorway of the tiny storefront, ready to be disappointed yet again.

Hmm... still narrow. Nice selection of chess and other board games, but where was the good stuff, the RPGs? Hmmm... oh, interesting, the other wall is miniatures. And this center rack has... wow, just about every magazine there could be, and goes back about two years with them. Mildly impressive.

Oh, there's a counter in the back, maybe there's more over... over... Oh... my... God!

And that's how I came to enter the real Game Parlor-- all four spacious rooms of gaming overload. I didn't know where to go first, into this world that expanded before me. There were the four miniatures tables in the far corner, the networked computers in the center, the general/card tables along the right.

I took a sharp left, into one of the many rooms of RPGs. They had everything! It was incredible! And almost all with covers facing forward, or at least easily visible.

Author's note: Originally, I wrote "And not shrinkwrapped. You could actually see what they had, and pick it up to take a look!" I've been informed that my mind must have been elsewhere when I wrote this last bit, and that everything there is shrinkrwapped. While I remember picking up items and reading them, it is possible that most things _were_ shrinkwrapped, so I'm pulling those last two sentences until I can go back and check.

But wait, what's this? How clever! The organization isn't by company, but by theme! So Alternity is by "Science Fiction", rather than having a TSR country club of unrelated items. And if you want SF miniatures, why, they're with the SF stuff, not stuck in a minis ghetto. What a great idea! What a good way to increase exposure to the variety of games out there!

I must have spend hours wandering before my friend Lee found me, still among the stacks. He smiled indulgently and began to explain all the details I'd missed. Such as the snack bar and drink 'fridge. Or the nooks and crannies. Or his and my books prominently displayed (*plug* *plug*).

Naturally, the place was pleasantly lit, the store clean, the clerks kind and friendly without being smug. And hey, they had issue #12, one of the 3 KodT back issues I needed, at a fair price! Score!

Not to digress or anything, but the "KodT" was a sore point with me... I had a complete run since issue 1, except for #11-13, as that was when I was idealistically trying to help Kenzer by getting them through my local shop, to help encourage distributors to order... but my comic shop, after many months, failed... and so I got a subscription, and in reward for my altruism, found that the issues I needed were now at way over cover, *sigh*. So now I still don't have #11 or #13. At least I learned, and when "Dork Tower" came out, I only tried for 1 month's worth before giving up and subscribing. And this story has an almost happy ending... many months later, my comic shop got in some older KodT, and the store owner became hooked and now tries to get the latest from Diamond, so perhaps some good was done. Meanwhile, although I haven't finished writing my formal review of them yet, you should all go out and by "Dork Tower" #1 and #2 and then get a subscription, because it's really sweet and wonderful and funny.

Ahem, where was I? Oh, right, the Game Parlor, and its dark secrets. Secrets like... it's only closed one day a year. That it has bulletin boards for hooking up with other gamers. And that they have a not-terribly-secret back room, with glass windows and comfy chairs, that you can reserve for tabletopping.

To put this in perspective, Larry Hols had an excellent post on an industry list about what the ultimate game buying experience would be. Months later, I found out it wasn't merely a fantasy-- Game Parlor provides it.

I've been to a lot of good shops (Dream Wizards, Barbarian Books, etc), with a variety of ambiences. But nothing matches the selection and upbeat environment of the Game Parlor.

You wanna find them, their number is 703-803-3114, and they are West of the junction of Rt 66 and 495 (west of the MD/VA border). Alas, you won't be as surprised and amazed as I was, having this review as forewarning. Instead, you'll be merely ecstatic and satisfied. Such is life.

Enjoy!

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Game Parlor
Author: Rob Weigend (owner) Category: Other-- store Company/Publisher: a shop in VA Cost: any Page count: n/a ISBN: Playtest Review by Sandy Antunes on 12/04/98. Genre tags: other	This was it? The gameshop my friend Lee have raved about? It was barely three shoulders wide! I entered the doorway of the tiny storefront, ready to be disappointed yet again. Hmm... still narrow. Nice selection of chess and other board games, but where was the good stuff, the RPGs? Hmmm... oh, interesting, the other wall is miniatures. And this center rack has... wow, just about every magazine there could be, and goes back about two years with them. Mildly impressive. Oh, there's a counter in the back, maybe there's more over... over... Oh... my... God! And that's how I came to enter the real Game Parlor-- all four spacious rooms of gaming overload. I didn't know where to go first, into this world that expanded before me. There were the four miniatures tables in the far corner, the networked computers in the center, the general/card tables along the right. I took a sharp left, into one of the many rooms of RPGs. They had everything! It was incredible! And almost all with covers facing forward, or at least easily visible. Author's note: Originally, I wrote "And not shrinkwrapped. You could actually see what they had, and pick it up to take a look!" I've been informed that my mind must have been elsewhere when I wrote this last bit, and that everything there is shrinkrwapped. While I remember picking up items and reading them, it is possible that most things _were_ shrinkwrapped, so I'm pulling those last two sentences until I can go back and check. But wait, what's this? How clever! The organization isn't by company, but by theme! So Alternity is by "Science Fiction", rather than having a TSR country club of unrelated items. And if you want SF miniatures, why, they're with the SF stuff, not stuck in a minis ghetto. What a great idea! What a good way to increase exposure to the variety of games out there! I must have spend hours wandering before my friend Lee found me, still among the stacks. He smiled indulgently and began to explain all the details I'd missed. Such as the snack bar and drink 'fridge. Or the nooks and crannies. Or his and my books prominently displayed (plug plug). Naturally, the place was pleasantly lit, the store clean, the clerks kind and friendly without being smug. And hey, they had issue #12, one of the 3 KodT back issues I needed, at a fair price! Score! Not to digress or anything, but the "KodT" was a sore point with me... I had a complete run since issue 1, except for #11-13, as that was when I was idealistically trying to help Kenzer by getting them through my local shop, to help encourage distributors to order... but my comic shop, after many months, failed... and so I got a subscription, and in reward for my altruism, found that the issues I needed were now at way over cover, sigh. So now I still don't have #11 or #13. At least I learned, and when "Dork Tower" came out, I only tried for 1 month's worth before giving up and subscribing. And this story has an almost happy ending... many months later, my comic shop got in some older KodT, and the store owner became hooked and now tries to get the latest from Diamond, so perhaps some good was done. Meanwhile, although I haven't finished writing my formal review of them yet, you should all go out and by "Dork Tower" #1 and #2 and then get a subscription, because it's really sweet and wonderful and funny. Ahem, where was I? Oh, right, the Game Parlor, and its dark secrets. Secrets like... it's only closed one day a year. That it has bulletin boards for hooking up with other gamers. And that they have a not-terribly-secret back room, with glass windows and comfy chairs, that you can reserve for tabletopping. To put this in perspective, Larry Hols had an excellent post on an industry list about what the ultimate game buying experience would be. Months later, I found out it wasn't merely a fantasy-- Game Parlor provides it. I've been to a lot of good shops (Dream Wizards, Barbarian Books, etc), with a variety of ambiences. But nothing matches the selection and upbeat environment of the Game Parlor. You wanna find them, their number is 703-803-3114, and they are West of the junction of Rt 66 and 495 (west of the MD/VA border). Alas, you won't be as surprised and amazed as I was, having this review as forewarning. Instead, you'll be merely ecstatic and satisfied. Such is life. Enjoy! Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Game Parlor