So I hear that Gamers Lair, a local Edmonton gaming store, has been shuttered. The owner, Mark Comey, disappeared late last year in Mexico. I think the family had been trying to keep running it but probably their hearts weren't in it. Putting aside the fact that his disappearance was tragic, the loss of the store is also a major bummer as it was a mecha for Warmachine players. If any other local game stores were smart, they'd capitalize on this and become the new mecha. Red Claw doesnt seem interested which I think is a missed opportunity. I wish I could have bought GL and operated it myself - it had a very healthy customer base, particularly with regards to card games like Magic and Yugi-Oh. It's one thing to see a crappy store fail, but to see a store that was really healthy simply wither on the vine is just so sucky.

I have no idea if anyone still reads this blog - I know I let it go quiet for a while. Part of the problem is the web host for tinctureadept.com, which redirects to this blog, was offline for quite a while. There was zero support (and yet I keep paying for it - idiot is me) but I figured out that the naming server had changed.

Today saw the release of Planetstrike and I bought it despite not playing 40k much. That said, my good buddy Robin has taken it up in a big way and is moving back to Edmonton next week so there could be considerable 40k in my future. I bought 2 of the imperial bastions too - partly for Planetstrike but also partly so I could use them as terrain for any old game. They are nice, and the modular aspect is very cool too.  Oh, and they are pre-textured, which is a great step in the right direction for GW kits!

On the workbench I have the Imperial Guard Stormsword.  It's assembled and some gap-filler is drying before priming. Then I will tear into the painting. Looking forward to it. Haven't done Camo ...like, ever?  Another cool thing about this kit - a lot of the gun barrels are drilled out without being 2 halves! That's very cool and again a nice step in the right direction for the always excellent GW plastic kits.

GW Kingsway will be having a Bizarre Bazaar on Sat Aug 1 and I plan to either be there or else have someone there to sell some of my stuff. I have boatloads of bits, vehicles, half painted armies etc that I can sell for cheap to those who might be interested. Still have to check what I have to sell but there's quite a bit. The idea is you buy from a person in the store by buying them gift certificates. Good for the store and good for customers, and I can get some new "GW money" for my future addiction maintenance.

Lastly, in addition to some painted models up for auction on Sunday night, I'll be listing some Monsterpocalypse stuff (awesome game but all my opponents moved out of town!) and Star Wars Pocket Model rare items.

That's all for now.

still reading :)

re: stores missing opportunities, i saw that a lot in Ottawa as well, it seems like some people don't see the opportunities when they occur, they are so stuck in what they know and what they like that they don't want to expand... too bad, having a good shop around is pretty key to the hobby.

Still reading. Redclaw had its Bazzar/trade day the other week and a lot of the warmachine stuff was being sold at 25% off. Hard to be a big promoter of the stuff when all it ever does is sit on the shelves and collect dust i guess. Really like the Val in the last post by the by.

I dunno - with GL gone, I'd buy a whole lot of Warmachine at Red Claw but he won't stock new releases. Also, I used to buy lots of P3 paints there...the rack was nearly empty, why not refill it? Obviously somebody bought it. And thing is, with the GL Warmachine crowd (and the old Vesuvius crowd) displaced now, seems like a great time to reach out.

Actually I'm curious - does the store basically live and breath on Warhammer Fantasy? I think I've heard tell of Infinity being played there but dont see stock for sale.

Still reading. Sucks to hear about your LGS closing. I'm curious how much gaming happens at the stores in your town. Down here in Salt Lake there's a ton of gaming in the stores but I've heard that we're a bit odd in that respect compared to many other cities where everyone plays at home. When a store closes around here we have refugee gamers wandering the streets wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Good question - from what I saw, a surprising amount happens in the store. GL had tons of people playing Warmachine, card games, board games and even RPGs on various nights. At Red Claw I often see large groups playing Warhammer and other games. I think we all still play at home, but as the average age seems a bit older, it can be hard to coorindate that with spouses and kids :)

I guess now that GL is no more, there may be more people looking for that fix elsewhere. While Fort Road is demolished & access to my store is comparible with finding your way through to the fifth ring of hell, I will be more than willing to help anyone out. If more people are interested in WH/Hordes, then I'll start stocking it again.

I guess now that GL is no more, there may be more people looking for that fix elsewhere. While Fort Road is demolished & access to my store is comparible with finding your way through to the fifth ring of hell, I will be more than willing to help anyone out.

...I guess now that GL is no more, there may be more people looking for that fix elsewhere. While Fort Road is demolished & access to my store is comparible with finding your way through to the fifth ring of hell, I will be more than willing to help anyone out. If more people are interested in WH/Hordes, then I'll start stocking it again. However, when there are two or three people looking at figs once a month, it's hard (especially with the recession, demolition, and my wallet's constant b!tch!ng) to justify bringing in new stock on a weekly basis.

sorry for all the double posts. It looked like they werent being posted, so they were cut into smaller pieces.

Still reading as well :)

It is sad to see them go. Funny you mention thinking about investing in GL... that thought had occurred to me as well. Would be fun :)

I still wonder if this is a good opp for Wizards as well.

Models are looking sweet man! I landed last night, so the gaming needs to commence sooooooon!

I was doing some research and happened across this page...
GL and Mark will definitely be missed, but I assure you that a gaming store will take its place. As it stands, we are in the process of taking control of the location and plan on re-opening as soon as possible. We will, however, need customer input as to what sort of gaming will be stocked and kept up and running. As it stands, Magic and YuGiOh will be there...the rest is open for interpretation at the moment. If the client base, such as yourselves, is willing to make an effort to help us establish and setup what -you- want for your gaming, we are willing to listen. I am not going to post contact information at this time, but if you wish to respond here, then I assure you, we will be in touch.

That's good to hear :)

My main suggestion is to "rejuvenate" the Warmachine/Hordes fanbase that was active at the store before Mark vanished. I think other stuff they were stocking wasnt really moving (like Rackham stuff) but I think a "healthy" inventory of Privateer, including new releases, and dedicated game night could bring the fans back.

Late comment? Definitely, but I thought I'd post it anyways. In regards to your Yu-Gi-Oh gaming, a lot of attention to GL was lost due to your store being 'unsanctioned' by Konami - which pretty much ceased the Sneak Previews and Regionals Tournaments from the set 'Crossroads of Chaos' onwards. If you plan to bring Yu-Gi-Oh! back, then definitely, try your best to become sanctioned again.

It too was totally bummed when I found out about Gamer's Lair. I have been checking into the website quite a few times over the last few months to no avail. I just found this information and I guess if nothing else it is good to know what happened. We buy Magic there and as far as I know they are pretty much the only place in Edmonton with a good singles collection (and not just for the new sets). If anyone knows of anywhere else to go for Magic singles let me know. Otherwise I look forward to the Gamer's Lair store being reopened under new ownership. Thanks