Houston game stores

[Jdvn1]

I keep hearing mixed reviews of the "new" Horizon Games. From a RPG standpoint, I wasn't too impressed by my last visit there, a few weeks after they re-opened. Their stock looked largely like leftovers from the previous ownership, mixed with a couple of new WoTC releases.

Yeah, since they've changed ownership, I think that place has gone downhill. Then again, I have a friend that used to work there, so the information I get from her is likely to be biased, but also largely based on a more intimiate knowledge of the inner workings of the store. However you like to look at it.

(And yes, the friend is a 'she' so I don't know why the store isn't female-friendly )

One oddity about Nan's is that they never mark down old stock. Which means you can get some stuff there that's long out-of-print and hard to find, if you're willing to do some looking.

I've noticed a number of places do this, including Midnight Comics. Who marks down old stock? Just Third Planet? I'd really like to find out. Midnight Comics will only mark it down if it's used.

Rice has, as I understand it, a pretty good gaming scene. I went to OwlCon this past year for the first time and was really impressed. It's not huge, but the gaming was good and I was surprised at the turnout. Honestly, I had no idea there were so many gamers in Houston.

I didn't see you there--though I was there for a very short amount of time. It was my first time there too. Did you see Steve Jackson?

 

[Jdvn1]

I imagine there must be a fair number of people from Houston,

And, to my knowledge, this is about the extent of them. More than I originally thought, actually, though still a small amount in proportion to the size of the city (in comparison to how many EN Worlders you can find in the midwest, for example). I've met Mark Chance and Theron, and they're both nice guys. I'm not sure how often Theron gets to play d20/D&D games, though. I don't think it's his genre.

Last September (Memorial Day?), there was a Houston Get-together (right by Rice, actually, at that Freebird's), just to have lunch with some other gamers. Other than Theron, I was the only EN Worlder (he posts at rpgnet too, and more often, I think, and there were a lot of rpgneters there), but it was still pretty fun to meet everyone. Hopefully if/when that happens again, Theron will post around here about it again and we'll have more EN Worlders show up.

 

[Gentlegamer]

I imagine there must be a fair number of people from Houston, Texas or the surrounding area who post here, it being one of the biggest cities in the US. Well, soon I'll be one of them; I've been accepted (back in April, actually) into a Ph.D. program at Rice University and will be moving sometime in August.

I'm just wondering what there is by way of good gaming stores in the area. This is not a major consideration in anything, but it is nevertheless a good thing to know when moving into a strange city. I started a thread on this when I found out there was a good chance I'd be accepted at Rice, but I don't remember much except there not being anything really spectacular (as in, comparable to the Source, in the Twin Cities area). And of course, that thread was a casualty of the database failure a few weeks back.

So, current or recently lapsed Houstonians - what's the city like in terms of gaming stores? Especially the southwestern part near the Medical Center area.

You're in luck, my friend! The Rice campus is mere minutes (nearly walking distance) to the oldest game store in Houston, Nan's Games and Comics, Too! They even have a Wierd Pete look-alike as the owner, though he doesn't game, he "just sells the stuff." Nan's is at the intersection of Hwy 59 and Shephard.

 

[Gentlegamer]

And, to my knowledge, this is about the extent of them. More than I originally thought, actually, though still a small amount in proportion to the size of the city (in comparison to how many EN Worlders you can find in the midwest, for example). I've met Mark Chance and Theron, and they're both nice guys. I'm not sure how often Theron gets to play d20/D&D games, though. I don't think it's his genre.

Last September (Memorial Day?), there was a Houston Get-together (right by Rice, actually, at that Freebird's), just to have lunch with some other gamers. Other than Theron, I was the only EN Worlder (he posts at rpgnet too, and more often, I think, and there were a lot of rpgneters there), but it was still pretty fun to meet everyone. Hopefully if/when that happens again, Theron will post around here about it again and we'll have more EN Worlders show up.

I'm an H-Town native, though now in Lubbock for law school.

 

[Jdvn1]

I'm an H-Town native, though now in Lubbock for law school.

Well, I didn't expect to see sckeener and Theron post (he doesn't post on EN World much, I'm glad to see him catch this thread), but I did remember you, so in my list of potential posters to this thread, I was initially short by one.

But you had to ruin it for me, huh? The frappr does list a few more people, still.

 

[morrolan]

Another H-Towner here. I live a bit north of Pearland, in the south beltway/288 area, but I work close to the main UofH campus. To be honest, I haven't gamed in a few years, but the old itch keeps coming back. After I get some cortizone though, maybe I'll look for a game!

It may be sacralicious to say here on the d20 boards, but what I really want to play is some WFRP2.

 

[Jdvn1]

Another H-Towner here.

Okay, my theory now is that I just incited more Houston gamers to post here.



You guys should put yourselves on here! It takes like two minutes to do!
http://www.frappr.com/enworld

Anyway, I've seen a couple WFRP2 games around town, though I don't know anyone specifically. It's definitely easier to find some other games, though. Certainly not sacrilige to mention, though. Very little is sacred around here.

 

[Theron]

I didn't see you there--though I was there for a very short amount of time. It was my first time there too. Did you see Steve Jackson?

From a distance. I've met him before.

Sounds like another marshalling of the Houstonians might be worth trying sometime soon.

 

[Theron]

It may be sacralicious to say here on the d20 boards, but what I really want to play is some WFRP2.

That's one I want to give a whirl myself. My schedule's a bit wonky at the moment, but if you'd like, drop me a line (tfbretz AT yahoo DOT com) and I'll give you a holler if something moves in that direction.

 

[The Halfling]

and another...

native Houstonian.

I live in NW Houston (Hwy 290- Copperfield area). I have gamed with Mark C. myself (M&M 1st ed.)

There is also Heroes Collectables...mostly wargamming (WHF and WH40K). but some gaming goes on there. One is in Sugarland, the other by me.