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Gamers gather for fun and fellowship
Some kids hang out in the parks. Some "scoop the loop." Some spend their weekends looking for the latest thrill.
But every Saturday, a group of youths -- and a number of adults as well -- gather in the "game room" at Wondertrails in Stardust Plaza to enjoy a variety of popular board, miniatures and card games.
On any given Saturday you can find younger kids playing Pokemon card games, and older youths and adults enjoying the popular "Magic: The Gathering" card games, either individually, or in tournaments that prepares and qualifies them for regional and national competitions.
On one of several adjacent 6'x8' tables you might find teams of players enjoying a variety of miniatures "wargames," such as "Pirates," a naval miniatures game, or Warhammer, a science fiction ground combat miniatures game. Another table might find players engaged in "Star Wars" battles with small replicas of Battlestars and X-Wing Fighters. Yet another table will feature WWII miniatures wargaming. And beside all the game tables is a small radio-controlled race car track, where people can race their cars alone or against other RC-car owners.
"It's there for the kids," said Carl Latona, co-owner of Wondertrails. "It keeps them off the streets and out of trouble, and it gives them a chance to enjoy competition with other hobbyists" who are into miniatures wargaming or customizable card games.
Or, for that matter, any other type of game they may want to bring in and play. "We provide the space and the facilities. They provide the imagination," Latona said. The Wondertrails hobby shop also sells many of the component parts to some of the games (in addition to its other wares).
But for those who enjoy, for example, miniatures gaming, one of the fastest growing forms of hobby gaming in the country, having large tables where they can spread out their "forces" and the chance to compete with other hobbyists makes the Wondertrails game room a dream come true.
At a recent "Pirates" tournament, where players "sail" 3-D replicas of 18th-century warships on a table-top "ocean" complete with islands (and the occasional sea monster), Brian Orban was helping a half dozen young adults, teens and pre-teens learn the mechanics of the game.
Orban, who works in the public affairs department at Mountain Home Air Force Base, said he got into playing the miniatures "Pirates" game three years ago when it first appeared on store shelves. The game comes in "decks" of cards (about $4 each), from which the ships are punched out and assembled, and includes the same sort of basic miniatures naval rules first introduced by real naval leaders in the mid-19th century to practice tactics.
"On a whim, I bought a deck," Orban said, "and I thought it was pretty cool. Today, I have several hundred ships.
"The beauty of the game is it teaches basic strategy at a relatively easy level. You get young kids and older people like me together and we can all enjoy something really creative.
"And, it teaches kids a little bit of history."
His young daughter also plays the game, "and she really enjoys kicking my butt. She's pretty good at it."
For most, the games are just fun, and offer a chance to stretch their minds a little. Some games, such as "Warhammer," or the roleplaying and highly popular "Dungeons and Dragons," have rulebooks that can run literally into hundreds of pages. They're not for a person who throws up their hands at the "complexity" of a game if the rules won't fit on the cover of a box.
"Really, they're for both kids and adults, all age groups," said Paul Latona, 18, the Wondertrail's owner's son.
"I used to love chess," he said, "but a lot of these games take a lot of strategy. I like always having to think three steps ahead of my opponent.
"And I've played about all of them, Warhammer, Pirates, Pokemon, Magic, World of Warcraft, Heroclix and Horrorclix. They're a lot of fun. You've got to actually think, and I've always loved miniatures games," where small tanks, or spaceships, or sailing ships or infantry figures are moved around 3-D terrain maps engaging in combat with each other using "realistic" charts and tables to determine the outcomes of battles.
The game tables at Wondertrails can be reserved, but usually they are available on a first-come first-served basis. There is no charge to use any of the facilities in the game room.
Tournaments and other scheduled game room activities are announced on the store's in-house bulletin board.