Tag: gaming

  • Gen Can’t Game Reviews

    Gen Can’t Game Reviews

    I was one of the many who were able to attend Gen Can’t 2015 and I thought I would highlight a few of the games I was able to bring back this year!

    First up is Munchkin Steampunk by Steve Jackson Games (more…)

  • The Legend of the Table Toss

    The Legend of the Table Toss

    It’s time for some of that gaming drama you’ve all been waiting for! That’s right my friends, gaming is a social event and with social events comes lots of in-house squabbles, hurt feelings and dramatic exits. The story I’m telling you today is an actual event I saw take place. The names have been changed to protect the people involved and to create a much better story on paper.

    This is the story of a boy named Link in:

    The Legend of the Table Toss.

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  • What is Valley of the Sun Meetup?

    I bet a lot of you are wondering what Valley of the Sun Meetup is, especially since I have it plastered all over the side of my blog. Those of you who haven’t visited the site yet are really missing out on the opportunity to promote your own games and to find others around Phoenix. No gimmicks or people trying to sell you stuff here.

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  • Geek Conventions and their Dirty Secrets

    I attended Dark Con in January and was surprised to see so many gaming tables not being utilized to their fullest potential. Then it dawned on me, maybe the average Joe isn’t aware of the greatness that’s out here? Perhaps the lure of people dressed as Steampunk cowboys or Anime superheros isn’t your thing? Maybe you think a whole convention devoted to zombie dinosaurs is just to “nerdy” for you.

    Well,  you’ve been kept in the dark about the secret happening at these conventions all your life.
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  • Born of the Gods Pre-release

    Magic the Gathering’s Born of the Gods Pre-release is this week and with the new Theros expansion comes a few new games mechanics.

    Inspire – A creature’s inspired ability triggers every time the creature becomes untapped. That’s normally at the start of your turn, but an inspired ability triggers no matter how or when the creature untaps. If multiple inspired abilities you control go on the stack at the same time, you get to decide in what order to put them on the stack. (The last one you add to the stack will resolve first, as usual.)

    Tribute – A creature with a tribute ability offers your opponent a choice as the card enters the battlefield. You choose an opponent and that opponent decides whether to “pay tribute” by having the card enter the battlefield with two +x/+x counters on it. If he or she does, then that’s it—you’ve got a bigger Monster. If he or she decides not to pay tribute, then the card enters-the-battlefield and it’s ability triggered instead. Either way, it’s good for you.

    Heroic – A heroic ability triggers whenever you cast any spell that targets the heroic creature, including a spell that also targets another creature. If a spell targets multiple creatures with heroic abilities, all of them trigger. Activated abilities, such as equip, do not cause heroic abilities to trigger, nor do triggered abilities. An instant or sorcery spell has a target if it includes the word “target” in its rules text. Each Aura spell also has a target, indicated by its enchant ability. Creature spells and other permanent spells (except for Auras) never have targets. A heroic ability triggers only when the creature’s controller casts a spell that targets it, not when any other player does

    I’ve also list the stores in the East Valley that have planned events. All the events listed below are scheduled for February 1st and 2nd. Keep in mind these events are with sealed decks so remember to arrive ahead of time for deck building.

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  • Desert Sky Games Review

    Desert Sky Games
    2531 S. Gilbert Road. #106. Gilbert AZ, 85295
    (602) 615-5214
    Store Hours:
    M-Th: 10am – 10pm
    F: 10am – 12am
    Sa: 10am – 10pm
    Su: 10am – 6pm

    First Impression: 

    I’ve never been to desert sky games before as they’re relatively new to the valley. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was how well they used their space. I want to say about 85% of the store was filled with gaming tables. Which was really nice compared to some other stores I’ve visited lately. There was also plenty of room to move around, so I didn’t have to awkwardly hit everyone’s chair backs just to get across the room. The staff was friendly and asked us if there was anything specific we needed. They didn’t have the specific game I was looking for however they ended up ordering it for me with no issues. They also had some sweet retro arcade games you could play for a quarter so I got to play Super Mario Bro’s with my daughter before we left. Overall I was impressed with the store except for the price of their MTG cards, however they redeemed themselves by having really great stock for all other cards.

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  • Gamers Inn Review

    Gamers Inn
    1232 East Southern Avenue. Mesa AZ, 85204
    (480)-507-0509 or (602) 531- 5275 for afterhours pick-up
    Store Hours:
    M – W: Closed
    TH: 3pm – 12am
    F-Sa: 12pm – 2am
    Su: 12pm – 10pm

    First Impression: 

    Gamer’s Inn is a far cry from what it used to be but that doesn’t mean it deserves all the negative reviews I’ve seen on the web. From what I’ve been told, the owner has moved most of their sales to their internet based store. So they simply don’t offer the same products they used to and they have changed their store front to reflect that.  In short Gamer’s Inn is no longer mecca for Pen and Paper gamer’s but a hub for Magic the Gathering and Warhammer.

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  • Game Depot Review

    Game Depot
    3136 S. McClintock Drive. Tempe AZ, 85282
    (480)-966-4727
    Store Hours:
    M-T & F-Sa: 10am – 7pm
    W: 10am – 8pm
    Th: 10am – 9pm
    Su: 12pm – 6pm

    First Impression: 

    I called down to Game Depot expecting them not to have the games i was looking for. However to my surprise they had both games in stock. I said thank you and then waited until my shift was over to run down there. I picked out several games and went up to the cashier, David. He asked me about a few of the expansions i had picked up, insuring i already had the originals before i bought them. He also asked if i was the one who called on the phone earlier this morning  and than apologized for one of the games i had asked about being out of stock. He said that another person had come in and picked it up before i got there and next time i call down i should ask them to put it on hold for me. Over all my visit was a kind and informative one.
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