Photos from Warmachine night at Black Sun Games

Here's photographic proof from the first Warmachine night at Black Sun Games. These were taken with my Sony Ericsson W580i WHT...light was a little dim, but you get the gist of the game.

Warmachine night at Black Sun Games

Tonight I’ll head up to Black Sun Games for my first Warmachine game since the store opened last month. I’ve enjoyed Warmachine for about four years, but support for the game in Chicago has been centered around Games Plus, a decent game shop in far-flung Mt. Prospect. It’s quite a haul, considering Chicagoland’s abyssmal traffic, and I just can’t get enthusiastic about driving out there. All that’s changed, though, with the advent of BSG; it’s a 10-minute drive from my place, and I can bike there on days when I’m not lugging miniatures and rulebooks.

Tonight I’m trying in earnest to get a Warmachine community started at BSG. As I’ve mentioned before, they seem to be doing everything right to nurture a thriving game shop in Chicago proper. I’m glad to have a part to play in that effort.

Interested in meeting up? Chime in on BSG’s newfangled Web forums!

One more gaming store for Chicago

It appears this is the summer of hopeful gaming retail openings, at least here in Chicago.

I’ve learned that a second retail store, Black Sun Games, is moving quickly to open its doors in the Albany Park/North Park/Ravenswood area. The address is 5426 N. Kedzie Ave., but I’m afraid I know even less about this new store than I did about Gamer’s Asylum.

From what I can gather, though, the store is interested in both Warmachine and D&D, two mainstay game properties that that ought to draw in a sizable fan base. Brandon, the owner, is active on a D&D-themed Meetup group, and I’ve heard secondhand that he’s willing to host game groups at the store ASAP (but no sales for now, alas, owing to Chicago’s archaic permitting process).

The best part is that this location is so close I can ride my bike to it, which of course conjures up all sorts of nostalgic images of city kids pedaling down the sidewalk with backpacks brimming with D&D books. Good times, for sure — though I’m not sure I’d have much luck biking down the street with 30 pounds of painted pewter strapped to my back.

Bottom line: As with the Gamer’s Asylum announcement, this is just great news. Tabletop gaming is an inherently social pastime, and it’s critical to have a welcoming, clean and vibrant retail outlet to foster participation. Chicago has long been a bit of a game-store desert.

It’s tough to run an effective brick-and-mortar store in today’s culture of online commerce and 3-day shipping. I recognize the dedication required to make game retailing work, and I’m willing to open my checkbook to support both Black Sun Games and Gamer’s Asylum if they can create a friendly, reliable retail presence near my ‘hood.

Gamer's Asylum in Evanston, IL

There's a new gaming store opening June 1 in Evanton, IL called Gamer's Asylum. I can't really tell you any more about it, because it doesn't appear to have a Web presence (at least, not one that shows up on the first few pages of a Google search).

About all I have to go on is the intersection (Dempster Street and Chicago Avenue in Evanston) and my own somewhat hazy memory of driving past, seeing the sign and making a mental note to return and check it out this weekend. The sign also mentions that Gamer's Asylum will support Warmachine, a game I've sunk a considerable amount of money into, which is good because the next-closest gaming shop is 25 miles down the highway in Mount Prospect. Gamer's Asylum, if it opens as planned, will be about 15 minutes from my house. Nice!