New Logo!

Alright guys! Thanks to my good friend, Mr. Charles Wolfe, I now have a real logo for The Stash! Some of you have seen the black and white version Charles did for me at MACE, and after 6 hours of tweaking and cleaning it up, I now have a sweet color version as well for our digital and print materials. Here is the finished product!
BTW, Shirts coming soon!!

Pre-Orders available @ MACE 2011!

With several exciting new titles coming out in the months of November and December, I will be taking Pre-Orders for the following games at a discounted rate. Shipping will also be an option as well, if you miss this at MACE I will also have them available on our "Shop our Store" page.

Civilization: Fame and Fortune - $34.95, $26.21 (25% off MSRP)

Dominion Hinterlands - $44.95, $33.75 (25% off MSRP)

Dungeon Petz - $64.95, $48.75 (25% off MSRP)

Nefarious - $45.00, $36 (20% off MSRP)

Power Grid: First Sparks - $44.95, $33.71 (25% off MSRP)

Puerto Rico: 10th Anniversary Edition - $100, $70 (30% off MSRP)

Quarriors: Rise of the Demons - $20, $15 (25% off MSRP)

Risk: Legacy - $70, $52.50 (25% off MSRP)

Stone Age: Style is the Goal - $34.95, $26.21 (25% off MSRP)

Mansions of Madness: Forbidden Alchemy - $34.95, $26.25 (25% off MSRP)

War of the Ring: 2nd Ed. - $89.90, $67.43 (25% off MSRP)

Gaming Poll from my gaming group

Questions to ponder! 

1. What is your all-time favorite game(s)? Why?
I'd like to first state that this question in unanswerable! But, I can say that if I had to pick my all-time favorite 10 games (currently) in no particular order, they would be: Race for the Galaxy, Ghost Stories, Power Grid, Tichu, Dominion, Cuba, Stone Age, Agricola, Container and Battlestar Galactica

2. What is your current favorite game(s)? Why?
Hmm... Currently I have been playing a lot of Ghost Stories. I think the appeal for me is the awesome theme (Ninjas fighting demons from Hell), the co-operative game play (big fan) and the ability to scale the game for maximum replay-ability.

3. What game(s) are you best at? Why?
I feel like I am really good at deck building games (ie. Dominion, Thunderstone and Rune Age), I'm not sure if it's because I was an avid Magic Player for a decade or if it is just my sheer awesomeness. But whatever the case I rock at these games. I am also quite the trick-taking games player (ie. Tichu, Wizard and Haggis).

4. What game(s) are you worst at? Why?
None of course, I am awesome (See Above). Just kidding, I am actually terrible at trick-taking games WHEN I have to make blind bets which we do from time to time in Wizard. Zach can vouch for the fact that I can go from Amazing to Abysmal in heartbeat when we switch from open betting/bidding to blind!! 

5. What is your favorite game mechanic(s)? Which mechanics(s) you are best at?
I am a big fan of Simultaneous action, worker placement, area control, card drafting, resource management and auction/bidding. All these are great and really make games about skill versus luck. Of course all these mechanics are only as good as the game that contains them. Execution is key, which is why we have BGG to help separate the great from the good-god-this-is-a-piece-of-garbage! As to the question of which I am best at, please again reference #3 (I'm awesome!).

6. What is your least favorite game mechanic(s)? Which mechanic(s) you are worst at?
I would have to say anything that is overly dependent on luck and or dice. I love a dash of luck and the thrill of dice, but sometimes it is mind numbing when you are playing and it feels like the dice have a personal vendetta against you and are in love with your opponents. That being said, I'm probably the worst at luck based games because I'm always winning them with out trying! ;)

7. What is your favorite game theme(s)? Or do you prefer abstracts? 
I'm a fantasy/sci-fi/pre-historic kinda guy. If you could give me a T-Rex in a Tie Fighter defending an Intergalactic Castle in Space, I'd be a happy guy! As for abstracts, I am good with most but not particularly drown to them. This is generally my grievance with Dominion, great game but the theme is paper thin and the point are abstract. Thunderstone on the other hand while mechanically not quite as elegant has a great theme and rather than just buying up points, you are fighting all kinds of crazy monsters from a dungeon and claiming trophies! 

8. Do you prefer two-player or multi-player games? Why? 
I'm a multi-player guy up until you get to the point where the group grinds the game to a halt. I feel like 4-5 is your sweet spot, more than that and you generally wind up with long periods of downtime from one turn to the next for each player. As for 2 player games I like them for the convenience, you don't always have the luxury of a group, but with that being said... 2-player games can cause some tension between friendships, marriages and domestic partnerships if your not careful. I learned the hard way that when you beat the crap out of your wife in a game, the best thing is to probably not rub their face in it and/or break down for them why they suck at the game! LOL

9. What is your preferred game "weight"? i.e. Light, medium, or heavy? 
I like a big heavy box, I go to a lot of Cons and as a dealer I like games that double as weapons should a riot erupt! LOL! Ok, I am gonna have to answer "D", all of the above. I am up for all these games in the right setting. But, if I was forced to pick one it would have to be Medium. Mainly because I don't have to break out the abacus or devote a multiple sessions to the game. Or on the flip side I don't have to worry about being bored after one or two rounds. These games are the bees knees, they are generally the best combinations of theme, mechanics and fun!10. What's more important, winning or having fun? :)
Making money, if you've read this your probably interested in games... you should buy some from me! ;) I am absolutely about the Fun, I love to win don't get me wrong but I see board games as an escape from reality and if I'm escape I'm going somewhere fun. I mean seriously... Cancun or Soviet Russia? Exactly!

Game Night at my house over a year ago! We've doubled that amount of games since then! :)

Tell us a little bit about your gaming self:

1. What is your all-time favorite game(s)? Why?
2. What is your current favorite game(s)? Why?
3. What game(s) are you best at? Why?
4. What game(s) are you worst at? Why?
5. What is your favorite game mechanic(s)? Which mechanics(s) you are best at?
6. What is your least favorite game mechanic(s)? Which mechanic(s) you are worst at?
7. What is your favorite game theme(s)? Or do you prefer abstracts?
8. Do you prefer two-player or multi-player games? Why?
9. What is your preferred game "weight"? i.e. Light, medium, or heavy?
10. What's more important, winning or having fun? :)

Please participate by posting your answers!

Gaming and why I love it...

As I sit here tonight thinking about my upcoming Con next week and how far I have come as a games dealer, I ask myself, "Why do I do it?" Well, it certainly isn't for the money! But, the answer isn't as simple as any one thing. I think I do it out of love... love for the games I sell, the friends I have made and the places it has allowed me to see. As a games dealer I've had the chance to go to on average 10 Cons a year with the benefit of playing great new games with some truly interesting people. I've been to Cons in NC, WV, SC and IN, and no two are the same from the focus of the con to the arrangements presented to me as a dealer. But with every new Con I have a new set of challenges to overcome, usually my biggest hurtle is in preparing and getting out the door! I swear every Con while different from the last presents the same major issues. I have two small children and a wife, so getting out the door involves making numerous arrangements for all of them as well as finding the cash to fund each trip. But as I said, all of these worries and headaches melt away as soon as the last games go up on the shelves of our booth. I sit back from my chair and look out at all my fellow vendors and think, "Man! This is the life." I can't describe in words the feeling I get when I pull up a chair to a new game with my friends and we dive in together. Board Games, Mini games and Card games are so wonderful in the way they allow you to interact with each other in person. People at my day job assume I am a big video game guy when they find out that I "sell games", but I have to get on my soap box and tell them with passion how strongly I feel about the loss of human connection video games present. People laugh at me for being so passionate, but I am a social person and to many people that I've know that are PC/Console gamers have had their social skills sucked out of them by these games. So, that is why I spend my money and time going to Cons... because I believe in the games I sell! I love the way they make me use my brain and not just aimlessly mash buttons. That's why I do it, for the love of games!

Our first booth at ConCarolinas 2010!

Games available in Charlotte, NC

In our efforts to bring a physical gaming store to the Winston/High Point area, we have also partnered with The Last Word in Charlotte and have stocked them up with a few choice gaming goodies! They currently have a small, but growing, selection of our games. We will also be scheduling monthly or even bi-monthly game days in their store! Also, if your a fan of Magic: The Gathering, be sure to check them out for singles, packs and Friday Night Magic!! Stay tuned for game day schedules, we'll be sorting all that out after GenCon!

The Last Word: Used Books and Media!

The Last Word
230 E W.T. Harris Blvd, # B11
Charlotte, NC 28262
(704) 966-WORD (9673)