I discuss my appearance on the Stone Ape Podcast. You can listen to it at Stone Ape #19: New England Gaming Vegas with Jonathan Reinhart [October 31, 2010]. An update on my Flames of War Panzerkompanie along with my disappointment with slow ordering of FoW product from some distributors for brick and mortar game stores. A plug for historical gaming night at Battleground Games is provided. I share thoughts on the need for a zombie RPG perhaps combining BG Weird War II and The Walking Dead. The episode concludes with progress on our new graphics and a message about our sponsor, 12-7-Games.com.

I hope you enjoy this episode of the CWF GameCast and I am eager for your feedback (both positive remarks and constructive criticism).

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There’s some great news about us. We’re officially re-branding ourselves. We hired a graphic designer to craft a new logo, header, advertising artwork, and signature images. We’ve never been graphically talented and this will allow us to better project who we are and what we do. When the re-branding is complete we intend to create business cards, perhaps t-shirts, maybe bumper stickers, and of course new images to use when linking to us. This has been on our to do list for a long time and it will soon be finished.

We’re working to connect with more local game stores. Adler Hobby in New Hampshire has invited us to visit and review them. Adler has a good website and a strong focus on Flames of War. We’re eager to visit them in person but need to schedule the trip. Adler is in Hollis, NH, which is a a hike for us at an estimated 2 hour one way trip with traffic. A long-term goal is to visit every game store, game convention, and major game venue in New England where we will record and review them. That will take a long time to do but we plan to make it happen. Until we get to Adler Hobby please visit their website to learn more about them.

The last bit of in house news is I have been invited as a guest on the Stone Ape Podcast. Stone Ape was featured on iTunes New and Noteworthy list and stars Heron Stone, futurist linguist, and Tom Barbalet, artificial life simulator, gamer, and podcaster as they discuss a multitude of topics in range and depth. We’re working out the details but this will be my first guest appearance on another podcast. Tom is, I’m honored to say, a long-time fan of the CWF GameCast and a major driving force for our recent FoW coverage.

Enough about us. Time to get to the information you really want. How about some ZOMBIES!

Battleground Games & Hobbies Plainville will be hosting the 4th annual Zombie Crawl on Wednesday, October 27th at 6:30pm. Join the fun slaying zombies as you battle through a hive world using the Necromunda ruleset. John Caputo has organized this event every year since its inception and it is one of the most enjoyable gaming events I’ve ever played in. Please read the character building rules. If you don’t have a miniature, then John has some he is willing to lend for the event. This event ALWAYS brings a big crowd. If you can’t make the 6:30 start time still come by. John is happy to include you in the fun no matter the time you arrive. I will be playing in and live-blogging the event. You can follow the fun on Twitter with #zombiefightnight or #zombie.

The Whiz in Westborough has lots of goodies. They have the Das Book preview for Flames of War and the new Legion of Everblight book for Hordes. They held a Warmachine/Hordes Highlander event yesterday, which was a great success. Warhammer Fantasy players will love that High Elf Prince Althran and Skaven Warlord Spinetail are both in stock. The first expansion to Race for the Galaxy has been restocked too!

Finally, I played my first game of Flames of War this last Wednesday at Battleground Games in Abington. I played two 600 pt demo games and am starting to understand the rules. After all these years I’m getting to use my models. I began work tonight on the bases for my scout platoon. I have ordered the Eastern Front book, to replace my Ostfront book, along with a score of Vallejo paints to use on my Panzergrenadiers.

There will be more Flames of War coverage along with a possible review of two basing materials…wood filler and spackle.

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The event got off to a slow start with a handful of pre-teen regulars hanging out before I arrived. As the clock inched towards 10:30 and then 11am more people arrived. Sadly, a handful of events were canceled at the last minute. Privateer Press once again let down gamers when three Press Gangers could not attend to run demos of Warmachine/Hordes. The strong Warmachine/Hordes BG crowd also could not attend to run demos so those went the way of the dodo. A table was arranged with Island of Blood components for Warhammer Fantasy Battle but suffered from a lack of any knowledgeable WFBer to run the demo.

The highlight for demos belongs to Sam Pearson, BG Plainville employee, who ran a succession of highly enjoyable and well-attended 40k demos featuring the Black Reach box (with a few tweaks). I played in the second demo he ran, which was my first 40k game in several years. His greenskins trounced my Smurfs once they got into range. Heavy shooting in the beginning brought down all three of his dethkoptas and it went downhill from there.

Halo Reach tournaments ran throughout the day with the winner of each winning additional raffle tickets. Some of the later tournaments failed to max out participants after heavy play early on. With admission of $2/person it was a great and affordable way to get in a game of Reach when a standard hour of play costs $6.

A bounty of 40k games took over the store by mid-day with every table consumed by miniatures gaming. The card tables were well-attended with board game demos (i.e. Ascension) throughout the day but a dearth of Magic players was attributed to a major M: TG event elsewhere in the state. Players straggled in as they were eliminated from the other Magic event.

Every 15 minutes a drawing was held for “door prizes.” Everyone who entered the store received a blue raffle ticket that gave them a chance of winning a prize of their choice from two piles. The catch was having your number called and being in the store at the time. This caused some hilarity when customers lost their tickets or went next door to Piezoni’s for food. Many a reference to “Bueller…..Bueller…..Bueller….” was made eliciting laughter from the gathered crowd.

Customers also earned three red raffle tickets, for the big prizes, for every demo they ran/participated in or every tournament they won. This was expanded to include every game of anything that customers played. I earned tickets for my 40k demo and for learning Zombie Dice. Customers could deposit their tickets into envelopes for D&D, Magic, Games Workshop, Board Games, and Xbox. Winners were contacted and announced at the end of the night.

In a surprise result one individual won twice snagging both the 1st and 2nd prize in the same category. While I don’t begrudge the person for winning I can’t help but think this is very poor planning on behalf of BG. Once a person won they should not have been allowed to win again (at least in the same category if not in all of them) to allow others a chance to win.

The Grand Opening was great in showing a lot of support from the Plainville community. Unfortunately, there was a lack of familiar faces from Abington by the time I left at 6pm. Chase Laquidara, BG Plainville Manager, estimated a 50/50 split at most times with it adjusting to 40/60 old/new faces. As long as those new faces keep coming back BG Plainville should have a solid foundation.

The event also revealed some negatives with the location. Most of these pertain to BG Plainville itself inasmuch as the event. So, they will be saved for a future article reviewing BG Plainville.

It was an incredibly fun day. I got to meet new people who will hopefully become new friends, catch up with gamers I haven’t seen in a long time, and spend time with new faces from the soft opening. The long and short of it is the event was a big success and proves that BG Owner Derek Lloyd and his staff know how to plan and execute a community gathering as much as they know how to operate a successful game store.

We give the Grand Opening 4/5 stars. Please see the below pictures from the event. You can also see these on our Facebook page.

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In celebration there will be lots of fun and prizes. Demos of 40k, Fantasy, and Warmachine/Hordes will run all day long. There will be several tables available for open gaming. Demos of such fantastic games like Castle Ravenloft and Dominion (exact games to be determined) will entice board gamers. A scaled down Magic tournament is being held (each participant gets free booster packs).

Giveaways are ticked based. Every person who walks through the door will receive 1 ticket. You earn 1 ticket for every event you take part in. You can earn more tickets for spending money.

The prizes are divided into categories. A top-tier prize is a Magic booster box or a 40k/Fantasy army box or starter set. A lower tier prize would be a GW box up to X dollars in value. The bottom tier consists of paint and brushes, for example. BG Employee Sam said “there is no loser prize.”

All of the fun starts at 10am and ends when the store closes (probably midnight). Please call the store at 508-316-1195 with questions.

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There should be half a dozen or more of us battling it out across the seven seas. This will be the first time a larger group of people will be playing War at Sea at the new location in Plainville. Additionally, it is the first time that most of us will be using any of the models from Condition Zebra.

We will be playing both 100pt and 200pt games with the festivities starting around 7 or 7:30pm. If you are in the area and either want to learn how to play or want to join in the fun then please come on by.

If you don’t have any War at Sea items (or don’t have “enough”) do not despair. I have enough stuff to share with everyone. I’ve purchased at least two cases of every set (only one case of CZ) and 4+ cases of some sets. That is over ten cases worth of stuff that I am happy to let others use while we game.

This should be a fun and hopefully regular occurrence in Plainville.

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Despite the threat of Hurricane Earl both Derek Lloyd, owner, and Chase Laquidara, Plainville Manager, are moving ahead for Saturday’s soft opening. A crowd of both existing customers from BG Abington and Plainville locals is expected. The CWF Game Cast will be at the opening, hopefully from the start at 10am, live blogging the event and sharing pictures online. To whet your appetite we have what may be the final pre-event pictures of the Plainville store. We hope you enjoy them as you gear up to go to 25 Taunton Street in Plainville (click for map of location courtesy of Mapquest) this Saturday.

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I spent about an hour speaking with Derek and managed to take a bunch of pictures. Before we get to the pictures I do want to say that the official grand opening will be sometime in October with a soft opening in September (this coming Saturday according to my source). If you’re in the area of 25 Taunton Street in Plainville then I suggest you come on down. I will be there in person, blogging, and hanging out. It will be fun to meet you and great for you to see the snazzy new BG store.

To see descriptions for each picture please check out our Facebook Photo Album titled BG Plainville.

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The photos accompany some details on the store’s configuration. One of the captions informs us of the location for CCGs and card sleeves. Don’t you think the BG logo would look awesome on that black wall? We are sure that more details are forthcoming. In the meantime check out the below pictures and don’t forget to visit the Plainville location at 25 Taunton Street (map courtesy of Mapquest).

I always share the unedited comments from those discussed on this blog. Although this may be my soapbox, it is important for it to provide a reliable and balanced world view. Below is Derek’s e-mail.

Hi Jonathan,

Thank you so much for such a glowing review! I truly appreciate how much time and effort you put in to expressing all of the things that has made Battleground such a special place for so many of us to spend so much of our time. When I began my journey into the gaming industry eight years ago, I could not have foreseen the unexpected rewards that opening this game store would bring. Like most people who choose to enter this industry my decision was based more upon my love of gaming than anything else. That passion, as it turns out, took a distant second to the real reward. Watching the community build up around Battleground has been a very humbling and unique experience for me. I now realize that just being around people who love gaming is what I truly care about. And how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many great people who have come to care about the community of Battleground as much as I have. The friendships that have been formed there and the people I have met are what make the games we love worth playing.

Your review also comes at a very important time for the Battleground organization. As you mentioned, we are expanding by opening a second store in Plainville, MA in early September. The new location brings me a step closer to my vision of creating the perfect game store. Opportunities related to size and layout have presented options that were unavailable at our previous location. I think that we are building something really amazing at the new site. The only ingredient that is missing, the part that doesn’t come readymade, is the new community. That part, we must build. And we intend to do just that; by providing the same type of service and dedication we aim for at the Abington location.

There are more changes planned as well – all of them good – and we’ll be addressing each one of the critiques you mentioned in your review. These critiques are more valuable to me than the praise and I thank you for pointing them out. They are, I agree, all accurate. However, I also must admit they are problems that I am happy to have!

Once again, Jonathan, thank you for taking the time to express so eloquently the reasons why Battleground earns such high marks in your eyes. Here’s to the next step in the journey!

Sincerely,
Derek Lloyd
Owner of Battleground Games & Hobbies

At this point I normally explain why I am reviewing the entity in question. To sufficiently do that would require a blog article of its own, which I may someday write. Like every great story it begins with a boy (or girl)…this one is named Steve D. Steve, who is now one of my best friends and was an usher at my wedding, and I gamed a lot together. He introduced me to “this new store that opened near me. They’re really cool there.” I walked into Battleground for the first time to play 40k with Steve. Seven years later I still go there at least once a week (soon I will be frequenting their Plainville store instead of the Abington location). As a result this review will be different than the usual, which are based on a small sampling of transactions or products.

This review is based on my almost decade long relationship with Battleground and innumerable transactions totaling more than $5,000 worth of business. I was not compensated for this review. In fact, I’m never compensated for my reviews and if the day ever comes that I am or am given special review only product I will gladly say so at the start of the review.

Preparation

I have spent a lot of time at Battleground. Many days I would arrive there by 6pm and not leave until 3 or 4 in the morning. I have played numerous types of games with many different people. I have organized a tournament there and helped teach people new games. I have assembled, painted, and converted models there. I’ve eaten, watched movies, blogged, hung out, napped, and debated there. I have had many firsts there from my first game of Starship Troopers to my first Dungeons and Dragons campaign. My preparatory research really is innumerable when it comes to Battleground.

The Good

Battleground Games is a clean and well-lit store with plenty of gaming space. It is well-stocked with a combination of board games, RPGs, CCGs, tabletop miniatures, and hobby supplies. It has an XBOX 360 gaming center with LCD TVs and gaming chairs.

The owner and staff know all of the repeat customers by name along with their favorite beverage, usual games to play, and when they usual come to the store. The staff is incredibly friendly, outgoing, and intelligent. They create a gregarious and laid back atmosphere that makes customers feel comfortably at home. They don’t hesitate to alert customers of new product that will be of interest (I’ve received Google Talk messages alerting me to the arrival of new War at Sea product).

The store has six tables in the front to accommodate tabletop games like Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Hordes, and Flames of War. There are a bunch of lunchroom type tables in the middle that are perfect for collectible card and miniatures games like Magic, World of Warcraft, Yu-gi-oh, and D&D Minis. There is also a back room, with door, used for quiet gaming such as Dungeons & Dragons or other RPGs.

Battleground runs numerous tournaments and leagues as shown on their calendar. They host an annual Warhammer 40k Mega-Battle, which has become so large that last year’s event had to be held in the grand ballroom of a nearby hotel. There are ‘Ard Boyz events, Doubles Tournaments, Friday Night Magic, Mordheim and Blood Bowl leagues, along with 40k and Fantasy leagues. A plethora of ongoing D&D campaigns are hosted there every night of every week. A very intriguing Mechwarriors campaign is run on the third Wednesday of each month.

If they don’t have, or don’t yet have, a desired item they immediately add it onto their purchase list. Doing this places no burden on the customer to buy the item when it comes in. They operates several great customer loyalty programs. You save $100 worth of receipts and you can turn them in for 10% off a purchase. If you purchase a box of CCG boosters (or case of CCG minis) you get 10% off and you can merge that with the $100 of receipts for 20% off. They allow some customers to use “held receipts” where you purchase product now, and get to take it, but then pay for it later. This is highly restrictive and only available for known customers who don’t abuse the program and who pay their debt.

There is always someone available for a pick-up game of just about anything you can want. Some nights are geared towards certain games, which makes it easier to find someone to play. But, there is never a bad time to look for someone to game with.

Finally, I need to draw attention to two people in particular. Derek, the store owner, is a superstar. He is part business guru, part therapist, part retailer, and part friend. He is one of those rare people in life who has a certain je ne sais quoi that draws people to him. He is the type of person you want with you if you’re ever in a Zombie movie trying to save the human race. Chase is yet another all-star. There is nothing this man can’t do. He makes everything look effortless. He is extremely humble and astute. He’s not afraid to offer words of encouragement or a kick in the butt depending on what is needed most.

All of the staff is terrific (from Beth down to new staffers Nick and Paul). But, Derek and Chase transform this great game store into game store utopia.

The Bad

The store is lacking in space. A decent sized but unnecessary storage closet takes up too much square footage. This dead space does not make money for the store and does not provide gaming space. There is insufficient display space for the products. One vertical display cabinet in the store’s posterior shows off a limited sample of painted miniatures while two small horizontal display cabinets form the countertop for the cash register. There is a large display cabinet full of dead collectible game product that never moves.

Other dead games adorn all other retail space. Dead board games, collectible minis, collectible cards, and tabletop games. This is one of the few stores I know with Dreamblade, Heroclix, Warlord CCG, and Starship Troopers product. They take up valuable space and the store would benefit from heavily discounting those products (even at a loss) to open up the space.

The bathroom is old and tiny. No matter how hard the staff maintains the restroom all it takes to get befouled is one occupant. The store is very noisy. Except for during the day or very late at night you cannot hear yourself think. There are times that the noise level is so high that you cannot hear an opponent sitting next to you while you play.

Rating

Price 10/10Prices are on par with other physical game stores. You can save a lot using their customer loyalty programs. Also, they retain the old price on product until new product arrives. If there is a price hike for a game, then you can save some money buying the older product.

Storefront 10/10 The store is decently sized but slightly limited due to its odd configuration. It gets very noisy as a result of being incredibly popular. There is tons of parking in the lot for the strip mall. The store is very accessible. It is located on Rte 18, which is fed into by I95, 93, 128, and numerous back roads.

Customer Service 10/10 The gold standard. They use all means available to communicate with customers. They’re helpful, efficient, and speedy. They go above and beyond on a regular basis to satisfy.

Atmosphere 10/10 It is incredibly friendly. It gets loud but this is a result of so many people going there to have a great time. Everyone knows each other, which makes for a real life Cheers.

Contentment 10/10 I have never been happier with a brick and mortar store. The best way to sum this up is to cite from an e-mail I sent to Derek.

It is truly difficult to adequately state how meeting Steve D and going to Battlegrounds has changed my life. Almost all of my current friends are people I’ve met at BG and most of my free “playing” time is spent at BG or working on stuff to do at BG. There are few places in the world that I would rather be and few people I’d rather be with than the friends I’ve made there.

Overall 50/50 or 100% or A+

There is no better brick and mortar game store in eastern Massachusetts and perhaps all of the commonwealth. It is THE standard for a retail business. This review is partly specific to the Abington location and partly about Battleground as a whole. Please note that the Plainville location will help remedy the problems cited in this review. That is why, despite the negative, BG has received a perfect 100%. When the Plainville store opens we will review each location independent of the other. As such, this review should be considered a review of the Battleground Games & Hobbies company and its staff…not a review on a specific location.

I first went there as a customer and now they’re like family.

If you do game or or buy from Battleground Games & Hobbies please tell them Jonathan at the CWF GameCast sent you.

Editorial Disclosure
I am a long time customer of Battleground Games. I regularly game there, am friends with the owner and staff, and spend significant amounts of time there with my friends (almost all of whom I met from Battleground Games). My friendship with the owner, staff, and gamers has not inappropriately influenced this review. If you feel that this review is disproportionately slanted, please leave a comment.