Chico is the big local city, about 100,000 people, located at the far northern tip of California's central valley. Although not a huge city, it dwarfs the towns and villages that serve the largely agricultural area. It is also home to two university's, so there's a large enough contingent of gaming's target market to support at least one game shop. That would be 'Bat Comics and Games' located on the downtown strip.
Inside is mostly comics and general nerd paraphernalia, with one wall of gaming supplies. No gaming space, which strikes me as odd, but this is primarily a comic store. That may be a good sign, indicating more gaming groups doing their thing at home rather than the weekly mini-conventions that dominate gaming in my home town. They had a couple of feet of older discounted products on the shelf, so there's some opportunity for finding that rare ouit of print gem, but nothing that caught my eye.The staff was friendly and helpful, and parking was easy even on a Saturday morning.
They didn't have any of my preferred product in stock, but 15mm fantasy in one of those strange little niche products that make me feel like a hipster when asking about it. ("I only drink craft beer and listen to bands you've never heard of, too. *sniff* ") One great little feature is a glass case full of the most random assortment of miniatures I've seen in person in a long time. Old Partha true-25mm fantasy, plastic pre-paints, and a host of them I can't even identify. They had these cute little guys that I couldn't pass up for just a buck each.
All in all, Bat Comics and Games is worth a quick stop if you're ever in the area.
Hey... those are interesting little vehicles. I especially like the one with the can opener thing on it :).
ReplyDeleteIt's always worth it to visit gaming or comic stores in strange cities, you never know what you'll find. The only way I got to paint any Gear Krieg was because I found a few kits discounted (from the usual atrocious price) at the Grey Region in Toronto when I popped in there once.