Well I am just back from a day out in Aberdeen! We decided to head up on a whim on my day off and I thought I would use the opportunity to scope out the hobby shops while we were up there.
As it turns out, this was a bit of a mistake as the shop we found, which will remain nameless, was without doubt the dirtiest and most unpleasant store I have set foot in in over twenty years as a gamer. The floor was stained and filthy (possibly due to a small dog seeming to use it as a toilet) and even the books and miniatures had a clammy, musty feel to them that put me right off.
Our impression of the shop...
After only a few minutes we escaped but left feeling like we needed a good wash after entering such a pit. It's such a shame that that is the lasting impression many folks who may be interested in miniatures would get from visiting and it never ceases to amaze me that so many miniatures shops tend to be grubby and smelly with staff that either ignore you or seem to resent your presence as it disturbs their chat with their chums!
No wonder so many shops close down and folks are moving to online sources as the bricks and mortar shops are increasingly out of touch with what a modern shop should be like!
The trip wasn't a total waste though as I picked up the Art of Titanfall from Waterstones instead (shameless plug but its got quite an excellent range!)
Now I can't be bothered with computer games themselves but the artbooks are a different prospect as they are usually packed with fantastic artwork like this:
This artwork tends to give me ideas for gangs, forces, locations, campaigns, scenarios, individuals, monsters and vehicles to incorporate into my games and background and the Art of Titanfall is no exception!
Still I do have the weekend off and Carronade is on at Falkirk so I will be heading down with some hard earned pennies to see if I can't find some suitable stuff for my Rogue Trader redux!
If anyone else is planning on attending, give us a shout and we can meet up for a chat about beardiness and old school gaming if you fancy!
All the best!
Alas I did read that Plan 9 was there but didn't get chance to find it as we were on a bit of a tight schedule and I was rapidly weighed down with books!
ReplyDeleteStill it means I do have some spare cash for the Con!
All the best!