The Whiz Store on Route 9 East in Westborough: MA Gaming Spotlight

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After work today I visited The Whiz Store on Rte 9 East in Westborough (NOTE: FoW fans will know The Whiz from the FoW website because they hold FoW regional qualifiers). I have been following them on Facebook for many months and chatted online with one of their regulars. Everything online sounded amazing and to top it off they’re doing a sale 20-80% off.

It is a huge store taking up two normal storefronts. I don’t know its square footage but it has to be a lot. The store sells a variety of products from greeting cards and beanie babies to model trains and Flames of War. It feels like at its heart it is a traditional hobby store that is branching into gaming. The majority of floor space is for traditional hobby products (models, paint, terrain materials) mixed with educational toys. There is a handful of gaming tables, 4×4 in size, with terrain on them scattered throughout the store. Display counters with beautifully painted models are some of the first things to see as you enter. A medium sized game room in the back was filled with orderly magic players. The most notable thing about the store is the quiet. Twenty plus people were playing Magic, a handful plopped elsewhere, but the entire store was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
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WW2 RPG Demanded

World War II games are some of the most popular and best-selling regardless of format and venue. Simply look at the shelves of your nearest video game, computer game, and FLGS to see that this genre dominates video games, computer games and board games. Furthermore, Baby Boomers are the largest consumer group in the history of the world. They collectively represent more wealth and purchasing power than any other age group in existence. Most if not all of the Boomers lived through or were directly impacted by the war to end all wars.

These are facts and not hypothesis. With the veracity of these declarations beyond doubt we come to the issue of roleplaying games. For ages they have been dominated by fantasy settings as notably evidenced in Dungeons & Dragons. To a lesser extent other settings are commercially available with science fiction being popular. Star Wars, Scion, Legends of the Five Rings, White Wolf, and Dark Heresy are some of the many varied and popular venues.
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Civilization Revolution for iPad

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Recently, I purchased two things that make the iPad more desirable than ever. The first is the Apple wireless keyboard, which is how I am typing this blog. The second is Civilization Revolution for the iPad.

Civilization Revolution has a free version, which gives a nice taste where gamers play a full campaign. You can then choose to install the HD version for iPad, which sells for $12.99 in the App Store.

At first you may balk, like I did, at the price. Thirteen dollars is not much less than what this should sell for as a standard computer game. I strongly recommend that you do not wait the several months I did before downloading this app. It is worth every single penny and is one of the most well crafted and addicting apps I’ve used for the iPad.

It makes solid use of the iPad tap and drag features to enhance gameplay. It is not just a scaled down version of Civ 3. It is a well crafted Civ game designed specifically for the iPad. Revolution is evocative of the best Civ games and translated into a mobile package taking up less than 130 megs of space.

Regardless of your iPad’s internal space, you should always make room for this app. You will not regret it.

Posted on my iPad.

Social Vibe: Help Support American Red Cross for FREE

American Red CrossI am taking a break from blogging about gaming to discuss a very serious topic. I want to talk to you about the American Red Cross.

When the BP Oil spill started, the American Red Cross was there to help the millions of people who lost their livelihoods. When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the American Red Cross was there helping the survivors rebuild their lives. Any time an American service person is in danger, captured or serving overseas the American Red Cross provides care packages and emergency medical care.

The Red Cross is one of the most important humanitarian organizations to ever grace civilization and it needs your help. We have partnered with the American Red Cross, official subsidiary of the international Red Cross, to raise funds. In our sidebar is a box that says “Help Me Support the American Red Cross.”

Every time you visit this blog please click on the box. You will be asked to read stories, watch short video clips, and otherwise use content provided by SocialVibe (a known and respected conduit for helping charities). It will take less than 10 minutes of your time. Each activity you do allows the Red Cross to give 1 minute of support to those in need. If we all work together we can make a huge difference.

This will cost each of us nothing but a bit of our time. Please join me in supporting an organization that helps our brave men and women as they protect our freedom.

Together We Can Make a Difference!

No Game Night Tonight = Thanks Digital Dads & C.C. Chapman

Wednesday nights are game nights. I play World of Warcraft CCG (we raid), War at Sea, or Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition. Tonight’s game night is being canceled, which is a shame because I would be playing with WAS: Condition Zebra for the first time.

As with most things there is a silver lining. I won two Tapis Rouge (aka red carpet or VIP) tickets to the sneak preview of Cirque du Soleil’s OVO on the new Boston waterfront. I won these in a contest at Digital Dads, which is run by C.C. Chapman (yes, THAT C.C. Chapman). My father and I will be having a night on the town. Hopefully I will have some pictures to share (none allowed during the performance).

Many thanks to Digital Dads and C.C. Chapman for this tremendous opportunity.

We return you to our regularly scheduled broadcasting.

This posted on my iPad.