Belated Lament...

As I drove down Maryland Avenue last night the sight of an empty store front tugged at my heart. The big, blue, unlit sign above the awning read, "NAPOLEON'S" and the front windows were dark and void of any chess pieces, suits of armor or core rule books for some of the more popular role playing games (RPG) on the market today.

Just six months ago this store was filled with book cases of all the latest guide books, monster manuals and game master modules one could ever dream of for their fantasy gaming needs. Upon the walls hung hundreds of gaming miniatures just waiting to be plucked up, taken home and painted by players of all manner of fantasy, sci-fi and horror related contests. On the weekends you could hear laughs, cheers and debates coming from the gaming rooms in the basement where many a challenger took on either an RPG, strategic battle game or miniature's battle field.

If you were into any kind of fantasy gaming, you had to visit Napoleon's at least once or twice in your life. It was a place were if they didn't have what you were looking for, they'd go out of their way to get it. From D&D to Spytech to Call of Cthulhu, they had nearly every RPG game you could possibly imagine. They also had something for those who were into military history as their back room was filled with many books on the outfits and equipment form all sorts of soldiers from different countries and different eras.

It is also said that the late, great basketball coach, Al McGuire would stop by the shop to pick up a historical miniature or two.

Sadly, this past winter it was announced that after many years of gamers perusing the isles, Napoleon's would be shutting it's doors for good. The riggers of competing with online and big business gaming companies along with health issues forced the store's owner to call it a day and put to bed all the dragons, halflings, vampires, aliens and knights in shining armor for good.

Early March of this year saw the end of an era as the last geek walked out of there with the last 20 sider in stock leaving the once popular gaming store empty.

After driving by the empty store a lot this summer, I was a bit disappointed in myself that I didn't go in there more often. I feel that I may have missed out on some form of great geeked out event that may have occurred without me. Perhaps I would have run into a cute, single, female gamer to spend more time with. Who knows? One thing is for sure, be sure to patron your favorite, smaller comic, collectible and gaming shops more often. Who knows when corporate America will come in, tear it down and build another frellin' Starbucks?


This week is the Bruce Campbell screening and signing!!! I'll also be doing some serious Star Wars RPGing this weekend! So we'll talk more latter. Seeze ya!

P.S. I got new shoes today. Cool, huh?

Zangz.