LGS on the Road - Thunderground

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. 

When I first walked into Thunderground Comics and Games it looked like a well stocked and clean shop. It was a warm December day so the shop door was propped open. The place was bright (I tried to clean up the pics) and very open.

Bright and clean Thundergrounds is not your average shop

Some tables were out and a local was sitting down working next to a box of Shadespire. Another person was hanging out at another table with some magic laid out looking over some cards from the most recent set UnStable.

Board games, RPGs, and a nice selection of comics.

A nice guy walked up to me within a few moments. He waited for me to get my baring and softly introduced himself as Roy and asked if he could help me with anything.

Normally this exchange is brisk and to the point. For some folks they hate doing it and as the person being asked you can feel that at the edge of the voice. Other times it's motivated to get the punter in, buying something, and then helping them out of the store. I'm familiar with the drill, I've worked in a half dozen comic/game/card/anime shops in Ottawa when I was in high school.

This was the farthest thing when Roy approached me. He did not make me feel like a walking wallet with opinions. Roy welcomed me, he offered me a soda from the fridge at the end of the shop. We waved to the tables and told me to help myself to the treats laid out. It took me a second to notice that on each table were plates and bowls with an assortment of candy and chips. I had a flash back to every game I've played at my or a mates house where you lay out nibbles for the folks coming down to play.

It was a sudden but powerful wave that rolled over me. A feeling that told me I was truly welcome and this place is special... it's all Roy's fault.

I showed up on a Saturday. One of the local Infinity players sang praises for Roy's selection of Infinity miniatures. Knowing that I'd be playing there with a few other folks on Sunday I decided to leave my Hotel, grab some pizza from a nearby spot, and roll into Thundergrounds.

Boy was I really happy to do a RECCE and check the place out. I posted some pics of the ware in the shop and sent them out to folks who I knew are always looking for Infinity minis.

Within minutes I was bombarded with requests from players from Ottawa to Victoria and I picked up a few items from the vast selection of boxes and blisters.

I noticed a few more folks were showing up. I asked Roy if it was for a draft of UnStable. Roy nodded and continued to set up for the event. After a few minutes of wishing I had the play mat I picked up at Warp Two the night before I asked Rob to add the draft to my charge.

Round 1 - I was playing the father in Bobba Fett gear.
I would play his eldest son (seen next to him) the following round.

Instead of hanging out in my hotel room for the day I played magic with some the local of the shop. A father and his two sons had just gotten into Magic the Gathering at the end of the summer were sitting next to three of the long time locals. No one made a peep or groan when I joined the table putting the number odd and creating a 'bye' (where one player sits out a round of play).

As we settled in Roy introduced everyone at the table. Roy explained the rules and then went around the table asking what each person was hoping to do or what strategy they were looking at exploring. New players would feel at ease here while veterans would know who to help out when playing them. I was floored. I've been playing Magic the Gathering since September 1994 and never has an event started this way. Once everyone was deck building he fetched everyone a drink from the fridge. Where was I - Thunderground obviously.

So we drafted for the afternoon and played three rounds. During this time I spoke with Roy on and off. He was always curious about his customers, which I am proud to include myself. We were regularly interrupted whenever a new or familiar face would enter the shop. He knew each person by name and he pointed out new things that would peek their interest. Each person walked away with a purchase and no one left empty handed.

When kids came in he asked the parents if they could have the candy and then point them to a table where it waited. He spent time with each kid showing them some of the new cards he had laying around. If I had kids, I'd be down here each week making it a part of our weekend routine.

Throughout the event Roy would pull out a cordless vac and quickly sucked up fallen snack bits. He mopped twice while I was there. In every case he did so with consummate skill never attracting attention from the players in the event. The quiet shadow in the background keeping his place of business running to a high standard.

I left that afternoon raving to all of my mates on the phone about Thunderground. I spent an hour talking Shonty's ear off. I was looking forward to the next day at the shop to play Infinity. My RECCE turned into a full blown day hanging out in a place that was just fantastic.

Sadly the next day I blew out my Superior Peroneal Retinacula, an old injury that's gotten back to me a few times over the last year. So I was limping once I showed up. I also knew I would not be able to stand for longer than a game of Infinity. It hurts like the dickens and I know it sped me up when I played Aaron one of the locals and fellow Rumbler (those are folks that play at Rumble on Route 66).

Getting ready to play Aaron

Walking in the place was already abuzz with folks setting up tables for Warmachine and Hordes, and Infinity. Roy had also set out some snacks. Plates of Tim Horton's doughnuts and bowls of Tim Bits. As per the day before, Roy greeted everyone by name and offered up the yummy sugar pills on the table. When things started up, he walked around with some bottles of water and some cans of soda for folks to snag a drink.

See the snacks - I sure did. 

So limping and sitting down regularly I played Aaron's PanO against my limited selection of Nomads. We were playing Annihilation, so no HVT just a Data Tracker and the desire to wipe each other off the face of the board. I was happy for a simple game because of the injury but I was really hoping to play a deeper game so Aaron would have a good time. Lucky for me I tended to roll lots of 18s and higher. Not great for shooting and not coming up enough times for my armour rolls. Which meant Aaron had a great time beating me up.

Our forces ready for Aaron's first turn. 

His Seraph walked down the side and got a uncovered look at Kipling my Lizard. After a few orders of exchanging fire out of the pack of Pi-Well, Zoe, Kipling and Arthur (a Mobile Brigada and LT) I was only left with a Mobile Brigada behind my TAG wondering what happened to everyone.

A few more orders and he took out my Zonds near and far. Aaron was surgically cutting up my forces with precision. He's a great player and it was easy to see and fun to watch a master at work even if it meant I was the guy getting cut up. We slowed down when other players took note of the first round slaughter and we came up with some point for me to follow in future matches. Once more the community of players educated each other. My mistakes were an easy trap that a few other guys piped in 'I would have done the same thing'.

When it came to my turn I had few minis left on the board, a Seraph hidden behind a building and very little for me to do but get Arthur out of his fox hole and into the fray. So I moved Arthur back to me but closer to the Seraph who was deep in my deployment zone. I had to drop him else this one sided game had no chance. I had a Hellcat and a Spektr ready to show I just needed some breathing room. I'd deal with the Jotum and the rest of Aaron's forces later. One thing at a time.

So Arthur moved up and started shooting at the Seraph who had only taken one wound during Aaron's first turn. The Boarding Shotgun with 2 shots on the active turn was handy. Using the AP ammo was hopefully enough to dent if not drop the crazy flying TAG.

Aaron missed a dodge but saved both shots. I had used all three of my remaining orders to get Arthur there and making a shot and I was left with only some missing paint.

I popped the LT order, revealing that Arthur was my LT for the match. This time things changed and Arthur landed one hit but it also failed to passed through the TAG defenses.

Now it was Aaron's turn. He had full control of the board. I was in a bad place and fighting an guerrilla action instead of a stand up fight. He had more firepower and more movement. He had me to rights. He also had a Serpah with a big sword and a great CC (close combat) stat ready to eat my LT.

So with a pause in my breath and now sitting down because my ankle sucked I watched as Aaron spent his first order on the Seraph. It moved in base to base contact with Arthur. I imagine Arthur grim faced shotgun roaring in defiance as the TAG slowly walked up to him swinging that giant sword.

What I didn't imagine was Arthur hitting the Seraph and stunning it with a round as it wounded the TAG. I smiled knowing it was a nice parting shot but Aaron had 9 more orders to go, a TAG with a CC of 20 swinging an EXP (explosive = 3 wounds per hit) close combat weapon. Arthur with his CC of 15, a now useless Boarding shotgun that had finally done its job, and only a knife to fight back with. The TAG had only a wound left but it was now it its wheel house and Arthur was not in a good place.

A swing of the sword and Aaron's TAG scored a hit. Lucky for me this was one of those times that those previously mentioned 18s showed up on the die. Arthur made two of the three armour rolls as he slung his Boarding shutgun for his knife.

Luck was making Aaron spend more orders. I and Arthur were ok with the exchange. So Aaron spent his second order bent of ridding the board of my LT. Arthur decide he had enough of this TAG killing him and his whole team and decided to go all Master Chief on the Serpah. Rolling a 15 was a crit, forcing the TAG to take a final wound with no armour save. Arthur had his pyrrhic victory - the Seraph was down but there was no one else to celebrate the win.

So Aaron nodded and spent the rest of his orders moving up his Jotum to coup-de-grace my Lizard behind Arthur. It cleared the way even when my Spektr revealed and started shooting the Jotum in the back. It's heavy armour ignoring the rounds. With Aaron's final orders he killed Arthur in a hail of gunfire.

I had no LT, in retreat. It was over. The Spektr was unable to damage the heavy armoured TAG. My Hellcat waiting in orbit watching it all fall apart. He turned to the pilot and waved to go back. There was no point in jumping into the fray it was already over. I shook Aaron's hand for the great game of cinematic moments and sat down. My ankle screaming for me to take a seat.

After a few minutes and getting out of the way for Aaron's next opponent I hung out with Roy who introduced me to the players at the other table who were playing Warmachine and Hordes. I sat down with Roy and we talked game philosophy and about the relationships between shop, game, and players. When things got quiet Roy and I played some Magic the Gathering Commander. I played my Blue toolbox deck while Roy played a really slick sharing deck with Zedruu as his commander.

The game went well until my deck took off and it was only a few turns later when I won. Roy's deck was interesting and after a Wrath of God I figured he'd be swinging the game for a win but I had a lot in my hand to get me back up. Thassa had also came out really early in the game and never left. Commander is not much of a one on on format and is always better when you play it with at least four players.

The day was shorter then expected but I was done. So with my ankle screaming to go back home, I packed up. I said my good byes and left Thunderground.

I have been in this hobby since I was in the fourth grade when my parents played with me, running my first game of Dungeons and Dragons. I have worked in my first shop in by the seventh grade. So when I say that Thunderground was the best experience I've ever had in a shop it carries weight.

Roy makes this shop special. So stop by and say hello. You owe it to yourself to visit my favorite shop in Canada.

- Cheers

Dozer