I just wanted to make a quick announcement: Fair Game will be hosting a rather auspicious event early this morning before opening our doors to the public.
Our twin boys turned 10 this past week and we are celebrating today. Happy birthday Sam and Wil!
Never mind the Elder Gods – having kids will do a great job of driving you insane 
Love you guys!
Yowza! March 30th didn’t really sneak up on us, but nonetheless, I’m surprised to see it here.
Today is TableTop Day all around the world! In case you haven’t heard the incessant cries of gamers everywhere, what this means is today is “officially” dedicated to playing games. Fair Game will be hosting all sorts of #FGTableTop shenanigans starting at 11am and ending around 9pm. There will be lots of games to play, achievements to…achieve, and prizes to win.
Also – for you Easter bunny better-late-than-never shoppers, try out something 
a little less sugary for your Easter Basket and buy a small game or two for your little bunnies. Tomorrow (March 31, 2013), Fair Game will be closed for Easter (and to allow us some time to recoup from Spring Break and build some new Warmachine play surfaces!) so plan ahead!
Posted in Blog, Events, Family, Miniatures, War Machine
Tagged #TableTopDay #FGTableTop
Yes, yes – a thousand yeses my precious! Fair Game is indeed hosting a thing for International TableTop Day on March 30, 2013!
What that is exactly remains to be seen. I imagine we will be playing a lot of TableTop featured games like Zombie Dice, Wits & Wagers, Tsuro and others. We might even break out Pandemic or Elder Signs for some nail-biting fun.
You do know about the Geek and Sundry show Table Top right? If you haven’t watched an episode yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. Wil Wheaton hosts a cadre of famous nerd-gamer actors and actresses playing a game each episode. It really is well done.
International Table Top Day is dedicated to gamers of all types. The idea is to just play games on that day – enjoy your fellow human. Interact. Socialize. Have fun! Felicia Day talks about it here.
Throughout the day we will be raffling off prizes including snacks, coupons and even free games. Most importantly, we will be playing games. Lots and lots of games. Stay tuned for more details!
(and yes, we realize the TableTopDay website does not list us as hosting an event; that isn’t our fault – honest! It appears that they are having issues with their event locator web-app. With any luck, they will get it fixed soon. But, in reality, do you really need to locate an event now? You know where to go! Fair Game for TableTop Day!)
See you soon!
–Josh
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above – or feel like you want to observe (and maybe kibitz a bit) a bunch of gamers getting their nerd-groove on, come on down to Fair Game on Saturday February 23. Starting at 3pm, the Naperville Freaks, Geeks and Weirdos meetup group will be hosting a One-Shot RPG gathering right in our store. I think they even asked first!
“One Shot,” in this sense just means a single play session, rather than an episodic campaign – that way players can get a complete game done in one sitting. The NFGW Group has found a willing band of game masters to run players though a single play session of a variety of role-playing games. From science fiction, to espionage and – of course – fantasy, there is a setting and system for many interests.
If you just want to see what all the fuss is about, stop on by Fair Game after 3pm and just observe. All of our players are required to be friendly and respectful to all questions – lest they be sacrificed to the Elder Gods.
If you think you might want to play, I encourage you to register immediately as spots are filling fast. Below I will link to individual registration pages for the variety of games that will be run. Even if a system is full, feel free to get on the waiting list – you never know, someone might not show up.
Below are a list of the games currently scheduled to run on Saturday, February 25 at Fair Game starting at 3pm.
PARANOIA: ME AND MY SHADOW, MARK IVPARANOIA is fun. Other rpgs are not fun. Play PARANOIA.
Need more? PARANOIA is an award-winning science fiction rpg originally released in 1984 but updated in 2004. A satire of politics, governments, economic systems, roleplaying games, and more big terms that you can shake a stick at, PARANOIA is unique among rpgs because you are NOT expected to cooperate with other players. Instead, you are expected to lie, backstab, trick, cajole, irritate, and bullshit other players all the damn time. (Except if cooperation would benefit you, of course.) As such, players should be mature enough to face Catch-22s and betrayal without pouting or getting upset. Register here.
FATE: TOMB OF HORRORS!Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. This adventure, based off the original S1-Tomb of Horrors AD&D adventure module and featuring characters from the popular 1980s Dungeons & Dragons animated series, is designed to be a quick and easy to learn introduction to the rules of the new FATE Core playtest. Register here.
13th Age: Blood and Lightning
Eclipse Phase: Ego HunterIn this particular story and one shot, you will undertake the role of individuals set on Mars…. and… that is all you need to know for now. 
Register here.
WORLD OF DARKNESS: ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!
SAVAGE WORLDS: THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE!The Savage Worlds Game System is an open-ended role-playing game system created by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Its slogan is Fast! Furious! Fun!, which is exactly what it is designed to provide. It’s a simple, easy-to-learn, easy-to-use system that lets you get right into the thick of the action. Register here.
Tagged 13th Age, Eclipse Phase, FATE, FUDGE, One-shot, Paranoia, Role Playing, RPG, Savage Worlds, Worlds of Darkness
This weekend (October 20/21, 2012) Fair Game is hosting a 24 hour marathon gaming session to support the Children’s Miracle Network via the Extra Life foundation.
Every year Extra Life hosts a 24 hour event to increase awareness of their cause and encourage gamers and their friends to donate to a great cause.
For the last four years, thousands of gamers have joined together annually to play for 24 hours for Extra Life – a gaming marathon in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals®. Gamers rally friends and family members to sponsor their play. The funds they raise go to help save and improve the lives of kids at the CMN Hospital in their community.
This year, a local group of gamer-friends decided to form their own team, and asked us if we would host the event. Naturally, we agreed immediately – and now the time is upon us.
If you would like to participate, come in and play any time between 10am Saturday October 20 until 10am Sunday, October 21. We will close the store at 10am Sunday, but will be open again at noon as usual. We are encouraging (but not forcing!) gamers to donate during the 24 hour marathon – we can take donations through the register. As an added bonus, numerous Downers Grove merchants have generously donated prizes to be raffled away during the event. Thanks to Emmet’s, The Spice Merchants and Caribou Coffee!
If you can’t make it out and still would like to contribute, why not go right to our part of the team page and give a little by pressing that big blue “Support Me!” button. Every bit counts!
Both Eric and I look forward to seeing the hilarity ensue as die-hard gamers and over-tired shopkeepers try to keep their sanity.
Play Games, Heal Kids
Posted in Events, Family, News
Tagged 24 hours, Charity, Children's Miracle Network, Extra Life
Well look at that. Twelve months have gone by – Fair Game is a feisty one-year-old!
That’s amazing in a number of ways – but not the main point of this post. Nope, this post is about YOU, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, who have just realized that Christmas is a few days away and there are some presents to be procured. Do yourself a favor and come on down to Downers Grove and check out what is happening in our town. We have a wonderful selection of independent shops – Teas, Toys, Spices and Gifts. Treats and lunch as well!
Of course Fair Game has, what we consider, the best gift of all- interaction. Come grab a game for that person for whom you “just don’t know what to get”. Mom and Dad are hard to shop for? We’ll find you something they will love. Kids playing games you have no idea about? Come on in and we’ll talk you through it.
We have a bunch of gift suggestions hiding up in that “Parties & Gifts” menu – games for families, kids, traveling, 2-players and large groups. Gifts for the ‘serious‘ gamer, and fans of science fiction and horror movies. Game themed stocking stuffers and accessories for role players round out our suggestions.
Even if you can’t be bothered to check those lists out, here is our the top 5 ‘quick! I need a gift’ ideas:
ELEMINIS – a very simple to learn card game for kids and adults alike. Try to collect one of each Elemini while thwarting your opponents. Cute characters and no hand management make this an idea game for younger and older gamers alike.
RORY’S STORY CUBES – Do I need to say even more about the game which a popular gamer reviewer said “This might just be the perfect game.” Wonderful.
TELESTRATIONS – The game that is guaranteed to turn any group, into a party! A combination of Pictionary and telephone, players alternate drawing and guessing simple pictures in an attempt to determine the original idea. Hilarity ensues.
QUACK IN THE BOX – If you are looking for a gift intended for a doctor or someone in the medical profession (and they have a sense of humor!), this card game is perfect. As a greedy doctor, your goal is to make as much money as possible without being sued for medical malpractice.
– just like butter for your pancakes, or oil for your car – every gamer needs accessories. Dice, card sleeves, binders and books. Miniatures, paints and brushes. Come in and pick out a few things to compliment your gamers hobby.
Finally – even if you are one of those who has managed to finish gift buying months ago, stop on by and wish us a happy birthday!
I hope you all have a happy, safe and fun holiday.
–J
I recently had a customer (Erin) contact me regarding a contest she is part of. As a Librarian of the John R. Tibbott School in Bolingbrook, IL Erin recognizes the value of games as a social and educational medium. When Out Of The Box publishing began accepting nominations for worthy schools to receive $500 worth of games, Erin jumped at the opportunity and nominated her school by writing a proposal.
Erin’s proposal was one of 40 chosen of the thousands of entries received (good job Erin!).
Those 40 finalists are now part of…well basically, a popularity contest. Whichever organization receives the most (internet) votes throughout the month will receive the $500 game package. Voting is simple – the click of a mouse. I’m hoping that you all can help Erin bring some games to a school which is considered “low income” by state standards.
Click here and find John R. Tibbott School (Bolingbrook, IL) about 4 entries from the bottom. Select Erin’s school and hit submit. You can do it once per day per computer, so – in the great legacy of a Chicagoan, “Vote Early, Vote Often”!
Right now the running is tight – and I’ve watched as John R. Tibbott’s lead is shrinking. We at Fair Game love the idea of getting more games into schools – especially those schools who may not have the discretionary funds to purchase a game or two, so we are asking for your help.
As a little added incentive – those of you that vote for John R. Tibbott, let us know by logging into our forums (wait – you don’t have an account? No biggie – just register and we’ll get you approved super quick!) – find the thread about the school and post a response telling me you placed (at least) one vote (remember – more is better! try to do it once a day for the rest of November). Assuming that John R. Tibbott manages to keep (or grow!) their lead and pull off the win by the end of the month, we will pick one person randomly from the forum thread and award them a pair of custom Fair Game Dice!
As if that’s not sweet enough – to make the warm fuzzy feeling you will get after voting even fuzzier, if – no, WHEN – John R. Tibbott wins, Fair Game will donate one more game from our shelves – Erin’s choice!
Click and vote. It’s that simple.
–Josh
I hope you have your own version of the “world’s smallest violin,” as it is likely time to dust it off and tune it up…
This post comes to you from the Big Island of Hawai’i – where my family and I are spending a week snorkling, exploring and – most important – just relaxing. What a fantastic place! The idyllic scenery coupled with the always-present awareness of the Volcanoes makes a magical combination which I doubt is achievable anywhere else on our planet. Tropical Paradise indeed.
Bringing the focus of this post back to gaming is surprisingly easy. As we packed for this trip, I was always thinking about how we would keep ourselves entertained on that 9 hour flight, and during those down times when we had just enough sun and sand and needed something different.
So I packed some games. Too many in fact, but better too many than not enough right? So far we have broken out three – the collective favorite being “King of Tokyo,” which we played in the lounge one evening overlooking the Pacific ocean.
In King of Tokyo, you take on the role of a stereotypical movie monster desiring the most notoriety by taking over the city of Tokyo. While you are occupying the hapless city, all of the other monsters are doing their best to kick you out and take your place. A take on the “king of the mountain” game with dice and monsterous powers. I promise a full review soon.
Some other games that have seen play so far are Mr. Jack Pocket, and
Pirate Fluxx. Tonight looks to be a round of Habitat .
We will be back on the mainland next week – bringing a bit of Island karma with us.
Aloha!
Posted in Family
Not in putting the words into print, but in making the decision to even jot them down in this decidedly public forum.
Key points before continuing – another disclaimer if you will. Contained within you will not find anything about games, retail ownership or community building. Within you will find discussions on mortality, fate and facing our limitations as humans. This post is my catharsis – a selfish need to express my feelings in a trying time. I’m pulling the trump card – it’s my store; my website. I’m being selfish. Read on at your own risk.
Posted in Family
GenCon 2011 has come and gone.
In like a lion, out like an Umber Hulk.
For me it was a bit of a different experience. Being the owner of a game store has it’s benefits for sure, but with that comes the “r” word.
Responsibility.
The plan had been for me to spend two days (Wed/Thur) doing “business” and then one day (Friday) being a gamer. Eric was to man the store during the week, and then come down late Thursday so we could connect “off the clock” and enjoy the convention for what it is. Fun.
Wednesday was a day full of Trade seminars – which really were much more interesting than I anticipated. A very full day starting at 10am (well, really 5am to get myself down to Indy in time) and ending officially at 9pm. I met up with our regular group Wednesday night and gamed until the wee hours (concluding with a rousing game of Fiasco).
Thursday morning had me up earlier than should be allowed at a gaming convention – but I wanted to get my thoughts and notes in order to take advantage of the 1 hour early entry into the vendor hall that I was entitled to as a retailer. I spent that hour talking with many manufacturers about a variety of products and how to best incorporate them into Fair Game’s style. It was great to be able to talk to these people while they were still fresh and not distracted by the huge throngs of people usually present. One hour went by really quickly, but I continued to discuss ‘shop’ with almost every booth I stopped at during the whole day.
After meeting up again with some friends and having a fantastic Sushi dinner, my trip was cut short by some family drama which forced me to come home late Thursday night.
Indeed it was disappointing – but, as they say, the only thing worse than two days at Gen Con is one day.
Who’s in for next year?
p.s. Here are some photos I snapped on Thursday.