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.