Small world! And Phoenix Games (in Minneapolis)

[Manveru]

Three cheers for Pandemonium!  I just moved from Boston to CO last summer, after living in the Somerville gaming vortex for nearly 7 years.

I actually BOUGHT Burning Wheel at Pandemonium, and stuck through Return to the (Endless) Temple of Elemental Evil with Tyler, who's a right on cheery chap to chat with.  Boston has a very lively gaming scene, I even got away with running a Theatrix game there for nigh 7 months! (before I had to consider the health of my sanity).

Hmmm, now you've got me trying to guess who the secret Forger is ... ('Ray', is that you bad mouthing the National Geographic Cheops article? ;-)

Someone mentioned Anoka, was that Anoka MN?  There's a game store in Minneapolis called Phoenix Games, that's on par with Pandemonium, and I'd recommend pursuing them for shelf space, although I haven't tried so myself, they've always had a nice variety of games.   They started life as a miniatures shop in the '70's, and have been around since then (in the same location in Uptown, Minneapolis).  The shelf space is pretty evenly divided between rpg's, euro-card/board games, and miniatures/models.  *shrug*  FWIW, YMMV ... can't hurt to try!

Hmmm ... just tried to find a website and discovered hinterwelt's page here (am I confused, or did he just post here too?):

http://www.hinterwelt.com/links.htm

And more info:
http://home.mn.rr.com/meadowbrookhome/z/game_directions/directions_phoenix.htm

[Ron Edwards]

Hello, and welcome to the Forge!

You might be wondering why your post is all by itself instead of stuck on the thread you posted to. That's because threads are considered "closed" (i.e. no more posting) after they've been around a while. That one was already borderline due to a late post, too.

Anyway, it's no big deal! It's good to have you here, and yes, hinterwelt is indeed here. You can run a search to find all his posts, if you want.

Also, I strongly recommend that you post about your Theatrix experiences in the Actual Play forum. There are several Forge members who will be very interested in knowing about it.

Best,
Ron

[HinterWelt]

Yes indeed, I am here!!!! The stores I am currently aware of in the MN area:

Village Games, Anoka MN, New but coming on strong. Mostly not small press although I try guys. They carry all my games and have done quite well. Excellent open display but a little tight on space.

Phoenix Games, Uptown (Minneapolis) MN, A wide selection including us, but I would not call the owner small press friendly. He has always struck me as somewhat conservative on the RPG front. A lot more minis, GWS and models (airplane and the like). Typical 1/2 height magazine rack displays. Could be difficult for digest size.

The Source Comics and Games, Falcon Heights MN, they simply have everything. If they do not carry you then give them a call and they will likely pick you up if you give them a good pitch. Ask for Burl Zorn, he is their buyer. Disply is in two formats, very noce face out and literally in a drawer. Yes, not even spine out but in a drawer. We are lucky to have some of that face out space.

Unicorn Games, Woodbury MN, This is one of the friendliest guys you will find. He has a rectangular store with 1/2 height magazine racks for display but nicely organized and laid out. Very friendly to RPG games while supporting a lot of clicky/mini/CCG. Fairly new but located in a nice shopping center. http://unicorngames.com/

Outpost 2000, Brooklyn Park MN, A small store that carries a wide variety of all kinds of stuff. From comics to collectables, he carries what sells. I did not see a lot of indie titles here and I am not sure he would be interested. He was nice when we talked but you just never know. The store is cramped for game space and most of his events are CCG.

Those are the main guys. There are small shops like Dreamers in St. Louis Park but they have literally one rack of WOTC DND, a fairly deep minis but are really oriented on CCGs. There is Phantasy Games in Shakopee and Game Tech in Minnetonka but they are mostly LAN game centers with some Minis.

That is the poop on the Minneapolis area. More info is available on our site, including pictures of some of the stores at our Retail Locator and Links pages.

Enjoy,
Bill

[Manveru]

Right!  Sorry.  Thanks for the welcome (although I've been lurking here so long I didn't even realize I wasn't registered ... or was I? .. err ..).

Yes, my 'Theatrix' experience.  Hehe.  Sure, I'll post on it!  Heh.