LGS on the Road - Snakes and Lattes

By: Dozer

I've always believed that our hobby needs the Local Game Shops (LGS) to keep our games healthy. We need to support the LGS to keep our games on the shelf. We need our games on the shelf to keep the games alive.

Canada has a healthy relationship with their game shop and I want to post about my experience about the many shops that dot Canada.

This year I am travelling all across Canada  for my day job. When I stop at a new city, I will be visiting and playing at as many LGS as I can. 

If you're into the tabletop scene and you live in the Greater Toronto Area you know of Snakes and Lattes. If you're passing by please go ahead and stop by this neighborhood game shop and play area. Now they have more than one location. The College location is the original spot and where I was last night. It's where I played my first board game with Shonty. It was introduced by her oldest friends, Britsky and J-Rex, to a first edition of Pandemic which we played two back to back games. It was the first weekend of the College location's expansion and they were sorting out a liquor licence.

When you walk into the current version of the place you'll find a warm space of a non-corporate coffee joint where you're asked to wait to be seated. The entrance is littered with Ikea book shelves with copies of new games ready for sale. I was very happy with the selection of board games and I was tempted more than once to pick up a new game. The charge last night was six dollars (CND) for each person and we were walked into the game area to out table. There we ordered a selection of coffee, milkshake, and tea with a gummy bucket to snack on.

Tables were a mix of bench tables that can sit six easy with plenty of table space. While other smaller tables and round table were available for players to use for groups small and large.

Introducing my friends to Forbidden Desert

Candy is at 2 full buckets

- We lost, it was close, so a normal game

I was sent out to find a game. JRex was hungry for a experience similar to Pandemic. A coperative game where you as a group try to beat the game. So I left the large table and hit the game shelves and snagged a copy of Forbidden Desert. Each staff I ran into ask if I needed help with the game. This will be the norm since every staffer is familiar with most of the games they have for you to play. If a staffer is unfamiliar someone else knows the game. Also each of the parts of the games are organized and cards are normally sleeved.

Since JRex and Britsky introduced me to Pandemic I introduced them to another game by Matt Leacock. We played a very novice game, with no new sand for the first round. Eventually JRex had 3 of the parts, I passed on the last one and on my sand turn we died. I was screaming "get to tha choppah!". It was close... so all in all a normal game.

Introducing my friends to Love Letter

With some juice still in the tank they wanted to play another game. So I went and found another easy game with Love Letter. We played the basic 4 player version and after a round or two JRex caught up to Britsky's lead of three points. I was stuck at 1 point of affection when they knocked me out and the loving couple fought for that final fourth point of affection... in the end the princess won.

While we played the staff approached us twice. Once when a staff offered an alternative in a new game about animals. The second time a staffer chatted with us about the mechanics and asked how we liked it. These folks are awesome and friendly.

So a night out with friends while away from home turned into a brilliant evening after a few games at Snakes and Lattes. Come on in, grab a game, grab a coffee and some food. Sit down and enjoy your time with some folks  you like.

- Cheers

Dozer

Friday Night Magic

By: Dozer

Friday was a long day but when 1830/630 pm came around I was able to join Doc, Wolf, and Doc's awesome girlfriend for some fun and bombastic games of Commander.

I'm away on work a lot these days and getting in a game or two of Magic the Gathering feels great. We played two games of 4 player Commander or EDH. Wolf played a modified version of the recently released deck Arcane Wizardry. It sports Grixis colours (Black allied with Blue and Red) with a focus on Wizard tribal synergies. He played with Kess as his commander.

Doc played a homebrewed Orzhov (Black and White) deck with Kambal as his commander. He had a focus on curses and large powerful creatures. Meanwhile his girlfriend was playing the Draconic  Domination deck with the Ur-Dragon as her commander.

I was playing my Blue toolbox deck with Jace as my commander. It's designed to cause upsets and neat plays. Like below you can see I have both creatures trapped in the ice putting a target on my back.

The games were fun and some of the best EDH I've played in quite some time. No one has a deck that walked over everyone else. There were plenty bombastic plays from each player. Everyone brought out neat tricks and pulled out plays that caught everyone off guard.

It was a great night with mates playing a great casual game.

Introduction: Shonty

Name - 
Chantelle aka Shonty

Where are you - 
Ottawa, ON

Who are you -
This question is too existential.

I like good food (pizza primarily), good wine, good coffee, cigars, books, music, puppies, and good company.

I like learning about new people.

What are you playing on the table - 
I socially I play Magic the Gathering and some board games like Lords of Waterdeep.

I've played role playing games like Iron Kingdoms RPG

I'm really interested in playing the new Star Trek Adventures role-playing game.

Play Style - 
Building up and then attacking from a position of power. No dirty tricks, only aggressive when I am ready, a defensive player.

Top irk at the table - 
When people are poor sports and who take losses personally.

Current Gamer Projects -
I'm tweaking some decks for Magic the Gathering; a wolf tribal deck and a cat tribal deck with Ajani.

I'm also building a character for Star Trek Adventures and I have a Man-at-Arms/Knight that I'm playing in an Iron Kingdoms RPG.

Last word -
I'm done turn me over.

LGS on the Road - Le Grimoire

By: Dozer

I've always believed that our hobby needs the Local Game Shops (LGS) to keep our games healthy. We need to support the LGS to keep our games on the shelf. We need our games on the shelf to keep the games alive.

Canada has a healthy relationship with their game shop and I want to post about my experience about the many shops that dot Canada.

This year I am travelling all across Canada  for my day job. When I stop at a new city, I will be visiting and playing at as many LGS as I can. 

Montreal has a really big gaming scene and there are plenty of great Local Game Stores. While I'm in the city I need to hit more than one and lucky for me there was Le Grimoire.

Cases loaded with great looking minis for sale.

A few kilometers from my hotel was a small and really active shop Le Grimoire. The moment you walk in you know where you are. Tables go down the whole shop and the walls are lined with products and cases filled with painted miniatures for sale.

It was showing Warmachine/Hords, Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, Flames of War, Team Yanky and more. There was plenty of painting supplies. I spotted plenty of large bottled Vallejo paints, air brush hoses, and an excellent selection of traditional sized paints from more than one paint range.

Right after walking I was approached right away but the shop owner and other players who asked if I needed any help. There was an immediate sense of community. The day I showed up was the last event of a league for Warhammer 40k that had been going on for over a month.

It felt like a club house, or community shop where the players were direct participants on how things were going in the shop. I was even offered pizza just because they had some extra slices from their lunch order.

Le Grimoire is a shop that focuses on one thing, Tabletop Miniature Wargames. Speaking with one of the owners who explained that they do have a some RPG's and some Magic the Gathering for the local FNM.

He explained that the goal for the shop was to support what his players were playing. Everything in the shop was there because players wanted it and played that game. Every night of the week had a regular game being played.

Joshua aka the Doctor, one of the players at Le Grimoire

I spent a lot of time with Joshua who was there to hang out and help out while the event was going on. A med student who painted commissions on the side. I was there for almost two hours chatting away. At first it started on the hobbies and the games before we broke into other topics like ethics, leadership, languages, neuroscience, and teaching.

I hung out for a while before I had to head off but I have a feeling I'll be stopping by again before I leave Montreal.

I was able to snag a few more pics below between rounds of the event. Take a look and if you get a chance stop by the small shop called Le Grimoire and stay a for a few mins. It won't take long for you to get pulled into a conversation about what's happening on the table.

- Cheers

Dozer

Introduction: The Doctor

Name - 
Joshua, aka

Where are you - 
Montreal, Quebec

Who are you -
I'm a (generally) jolly and friendly university med student. Working part-time as a reservist and as a commission painter under the alias The White Gobbo. I enjoy BBQ, having a good time with friends and colleagues, outdoor activities like hiking, and strategic/tactical games. I started wargaming in 2002 when a very good friend of mine introduced me to Warhammer Fantasy Battles fifth and sixth edition (the golden age of that universe).

Ever since then, I've picked up many games and books and enjoy teaching newcomers the basics of wargaming and other activities like painting.

I'm an easygoing type of player and the most important thing for me is to have fun, though I do enjoy some friendly competition from time to time.

What are you playing on the table - 
I'm currently enrolled in two RPG campaigns and I play whenever I can a large variety of miniature wargames; including historical, sci-fi, and fantasy. I spend most of my hobby time painting minis for other people since I work as a commission painter during my free time.

Play Style - 
Depends on the game but I like fighting from the back, supporting my allies/being the mastermind, or being a tank that can shield everyone around.

Top irk(s) at the table - 
Players who stomp newcomers on their first games when they are learning the rules.No matter the game, there's no reason to make a power list to crush a new player who's just starting out.

People who can't leave their cellphone aside for two seconds, unless they are waiting for an important call or the like.

The dice gods, because I throw so many ones you wouldn't believe it.

Current Gamer Projects - 
I'm converting and painting a tournament level Warhammer 40k Horus Heresy Thousand Sons army that I plan on presenting on an armies on parade competition with my custom made Egyptian themed board.

Last word -
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” 
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War