Holiday in London

I actually saw someone wearing this hat in London.  Damn hipsters.

Nicole and I recently took a trip to London, and while that's not terribly relevant to this blog, the gaming stores we visited are totally relevant.  And now:

The swag.

We visited two gaming stores, Orc's Nest and Leisure Games.  Orc's Nest is located in central London, but Leisure Games tends to get better reviews, largely because they have a little more space.

We also picked up a Cyberman miniature at The Who Shop, because you never know when you might need a Cyberman.

You will be upgraded.

Orc's Nest

The Orc's Nest

The Orc's Nest is located at 6 Earlham Street, London.  Right in the middle of London, the Orc's Nest is probably most easily accessible through the Leicester Square via the Northern or Piccadilly lines on the Tube.  (From the Leicester Square exit, head north along Charing Cross, turn right on Earlham Street, and the store will be on your right.)

Some of the online reviews complained that it didn't have table space (not terribly surprising, as it's crammed into a storefront in the heart of London) and that they shrinkwrap their goods (which local game store Game Parlor does as well and has never been a problem for me).  It has a lot of current board games and role-playing games, particularly given its small space.  There wasn't anything there that really jumped out at me, although Nicole particularly enjoyed their d20-shaped lamp, and took a picture of it.

Icosahedron lamp!

Even though there wasn't anything in particular that caught my interest, we did purchase a couple of things in the interest of supporting local game stores.  A couple of miniatures, an Orc's Nest shirt, and a game called Love Letter that Scooter of DC Geeks' fame showed me and Nicole a while back.

The Orc's Nest haul.

All-in-all, a pretty good run.

Leisure Games

Leisure Games is located closer to the outskirts of London at 100 Ballards Lane.  Out in zone 4, Leisure Games is accessible via Tube at the Finchley Central stop on the Northern line.  From Finchley Central, head northwest until you reach Ballards Lane, then turn right and walk for a couple of blocks.  Leisure Games will be on your right.

A lot of the reviews recommended Leisure Games over the Orc's Nest, and while both are neat little shops, Leisure Games is probably the cooler of the two.  They have a little more space, allowing for a couple of tables as well as more sprawling RPG and board game sections.  Of particular interest to me, they have a lot of new stock, but don't seem to overturn their stock as frequently as some other places.  Nicole got a couple of sets of tiny dice, but I was intensely excited to get three out-of-print adventures from Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Hammers of the God, Tower of the Stargazer, and Weird New World.  I think the only print copy I'm missing at this point is No Dignity in Death (and most of the issues of Green Devil Face, although those are significantly more difficult to find).

The Leisure Games haul.  Win!

If you happen to be visiting London, it's totally worth following the recommendations and checking out these two places.