Pandemonium Books and Games

Pandemonium Books & Games

617.547.3721

4 Pleasant Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

Pandemonium Games is located very close to the MIT campus, and is just a short walk from Copley Square, which is where I was staying (I know, you're terribly interested in that). Given that I visited them around 5:30 on a Wednesday afternoon, I was impressed with how much traffic the store had.

When you enter the front door, it appears to be little more than a somewhat cramped bookstore. There's a small glass case holding several Magic Card singles, and some additional stock behind the counter - Magic Boosters and starter decks, card sleeves, and a decent stock of T-shirts. There are also dice and other gaming paraphernalia on the end caps of the bookshelves, but it isn't until you notice the stairs leading down to the Gaming Area that things

get more interesting.

The basement level is laid out for card gaming and miniature wargaming, and holds a decent supply of RPGs, Miniatures, and Board Games along the walls.

When I arrived, the downstairs was filled with Magic players waiting for a tournament to start. There were also several 40K players in the midst of a battle as well, and several folks just shopping for boardgames and such.

The entry level upstairs was mind-numbingly hot; the downstairs was nicely cooled with a strong AC unit. I have no idea why they had the upstairs AC off, but it was uncomfortable enough that I almost left before I even noticed the downstairs, which would have been a travesty considering all the action going on there.

The shop folks were very helpful, but very busy. They had an 8th Edition of WHFB on hand behind the counter, and they let me browse through it while they helped other customers. Pricing on Magic singles was decent, and the selection in the glass case was pretty good, with a lot of rare cards from the current block. They also had a buyer / seller on hand for folks that were looking for specific cards, or who wanted to make a little cash.

I walked out of the store with a few booster packs, plus a T-shirt with their logo on it. It was a decent place to visit and, had I been prepared, I might have played in the tourney, since it seemed like they had a decent range of enthusiastic players.

As an additional bonus, there are loads of good restaurants within walking distance of the store, so it's a great way to spend an evening if you're in the Boston area.

Nexus Games & Collectables

Nexus Games

503.492.8492

455 N.E. Burnside

Gresham, OR 97030

I found Nexus Games almost completely by accident. We were in Gresham, early for a customer visit, and while we were heading to a coffee shop, I used my iPhone to find nearby stores, and Nexus popped up.

Nexus is a pretty neat little store. Their stock, and shelving area is pretty tiny, but they have dedicated rooms in the back for RPGs and War Games, and tables up front of card games and what not. They had a great selection of Magic singles, and their prices were a lot cheaper than what I found in other places. The guy who owns the collection was in the shop, and was very helpful.

The owner is an older fellow, and a bit gruff at first. But when we started talking D&D, he was very helpful; I was traveling with a colleague who hadn't played D&D in years, and he and the shop owner spoke for a while, talking about how the new rules work, how to get his kids interested in gaming, and some general gaming tips, etc.

While their stock wasn't very large, they had a little bit of everything, including lots of RPG rule books, paints and other supplies for miniatures, and all the usual suspects (GW, PP3, FoW), plus several board games. They also stocked a few specialty items - like unusual bases for miniatures, and had a small supply of Wings of War miniatures as cards.

For me, the Magic single selection and pricing is the main reason to visit this store if you're traveling through the area. It's definitely built to cater to local gamers, and give them a great place to play RPGs and such, but if you're passing through, and need to find a play-set of Magic cards, Nexus seems to have just about everything at very competitive prices.

Guardian Games

Guardian Games (Also on FB and Twitter)

503.238.4000

303 SE 3rd Avenue

Portland, OR 97214

Guardian Games in Portland, Oregon, is one of the most well-stocked gaming shops I've been to, and it carries a lot of fairly uncommon items, including Fan Boy T-shirts for games like Munchin, Magic, and others. They have a well stocked RPG area, including Old Skool D&D accessories and games like Paranoia, Traveler, and a pretty complete line of GURPS books.

The stock several collectable games, including Star Wars, Monsterpocalypse, Pokemon, and Magic: The Gathering, and a strong stock of miniature games including Flames of War, and the Games Workshop and Privateer Press assortments. They are a BattleFoam supplier as well, and had several cases and foams available for sale.

The shop itself is located in what looks like a run-down warehouse district, but it's just a short walk from where the Fancy-Shamncy hotels are (I walked from The Nines), so it's a great place to visit if you're traveling in the Portland area on business.

The staff was friendly but gave me enough privacy to browse without interruption. When I walked in I was greeted, and they asked where I was from, etc. They also offered to find me anything. I asked if they stocked Paranoia, and he found it for me instantly. Unfortunately, they didn't have the core rules, which is the one thing I'm looking for, but they had just about everything else.

Their Magic Card selection - both singles and sealed stuff - was pretty massive. They had some cool enlarged cards for sale, and all the sets in the current block. They even had a pretty substantial stock of M10 boosters, which is something of a rarity back home. They were very helpful with folks looking for singles, and the store was well trafficked while I was there.

The shop itself is huge - it has a great warehouse feel to it, with extremely high ceilings. They use the high walls to display posters, T-shirts and what not, and have pretty high shelves stocked with board games, etc. The back area boasts several tables setup for miniature gaming, and a pit in the back has a projection system for playing video games (They also stock a large number of video game titles and accessories for various consoles).

I could have spent the day rummaging through their boardgames, or flipping through their card selection. In the end, I walked away with a Munchkin T-Shirt, a small pile of Magic boosters, a dice bag, and a whole list of things I wish I had room to pack in my suitcase.

Guardian Games is definitely a destination store. If you're anywhere near the Portland, OR, area, it's worth the trip.

Evolution Gaming

Evolution Gaming

541.338.4263

2475 Hilyard Street

Eugene, OR 97405

evolvegame at that google mail thingie

Evolution Gaming is located in a small strip mall a few blocks from the University of Oregon. The interior is pretty well worn, and the space isn't particularly large, but they have a good stock of board games, as well as a decent line of miniature war-games including WarHammer, WarHammer 40K, Flames of War, and the Privateer Press lines, including a strong supply of Monsterpocalypse. They stock a decent supply of Heroscape packages as well, and a full set of D&D products, including all the 4E manuals, and a few old school versions.

Their collectable card selection was somewhat weak; a small selection of mostly older Magic cards is stored in the front display case, but no singles were displayed, nor were any binders visible anywhere. They had some signage indicating that they stocked the current block of cards, but none of the actual booster packs or starter sets were in view anywhere that I could see.

The staff seemed decidedly disinterested in customers, at least those they don't know. When you enter the store you are greeted by a large black dog that seems to spend his days lounging like a door mat; stepping around him to enter the establishment proper is a friendly affair but, in the end, his mostly bored glance is about all you'll receive as a welcome to the store. The staff, at least on this Tuesday afternoon, seemed far more interested in keeping their game play moving along than they are with exchanging pleasantries with any new comers. I wandered around the store four or five times, taking pictures and examining stock before anyone offered a simple "Hello."

When I arrived, three guys were playing a card game while two others played a game of Flames of War on one of the large tables setup for miniature combat. The terrain selection seemed very good, and most of it was nicely painted. A small glass case in the back also shows off some of the local talent, and has several nicely painted GW figures and models from other lines on display. My pictures don't really do justice to the store layout or the available tables, but a video posted last year on the Oregon Daily Emerald provides some nice views of the store, and the tables, as well as some interviews with some of the locals.

The folks playing cards were fairly animated in their discussions, and you couldn't avoid hearing their banter throughout the store. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but they tended to lace their discussions with a fair amount of profanity, so if you're visiting the location with younger kids, be prepared for an F-Bomb or two. Since I believe the card players were staff members, I suspect that sort of thing is typical, but my visit was on a Tuesday afternoon, and there were no young kids in the store at the time, so perhaps they adjust appropriately.

The pricing on the items I looked at - from books to board games to Games Workshop miniatures - seemed fairly typical, and very reasonable.


While I can't say Evolution Games is worth making a special trip to, If you're looking for a place to stop in and pick up a few miniatures, watch a battle or two, or if you just want to wander around a game store for a bit, it's a nice little hole in the wall with a pretty strong stock of the most common gaming paraphernalia, including a full stock of paint and other modeling material. The biggest disappointment (for me) was the lack of Magic: The Gathering material. Thankfully, there's a comic store up the street that has a pretty aggressive display of singles, so if you're into Magic and miniature gaming, you can hit Evolution and then walk a few blocks to get your card game fix.

What this is all about. . .

Lately, my travel schedule has afforded me to visit some rather interesting hobby and gaming stores around the country. On my most recent trip to Oregon, I managed to visit four such establishments - Emerald City Comics and Evolution Games (both in Eugene), Guardian Games in Portland, and Nexus Games in a town near Portland whose name escapes me at the moment.

I thought it might be fun to review these places, in case there are other fellow traveling gamers stuck in a hotel somewhere, trying to figure out where they can spend a few hours, and perhaps a few dollars, geeking out in the comfort of a Friendly Local Game Shop.

-- iPad Post

Location:30,000 feet